Culture today is throwing the love of Christ in our faces. We are accused, by some who claim to be believers and by others who do not, of being bigots, judgmental, fearful, offensive, unloving, and more. A common thread though is that the people calling us these things do not actually know us, nor are they truly approaching us with God’s word. They come at us with the words of other men and their own opinions. They attack us because of perceived injustices in their own lives. They assume they know us based on their own interactions with other conservative Christians or they judge us based on what we post on social media or how we choose to worship (based on scripture). And yet they say they are coming to us out of “love.” To ignore the commandments of God in the name of “love” would be a lie. We would be lying to ourselves, to everyone we encounter, and everyone that actually cares about us. This is a disservice to ourselves, to others, and to God.
So, all that being said, what is the love of Christ?
John 3:16 and 1 John 4:7-12 talk about how deep God’s love is for us that He sent His son to die so that we could have the hope of an eternity with Him.
This is sacrificial love.
Romans 8:35-39 talks about how no power in heaven or on earth can separate us from God’s love.
This is unconditional love.
Romans 5:7-8 and Ephesians 2:4-7 talk about how God’s love is given to us while we are still living in sin.
This is unearned love.
And yet… despite telling us that we are failures as Christians because we are not “loving like Christ,” this is not the love the world has for us or is even calling us to have.
The “love” taught by our culture is selfish.
“You do you. Do what makes you happy.”
The “love” taught by our culture is conditional.
“I’ll love you until you disagree with me. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t ask me to change.”
The “love” taught by our culture is fleeting and shallow.
“I just fell out of love with him so it’s time for a divorce. I don’t want to commit in case something goes wrong, so we are living together but aren’t getting married.”
The love of Christ is unearned and undeserved. We are immoral people. Our base instincts take us away from God. And yet He loves us. He loves us despite our predilection for sin. Christ never said following Him would be easy. Why do so many people act like you can live your life how you want and still follow Him? Matthew 16:24-26 says specifically that if you wish to follow Christ you must deny yourself and take up your cross daily. This means a denial of our desires and the taking up of our sins daily as we fight against the devil’s schemes to take us away from our Lord.
The love of Christ covers us even when we stumble and fall short. He waits for our repentant hearts to come back. No matter what sin you are living in, if you realize it and turn away from that life, He is waiting for you. We have to turn away from sin and run to Him not looking back.
The love of Christ left Him on a cross to die the most cruel, humiliating, painful death imaginable so that we, a selfish, sinful, vain people could have the hope of an unfathomably beautiful eternity. Is that the love you are willing to have for others? Are you willing to die so that someone who is living in sin can be saved? Only God saves souls, but that does not mean we cannot do anything. By allowing someone to live in sin, all in the name of “love,” you are giving up on their soul. Christ never once said that He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be saved and that involves a lot of sacrifice. Sacrifice of our desires, of our wants, of family, of friends, of anything that takes us away from Him.
Christ ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matt. 9:10-17, Mark 2:15-22, Luke 5:29-39), He was washed and touched by adulterers and prostitutes (Luke 7:36-50), but He never once allowed them to stay in their sin. He admonished them all to turn their lives around (John 5:14, 8:11). You cannot claim to love anyone if you are willing to let them live in sin.
“Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.”
Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV
If your “counsel” is coming from anyone other than God, even someone in the pulpit, you need to reevaluate for whom you are living. Test everything against the scriptures.
I heard someone say that you need to build a solid relationship with someone to be able to convert them. This person claimed that 3 years is a good time frame in which to do this. Spend 3 years developing a relationship (all the while, allowing this person to continue living in sin) and then start evangelizing. I am sorry, but where in scripture does God say to “take our time” regarding souls? We do not know the day or hour that Christ will be coming back. (Matt. 25:13, 1 Thess. 5:2-4)
It is arrogant to assume that God will give you time to do later what He already gave you time to do now.
I am not perfect and am striving everyday to live for God. Somedays are definitely harder than others, but no matter what others think of me or say against me, “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (2 Tim. 1:12 NKJV)