CELEBRATING GOD’S LOVE
For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish,
but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16
Each year around
Christmas time, I am reminded of God’s love and His giving to us in this love.
Love is, in fact, the golden thread that runs through the bible from time man
fell in the Garden of Eden until the very end. Love is the very essence and
bedrock of our Christian faith.
In the beginning, as
told in Genesis, even as God punished Adam and Eve for their disobedience, he
also had a plan to save mankind. “And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will
strike his heel.” ~ Genesis 3:15.
In this verse, God’s
plan for our salvation was revealed. Even after Adam and Eve fell into sin, God
had devised His plan for their Salvation. Through Jesus, “the seed of the
woman”, Satan would be defeated (‘crushed’), through Jesus’ resurrection from
the dead.
But in this process Jesus would be wounded i.e the crucifixion
(‘striking of his heel’). Such was God’s love that He would not allow mankind
to be condemned without a way of escape, which is trusting in Him and the
finished works of Jesus on Calvary.
The message of
Christmas is still relevant today, perhaps even more so. It encourages us to
emulate God’s love, to live in love daily, to give to others who are in need
and less fortunate than us. This Christian teaching is centered on the word
‘love’. I recall the passage in the Bible where a lawyer one day asked Jesus
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said; “Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with
all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself”. The lawyer who wanted to
justify himself asked back; “And who is my neighbour?”
This prompted Jesus to
tell the people about the parable of the Good Samaritan where a Levite and a
priest walked past an injured man believed to be Jew, but a Samaritan stopped
to help him, even though Jews and Samaritans were known to despise each other. When
Jesus finally asked the people, “who was a neighbour to the injured man?” the
lawyer correctly answered “The one who had mercy on him”. The one who had mercy
became known as the Good Samaritan.
We are taught to be
concerned about others and to love them, even if they are different from us.
Like the Samaritan, we are called to love those who are in need, as they are
our neighbours. For Christians, love does not distinguish by race or religion;
indeed, it is a concept without boundaries.
At this time when many are called
to be concerned with only ‘their own kind’, be it in reference to religion,
race or community, the Christmas story is relevant and timely. When we are told
to keep out of others’ affairs, as they purportedly do not concern us,
Christian love and duty behoves us to speak for those who are unable to speak
for themselves. Silence is not an option.
The love of God
inspires in us a belief that there is reason to celebrate even if at times we
do not understand why we are put through trials and tribulations. My legal
colleagues and I have just lost a landmark case at the Federal Court that is of
great relevance to the natives of Sarawak.
All the victories we have won on
native customary rights of the people appear to have been obliterated by this
one decision. However, I do not see it as an end to our struggle. There is
still an avenue for us and we must do what needs to be done, fully believing that God works all things together for the good of those who
love Him, who
are
called according to His purpose. [~ Romans 8:28]
This newest challenge
serves as a powerful reminder that the issues we face daily are but temporal
matters. In this imperfect world, we cannot expect perfect results every time.
The more significant issue is the Christmas message of love, that God loved us
so much that He sent His only son so that we may have eternal life. With this
in mind, we must never despair, but proceed with our cause, knowing and
trusting that truth and justice will prevail eventually.
I wish all Christians
a blessed Christmas and to all, a Happy New Year.
Baru Bianawak / ADUN
N81’ Ba’ Kelalan
Chairman, KEADILAN
Sarawak
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