Loving everybody, or loving nobody?
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Salt and pepper
Shoes and socks
Bacon and eggs
Fish and chips
Macaroni and cheese
Twiddle dee and twiddle dum
Rod and Mez
Some things just go together.
They’re separate, but they’re meant to be together…
The writer of the book of 1 John thinks so too:
He gives one command. But it's two things.
The point is:
you cannot believe in the Son without loving one another sacrificially.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord then you must love others.
And loving others without believing in the name of Jesus, is in vain.
They must go together.
We know love because Jesus showed it to us... "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” [1 John 3:16]
But we cannot just love our "brothers and sisters" – whoever they are – we must love individuals.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” [1 John 3:17]
There is an important distinction between these two verses. It moves from plural to singular.
In loving everybody, I don't want to love nobody.
I want to sacrificially love the world and individuals within it. I want to be part of a community that loves like Jesus loves; that loves even though it hurts, even though it costs something, even though they're awkward and broken and half-hearted.
For the sake of the gospel, the church needs to love one another.
The writer of the book of 1 John thinks so too:
"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."
[1 John 3:23]
He gives one command. But it's two things.
The point is:
you cannot believe in the Son without loving one another sacrificially.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord then you must love others.
And loving others without believing in the name of Jesus, is in vain.
They must go together.
We know love because Jesus showed it to us... "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” [1 John 3:16]
But we cannot just love our "brothers and sisters" – whoever they are – we must love individuals.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” [1 John 3:17]
There is an important distinction between these two verses. It moves from plural to singular.
“It is easier to be enthusiastic about Humanity with a capital “H” than it is to love individual men and women, especially those who are uninteresting, exasperating, depraved, or otherwise unattractive.
Loving everybody in general may be an excuse for loving nobody in particular.”
C.S. Lewis
In loving everybody, I don't want to love nobody.
I want to sacrificially love the world and individuals within it. I want to be part of a community that loves like Jesus loves; that loves even though it hurts, even though it costs something, even though they're awkward and broken and half-hearted.
For the sake of the gospel, the church needs to love one another.
