The Love of God?

[Sam]

Of course when I see the topic on The Love of God, one of the things I think of is this old song we used to sing back in the days when we used song books in church.




Verse 1
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Chorus
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.


Verse 2
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Verse 3
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

[Sam]

I don’t know how accurate this information is but I’ll include it here.

Frederick M. Lehman, author and composer, wrote a pamphlet, in 1948, entitled History of the Song, The Love of God. It tells about the origin of this beloved hymn—

While at camp-meeting in a mid-western state, some fifty years ago in our early ministry, an evangelist climaxed his message by quoting the last stanza of this song. The profound depths of the line moved us to preserve the words for future generations.

Not until we had come to California did this urge find fulfillment, and that at a time when circumstances forced us to hard manual labor.

One day, during short intervals of inattention to our work, we picked up a scrap of paper and, seated upon an empty lemon box pushed against the wall, with a stub pencil, added the (first) two stanzas and chorus of the song.

Since the lines (3rd stanza from the Jewish poem) had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum, the general opinion was that this inmate had written the epic in moments of sanity.

Actually, the key-stanza (third verse) under question as to its authorship was written nearly one thousand years ago by a Jewish songwriter, and put on the score page by F.M. Lehman, a Gentile songwriter, in 1917.

Story of the third verse

The beloved hymn The Love of God had its roots in a long Jewish poem written in the eleventh century in Germany.

The Jewish poem, Hadamut, in the Aramaic language, has ninety couplets. The poem itself is in the form of an acrostic. It was composed, in the year 1096, by Rabbi Mayer, son of Isaac Nehorai, who was a cantor in the city of Worms, Germany.

The Hadamut poem also speaks of a certain miracle. There are three opinions as to the contents of this miracle.

The first opinion is that the miracle was the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Incidentally, it is for this reason that the poem is still read on the first day of the Feast of Shavuot before the reading of the Ten Commandments.

The second opinion simply states that we really cannot know with certainty, from the references, what the actual miracle was.

The third opinion believes that the miracle took place in the city of Worms, home of the rabbi-poet. It is thought that there was a medieval, German priest who once spoke evil of the Jewish community.

The king called upon the Jews of the city to produce a representative to argue and defend themselves against the priest. If the Jewish spokesman was successful, then the Jewish community would be spared mass genocide. But if the anti-Jewish priest proved successful, then all of the Jewish community of Worms would be put to death.

The story has a happy ending, as the Jewish representative was successful in the defense of their faith, and the community of Worms was spared.

Throughout the poem, the theme of God’s eternal love and concern for His people is evident. One section of this poem, from which the present third stanza of The Love of God was evidently adapted, reads as follows:

Were the sky of parchment made,
A quill each reed, each twig and blade,
Could we with ink the oceans fill,
Were every man a scribe of skill,
The marvelous story, Of God’s great glory
Would still remain untold; For He, most high
The earth and sky Created alone of old.

—Kenneth Osbeck

[Rev]

Originally Posted by Falla39

Romans 5:5 KJV
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

If we don't have love, we don't have God, for God IS LOVE! The
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. If we
don't have the Holy Ghost, we don't have love and we don't have
GOD.
Falla39

How do we know that we have the Love of God and obey these two commandments?

(Mat 22:36) Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
(Mat 22:37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
(Mat 22:38) This is the first and great commandment.
(Mat 22:39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(Mat 22:40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by Sam

Of course when I see the topic on The Love of God, one of the things I think of is this old song we used to sing back in the days when we used song books in church.

Verse 1
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Chorus
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.


Verse 2
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Verse 3
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

One of my late father and my favorite songs!

Falla39

[Rev]

Originally Posted by Rev

How do we know that we have the Love of God and obey these two commandments?

(Mat 22:36) Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
(Mat 22:37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
(Mat 22:38) This is the first and great commandment.
(Mat 22:39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(Mat 22:40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Here's a hint.....

(Joh 14:15) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

(Joh 14:21) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Rev

Here's a hint.....

(Joh 14:15) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

(Joh 14:21) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

I would assume you equate the commandments with obeying your interpretation of Acts 2:38 and with keeping whatever you personally consider to be holiness standards.

However, stick with the context and follow the conversation Jesus is having, and it leads us to this:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12

These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:17



I believe this also applies:

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8

What fruit? Tongues, dress standards, seperation?
Nope, those are never mentioned as "fruit" in God's Word.

But these things are
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

and

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ;
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:17-32

[Rev]

Originally Posted by Jason Badejo

I would assume you equate the commandments with obeying your interpretation of Acts 2:38 and with keeping whatever you personally consider to be holiness standards.

However, stick with the context and follow the conversation Jesus is having, and it leads us to this:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12

These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:17



I believe this also applies:

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8

What fruit? Tongues, dress standards, seperation?
Nope, those are never mentioned as "fruit" in God's Word.

But these things are
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

and

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ;
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians
4:17-32

(Mat 22:37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
(Mat 22:38) This is the first and great commandment.
(Mat 22:39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(Mat 22:40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Everything hangs on these two commandments.

(I Jo 5:1) Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
(I Jo 5:2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
(I Jo 5:3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Jason Badejo

What fruit? Tongues, dress standards, seperation?

Rev, are you going to answer this question or not?

[Rev]

Originally Posted by Jason Badejo

Rev, are you going to answer this question or not?

These scriptures do not mention tongues, standards or any thing else.

They do say that "the love of God" is keeping his commandments.

It also says that his commandments are not grievous.

But of course to some people they are.

[Jason B]

Originally Posted by Rev

These scriptures do not mention tongues, standards or any thing else.

They do say that "the love of God" is keeping his commandments.

It also says that his commandments are not grievous.

But of course to some people they are.

you should go into politics. Hopefully you don't preach as vaugely as you post.

One more time...What are the fruits?