A Reciprocal Trade Agreement

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"

Jesus saith unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."

A simple truth; simply put. However, please note that the command is to love God. Believing in God is not the same thing as loving God. By way of illumination, James points out that the devil believes in God. I would go so far as to say the devil believes in God with a greater certainty than the vast majority of mankind. The devil has seen God face to face, I for one, cannot say the same. Given his use of scripture in the temptation of Christ, it can also be said that the devil has faith in God. Nevertheless, no one would say the devil loves God.

If faith and belief do not constitute love that fulfills the great commandment, what does? The answer is a reciprocal relationship. The scripture assures us that God is love. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that when God reaches out to man, He does so of His own unique nature. That is, He reaches out in love. It is equally reasonable to expect that God is looking for a response in kind.

When we offer our hand to others as a greeting, we expect a like response. In fact, we are offended if the other person refuses our hand. Without a response in kind, any possible relationship is headed for enmity. The problem is that God is not visible to us. How can we know His hand is extended? In a world full of disease, disaster, and death, how can we even be sure God is there? This is where faith and believing come into play. It is impossible to take the hand of a God one does not believe exists.

The bible offers no proof of God's existence. Neither does it offer an apology for God in the classical sense. The Bible states, "In the beginning God..." Since the Bible is God's revelation of Himself it makes no sense for Him to have to prove He exists. "He cannot deny Himself," nor does he find it necessary to debate His existence any more than we feel it necessary to debate ours. "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." There ends the Bible's discussion of the subject of God's existence. Now, you may say that is not enough. That is your choice. However, it is all that you will get in print.

Of course, just because God exists doesn't mean He is extending a hand of friendship our way. Historically, man leaned more toward angry gods that need to be appeased. We seem to be born with the notion that whatever divine beings may exist, they must be angry with us. In this, we are not mistaken. We are merely uninformed as to the whole story.

Unlike the majority of His creatures, this God who is love, even loves His enemies. He has held out His hand all the day long to a "rebellious and gainsaying people." When that was not enough, He sent His Son to make peace with mankind. God desires an end to the enmity that exists. We cannot see His hand extended, but we can touch it with our heart, our soul, and our mind. Whosoever takes His hand, to them God gives peace.