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| photo credit: Dean Williams 2012 |
Do biblical standards serve Christians well on uncomfortable
issues like abortion and GLBT rights? When these issues come up, do we behave defensively,
guiltily, and apologetically; or, are we offensive, harsh, and just plain mean?
Any one of these behaviors signals we’ve lost a very important biblical standard.
Christians are not defined by whether we are for or against “the
issues”. Instead, what defines us is LOVE!
Love suffers long, is kind, is not
puffed up or rude, and thinks no evil (1 Cor. 13: 4-7). If we fail to love
according to this standard, then we are undefined Christians and breakers of
the law. “The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor
as yourself” (Gal. 5:14, NIV).
Besides, at one time or other, members of our family, friends,
or neighbors will become “the issue”. When they do, we are under command to love
them—not more or less—but in the same way we love ourselves. Love binds us to one
other as we are bound to our selves. After all, love is about balanced scales.
Therein is justice satisfied.
As community issues continue to impinge upon our faith, let
us remember that the standard God set for us is the same one he set for himself
(John 3:16). Thus, if we lose the standard, then we’ve lost our connection to
the Vine, Jesus.
In that case, we are useless branches, left to wither until
we become fuel for the flames (John 15:6, NKJV).
Scripture quotations from the King James Version (KJV) of
the bible unless otherwise indicated.
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