Love Based Relationships
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships—our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the world around us. These thoughts deepened a couple of Sundays ago when Pastor Bryan spoke about the unconditional, sacrificial, and selfless nature of agape love.
That message stirred some big questions in me:
Why does the Bible speak so deeply about relationships?
And…
Why, according to Jesus, does everything come down to loving God and loving others?
And…
Why are these two things – relationships and love, so important?
The answer takes us all the way back to before the beginning—yes, to before “In the beginning…”
As Christians, we believe that God is one God who exists in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. While this concept—the Trinity—is difficult for us to grasp fully, its implication is powerful and clear: God has existed in relationship with Himself for all eternity. Relationship is not just something God does—it is who He is.
So, what about love?
Throughout Scripture, we read that “God is love.” The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, said: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
The point is this: love is central to God’s very nature. It’s how God relates to Himself, to humanity, and all creation!
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting…
According to Genesis 1:28, we, as human beings, are created in the image of God. That means relationships and love are essential to who we are too.
Ever wonder why it hurts so much to be rejected?
Why do we feel guilt or shame when we hurt someone?
Why does it feel so healing and joyful when a relationship is restored?
Why do broken or damaged relationships cause such deep pain and confusion?
It’s because we were created for love-based relationships.
And that’s exactly what our Hillspring Guidelines for Living the Gospel are all about. If you’ve ever wondered what love-based relationships with God and others look like, this is your cheat sheet. If you haven’t read through it yet—please do!
Why?
The more we understand and live in love-based relationships – who God created and called us to be, the more we will reflect His image to a polarized world that desperately needs to experience God’s love and encounter life as God intended it to be!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Justin