Month: October 2011

A Short Muse on Love (and some other stuff)

Wow, it’s been a while.  Quick update.  Life here is good, though very quite without any Arrowhead students.  We’ve been keeping very busy.  I did get my email project working, so I’ll get that howto posted in the next couple of days.

Moving on to the topic at hand.
I had a thought hit me Sunday night. I was thinking about love, and it dawned on me that to love someone does not mean to ignore, or be ok with their flaws/sin. One of the reasons I struggle so much with love is I have this idea that if I love someone I’m ok with them, with what they do. I realized this is simply not true. In love, someones faults can and should be recognized. It’s not my job to do anything about those faults, but it is silly to pretend that they don’t exist. It seems so basic, but for some reason had never really sunk in before. I was getting so frustrated because peoples flaws annoyed me, and I thought to love them I couldn’t be annoyed with them. I finally understand annoyance and love are not mutually exclusive. If only I could be less comfortable with my sin and more annoyed by it.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying it’s ok to sit around and chew people out (either in your head, or to their face).  I am saying, you can love some one with out accepting them or more specifically without accepting their sin (or what you think is their sin).  Maybe that doesn’t make sense.

Any ways that is something of what has being going on in my head the past couple of days.  As I reread this I realize this is not a fully formed image of what love is (I Corinthians 13 lays that out) nor is it supposed to be.  As with everything I write, if there is truth in it keep that, and chuck the rest.

John 12:25-26 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man server me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Does God Love Unbelievers?

I have heard from several different people over the past couple years that God only loves people He has saved. My knee jerk reaction was, “That is ridiculous, God loves every one.” My response was what it was because that is how I’ve been raised. I’ve always been taught that God loves every one. So that begs the question, does the Bible say God only loves believers? Now I admit I cannot remember the verses that were used to back up the assertion that God doesn’t love unbelievers, however I have found a few verses that state He does love those who are not saved.  (Yes, it is quite possible that I’m simply biased, and I’m only finding what I was raised/taught to find.  I leave you to be the judge of that.)

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Granted, it doesn’t say love, however “good” and “mercy” are a part of love and those are both applied to all that He has made.

Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were sinners, Christ died for us, and what did that show? God’s love. While we were sinners Christ died to show God’s love.

Matthew 5:43-48 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Part of God’s perfection is loving His enemies. It is something Christ commands us to do, and then holds up God as the example.

Luke 19:41-42 And when he [Jesus] drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Again, it doesn’t explicitly say that Jesus loved the people in the city, but you do not weep over those you hate.

Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

No it doesn’t say he loved them, but do you make entreaties for those whom you do not love?

Anyways those are some of the reasons I believe that God loves every one, including people who do not believe in Him. I would love some feed back. If you think I’ve taken something out of context please let me know. If you know the verses that assert that God doesn’t love unbelievers let me know that as well.