Tuesday 1 September 2015

True love and the message of Christ

True love and the message of Christ

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  
                                                                                                         1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

Someone has said that we as Christians should be expressing the Love of Christ to the world. Showing the unconditional Love of God.  We shouldn’t be telling a contemporary audience that they have sin in their life. That Jesus is the only way to heaven.
For me as a Christian not telling people they have sin in their life that needs dealing with or that Jesus is the only way to heaven is not showing love.
The apostle Paul in the above quote expresses what love is. Love is also telling the truth to the person you love.
The New Testament makes it clear that
“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 
                                                                          Romans 3:23.
The apostle John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9-10
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell people this.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for our life. That can be everything from a so called ‘white lie’ to committing a theft or murdering someone all are sins. Sin is simply falling short of what God want’s for our life. And as humans we all have our failings and fall short of God’s ideal.
This is an admission we need to admit directly to God.
Jesus also made it clear that He is the only way to heaven. Jesus said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                            John 14:6.
For me not to tell this to someone, is to me at least lying by omission.
Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. 
                                                                                                                                    John 3:16-18.
This to me is a truth that must be spoken to all I know and all who will listen to me.
For me to do anything less is not showing love.
Please think about it.

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