Christian Love and Why It Matters

 

Christian Love is often maligned even by Christians. Many young men think that the God is love mantra of liberal Christianity is just God gone soft and don't want to believe in a liberal God. In the fifth century Augustine introduced Christians to a more Hellenistic styled God. A God who was somewhat sadistic and offhand like Zeus or Moloch for instance.

 

 In the Old Testament God is definitely very straight forward. The way he handled the Fall of Man. Punishing the snake to crawl forever on it's belly. Eve to have pain in child birth, Adam to be cast out of Eden and to have to work hard on the land which was cursed to make life harder.

 

When God delivered Israel from Egypt and brought the plagues on the land of Egypt at the hand of Moses. While at the same time hardening the heart of Pharaoh to glorify the name of God because He was able to deliver Israel despite the might of Pharaoh and his army. Definitely a tough guy God.

 

Subsequently, God's interactions with the people of Israel through Moses in the desert. The bringing of the Law of Moses from the smoking Mountain. The plague of snakes and the people looking on the fiery serpent make of brass set on a pole to live. An angry, judgemental God.

 

The story of Samson and the Spirit of God being upon him empowering him to destroy the Philistines. Uzzah touching the Ark of the Covenant and God striking him dead. Elisha revealing to his young servant the heavenly army protecting them. Daniel and his prayer for the restoration of Israel and Gabriel being sent directly to him to show him what would happen. A God of decisive actions.

 

In the New Testament people look at the gospel and God's love and forgiveness of our sin and equate that to weakness. They wrongly think of God's love as being kind of effeminate. They misunderstand that God has always been the same but under the new covenant He interacts with Christians, through Christ Jesus, and completely on the basis of enduring love and forgiveness. He expects Christians to understand that they have been forgiven much and are expected to love and forgive much in turn.

 

In I Corinthians 13: 4-7 the apostle Paul describes love like this "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." So if the Christian does not show all of these facets of God's love what good are they. If this type of love were to be applied to all of life and all of mankind. Then we would see a transformation of the whole world. And to be honest even in times when it has been applied in part and imperfectly we have seen such transformations.

 

I have often mentioned the Great Generation who lived through World War II. They had  the heck kicked out of them and many of the returned soldiers had PTSD. That’s what I believe in any case. But the New Zealand I grew up in had moral values, and generosity of spirit and even though not all were Christian. Most everyone behaved like Christians. Front doors were never locked. Cars were left on the streets and wallets were on the front seats with the cars windows down. No one would touch them. The only people who broke the law were children and they soon learned to know better. It wasn't perfect but it was a lot better than today. And the biggest difference was that there was a greater sense of community and a huge amount of love shared amongst the people. Even those who didn't know Jesus personally knew of Him.

 

To me God's love is three fold. Jesus was asked which are the greatest commandments. He put it this way in Matthew 22: 36-40 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
 

So, the Law of God is based in the Love of God. First, love God himself in Christ Jesus with all of your heart, all of your being. Second, love  your fellow man as you love yourself. I saw much of this as a youngster and a child of the great generation as I mentioned before. The third aspect of God's Love is to live your life in the Spirit not the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5: 22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

 

In the beatitudes of Matthew 5: 1-12. Jesus mentioned several groups of people and the rewards that they would receive. The group I want to focus on here is the meek. Jesus said “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Who are these meek people who are going to inherit the Earth? Well the meek are considered by everyone that Satan has misinformed to be the weak. As you might imagine this is far from the truth. The meek are people who could defend themselves and retaliate against others for perceived wrongs but instead decide to forgo vengeance and obey Jesus in this matter.

 

In Matthew 5: 38-40 Jesus says this "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also." Thus the meek are not the weak they are those who obey God and out of love forgive those who seek to harm them. Even unto death.

 

Such is the strength of God's Love that it is the most powerful agent for mercy and change in the Universe. We have no need of an arbitrary and angry God like Zeus or Satan. We have no need of machismo and proud rulers. We need the love of a God who would come as a man called Jesus, take our sins on His sinless life and pay the price of eternal life for us. Through the shed blood of the Son of Man, the Seed of God, Christ Jesus. Our almighty Lord and Saviour.