Note: This was a sermon I gave to the local church of Grace Communion International in Sta. Rosa, Laguna during their 10th church anniversary on July 10, 2011.

Congratulations on your 10th church anniversary! Thank you for inviting me to join this wonderful celebration. It also gave me and my wife the opportunity to visit my mother-in-law.

Ten years ago, this group was declared a church. I do remember that being the senior pastor of GCI Manila South and because my parents-in-law lived here in Sta. Rosa, we started sometime in 1999 a small group in this area upon the insistence of some of the church members here at Laguna Bel Air. That’s how it all started and many of you were part of that pioneering small group.

Glad to know that through the ups and downs that we go through in life—in trials and in triumphs—this local church has continued to be in the faith up to now. Congratulations to all of you brethren on your 10th anniversary!

The Good Life

We all want the good life right? We want good health, prosperity, assurance, security. That’s what everybody is looking for—the good life. In John 10:10 it says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” In the King James Version it says, “that we might have it more abundantly.” The abundant life is what Jesus is offering us! But what is this good life anyway?

Does this mean, continued good health and material prosperity? Just what is “Experiencing life in God’s love”—which is your anniversary theme—all about?

The Two Questions

To answer life’s questions, we need to answer two questions. The first one is: 1) Who is God as revealed in Jesus Christ? Who is God anyway? And the second question is, 2) who are we—humans—in relation to Jesus Christ?

Who is God?

So, who is God? God who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is love. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit—a community—if you please. The early church fathers used the Greek word, perichoresis to describe this relationship in the Trinity. It means mutual indwelling. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are mutually indwelling each other. It’s a web of relationships—loving relationships. Everything God does is because of love and the result of what God does is always love. Jesus reveals to us who the Father is. He is love. That’s who God is.

Who is Man?

Why are we here on earth? It’s because of God’s love. That’s what it says in Ephesians 4:4-5: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

God’s Plan

God’s plan is to include us into that family, that community, into that loving relationship enjoyed by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? So that we will also experience the joy that they are experiencing in their life and love in the Trinity. This is what was in God’s mind when he said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Community of Believers

I think that is the reason why God said that “it is not good that man should be alone” when he created Adam. He wants us to be part of a community. He provided a partner in life—Eve—so that Adam may have a companion. From the very beginning, God intended us to become part of a community — to have union and communion. And that’s what the church is—a community, a community of believers where you can belong, where you can share your life and love with others. Where you can share your joys and your sorrows as we go through life. That’s the church—where there is supposed to be mutual love, mutual help, mutual understanding for each other, supporting each other, encouraging one another.

Here is what Jesus said in John 14:20 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

In a nutshell, this is the good news of Jesus Christ! God who is love, all along wanted us to become part of his loving community as his children! And that’s good news!

Clarifying John 10:10—The Abundant Life

Many preachers quote John 10:10 to support the idea that Christianity leads to physical prosperity and “every good thing.” The verse has been used as a description of the Christian life, the normative pattern of life that Christians can expect because of God’s blessings.

Context of John 10

Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel develops the biblical theme of sheep and the shepherd. The shepherd is accessible to the sheep. Strangers do not have a personal relationship with the flock, but the good shepherd does. Verse 10 draws the contrast between Jesus and false shepherds, the thieves who come to kill, steal and destroy.

John 20:31 describes the purpose of this gospel. Speaking of the miracles and signs, John says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The New International Commentary on the New Testament says: “Life is one of John’s characteristic concepts. He uses the term 36 times. ‘Life‘ in John refers to eternal life (see on 3:15), the gift of God through His Son. Here, however, the term must be taken in its broadest sense. It is only because there is life in the Logos that there is life in anything on earth at all.” (John, page 82).

In summary, John 10:10 should not be used as though it gives some promise of an improved physical life for the Christian. Such a view, in light of the context, is shallow, and it overlooks the profound truth of the passage. The passage promises superior, superabundant spiritual life, life empowered by the indwelling of Jesus Christ. Because Christians “have” Jesus Christ, because he lives within them, they have the riches of the superabundant life.

John 10:10 promises a spiritual dimension to life, not physical abundance. A focus on the physical trivializes the profound depth of John 10:10.

Experiencing Life in God’s Love

Here then is how to experience life in God’s love:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Such is the wording of Galatians 2:20 in the KJV, which I believe is a correct translation of the Greek.

When we look back deeply into our lives and think about how many times we have been disobedient and continue to be, it is marvelously comforting to know that Jesus Christ gives us his life of obedience to the Father and that it is Christ’s obedience which counts. We are saved by his obedience, not ours. It is his life, his faith and his obedience that saves us and includes us into that salvation.

This is how to understand Gal. 2:20. “I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me.”

That is exactly what the Lord Jesus does and is doing when in giving of himself for us he completely takes our place, makes our cause his very own in every aspect of our lives.

Here is what Jesus said in John 14:20 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Count it all joy!

For a follower of Jesus Christ, life is full of meaning and purpose. For an unbeliever, it is meaningless. You just live and die and that’s it. But for a follower of Christ, even trials cannot dampen our spirit. We know what’s in store for us now and in the future.

So, you want the abundant life brethren? You want to experience life in God’s love? Then let us allow Christ to live in us. Count it all joy when we are under severe trials or persecution. Life has meaning for a Christian despite life’s trials. Just like the Apostle Paul, let us all say, “I live yet not I but Christ lives in me.” Despite difficult circumstances in life and despite severe trials, we can experience and enjoy life in God’s love even right now and we can also look forward with hope and assurance into the future. Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly! Congratulations and happy 10th church anniversary!

Christ lived and died for us. As our vicarious representative and substitute, he assumed everything and took our place. As our High Priest, Christ stands in for us in every way. He obeyed for us. He believed for us. He got baptized for us. He prayed on our behalf. He lived for us. He died for us. We got implicated in him—in what he did to us and for us. Even our faith has been implicated in his faith. Our faith is enveloped and taken hold of by the faith of Jesus Christ.

In Our Place

“The Bible tells us that Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). That is why we can freely trust him to be our all in all and not even worry about whether our faith itself is good enough or strong enough. Thomas F. Torrance explains it this way:

“Jesus steps into the actual situation where we are summoned to have faith in God, to believe and trust in him, and he acts in our place and in our stead from within the depths of our unfaithfulness and provides us freely with a faithfulness in which we may share…. That is to say, if we think of belief, trust or faith as forms of human activity before God, then we must think of Jesus Christ as believing, trusting, or having faith in God the Father on our behalf and in our place….

“Through his incarnational and atoning union with us our faith is implicated in his faith, and through that implication, far from being depersonalised or dehumanised, it is made to issue freely and spontaneously out of our own human life before God. Regarded merely in itself, however, as Calvin used to say, faith is an empty vessel, for in faith it is upon the faithfulness of Christ that we rest and even the way in which we rest on him is sustained and undergirded by his unfailing faithfulness (The Mediation of Christ, pp. 82-84).

“It is the life, faith and obedience of Jesus Christ that saves us and includes us in that salvation.”

Not By Your Works Nor by Your Faith!

How often do we hear of people say that it is their faith that saves. But the truth is, it is the faith of Christ that saves. Our faith has been implicated in his faith. This is how to understand Gal. 2:20 . “I live, yet not I but Christ.” In the same manner we can say, “I believe yet not I but Christ.”

It is important that we understand that Christ takes our place in every aspect of our human lives. Let me quote again from Thomas F. Torrance:

“It is curious that evangelicals often link the substitutionary act of Christ only with his death, and not with his incarnate person and life—that is dynamite for them! They thereby undermine the radical nature of substitution… Christ in our place and Christ for us in every respect. Substitution understood in this radical way means that Christ takes our place in all human life and activity before God, even in our believing, praying and worshiping of God, for he has yoked himself to us in such a profound way that he stands in for us and upholds us at every point in our human relations before God.” (Preaching Christ Today: The Gospel and Scientific Thinking, Thomas Torrance, pp. 30-31)

Vicarious Faith of Christ

Here is more from Thomas F. Torrance on Galatians 2:20 about the faith of Christ:

“Galatians 2:20 has long been for me a passage of primary importance. The faith of the ‘Son of God’ is to be understood as not just my faith in Christ but as the faith of Christ himself, for it refers primarily to Christ’s unswerving faithfulness, his vicarious and substitutionary faith which embraces and undergirds us, such that when we believe we must say with Paul, “not I but Christ,” even in our act of faith. This is not to denigrate the human act of faith on our part, for it is only in and through the vicarious faith of Christ that we can truly and properly believe. Faith in Christ involves a polar relation between the faith of Christ and our faith, in which our faith is laid hold of, enveloped, and upheld by his unswerving faithfulness…this is precisely what the Lord Jesus does when in giving of himself for us he completely takes our place, makes our cause his very own in every respect, and yields to the heavenly Father the response of faith and love which we are altogether incapable of yielding.

Oftentimes, our human faith fails us and we doubt. But thanks be to God, we don’t have to worry about anything. Through our perfect substitute and representative, the Lord Jesus Christ, his faith sustains and upholds our faith. There’s no need to worry at all!

In the photo illustration above, we see two hands: that of a little child and that of a father. As the little child begins learning how to walk, he holds on to his dad with his weak grasp while his dad holds on to him to support him and make sure he doesn’t stumble and fall. The stronger and firm grasp of the father represents the faith of Christ which upholds and supports our faith. The strong faith of Christ upholds and takes hold of our weak human faith. “I believe yet not I but Christ believes for me.”

Yes, we can be thankful, that Christ stand in for us—our faith has been implicated in his faith. Truly, the just shall live by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a belief that God loves only those who are considered to be the elect—that is, the chosen ones, the Church or the believers. This limits the love of God for only a few selected ones. All unbelievers are excluded. They are not loved by God—because, according to this reasoning, they have not been elected or chosen by God. It’s their fate, whether they like it or not. God is the Potter, humans are the clay. This is the logic behind this belief. Is this biblical truth? Is this the God of the Bible as revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself?

God Loves Everybody

Thank God that is not true. The truth is, God loves absolutely everybody. He so loved the whole world that he was willing to give his Son for the salvation of everyone. In his heart he is not willing that any should perish (John 3:16). He did not come to condemn people but to save (John 3:17). The God revealed to us by the Lord Jesus Christ is a God of love. God is love (1 John 4:8). Everything he does is because of and results in love.

Israelites Commanded to Love their Neighbors

The ancient Israelites were told to love their neighbors as they loved themselves (Lev. 19:18). It was nothing new. But I have a feeling the Israelites misunderstood it for centuries until the time when Jesus came on the scene some 2,000 years ago. To them, this command to love their neighbors was only applicable to their blood relatives, their fellow Israelites! They continued to despise the Gentiles and considered them as lowlife—”Gentile sinners” (Gal. 2:15).

In other words, many Israelites had a limited view of God’s love. They thought God only loves Israelites. They thought that the command to love their neighbor was applicable only to their immediate neighbors–that is, their blood brother Israelites and not Gentiles!

Jesus’ Command: “Love Your Enemies”

Jesus corrected that erroneous concept of God’s love by explicitly saying, “Love your enemies” (Matt. 5:43-48). In this passage, Jesus clarified the scope of God’s love. It was not only limited to a few. Here we are all commanded to not just love our close friends and neighbors but to also love those whom we hate. Jesus was saying that the Jews should not limit their love to fellow Israelites but to also love the Gentiles whom they hate. Jesus did not limit God’s love. He intentionally went to Samaria to encounter and meet Gentiles. Jesus loved everybody and not Jews only. God loves all of us. This is what Christ reveals to us in Scripture.

God’s Blessings: For All—Good or Bad

Notice further what Jesus is trying to explain in Matthew 5:43-48. God’s love is not limited for the righteous only. He sends his blessings (the sun and the rain) to all—the righteous and the unrighteous, the evil and the good!

Israel Chosen to be a Blessing to Others

What for were the Israelites chosen then? Why were they elected? Well, God tells us in Genesis 12:1-3 that they were chosen to become a blessing to others. Why? Because God loves everybody. Why is the Church elected? To show forth his praises so that all may believe in God (1 Pet. 2:9, 12). Why? Because God loves everybody.

God Loves Everyone!

So don’t believe the lie that God loves only the elect, a limited few who happens to be called “believers.” That is very much against the teaching of Jesus himself. Jesus commands us to love not only our friends but even our enemies—everyone. The truth of the matter is, Jesus is the Elected One and through him all of humanity has been elected—absolutely everybody. Everybody is included, elected and loved by God through Jesus Christ. God loves everyone!

God is relational, not transactional. What do I mean by that? Well, the Bible says that God is love. He loves the whole world and not just a few. God, who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has always been relational within their union and communion in the Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have always been mutually indwelling and mutually loving each other within their one being. God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, has always loved the whole world—all of humanity and all of creation. God is not a contract-God.

Conditional Love

The teaching that God will love us only if we repent and believe is just that—a conditional kind of love. It’s not really love at all. It’s a legal, transactional or contractual kind of “love” where God will only love us if we repent, believe and obey. God is not that kind of God. He is not a contract-God.

It’s All About Loving Relationships

The truth of the matter is, God has always been concerned about loving relationships—not legal transactions or contracts. That’s who God is. He is love. We have always been loved by God. This is exactly the picture being portrayed in the parable of the lost son. Jesus himself gave this parable to reveal to us who the Father really is. The father in the parable both loved his sons—whether good or bad. Although the younger son committed a grievous offense, what was foremost in the mind of the father was that his son was back! The Father was patiently waiting for the son to come back home and when he returned the father was overjoyed! That’s love! The father did not wait for the younger son’s apology before accepting him back. That’s love.

The same is true with the older son. Despite his bad attitude and resentment against his younger brother, the father both loved his two sons. This is not about transactions or contracts before one get’s saved.

God’s Great Love

In fact, when the father saw his younger son afar off, he ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him! He was overjoyed to see his lost son back again! Regardless of his sins he loved his son all the way. No conditions! Just pure godly love of a father to his son. He immediately organized a party to celebrate the return of his lost son. That’s great love!

God’s Love Not Transactional

That’s how God the Father loves us too! While we were still sinners, the Father allowed Christ to die for us (Rom. 5:8)! He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet.3:9). That’s great love! That’s unconditional love. Not a transactional, legal or contractual kind of love–which is no love at all. God doesn’t love us only when we’re good. He loved us even when we were still “bad” and unbelievers. Even before we believed, he already loved us. He doesn’t love us only when we believe. And all of us are all sinners—all of us were unbelievers before we became believers. God loves us all the way all the time! All of us! How great is the Father’s love for all of us!

For Further Study:

• It’s a Relationship Not a Contract!
• Is God’s Forgiveness Conditional? (August 9, 2010)
• Is God’s Forgiveness Conditional? (August 20, 2011)

Updated 3/14/2020

The Objective Reality

Christ has already done everything that’s needed to be done in order for us to be saved. “It is finished,” Christ said. It’s already a reality. Christ’s atonement is sufficient and effective for all—past, present and future. It’s for everyone—for all (universal atonement). “It’s a done deal” as the saying goes.

This is similar to President Abraham Lincoln’s declaration in 1863 that the black slaves were now free—the Emancipation Act. It was already a reality but some slaves were unaware of it or did not believe it. They continued living as if they were still slaves when in reality, they were already free. They continued to live in misery unnecessarily. It was already true whether they believed it or not. It was really, truly and in actual fact, objectively true that they were already free according to law! That’s the objective truth!

The Subjective, Personal Experience

Some of the slaves believed that they were already free while some others did not. Those who did not believe or were unaware of the Emancipation Act* continued to live in misery as if they were still slaves. Those who learned and believed that they were already free really did enjoy and they experienced for the first time what it was like to live like a free man!

Christ did everything that was needed to save all of us. In fact, in so far as Christ is concerned, “it’s a done deal.” Without asking for our permission, Christ has already died for us even while we were still sinners. That is, even before we had asked for forgiveness, he has already died for our sins on our behalf as our substitute and representative — as our High Priest, our Mediator. He has already saved us by and through his grace. And this applies to all.

Personal Response, Participation

In view of the objective truth, how do we respond? Let us welcome this wonderful good news! We should accept this truth! Let us change our minds (repent) and believe the good news! Let’s enjoy and participate in God’s life and love in Jesus Christ! Let us become who we really are in Jesus Christ! This is the abundant life! This is the good news! Join the fun and enjoy it!

Photo credit: Google