Christmas Special: Our First Love
[Caution: Supporters of preachers like Macarthur and Washer
and adherents of reformed theology, please don’t hurry up to criticize this
article][1]
Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you
have left your first love. Rev. 2:4
Let me ask you a question: Who loved first? You or God?
But What has Christmas to do anything with it? Let me begin with a beautiful
story from our childhood movie ‘Kuch kuch hota hai’ just to set a framework of
understanding and not promoting movie here.
I never understood the movie of 1998 until I recently
watched it several times again from 29th Nov, 2021. I then realized
that it was a master piece or a legend movie. I don’t even think of comparing
movies of current time with this old legend movie!
Let me give you a brief but touchy outline of what was
taught in the movie and then I will take you to the focal point of the topic. If
you want a summary of the movie Click Here!
The core point was ‘First Love and knowing what Love is’.
How Rahul was a best friend of Anjali, how Tina’s entrance occurred and
attracted Rahul, how Rahul fell in her love but Tina and he were not friends
yet, how Anjali realizes about love and her life goes through thoughtful phases
about Rahul, how she realizes his closeness with Tina and how she gets grieved
and decides to move away forever from their life creates a beautiful plot here.
The whole movie was about the first love and Anjali. Remember, she was
never happy with Aman. She always hides her pain. Rahul never shared his
loneliness with family. Tina regretted for the break of such friendship that
could turn to a true love.
Two characters played important roles: Tina and her daughter
in this mission of uniting two souls back. Tina was the one who realized
love of Anjali for Rahul and she regretted later when Anjali left them forever.
It was her who wrote all letters before she was at final stage of her life. She
handed this mission to her daughter so that her daughter could take
away emptiness in life of Rahul and return first and the only love
of Anjali back to her life. It was daughter who determined to take up this
mission seriously. It was her who prayed and supernaturally intervene
wedding date. It was her who forced Rahul to come Summer camp at Shimla and it
was her who convinced Aman. Rahul never shared his loneliness nor Anjali could
ever fulfil her empty life without Rahul’s presence. She
couldn’t love Aman since her heart was pleading for her first love Rahul.
The movie plot expresses it as a jealousy in case of Anjali
since Rahul begins chaining up with Tina.[2] I wouldn’t use the word
jealousy although this is true in human nature. The circumference of story
is silence and loneliness of Rahul and Anjali while center of the story are
Tina and her daughter in an important role of reuniting. It is all
about realization of first love and pain of emptiness.
I know of criticism the movie of course doesn’t have anything
parallel or connection to Biblical worldview but there can always be connectivity
or relatable themes. It’s just like God didn’t use modern scientific
framework understanding to propagate theological truths to his ancient audience
rather the languages were all contemporary framework their mind had. After the
fall of Adam and Eve, their interconnection with God also broke down and their
generation began getting far from God. Humanity suffered a kind of emptiness.[3] No matter what, they
couldn’t find any satisfaction in their life. The sin was so horror that it
demanded only punishment for humanity and none of their self-redemptive works
could unite them back to God. There was need of some external catalyst which
could only unite two hostile entities together i.e. Jesus.[4]
God planned redemption and used tools like Abraham, Moses,
prophets, Peter, Jesus, Paul and Holy Spirit to bring humanity back to himself.[5] God created humanity
without any intention of fall but they failed. God loved us enough that he
himself forsook his glory (Phil. 2:5-11) and became a human like us to rescue
us (Matthew 1:21). Jesus was sent to reverse everything that was corrupted
(1 Cor. 15:45, Romans 8:19, book of Revelation). He came to reveal our first
love. He came to answer why humanity has always been in emptiness and he
became the fullness in our life. God gave himself to us. That’s the beauty
of Christmas!
Today people are tired of life and in deeper thought about
struggles and emptiness of life. In Jesus, we can understand our first love who
is God himself. He created us not to be destroyed but to have an everlasting
fellowship with him. There was no other way to restore humanity back to God
except a sacrifice for humanity. Jesus stood in our behalf and granted us
righteousness. How much God loved us? Jesus gave his life for us! Romans 5:8!!!
It was His grace! It was He alone who set out all plans and tools to redeem us
and declare us acceptable to him despite our incapability.
We didn’t love God at first place, rather God loved us (1
Jn 4:19). He knew our loneliness and emptiness. He knew our pain. God
communicated through various people about how it all happen and he raised
mission to carry out through prophets, leaders and apostles.
The Christmas isn’t about Santa Claus and Christmas tree
but its about the one who first loved us. It’s about the one who can
only fill our emptiness and loneliness of life. You can achieve prosperity,
healing, fame, etc. by your own efforts and tactics also.[6] That's not what the Gospel is, nor were those the aim of the Gospel. You cannot achieve salvation by means of your own works, but only by the Grace of God alone.
Only God’s Holy Spirit could transform and guide us
(Galatians 3:13, 14) but he couldn’t abide in us due to our fallen status. It
was Jesus who took our punishment upon himself and granted his righteousness
and our sin was forgiven by his sacrifice. Only a mere pure man could be
sacrificial lamb for our sins whereas only a being of God-level could fulfil
the laws and justify God. Jesus was both and only caliber to redeem us.
Let us make our Christmas season meaningful and joyful!
[1] I
had to mention this because influence of academic apologetics has overthrown
one of the fascinating approaches of apologetics called: Imaginative Methods of
Apologetics. Remember, there are reputed theologians and apologists who use
this approach and if you are thinking there is no such approach then kindly
visit apologetics315 website to get yourself shocked.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuch_Kuch_Hota_Hai#Plot,
6 pm, 12/1/2021
[3]
Refer https://apologeticsimpact.blogspot.com/2020/10/love-that-casts-out-fear.html,
5.58 pm, 12/2/2021
[4]
For detail: https://apologeticsimpact.blogspot.com/2021/10/dont-just-limit-reformation-day-as.html
[5]
Sorry cannot mention link to the resource directly but this understanding is an
extraction from currently 8 weeks of NT academic course on Trinitas Institute:
Pauline’s theology, 4th week
[6]
Don’t forget, there were greater prosperous civilizations people built, there
are famous people, there are psychic, paranormal and mystic methods of healing,
etc. They didn’t require God. Hence, prosperity gospel is out of box.
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