Sunday, August 12, 2012

Christian love - is it boundless?

The following verse is often quoted about loving other people:
Matthew 5:43-44: You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Christians are taught about unconditional love, sacrificial love, turning the other cheek, love is patient, love is kind, etc...... This is ingrained so much that we see Christians all over the world failing to take a stand when Christians are under attack for their belief. We also see charitable acts of Christians being blatantly taken advantage of (love is blind?).

The other day I came across this in Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV):
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

The Message bible translates it this way:
So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

So, is Christian love boundless? It is my belief that Christian love is indeed boundless and free. However, it is important that the CARRYING OUT of Christian love should be guided and not be blind emotion. Inwardly, the Christian himself must be pure, blameless, and be filled with the fruit of the spirit in the way he loves.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well explained. Thanks