How much do you value your relationship with God? Are there examples you can emulate to help you grow into a more intimate relationship with your Creator?
Christians understand the profound truth that although God has no pleasure in wickedness (Psalm 5:4), and "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), He nevertheless loves each of us so much that He gave His Son to die, so that our sins could be forgiven when we repent and are baptized (John 3:16).
But does God want more from us—and for us? Yes, He does. A true Christian understands that we show God our love for Him by our willingness to keep His commandments (1 John 5:2–3). We know that God treasures this attitude in us. But is there even more?
A true Christian is deeply convinced that God loves us and that we must keep His law. In fact, one way to identify true Christians, as well as true ministers of God, is that they teach, speak and live "[according] to the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, [according to Biblical truth] it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).
Although none of us keep the law perfectly, this does not cancel the requirement that we try. We are to "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). We are to work toward becoming spiritually "mature" (v. 15). So, to help us understand how to work toward spiritual maturity, God has recorded good examples for us, and throughout the Bible we see examples of God's relationship with those whom He has loved greatly. Yet to benefit from this, we must want to be greatly loved by God. We must earnestly desire to be developing an ever-more-meaningful relationship with Him.
If we want to learn how to please Him more, to grow more deeply in His love, we can study and meditate on the lives of various individuals whose lives are recorded in the Bible.
Old Testament Examples
The Bible describes a number of individuals whom God especially loved. Studying these people is important, because as we grow to better understand their relationships with God, we can better understand the attributes God deeply desires to see in us. We can see that while God absolutely requires each of us to keep His commandments, to strive to be righteous, and to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:17–18), He can still deeply love us even if we are not "perfect."
Daniel is one such example of a person "greatly beloved" by God. Daniel was so beloved that while he was in the midst of a heartfelt prayer, the Eternal sent the powerful archangel Gabriel to comfort him and to reveal amazing prophecies (Daniel 9:20–23). About 500 years later, Jesus Christ Himself would point to prophecies revealed through Daniel as key to end-time understanding (Matthew 24:15).
It is also clear that Moses was greatly loved by God. We know that God blessed Moses with good health and vitality right up to the time of his death (Deuteronomy 34:7). Scripture also records that God kindly showed Moses the Promised Land before He allowed him to die peacefully, then personally buried him in a secret place (Deuteronomy 34:1, 5–6).
We can also see that God had a very special relationship with Sarah. God greatly loved her and changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, meaning "princess" (Genesis 17:15). Even when Abraham for a time lost her to King Abimelech, God personally intervened to protect her and save her. Not only had God "closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah" (Genesis 20:18); to secure her release, God also "came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, 'Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife'" (Genesis 20:3). We know that Abimelech released Sarah back to Abraham unharmed, and with gifts of great riches (Genesis 20:14–16).
Christ Loved and Trusted John
In the New Testament, one person stands out in many ways as someone especially loved by God. This person is an example for us today in attitude, faith and obedience. A study of this person can yield significant lessons for Christians living in this age, as we near the end of humanity's 6,000 years and look to Christ's soon-coming Kingdom. This person is the Apostle John.
Christ's own relationship with John is perhaps the best compliment that could be given regarding this apostle's character and reputation. Five times, Scripture identifies John as the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20).
Notice that out of all the disciples Jesus loved and trusted, John is the one on whom He bestowed the responsibility of taking care of His mother after His death. While Jesus hung on the stake, scourged, bloody and near death, some of His final thoughts were of compassion towards His mother. "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved [John] standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home" (John 19:25–27). There may be no better testimony to the love Jesus had for John, and the trust that He had in John's character, than when during His final moments He entrusted His mother to him.
Consider that in his later years, the Apostle James wrote one of the most famous commands regarding our responsibility to widows. When Jesus' brother James wrote, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble" (James 1:27), his own mother Mary had been one such widow! Clearly, James had grown to appreciate this kindness and deep love later in his life, but it is instructive that at the time of His death and resurrection, it was John whom Jesus trusted as being ready for this weighty responsibility! Jesus knew that John would be a kind, faithful and trustworthy provider for His mother, so He chose him for this stewardship— even over His own physical brothers. Jesus' decision is profound testimony to His love for John and His confidence in John's character.
What else can we learn from John's example, to help us grow into a deeper relationship with God?
John Had to Grow in Faith and Love
Just as Paul tells us that "all have sinned," it is important to note that John was not naturally "perfect"—and was probably not even inherently very compassionate or overly kind as a youth or young man.
Scripture does not record much about John's early life, but we do know that he worked closely with his father (Matthew 4:21), that he grew up in Bethsaida of Galilee, and that his parents were somewhat affluent, as his father was a successful fisherman. It also appears that John had a very close relationship with his mother, Salome, who would later accompany her sons as they traveled with Jesus. Additionally, we know that Salome was earnest (if not somewhat presumptuous) in desiring success for her sons (Matthew 20:20–21).
Scripture gives us strong clues that, like his mother Salome, John was by nature rash and impetuous. Revealingly, Jesus nicknamed him a "Son of Thunder" (Mark 3:17) implying a strong, quick temper. When this epithet is coupled with the incidents in Mark 9:38 (when John forbade the stranger to use Christ's name in casting out demons) and Luke 9:54 (when he asked if fire should be called down on the Samaritans), we gain interesting insight into John's natural personality and his human nature before conversion.
However, we also know that John, through self-discipline and through the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, subjugated his strong natural inclinations in order to become a humbler, kinder person. We see in John someone who—perhaps like ourselves—was not inherently kind, gentle, or somehow "naturally righteous." However, we also see that John, just a few years after deciding to follow Christ, had grown to such a great extent that his Savior could trust him with the responsibility of caring for His mother.
As do all who have been "crucified with Christ," and who yield to the direction of Christ living in them (Galatians 2:20), John grew tremendously in faith, obedience and all of the fruits of the Spirit. John's teaching reveals some vital truths for us today, and his example is an excellent one for those who want to deepen their relationship with God.
John's Writings on Love
John's is the only Gospel that details the relationship of Christ as the Word, pre-existing for all eternity with God the Father (John 1:1–5). The beginning of John's Gospel is one of the most revealing descriptions of Christ (the Logos) and God (the Father) in their relationship. In addition to this deep appreciation for Christ's and the Father's relationship from eternity, John's writings are rich with various additional manifestations of "love"— including redemptive love and binding love.
John wrote of redemptive love: "That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:15). Likewise, "This is how the love of God has appeared for us, by God sending His only Son into the world, so that by Him we might live" (1 John 4:9, Moffatt). Through Christ sacrificing His life for us, God's profound desire for our redemption was illustrated through action. This truth is represented in many other passages in John's writings, such as John 3:16, and in the writings of other Apostles. Notice that Paul equally understands that the ultimate act of love was the act that allowed our redemption—and allowed us eventually to receive "all things" as our inheritance. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
As did the other apostles, John observed Jesus establishing the New Testament Passover. John closely watched and learned from Christ's loving example of washing His disciples' feet. Moreover, John personally witnessed Christ's arrest and trial, and ultimately the laying down of His life for us. Notice that it was John and Peter who followed Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest (John 18:15–18). And notice that it was John who secured Peter's entry (v. 16). This is loyalty, devotion and an absence of fear that is made possible only through true love. As John later writes, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…" (1 John 4:17– 18, KJV).
John fully understood the intent of the authorities who had just arrested Jesus. When he faithfully followed Christ into the courtyard of the High Priest, John not only showed love, but also showed boldness, which is a manifestation of love.
John was a person just like us. He knew that by following Jesus into the court, he could be accused, attacked and beaten. But John's relationship with Jesus was based on true, strong love. If we were in the same situation, would we be so bold? If not, it is because our love for God is not yet mature.
When John records, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13), he not only fully appreciates Jesus' literal sacrifice for us, but he also gives us a model to follow. This is a model of lifelong service, kindness and commitment to each other and to God, even unto death. This is the example Christ showed of His redemptive love for us.
John also wrote of binding love. The "children of God" are bound together and bound to God through love. Many scriptures such as John 17:20- 22 show that those who are the "children of God" (God's Church, or ekklēsia) are bound together and bound to God in a very special way. This bond is based on love. This is agapaō love, which is "to love a person dearly."
Those who are called out of this world and are really following Christ, as members of the "flock" (Luke 12:32), also have loving fellowship with others in the flock. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Also, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 John 4:20).
These verses are a powerful encouragement for those who are truly following Christ, and they are a powerful indictment of those who claim to follow Christ yet mistakenly believe they can be "stay-at-home- Christians," neglecting fellowship with God's faithful flock and His faithful ministry.
Finally, notice John 1:12 in the Revised Standard Version. "But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God." The RSV appropriately uses the English word power for the Greek word exousia. The Greek exousia means "physical and mental power" and "ability or strength which one exercises."
John understood that being bound by love is not a passive, "feel good" concept. Rather, it is a powerful, dynamic strength that flows among God's begotten children, and between Christians and God. When we are the "children of God" we are bound to God and to each other through a powerful force.
John Teaches Us to Practice Righteousness
Too often commentators and theologians extract only small fragments of John's writings in an attempt to turn him into a kind-hearted grandfatherly figure who "grew beyond the severity and the restrictions of the law." The truth is quite the contrary.
As we know, sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). John also powerfully records that he who sins is "of the devil," and that he "who practices righteousness is righteous" (vv. 5–9) Notice that John records, "Whoever abides in Him does not sin" (v. 6). Does this mean that a Christian never sins? No. Any honest linguist recognizes that the verb translated "does not sin" is the Greek hamartanō and ou— meaning to "not practice sin." A Christian will not live a life practicing sin.
John also strongly admonishes us that "being righteous" includes wholeheartedly preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. John writes that if we love the world, lusting after physical things, we do not have the love of the Father, "but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17). When the young Christ's family found Him in the temple, He explained that He "must be about my Father's business" (Luke 2:49). What was that business? It was "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14– 15). Sadly, many today do not realize that a large part of what John is instructing us to "do" is to preach the Gospel of the soon-coming Kingdom of God. This is "the will of God."
Christ's followers continued to do His will after His crucifixion, and the authorities continued their persecution. The book of Acts records that John and the other apostles were arrested and thrown into prison multiple times for continuing to preach the Gospel boldly. Nevertheless, God protected them—just as He had protected Sarah years before!
We know that through God's powerful intervention the apostles were released from prison (Acts 5:19–21) and continued to preach the Gospel. Furthermore, we see that God was pleased with their boldness (Acts 4:29–31) and granted them powerful miracles (Acts 5:12–16) as followers were added in great number (see Acts 5:14). Though the apostles were often arrested, imprisoned and scourged (Acts 5:40), John and the other apostles never ceased preaching the Gospel.
Practicing agapaō love is preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is Christ's and the Apostles' example. This is the Church of God's commission that has continued through the time of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, to our time today. Mr. Armstrong taught, as does the Church today, that Matthew 28:19–20 commissions the Church to preach the Gospel as a witness, to baptize those who repent and believe, and to teach observance of His commandments. This is a true mission of love and it has never changed. This is doing the will of the Father.
Applying the Excellent Example of John Today
Dr. Meredith has well summarized how Christians in any age should apply the lessons from John's excellent example. These lessons are especially meaningful as we approach the end of the age. He wrote:
"As we have seen, in order to keep God's spiritual law and to overcome our own sinful ways, we need the love that only God can give. And this He has promised through His Spirit. Furthermore, we have just learned from 1 John 5:3 that God's love operates through keeping His law.
Again, John—the Apostle whom Jesus especially loved in a personal way—writing near the end of the Apostolic Era, tells us that God's love leads us to 'keep His commandments.' And in spite of clever modern theological arguments to the contrary, John says God's 'commandments are not burdensome.'
A true Christian, then, will have God's love flowing through him like 'rivers of living water' (John 7:38–39). As he deeply studies the Bible and feeds on it, and as he fervently prays to God every day on his knees for the spiritual strength, faith, guidance and love he needs, the true Christian grows spiritually" (What is a True Christian?, pp. 17–18).
Likewise, as Mr. Dibar K. Apartian wrote in the September-October 2008 Living Church News: "What is the greatest gift you can receive in this life? Surely it is God's Spirit. If you are a member of His Church, God has given you something the rest of the world does not have. Much will be required of you, because much has been given to you (Luke 12:48)" ("Be a Profitable Servant!" p. 7).
John understood this profoundly. He understood that through God's Holy Spirit, he could overcome his natural personality. He understood that he could overcome fear and could grow to deeply love the Church, fellow man and—most importantly— God. He understood that to truly love God is to keep His commandments and to do His will. He understood that God's will is to preach the Gospel and he gave his entire life to this purpose.
We in God's Church will have the opportunity to meet the Apostle John in not too many years. If you live to see Christ's return, you will meet John then (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). If you die in the faith before Christ's return, you will be resurrected along with John (Revelation 20:6). God speed that day! And, God help each of us to learn from John's excellent example!