Holy Love

Love is the basic and controlling ethic of the Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul notes, 

¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Whenever we talk about love, the “avoidist” will quickly object by saying either “what is love anyway?” or “Jesus doesn’t always want us to love… sometimes we must discipline… judge… treat sin harshly.”

To the first objection — that the idea of love is difficult to understand or define — luckily Paul defines love for us in the scriptures. Even though this passage is often read at weddings, it is really about community life and the use of spiritual gifts within community.  He writes:

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

To the second objection — that “love is too soft” — I say that this is such a misunderstanding and characterization of love as to almost be a straw man argument. Any parent knows this. To love well often means to discipline. It means tough love sometimes. And I think as Christians, love must always be a  HOLY LOVE. As I have noted elsewhere, LOVE WITHOUT HOLINESS IS MERE SENTIMENTALISM — and powerless to transform. Likewise HOLINESS WITHOUT LOVE IS MERE LEGALISM — and equally powerless to transform.

Our goal — our pursuit — must be holy love.

The author of Hebrews articulates this well:

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: 
   “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, 
      and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 
 ⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves, 
      and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

 ⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 4:4-11)

THOUGHTS?