In the last post, we took a brief look at how a christian is supposed to love others.
However, there are two things that are often left out when dealing with a believer's responsibility to love.
The first one we need to look at and understand stand is that the kind of love that God is and shows, does not mesh with sin in any way.
We get a glimpse of this in God's proclamation of Himself, but He is quite explicit about it.
Psalms 5:5 (ESV) The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
Psalms 26:5 (ESV) I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
Psalms 97:10a (ESV) O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
Proverbs 8:13 (ESV) The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Amos 5:15 (ESV) Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Zechariah 8:16-17 (ESV) These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”
Romans 12:9 (ESV) Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
1 Corinthians 13:6 (ESV) it (love) does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
1 John 5:16-17 (ESV) If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death.
There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
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The love that we are supposed to show, is one that calls out sin. Love is shown when one cares enough about another to warn and help them deal with their sin.
It's akin to the following famous verse...
Proverbs 13:24 (ESV) Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
The one who turns a blind eye to another's sin, doesn't really love them.
Even worse, the one who celebrates in the committing of sins, definitely doesn't love them.
Just like the expression of God's love causes Him to not only highlight the sins in our life, but to also use the rod of correction to drive those sins out of us, we too are called to expose and seek to deal with the sins in those whom we love.
The goal of this love isn't simply so our loved ones can stop doing a specific sin. It's not simply for their benefit so that their life can be stopped from a downward spiral.
The goal, is the love of God. To glorify God. When we show love to others, especially to those within the body of Christ, we show love to God.
Matthew 25:34-40 (ESV) Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
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On that note, we see the second forgotten part of love.
That is, that it's embedded and cannot be separated from, loving God.
Loving our neighbours can only be done in the context of loving God.
And the way we show that we love God is to obey Him. Not a begrudging obedience either.
God wants the heart of His people to be one which delights in doing what He commands.
Hosea 6:6 (ESV) For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV) And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
1 John 2:5 (ESV) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
1 John 3:24 (ESV) Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 5:2-3 (ESV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
John 14:15 (ESV) If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:21 (ESV) Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
John 14:23 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:31a (ESV) but I (Jesus) do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
John 15:10 (ESV) If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
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Jesus drills into our head the idea that our love for God is shown in our obedience to Him.
Loving our neighbour in the way He commands, and not in our own way... or according to the standards of the world, is actually loving God.
1 John 4:21 (ESV) And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
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What about those who not only dont obey, but don't care about obeying God's commands?
Well, God tells us...
John 14:24a (ESV) Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
John 3:18 (ESV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 6:28, 40 (ESV) Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Numbers 15:31 (ESV) Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”
2 Samuel 12:9a (ESV) Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?
2 Kings 17:15 (ESV) They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.
Proverbs 13:13 (ESV) Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
Mark 7:9 (ESV) And He said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
Luke 10:16 (ESV) The one who hears you hears me (Jesus), and the one who rejects you rejects me (Jesus), and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me (the Father).”
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There are many more verses that can be called upon to prove the point.
Those who disobey God, are showing that they not only don't love Him, but that they despise His commands and by extension, Him.
This even extends to believers, as its an indication that sin still dwells within us, warring against our new man.
However, the difference between the unbeliever and the believer is that the believer has the desire to mortify that sin.
They may not always recognise their sin, whether its ignorance or self-deception, but because the Holy Spirit dwells in them, He will not allow them to go their own way for long.
He will call them back to obedient repentance and faith, and will chastise them with the rod of correction if necessary.
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With all that said, we now have an overall view on the sort of love that God is, and the sort of love He commands us to have.
God is love. That means God is merciful and gracious. It also means He is righteous and just.
To those whom He loves, He calls them to be like Him in their love towards others.
So they are supposed to be merciful and gracious, while at the same time being righteous and just.
They are to treat others as how they'd want to be treated, while calling people to holy living.
Their love for others should be spurred on by their love for God first and foremost.
Just as how people recognise that love without mercy and grace is not love, so too, love without righteousness and justice is also not love.
We show the love of God when we, in obedience to God, love our neighbours in the way God commands us to love them.
Amen
