A Study on Love
Too Long Didn’t Read
We must show love to others even though we may disagree with their choices. We ourselves are not perfect and never lived a perfect life yet God’s grace and mercy kept us until we found him. God’s love is explained perfect with Romans 5:6-8
Table of Contents
The Christian Superiority Complex
Results of being in the world but not of it
How should Christians interact with people who do not hold the same beliefs or even live contrary to the Bible?
Showing love to people with whom you disagree
Final Thoughts
Resources and References
The Christian Superiority Complex
Some of you probably feel that the Christians are disingenuous, judgmental, and at times hypocritical and that's an understandable and fair assessment. From experience I have seen and felt this air of superiority especially since Christians often feel they own the moral high ground. To extremes we go when interpreting texts that call for us to “be not of the world”(John 15:19) or to "love not the things of the world” (1 John 2:15-17). Growing up I’ve often heard the analogy of the Christian journey being like a pilgrimage passing through this life to get to the real home, heaven (Philippians 3:20).
So what has been our results of being in the world but not of it?
Christians are disconnected from the world and focused on their own salvation. Because of this disconnect, it becomes so much easier to forego empathy, look down on others, judge and condemn them. It makes it easier for us to look like christians but lack the internal change and power that comes along with being a follower of Christ.
“For although they hold a form of true religion, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]”
Without a true relationship with Christ, christianity is just another exclusive club. We glorify the concept of being set apart but it renders us incapable of interacting with people who do not share the same outward appearance or opinion. Instead of bringing people to Jesus we push them away. Instead of being peculiar and intriguing we’re ignorant, weird, standoffish and confrontational. But it’s not supposed to be this way! We’re supposed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth! We are supposed to naturally draw people to us by the way we think and act. (Matthew 5:13-16) (John 12:32)
So how do we as Christians interact with people who do not hold the same beliefs or even live contrary to the Bible?
Fortunately the Bible gives us plenty of examples of what it looks like to engage with unbelievers and believers alike (aka people). One interesting example is in Psalms 1 where it says,
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
There are a several truths that can be gleaned from this passage but there are two in particular that stands out: It talks about what the blessed man does and doesn’t do.
The bible describes a man that does not participate in the actions of the ungodly or fall into their temptations. He separates himself by not engaging ungodly activities.
The man is passionate about following God’s instructions.
On the surface, verse one may not seem like much. Even non-christians would agree in principle. You wouldn’t want your kid to hang out with the wrong crowd. You wouldn’t associate yourself with murderers or bigots and you would be hard pressed to take their advice. But verse two brings context to verse one that totally transform the context.
“...but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night"
The phrase meditates day and night in the passage means to habitually study ponder or study. But its more than just intense studying. It's also action.
“Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action)”
Study the law for the blessed man is more than just reading and looking at God’s laws, it’s practicing and living it. But what is he practicing?
Showing Love to people with whom you disagree
When we dive deeper into the second verse find out what is the law of God. When the Bible talks about the law of God it is referring to God’s commandments.
“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. ”
Not convinced? Further on in the same chapter it says
“for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.”
That sounds very familiar to the blessed man who delights in the law of God and meditates on it. But what was the commandments that the man was studying? Well, Jesus described the greatest commandments 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 first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. ”
Jesus said that loving God and others are the sum total of all the commandments.
“for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. ”
At the core the blessed man was studying and practicing love. All of God’s commandments are centered around which makes sense because Love is the essence of who God is.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Final Thoughts
Understanding that the blessed man was practicing love it is safe to assume that he did not treat the ungodly with disdain, malice or contempt. He simply did not participate in their actions. You can disagree with a person’s actions, lifestyle, behavior, or choice and still show love towards them.
Think about your childhood. Were you disciplined for something you did wrong? Did you still love your parents afterwards (Perhaps not in the moment lol )? As a parent, when your child does something you disapprove don’t you still love them? Even among friends you may disagree but at the end of the day you still love and fight for them.
Remember Christ for the ungodly and that include christians and non-christians alike for none of us were born perfect. So as christians even though we may disagree with how people may live their lives, we must remember we were not always living the way God wanted us to live yet He loved us anyway and gave us the space and freedom to come to Him. So how can we offer anything less to others? We must afford the same respect and consideration to those outside of the church as well as to those within.
If you forget everything, remember this one verse
“While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly. Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die.But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.”
References & Resources
Earth is not our home
John 15:19
1 John 2:15-17
Philippians 3:20
Fake Christianity
2 Timothy 3:5
Real Christianity
Matthew 5:13-16
John 12:32
God loves us even though we don't
1 John 4:7-8
Romans 5:6-8
How to treat the ungodly (spoiler - love them)
Psalm 1:1-2
2 Timothy 3:16
Psalm 119:33-35, 47-48
Matthew 22: 37-40
Romans 13: 8-10