A Love After God’s Own Heart Essay

What is the foundation of saviorianity? If the question be discussed is whether some involvement is ide tot each(prenominal)y(a)y Christian, then the de homosexuald scarcelytocks Christianity must be understood. The basic abbreviation of Christianity is simple. Man exists in a fall and depraved state. Christ died on the hybridise to conquer death and at ace for all humanity. Those who acknowledge their need for a delivery boy and maneuver their faith in this gift, shall book eternal manners. That asks to the logical question of why. wherefore should Christ sacrifice himself for such worthless people? Therein is found that basis, that motivation behind Christianity. dear. The Bible translates, For graven image so venerated the world that he gave his wholly begotten password, that whoever be reposeves in Him shall non exceed exactly arrive eternal life. (NASB Jn. 3.16). Love is the heart of Christianity. divinity fudge sent his Son to pay the ultimate cost for sinners because He loves them so much(prenominal). Indeed, all truly Christian actions ar committed dis veil of step up of love. Christ verbalise while he was on the earth, By this all workforce go forth know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (NASB Jn. 13.35) Christianity starts and ends with love. Love is the understructure of Christianity and it is also the outward manifestation of Christ in a life. God is love. Therefore, though Silas Marner is at first estranged from both(prenominal) God and man, the Christ-mirroring love he bestows upon Eppie is a clear reflection of Gods take nature and is ideally Christian.George Eliots Silas Marner details the life of a lonely linen weaver. Silas Marner lives a life of privacy in the t take in of Raveloe for 15 old age while dealing with deeply inflicted stirred wounds. He loses his faith in God and his fellow man. Marners lone mental home is the coins he earns. He treasures them not for their fin ancial value, but for their companionship. Meanwhile, there is an alternate plot line of Godfrey and Dunsey Cass sons of a wealthy landowner. The latter is a slobbering rum while the other is good thought of. However, the former has a recondite married woman and infant, and the knowledge of this allows the drunk to pressure his elder brother. One day the drunk chances upon the empty business firm of the linen weaver. He disc overs the coins and steals them. When Silas Marner discovers his loss, he elicits the armed service of the villagers.They search extensively for the coins, but to no avail. No one knows who has taken the coins, but Godfrey is delighted by Dunseys absence. On New yrs Eve, the Cass family throws a large political party and Godfrey attempts to woo the respected Nancy Lammeter. Meanwhile, Godfreys wife tries to involve their fry to the Cass home and animate Godfreys secret to the world. However, being under the influence of opium, she falls asleep on th e snowy ground. The child wanders into the conform to onby fireside of Silas Marner. When Marner finds the child and eventually the mother, he rushes to the Cass house for the doctor. The woman is found to be assassinated and as no yield come abouts out for the child, Marner claims it as his own. He names the child Eppie and does his best to raise her. He is very much given motherly advice by his trembler Mrs. Winthrop.Sixteen years go by and Eppie is now 18. Godfrey is married to Nancy. Godfrey regrets not claiming Eppie and decides it is time for her to come live with them. He tells Silas and Eppie the truth and asks Eppie if she wants to come live with him and his wife. Eppie declines, state Silas is the sole(prenominal) father she has known. Later, while a pit is being drained near Silas house, the body of Dunsey is discovered and with it Silas money, which is countered to him. Silas uses the money to return to his old home for closure on his past wounds, but the ent ire place is at rest(p). When Silas returns, Eppie gets married to Mrs. Winthrops son and the storey concludes with Eppie and her husband living happily with Silas.The child Eppie does not have a father, so Silas Marner adopts her as his own. Eppie quite literally wanders into Silas life and though she should not have to be his responsibility, he takes it upon himself to be her father. Till bothbody shows theyve a right to take her away from me, said Marner. The mothers dead and I reckon its got no father its a lone thing- and Im a lone thing (Eliot 679). Though he shows it in his own peculiar way, Silas takes great compassion on this homeless, parentless girl. This is the first way Silas Marner shows Gods love to Eppie. God is plain not a lone thing, having existed for infinity past in perfect symmetry with the Trinity.However, he does take compassion on poor, lost people. God is the Father to all who place their faith in delivery boy Christ. For you have not received a impre ssion of slavery leading to forethought a net profit, but you have received a Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba Father The Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are children of God (NASB Ro. 8. 15-16). Silas Marner adopts Eppie and becomes her father who she prat always rely on. God adopts sinners who come to him and becomes their Everlasting Father in whom they shadower rely. The clear correlation between the cardinal is the first way Silas Marner reflects Gods nature and ultimately Christian ideals.As Silas has this Christ-like love for Eppie, he naturally wants to comfort her and help her grow. This gives Silas a completely late outlook on his surroundings and his recipe everyday life. As some man who has a precious protrudet to which he would give a nurturing homeand asks industriously for all knowledge that will help him to satisfy the wants of the searching roots, or to shelter leaf and bud from invading deterioration (689). Silas new ro le is to do all he brush aside to keep Eppie safe. Eppie is preadolescent and inexperienced and vulnerable. Silas watches out for her and keeps her away from infliction because he knows better. Jesus Christ does the very(prenominal) thing for believers. He protects Christians from the Devils schemes as well as from their own folly. The Bible often describes this relationship with the resemblance of a shepherd and his flock. Like a shepherd He will run away his flock, In his arm he will gather the lambs and carry them in His nerve He will gently lead the treat ewes (NASB Is. 40.11). Silas is gently leading his nursing ewe, Eppie. Silas, in protecting and shepherding Eppie, is portraying understandably Christian ideals.Eppie does not do anything to gain Silas love and likewise she can do nothing to lose it. Before she does any of the things that Silas later comes to love, Silas loved Eppie. Silas loves her from the first dark she toddled into his home. She does not earn his love, it is based on Silas goodness and not Eppies merit. That is why she cannot lose it. It does not depend on her performance. Here was a clear subject field of aberration in a christened child which demanded severe treatment but Silas, tame with compulsive joycould do nothing but snatch her up and cover her with half sobbing kisses (687). This is such a beautiful picture of what Christ does for the believer.Eppie runs shoot and disobeys Silas. He tirelessly pursues her until he ultimately catches her. Christians likewise stray from the fold of God, but Christ pursues them and is overjoyed to find them and bring them back. If any man has a speed of light sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over 99 which have not gone astray (NASB Mt. 18.12-13). This is how Silas feels for Eppie. Silas mirrors God with his unmerited and savourless love for his girl.Silas loves Eppie so much he is free to sacrifice his happiness for her betterment.  Silas on the other hand, was again stricken in conscience and alarmed lest Godfreys electric charge should be true- lest he should be heave his own will as an bar to Eppies good. For many another(prenominal) movements he was mute, assay for the self-conquest necessary to the uttering of the difficult words. They came out tremulously. Ill say no more. Let it be as you will. Speak to the child. Ill kibosh nothing. (714) Godfrey has now come and is asking Eppie to come live with him and his wife. Eppie is the absolute joy of Silas life. take down so, with those words, Silas is letting her go.He is relinquishing his daughter and his happiness that she might have a higher station in life. This is a truly sacrificial love. This again is in keeping with the Christian model Silas has been pursuance all along. But he was pierced through for our t ransgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities The mischance for our well-being fell upon him and by his scourging we are healed (NASB Is. 53.5). The greatest sacrifice of all is Jesus death on the cross. simply Silas Marner is not crucified for Eppie, but he is willing to sacrifice his entire happiness for her betterment. Silas micro sacrifice is a shadow of the captains great sacrificial love for his people and all the way Christian.Sometimes this legend is thought to have too many coincidences or be too much like a fairy narration to have realistic Christian ideals, but the Bible clearly disproves this. God is in control and He has a plan for everything. There are no coincidences in His eyes. It is not a coincidence that Eppie comes to Silass door. Silas then honors God with love he shows Eppie and God rewards him with happiness and fulfillment. It is a lie of the Devil that happy endings are only for fairy tales. Christians know Jesus wins in the end over evil. That is the happiest ending of all. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope (NASB Jer. 29.11). When the Christian is trusting in Gods plan and honoring Him, he can see that Silas Marner is a great account statement about a man who reward God with his love.Silas Marners love for Eppie is adoptive, protective, unconditional, and sacrificial. This clearly reflects the Lords love for his own children and thus the ideals in this novel are Christian.Works CitedEliot, George. Silas Marner. Adventures in Appreciation. Laurence Perrine.Ed. et al. New York Harcourt span Jovanovich, Inc., 1973. 390-472. Print. NASB. Anaheim Foundation Publications Inc., 1996. Print.Taylor