Common themes between the New Testament and Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now." Part 3

God is love...

1Jn 4:8  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

After you read this post through, I would ask you to click on the link provided here and read "The Back Porch Prayer." I say after because I want to be sure you read this post as well.

In my considerably full life I have had a lot of experiences and a few changes of course. The Back Porch Prayer briefly chronicles one of the most important changes of course in my life. It was the genesis of my study of theology and brought about this paradigm shift. I want to relate a story from the time directly following my back porch prayer. As I returned to embrace Jesus Christ as the unique Son of God and redeemer, I felt led to begin church services in my home. We had a fairly large family room that lent itself to being a small chapel. I was rehabbing homes at the time and had every carpenter tool imaginable. I decided to build me a small pulpit. I was cutting out the wood for it, made it sturdy and put a front facer board on the 4X4 post that held the top part of the lectern or pulpit. I got out my router and was going to write Jesus Saves on it, but was stopped by the Spirit. Instead, the suggestion was to write GOD IS LOVE on it. I knew that it was part of a bible verse I had heard as a youngster but did not know where it was found and had to look it up in a concordance. For the longest time I focused on the last phrase, GOD IS LOVE. It is only recently that the real true meaning of the verse has jumped out at me. 

I want to unpack the "whoever does not love does not know God" clause of the sentence. Of course, the word love in this sentence is from the Greek word AGAPE' (pronounced ag-ah-pay.') It is not PHILIO/brotherly love, and it is not EROS/romantic love. No, it is ego-less love. It is a love that always has the best interest of the other in focus. So, the Apostle John is simply saying that if one does not possess ego-less love does not really know God because God is EGO-LESS love. Ego-less love, that is selfless love is the foundational nature of God.

To keep the "Power of Now" theme in the mix here is a quote from Tolle's book: "What is God? The eternal One Life underneath all the forms of life. What is love? To feel the presence of that One Life deep within yourself and within all creatures. To be it. Therefore, all love is the love of God."

Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (p. 155). New World Library. Kindle Edition. Tolle also is saying that ego-less love is the love of God.

So an important question that comes quickly to mind is as follows. How can we humans give and receive the love that God is? It certainly cannot be achieved by a read and do mentality which is precisely the way most evangelicals understand it to be. I have heard so many give this absurd thought. I love you... I don't have to like you... but I must love you because the scripture says I must and so I love you. Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous? Yet, I would be willing to bet that if you have been in evangelical circles you will have heard it... shaking my head!

No, no, no! That is not the way AGAPE/love works. The same apostle that wrote God is love also wrote herein is love... herein is AGAPE' … it is not that we love God but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiation. Yup, you got it... it is peace with God because we are declared righteous by the gospel message that ultimately causes us to really love God. And, it is our intense love for God that declares us righteous, says that we are his child, does not hold our trespasses/short comings against us that in turn produces AGAPE deep within our being. We experience the Christ through really, really, really believing the gospel. Once we are certain that we are redeemed and forever righteous in God's sight, we have a peace that supernaturally produces AGAPE/love and joy. It is the fruit of the Spirit love, joy and peace! This is the place where the ego dies and we become crucified with Christ. 

Hear me out now... you cannot experience this AGAPE/love by dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. AGAPE/love is only available NOW. You have to experience it in the present by being present in the presence of God.