Photo by Ameen Fahmy on Unsplash
Do you know that once upon a time there was perfect love? No, it is not a fairytale, but it really did exist. It was between the first two human beings, Adam and Eve. Their love also existed in the most beautiful place on earth, the Garden of Eden.“Love is patient and kind; Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude…" (1 Cor. 13:4-7) This is perfect love! Imagine this kind of love sweeping across the world.
What was their love like? The kind we all hope for. It is described in the Bible this way, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Can you imagine every husband and wife having this kind of love? Their home and family life would be absolutely amazing. Imagine if this kind of love was present among family members, friends, co-workers, classmates and neighbors? Our world would be totally different.
How come this type of love did not continue after Adam and Eve? Because something happened that changed the course of human history. God created the couple and brought them together as husband and wife, but then they turned away and rejected their Creator. The rebellion caused a separation with God and a moral corruption within them. The love they originally had was still there, but it was altered.
The once perfect love was damaged in two ways. First, God is what made the love between Adam and Eve perfect. It was Him working in and through them toward each other that did it. After their rebellion toward God, they believed they could have that perfect love without Him. But it became the kind of love that puts a husband, wife, child, grandchild, boyfriend or girlfriend above God. Second, the original love between the first couple was pure, but after the rejection of their Maker, love became perverted and replaced by evil. In an example of this, one of Adam and Eve’s children, Cain, took out his anger on his brother by murdering him. In this case, love between family members was replaced with hate.
Down through human history until this day, we see daily examples of corrupted love. A man loving his wife through physical abuse. A teacher loving a student with intimacy. Two men loving each other, like a husband and wife. A dad loving his daughter, like he should only love her mother. A boyfriend and girlfriend loving each other in ways only a married couple should.
What kind of love is this? It is a love guided not by God, but human desire. When we love this way, we are doing it through the, “…passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind…” (Ephesians 2:3)
What results from this kind of love? There are moments of bliss, but it ultimately produces sorrow, division, pain and destruction. It also does not bring about the pleasure of God, but rather His anger. For He detests those who perpetuate this kind of fake love.
Can we ever have perfect love again? God has made a way to remedy the problem. He has given us a solution to rid the corruption in our hearts. How can we have peace with God, others and with ourselves? It is only through Jesus, the Son of God. He died and rose again to provide it for us. If we admit how we have failed before God and call upon Him for mercy, He will come and change our hearts, and fill it with heaven’s love.
A prayer for you. “Lord God, we long to have perfect love in our home and family. But we admit we have failed. Our corrupt hearts have torn asunder many of our relationships. We repent and call upon you to change our hearts, wash it clean and fill it with your holy love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
