Behind The Music: Your Love

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 John 3:1a

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

The book of 1 John strips us of religiousness that we hide behind. All are guilty of this act of self-preservation. A great example is found in John 18, beginning in verse 37.

“Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’
Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’ After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews”.

He was face to face with Jesus Christ, and Pilate does all he can to hold Jesus at arms length. Even followers of Jesus try to do this, and it resonates completely with me- fully accepting the love, grace and lordship of Jesus while retaining individuality and maintaining control. Or, so I would choose to believe.

With brilliance and simplicity, John lays out Jesus as the foundation of our faith and paints a picture of kingdom building, leaving no room for rhetoric. Such clarity challenges the game of religiosity, where we juggle Jesus Christ as a factor in our life instead of living in the reality that he is Lord of all. This view of faith is prevalent in the Western church today, including @V21Church. 1 John, especially verses 3 and 4, does not allow room for our finagling. I’m unable to get past the verses at the top of this post, and have read them from the stage more often than any other passages of scripture.

In the history of Vintage21, God has blessed us with bringing doubters and seekers. We are thankful for each one, but don’t want them to stay that way. “Your Love” is written with the non-Christian in mind who has not accepted the good news that Jesus died in our place, and we can be called “children of God”. It’s also written for the follower of Christ, as a call to stop running, stop hiding, stop sinning, and rest in the loving arms of the Father. The bridge is from Psalm 139:7-12, a beautiful reminder that there’s nowhere God’s love will not reach us.

Your Love: Listen here
Inspired by 1 John 4:7-21, Psalm 139:7-12

What kind of love is this, that gives me chance after chance?
Is there no end to Your grace?

What I have earned is death.
Instead You gave Your Son to pay for the debt of my sin.

You loved us first, even though we turned from You.
How can it be that You would call us children?
Have You seen what I’ve done?

The love I live is small
This is how we know love: You laid down Your life in our place.

If I run from Your presence to the darkness of night; even there You’re with me.
If the wings of the morning take me away; there Your hand will lead me.
If I run from Your Spirit to the ends of the earth; even there You’ll find me.
If I hide in the depths of my sin and my shame; there Your hand will reach me, there Your hand shall hold me.
What kind of love is this?

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From the Vintage21 album “All Things Praise”.
Vocals: @AndreaUpdyke
Backing Vocals: Holly Dwan
Bass: John Bass
Drums: Joshua Snyder
Fender Rhodes: Seth Hall
Guitar, Backing Vocals: @MattStevensNC