jacob.phelps on Nostr: We know that God gives us free will and he does so through love (which he himself is) ...
We know that God gives us free will and he does so through love (which he himself is) by the ascension of his son, Jesus Christ.
Before ascending back to heaven, Jesus tells us that it is better for us that he should leave. Why is that?
Because by ascending, he not only then can send his Holy Spirit down upon the apostles, which is now our inheritance, he then allows us to live by and in faith.
If Jesus were to remain on earth then we would not live by faith. We would live by force. If God dwelt among us and that was known, all would eventually have no choice but to surrender to him. That is not free will, that is slavery.
God does not desire us to be his slaves, but his sons.
By ascending, he shows that he grants us free will to choose him and he does this because he loves us.
You cannot love someone whom you force to love you, as that is not love. Love must be freely given & received.
In the ascension Jesus gives us a glimpse of the essence of love.
Once we, freely, make the choice to love God, he grants us an outpouring of his love via the Holy Spirit.
It is better for us that this happens, instead of Christ being here, because him ascending back to heaven is the only way in which we are able to then live as Christ desires us to.
Before ascending back to heaven, Jesus tells us that it is better for us that he should leave. Why is that?
Because by ascending, he not only then can send his Holy Spirit down upon the apostles, which is now our inheritance, he then allows us to live by and in faith.
If Jesus were to remain on earth then we would not live by faith. We would live by force. If God dwelt among us and that was known, all would eventually have no choice but to surrender to him. That is not free will, that is slavery.
God does not desire us to be his slaves, but his sons.
By ascending, he shows that he grants us free will to choose him and he does this because he loves us.
You cannot love someone whom you force to love you, as that is not love. Love must be freely given & received.
In the ascension Jesus gives us a glimpse of the essence of love.
Once we, freely, make the choice to love God, he grants us an outpouring of his love via the Holy Spirit.
It is better for us that this happens, instead of Christ being here, because him ascending back to heaven is the only way in which we are able to then live as Christ desires us to.