On Love.

     


Christian Greetings Beloved,

    Love is indeed a cornerstone of the Christian faith, an essential commandment and call that permeates every aspect of a believer's life. Christians are called to love unconditionally—whether by loving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, by loving their neighbors, or even by loving their enemies. Love is the defining mark of a true Christian. As 1 John 4:8 states, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” This verse reveals that to know God is to embody love, for love is not just something God possesses; it is, at the very core, who He is. If God truly resides within us, then love naturally flows from us, for it is through love that His presence is made known. In the absence of love, it would be impossible to truly know or reflect God. Love and hate cannot coexist within the same heart, just as darkness cannot coexist with light. As Christians, therefore, we are called to make love our motive, our message, and our mission.

    The command to love is not rooted in duty alone but in gratitude. As the apostle John also reminds us, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Our love flows as a response to the profound love Christ demonstrated—through His life, death, and resurrection, He exemplified perfect, sacrificial love that redeems and transforms.John Calvin, one of the great Reformation thinkers, emphasized the centrality of love in the Christian life. He wrote, “We must be disposed to love those whom God loves, and whom he has determined to take into communion with himself.” In Calvin’s view, the call to love extends to every person God has created and loved. It requires seeing people not through our judgments but through the lens of God’s grace.

    The call to love isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to loving those who may act as enemies, or those who are marginalized, ignored, or even despised. Yet Christ’s love, which reached out to sinners and the broken, compels us to do likewise. True love is sacrificial; it involves choosing kindness and empathy, forgiveness and humility, even when it is uncomfortable. In essence Beloved, a Christian life without love is an empty one, devoid of true purpose or connection with God. Love fulfills the greatest commandment and reflects the heart of the gospel. It’s in loving others that we witness God’s transformative power at work within and around us, becoming a living testament to His presence in the world.


February 5, 2019

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