The Day of New Beginnings
He Loves Us to Completion
John 13:
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
The literal Greek for this passage implies that Jesus loved them to completion, not to the end of a time period. He didn’t just love them to the end of His earthly ministry, He loved them and would continue to love them until they reached the state of spiritual completion. The literal Greek meaning of the word “end” is as follows:
5056 telov telos tel’-os
from a primary tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); TDNT-8:49,1161; n n
AV-end 35, custom 3, uttermost 1, finally 1, ending 1, by (one’s) continual + 1519 1; 42
1) end
1a) termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be ( always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time)
1b) the end
1b1) the last in any succession or series
1b2) eternal
1c) that by which a thing is finished, its close, issue
1d) the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose
2) toll, custom (i.e. indirect tax on goods)
When the Lord calls us, He sees us for who and what we are in Him. I don’t think it’s entirely correct to just say He relates to us in what we are to become instead of what we are in our current state. He doesn’t just see us as what we are to be. God sees in eternity, not the time realm. When God looks at us He sees us in completion. In the realm of time His love is active and steadfast in our lives until we experimentally become what He already sees. It’s only in the realm of time that we are lacking. It may seem subtle, but there is a difference between saying God sees what we are going to be, and Him seeing what we already are in eternity. In Isa. 46:9-10 God expresses it this way: "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’…”
Heb. 7:
17 For it is witnessed of Him, "THOU ART A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK."
22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,
24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.
25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
The Lord never stops seeing us as we are before Him. He is a priest forever, or better said, He is an eternal priest, One who sees in the realm of eternity. God always relates to us in the eternal realm, not the realm of time. For this reason it says He always lives to make intercession for us. “Always lives” implies an ever present manifestation of His love and faith toward us to become in this time realm that which already is in the eternal realm.
Now let’s go to Heb. 6:
13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,
14 saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU."
15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.
17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Because it is impossible for God to lie we who have taken refuge in Him have strong encouragement. We have a sure and steadfast promise of His love toward the way He relates to us.
Rom. 8:
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 ¶ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 ¶ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
In verse 29 it says those whom He foreknew He predestined to become conformed to the image of His son. The words “to become” are not in the original Greek. It literally reads predestined conformed to the image of His son. It’s past tense. We were predestined conformed! It’s a done deal in God’s sight. It’s the Lord Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of God interceding for us that we might experimentally become that which is completed in eternity.
If we take this message to heart we can eliminate the condemnation we go through when we are faced with the inadequacies and shortcomings of our life here in Time. The corruption of our old natures is certainly an issue we must grapple with, but it can be done with an eye toward God’s love and faith for us to fully realize our purpose in Christ. The realization of God’s attitude toward us serves to create in us the humble, contrite spirit He can bless and fulfill all His promises through.
One last thought: This great potential we have to experimentally walk out here in Time who God made us to be from Eternity must not be wasted. How many of God’s children never realize their full potential in Christ? How many go to the grave never becoming on a practical basis? Sons must come forth who recognize who they are and fully accept it and walk in it. This is the completion of Christ’s provision for the salvation of creation. This is also the fulfillment of what we have called the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven…”