The Mathematics of Love

I was talking with a client the other day about the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus. Romans 8, tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, nothing. Those words need to be as foundational to us as 2 plus 2 equals 4.

All of us have learned that simple math equation and wouldn’t for a moment begin to believe that 2+2=5. No matter the argument, we have come to believe the simple math of 2+2=4. You can get the math wrong, you can argue for another answer, you can say it’s not fair, but the truth remains – 2+2=4.

Many times as a student in high school I would set out to solve a complex math problem only to find that I had arrived at a wrong answer or solution. It was frustrating and is probably why I am not a mathematician today. But as I would work to get the correct answer, I would trace back throw my steps and find the missing error usually just a simple error of addition or subtraction.

But the simple error would lead to a major error in the outcome. So it is with life. Most of our major errors are the result of a simple error along the way. This may become apparent when the solutions are still simple or may not present themselves until you have worked out many years on a problem.

I have found in my own life and in the lives of many I have counseled that the troubles we are facing today are the results of a simple error of faith that began long ago and have compounded into disastrous results.

Let me give you an example, if the elementary equation of faith is “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus,” what happens when we begin to work through life’s problems getting that fact wrong? What is the result of not believing that God has extravagant love for you in Jesus? You will begin to live your life as an orphan, someone who only has themselves to depend on for their well-being.

When all you have is your self to depend on, you begin to take matters into your own hands and try to save yourself. What does that look like? A young man or young lady is laboring under the belief that they are unloved. They have missed the point (which is the definition of sin) that God in Jesus loves them and they are panic stricken. “I am unloved, I am alone and I have to fix my life!” They go out desperately looking for love in all the wrong places and latch on to an unhealthy relationship and try to force a solution to their problem. They may even stay in an unhealthy dating relationship fearing that to break up will only leave them alone and unloved. “Better to stay in a bad relationship and have some love than to be on my own.”

But what happens if this young person starts with another equation, the truth. “God loves me and there isn’t anything that takes that love away, even being single. I will wait on the Lord and trust Him to direct my paths, even if I don’t understand the twists and turns on the journey, but I know that he has plans for me to bless me and prosper me.”

This person will not be panic stricken but rather have a peace that transcends the situation and will actually have the ability to make wise decisions out of health and wholeness instead of fear and insecurity.

When asked what the greatest theological truth was, Karl Barth, a theologian of the last century waited, thought and then after some time said, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Every single one of us is like a sheep that wanders away from the truth – Jesus loves me this I know and the result of that simple error of faith is disaster. If we do not have God to depend on, we have to save ourselves.

Growing up and living in the Bible belt it is easy to think of salvation only in terms of eternal destiny. Salvation is more than that. God wants us to trust in His salvation for our lives, of course, but also for our marriages, families, work, and trials. This doesn’t mean we sit back and wait for God to rescue us, it means we practice the discipline of waiting and listening to hear his voice in the midst of life’s fog and follow his voice. Sometimes we need to seek out godly counsel to sort out the errors of faith that are giving us distorted solutions. A trained counselor can often times see those areas of belief that are tripping you up and messing up your answers, much like your math teacher helped you sort through your homework and start again on a path to correct solutions.

Of course the best counselor we have is that of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when the Spirit came he would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Now don’t think that conviction here is like a judge convicting a criminal. Jesus didn’t come to condemn but to save. The conviction here is about convincing. The Spirit has come to convince us of these things. Jesus goes on to say, in regard to sin, because we have not believed in Him. The Holy Spirit comes to convince us that we don’t believe the fundamental truth that God so loves us that he sent his son, and to accept and work out of that equation. Secondly, in regards to righteousness, He says the Spirit will work to convince us He has gone to be with the Father. What does that have to do with righteousness? Isn’t he trying to get us to be righteous? No, He is trying to help us see that our righteousness is bound up in Jesus, not ourselves. Many of you reading this will finish your prayers with a simple affirmation of faith, “In Jesus name I pray.” What are you saying? You’re not giving the magic words or the spiritual “Woodchuck Hi Sign” to have your prayers escorted into the heavenly club. Whether you realize it or not you are affirming that right now, at this very moment Jesus is living in your name and on your behalf and what you cling to in your faith is his life and righteousness for you.

At this very moment in Heaven, it is though Jesus is sitting with the Father, loving Him with all his heart, soul, mind and strength and wearing a name a tag with your name on it. Saying in Mark’s name I love you father, in Susan’s name I love you, in Kate’s name I love. How are we confident that nothing can separate us from God’s love, because the Holy Spirit comes to convince us that the maintaining of that relationship is left up to Jesus not you. Abide in His love.
Finally, The Spirit has come to convince us about judgment. Not your judgment, but the “evil one’s”. The Spirit comes to us to convince us that Satan has been judged by Christ and exposed as a fake, a fraud and a liar. The Spirit wants to convince us to not give heed to his lies of not being loved, as being orphans and having to rescue ourselves.

It is when we start with the correct faith formula - Jesus loves me this I know - the problems of our life are solvable.