In Part or Full?
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| Courtesy D. Mam, 2014 |
Believers are to love our
enemies (Matt. 5:44; 48); our neighbor in the same way we love ourselves (Matt.
19:19); and God (Matt. 22:37). However, Jesus gave Christians a more realistic
way to measure love, and that’s by how he loved us (John 13:34)! The Lord’s
love has been more than kind, generous, and patient—filled with grace, yes?
Additionally, we’re to love the household of faith, who are our brothers and
sisters in Christ (1 John 3:23; 4:21; 2 John 5, 6).
Yet, what’s the reality for
most Christians with an “in part” type of love? We don’t really love “that
annoying neighbor across the street”, do we? Rather, we avoid them if we can.
What about that person who always seems to push our buttons, or who gets us
angry or upset? We don’t love them, right? Also, we’ve made a few enemies in
our lifetime, so we don’t love them either, do we? An “in part” love emerges
from Christians who decide who we’re going to love based on how we feel about
them. Really? No matter how we justify it, all Christians who do not love
according to God’s command are lawbreakers who practice lawlessness! After all,
whoever offends in one part of the law, offends in all parts (James 2:10). Bet you
thought Scripture was referring to some other “lawless entity”, yeah?
Christians who love “in full”
do not pick and choose who to love; rather, we obey the command and then leave
the rest to God. Moreover, because we love the household of faith, we passed
from death to life (1 John 3:14) and are not murderers, but have eternal life
(1 John 3:15)! We are Christians whose love is made perfect in the Day of
Judgment “because as he is, so are we in this world”. At that time, perfect
love casts out fear because fear has to do with judgment; and there is no fear
in love (1 John 4:17, 18).
Sadly,
as more and more Christians abandon the command to love, they will be ruled by
fear. Will you be found among them?
Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
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