One of the very great things that makes the Church of Jesus Christ different from any other is love. Not the fanciful sentimental kind of love, but the real love, the crazy love, the love that sometimes hurts. We are required to love each other. We are commanded to love each other. If anyone calling themself Christian does not love his brother, then that man stands thoroughly condemned. A good example is the example of the good Samaritan. In this story love is portrayed as a caring action. One man is in need and another man has the ability to meet that need. It is required that he does. It is not an option to not. Its not something you do only when convenient. Its something you must do as a Christian. Another example of love is rebuking a brother when you see something clearly wrong. These are the times when love hurts. This statement sums up the spirit: 'I love you enough to not let you remain evil like you are'. Its no coincidence that God loves us in the same way.
Now this brings me to a fallacy that must be addressed. Love is not simply being nice and unoffensive. At times that is the very opposite of love. For example: How could you truly love someone, know that their life is leading them to hell, and not warn them? That's like knowing that someone is going to break their leg tomorrow and not giving them a call to warn them. Its become such an American idea, and often an American Christian idea, that we must always be nice and try to not upset the 'peace'. If that is so then why did Jesus clearly upset the peace when he overthrew tables? Or the simple fact that Jesus said he came to bring division, not peace. Peace, true peace, is something much different than what many think. Its something on the inside, in the soul, but that's another discussion. I just want to make it abundantly clear and dispel this myth of a nice-love connection. Certainly sometimes love requires that we be nice, but not always. There is such a thing as 'tough love'.
Now this brings me to a fallacy that must be addressed. Love is not simply being nice and unoffensive. At times that is the very opposite of love. For example: How could you truly love someone, know that their life is leading them to hell, and not warn them? That's like knowing that someone is going to break their leg tomorrow and not giving them a call to warn them. Its become such an American idea, and often an American Christian idea, that we must always be nice and try to not upset the 'peace'. If that is so then why did Jesus clearly upset the peace when he overthrew tables? Or the simple fact that Jesus said he came to bring division, not peace. Peace, true peace, is something much different than what many think. Its something on the inside, in the soul, but that's another discussion. I just want to make it abundantly clear and dispel this myth of a nice-love connection. Certainly sometimes love requires that we be nice, but not always. There is such a thing as 'tough love'.
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