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Wednesday 9 January 2008

Does God's love need further perfection?

We continue to read 1 John 4:11-18.
John has written some puzzling statements. For example, 1 John 4:12. He said, "No man has ever seen God; ..." This is obviously true.
"... if we love one another, God abides in us ..." So far, so good. We can understand what John meant even  literally. It follows logically from the reading of previous verses.
But the remaining part is puzzling: "... and his love is perfected in us καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστίν." (RSV) There is no ambiguity in this translation. Compare Matthew 5:48 which reads "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν."
So, what did John mean in 1 John 4:12? Has God's love not been perfect all along and needs be perfected in us? How is this 'perfection' idea related to the idea of 'seeing God'?
May be by its very nature, love is never perfect, never complete. Love is imperfect and incomplete by nature. Therefore, it seeks its fulfillment in others. It reaches perfection and completion only through another party or even the third party, the fourth etc.  The Greek myth of Narcissus tells of the existential problem of self-love. Self-love is doomed to failure. Therefore, like the magnetic poles in the natural world which go in pairs, love must exist in a relationship involving 2 or more parties. Indeed, scientists are unable to isolate any 'mono' north poles or south in the natural world. Even from the perspective of evolution, higher organisms have evolved sexual reproduction which speeds up the evolution of the species concerned. For higher organisms, self-love will not be able to leave any offsprings.
God's wisdom and power are transcendantal, infinitely more potent than the human counterparts. Now, imagine God's love. If human love is incomplete and imperfect, then God's love will be the most imperfect thing in the whole universe, more infinitely imperfect and incomplete than any human love! (Am I bordering on some heresy? Please correct me!) But our God is one and trinite at the same time. In the Blessed Trinity, God's love must have been perfected and completed. Why then does God need us to perfect His love?
This is a mistake of reading a verse out of context. "No man has ever seen God." Therefore, we cannot love God directly in return. (Of course, the story of Daddy Long Leg is a fantasy.) Given that love needs another party, we will be doomed to hell if the love which God has initiated in us remains a self-love. In such case, God's love will be incomplete and imperfect. That's how the idea of 'perfection' gets related with the idea of 'seeing God'. That's how the love which God has given us is perfected if we love one another. This is the creative power of God's love. It spreads like fire and whatever it touches, the object touched will glow and burst into flames.
Again, several verses below, we read "In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment ..." (1 John 4:17). Here John further developed the idea of perfection by pointing out to the readers that not just God's love which is in us is perfected, but we ourselves will be perfected (together with God's love τετελείωται ἡ ἀγάπη μεθʼ ἡμῶν). The confidence question is dealt with in 4:18 "... but perfect love casts out fear ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον)". Hopefully, we will be able to explore this topic in the future. For the time being, remember to read the verses in context.
Conclusion: God's love is perfect and complete even without us. He is generous in creating and giving us His love. This love in us will be perfected and completed if we spread it, if we love one another. Moreover, we ourselves will be perfected together with this love.
Today, Mr Yuen, the class teacher of 5J, arranged a coach to take the students to Maggie's wedding on Saturday. Once again, Shung Tak is all protective to her students. John, our vice-principal, has been complaining about our way of spoon-feeding our students to sit for public examinations. Teachers give extra lessons, pre-mocks, marking schemes etc. to the students, shoving all the materials down their throats. As a result, Shung Tak students lack the initiative, the responsibility to take care of their own learning. Can't we instead show them the map of the church where the wedding will be held and allow them to take care of the rest?
My mum has been over-protective and dominating since my childhood. I can't blame her for her good intentions. In the end, what is me? I decline all offers of responsible posts throughout my teaching career. I remain a happy and competent GM, doing everything in perfection within my duties. Panel chair? No way! Am I a victim of over-protective child-rearing practices? Sometimes, I have to admit, I vaguely feel unfulfilled somewhere, somehow!

My God, You have always been protective for my good. You allow me to make mistakes and readily forgive me. You patiently wait for me to repent. Have I been too narcissistic? Guide me and help me reach out. Teach me to let go. Amen.

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