Of
all the superheroes produced by the creative minds of human beings, nothing
comes close to the real thing. The Initiator wins, hands down. He is the One
that all the others strive to become. Every good and lofty trait and goal that
the many superheroes hold as the ideal, The Initiator already has perfectly. He
is the super superhero!
Now,
you won’t be able to pick up a Marvel comic book and read about The Initiator.
That is a real shame! But the reason Marvel, and all the other superhero
inventors don’t write about The Initiator is that he would put all the other
comic book characters to shame. He does everything perfectly. No shortcomings
here. He never fails. The success of any particular mission doesn’t rest on his
ability to overcome.
But
that is what makes The Initiator such a terrible superhero. He is perfect. He
doesn’t have any of the struggles that we possess. He has already won, and He
has been declared the victor. He never gets in a battle where the outcome is in
doubt. Only once did he receive a mortal injury. It was fatal. He died. But He
even overcame death.
So
why is The Initiator’s role so important? The superheroes that we know respond
to trouble. They wait until we are overcome by an enemy and then they step in.
And help is only there when they are present. Even Superman can only spin the
earth backward so many times to reverse time in order to rescue. And since he
can only be in one place at one time, many unwritten chapters could be written
about his failures to save.
But
The Initiator solves the problem before, during and after. He rescues us from
the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the presence of sin. He started the
rescue and is there every step of the way. He is there at the finish line even
before we start our race.
The
writer of our text today summarizes this kind of action by telling us that He
loved us first. He started this love thing. It is His idea. He perfected its
expression when He came and died in our place. Our victory is now assured
because He is victorious over death and the grave.
We
have total acceptance by Him. And if we need acceptance by anyone, it is by
Him. All the earthly acceptance will one day end and come to nothing. The
earthly accolades will end up on the landfill of history. All the awards will
be recycled by worms. Nothing will be left of this life. The only exception to
this rule are those things done through the power and influence of the Spirit,
an outworking of Jesus in this world.
For
our writer John, the love we express toward each other is the mark of our
membership in His body. Love shows our connection to Him. And this love started
with Him loving us first. We only love in response to His love. Love is not our
idea. It is His.
It
is our response to His love that the world sees and is drawn in. They see His
love in us and it paints a stark contrast between what they have and what Jesus
offers. Jesus offers us freedom in the middle of our bondage. He provides the
solution before we ever get in trouble. If we love as He loved, every trouble
that comes our way works for His glory and our benefit. He even turns our
selfish defeats into victories. He uses the mud and mire of our lives to bring
Him glory.
Now
that is a superhero worth emulating.