5 Stages Of The SoulSýnishorn

Sacrificial Love—Living the Kingdom Here and Now

CHARACTERISTICS OF STAGE FOUR

The core of Stage Four is reflected in Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:16–19.

In Stage Four, we possess a knowledge of the breadth and depth of God’s immense love that is intellectual and personal, individual and corporate, and we experience Christ dwelling, or “taking up residence,” in our heart. We have moved on from Stage Three—Persevering Love, where we have been purged of our ego attachments of power, prestige, security, and esteem. God has exposed the hidden motivations of our hearts, and we are invited into a life of joy and delight that defies description—a life with Christ as the bridegroom with His bride. The veil has been dropped from our souls revealing a deep knowing.

When we gaze upon Him, we are swept up into the unfathomable beauty of His presence.  In Stage Four, our eyes are opened to the reality that “‘in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28). In some Christian traditions, this stage is called the illuminative stage where our eyes are opened to see the magnificence of God. 

And yet, in realizing the glory of His presence, we are aware more than ever of the darkness that remains within us. We recognize that we cannot accomplish good via our own efforts. Just as the moon can only reflect the light of the sun, so we can only reflect God’s light, as the psalmist expresses: “In your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9). As the light of Christ more clearly shines on us, we see, with a high degree of acuity, the depravity of hearts apart from Christ. 

We see the apostle Peter—having betrayed Christ and having been “sifted like wheat”. In the book of Acts, Peter, empowered by the Spirit, proclaims the gospel without hesitation and invites people to repentance.

Like Peter, the believer, too, is enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and His work in the Christian is evident to others. We gladly and readily serve and love God’s people; we are not concerned about what we receive in return because we daily rely on God’s nurturance and are satisfied with how tenderly and intimately He loves us. We experience an increased capacity to extend grace and to do good and to love unconditionally. We are less judgmental and more accepting of others and desire to show compassion and mercy.

Our lives begin to embody the Sermon on the Mount. We seek to love our enemies, forgive rather than condemn, and are willing to go the second mile with others. People see us as radiating God’s light in the world. We have become so illumined by the truth of Christ that we embody His presence in the world.

Those in this sacrificial love stage, because of all that God has stripped away, have realized a certain degree of healthy unsettledness with this world. The attachments of this world no longer intrigue us. We are not troubled by the criticism of others. We see whatever is placed in our life as a conduit through which we can serve God and His kingdom.