Integrity- People of God

The gospel is a love story about God’s love for mankind and all His creation. This story begins with the Eternal God Jehovah; the Almighty God Who is Love, Holy and Who never changes. The Eternal and Infinite God is personified in the three; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is a triune God as we are triune beings, body, soul and spirit.

God’s love story begins with the Triune God’s love overflowing from Himself to Himself; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all in perfect union, perfect love and perfect harmony. God in perfect love flowing from His Character of love reproduced Himself in the creation of mankind as another avenue to express Who He is, love. God said let us make man in our image and likeness. God made mankind in perfect love, for the purpose of displaying God’s love in this created natural world and universe, as He is the perfect love in the spirit and heavenly realm. Love overflowed from God to His creation the godman on the earth.

God the eternal, self-sufficient, Self-sustaining God, Who needs nothing outside of Himself, did not create man because He needed someone to love or worship Him. God was not on some ego trip to make mankind to have someone rule and serve Him, because God is without lack. God in His perfect love that flowed from Himself spilled over into mankind who was created in His image, to look like Him, act like Him and love like Him in this natural world. God created a tangible finite place within the spiritual infinite and eternal world for mankind to live and have dominion.

God’s love for us was established before He laid the foundation of the world. Each and every one of us was in the heart and mind of God even before He started creating the world. True love provides for the people they love. God began creating a world with water, food, shelter and provided for every need of those He created.

God created mankind in His image. The Eternal Loving God created for mankind a perfect life and a perfect world to be the expression of His love on the earth. This is why all mankind has a deep sense of true value and importance because we were created majestic, regal and royal with an eternal and ultimate purpose to look like God and express the love of God, agape love, in this world.

Every human being has a deep sense of dignity, value and purpose. Even those who were never taught about God in the natural sense know in their spirit they were created for a greater purpose; to worship, love and serve their Creator and not to just exist. All of nature is dependent on mankind as the crowning glory of God’s creation. Reflecting His image has a special dependence on our Creator to know Him that we may know ourselves.

When God created this world and everything that was in it, it was created good. This world was in perfect unity with God, its creator and this creation existed in harmony, perfect peace and wholeness. This is the love that flows from God, perfect and in oneness with itself. God is love and He loves all He created but to mankind God gave the ability to be like God. God’s love gave mankind sovereignty over his own will and the ability to choose life or reject it. God does not demand our love or our loyalty. God’s love for us allows all mankind the ability to choose to love Him or reject Him. True love does not enslave, it allows freedom of choice and is always ready to help, provide and protect those that call on Him.

This perfect world and perfect creation went into rebellion against God‘s love and chose to live under the authority of God’s enemy. The highest of God’s creation, who He loves and created to look like Him, turned from God and defected to become like the enemy of God, Satan. This rebellion threw the whole world into a state of darkness, chaos, hatred and sin. Mankind no longer looked like or acted like their Creator but became slaves to sin and death.

In one rebellious act all mankind became sinners by choice and by their natural bloodline. Adam took on the nature and attributes of God’s enemy and all born of Adam have that same nature. Everyone born is born with a sin disposition, character, personality and outlook. It is an inherited nature of sin that is displayed in the pride, self-centeredness with independence or rebellion against God’s truth.

Always remember God is love and God’s love is agape love, which is the expression of unconditional good will and wellbeing of another. Agape love is a commitment of faithfulness which is an act of the will not of feelings or romance. Agape love gives of itself for the benefit and advancement of another and that is the kind of Love God loves us with. God so loved the world He gave His Only Begotten Son for the betterment and improvement of all mankind from his fallen state of sin.