The Way of Love

Andrew L. Burrows

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command, John 15:12-14.

Christianity was built up on love for God and for his creation, which includes all humans.  Our Lord Jesus instructs the Apostles to follow his example, to love. Many throughout the world attempt to use ignorance, fear, hatred, and blind trust as their motivating factors.  But our God is so very big, powerful and in control that he does not need to employ any of these tactics to attract or hold any of us.  We are given the freedom to choose for ourselves the direction we wish to take, with the understanding that whatever we choose will have it's consequences; simply put, “what ever a man sows he can expect to reap”.      

From the very beginning of time, God in his love for us humans has gently but firmly wooed us to choose his way. When Adam and Eve chose the wrong way, God did not destroy them and start afresh: because He is both just, and gracious. God judged them for their sin, promised deliverance through the ‘Seed of the Woman’ and permitted them to experience the end result of the way of life they chose.  By the time they had reached the 10th generation from Adam, the human race had become so corrupt and violent that God was grieved that he had made man, and he saw no alternative but to judge the world; but even in this God acted in love and saved the family of Noah and the animals that were in the Ark.          

In calling Abraham, God again demonstrated his love and established ‘Faith’ as the Acceptable way of life.  As demonstrated in the way he related to Abraham, calling him ‘Friend’ proves to us that God's way is the way of love, and all men must choose to answer the call of God.  This is why it is so very necessary that all people around the world hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's son.          

Jesus told his apostles, "I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit".  The apostle Paul told the Galatian Believers in his letter to them, Chapter 5: 22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  My question is - are we seeing the love of our Father God through the lives of all who claim to be his children.  Love demands an active response, James in his letter Chapter 2 argues that faith that does not demonstrate its presence in good deeds is dead. If we say we love our fellow human beings but refrain from offering them help when it is needed, how can we claim to have the Spirit of God in us.

In the laws given to the nation of Israel by God through Moses, the people of God were instructed to show their love for God by being kind to their neighbours who were in need and to strangers who came to live with them and to those who were less fortunate by no act of their own, such as orphans and widows. Today in our country the government has Social Services, National Insurance and other forms of aid such as Hospitals for the sick and injured and special institutions such as the geriatrics.  But even with these special national services the responsibility of us as individuals to show kindness to our neighbours is not diminished. Do you offer a ride to persons on the street who you may or may not know?  God has blessed you with things, but did it ever occur to you that nothing that you have ‘belongs’ to you.  You are only a custodian of God's wealth and what He has given to you is not for your needs only but he is providing for others through you.  The scripture says you are not your own, you were bought with a price. Therefore, God gets glory when others give him thanks for what you do for them out of a converted heart.

Here in the Bahamas many churches follow the general practice of demanding their followers to pay what is erroneously called a tithe, and then use the funds to enrich the leaders and build large buildings in their honour.  This is not the way of Christ, for it is not the way of love.  The Christian shows his love for God by extending kindness to other people. The church under the leadership of Christ’s apostles did not waste funds on buildings that serve little purpose, they collected free-will offerings to redistribute to those who needed help, and we are expected to do the same.  Read for yourself, what Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers in 2nd Corinthians chapters 8 & 9.  1st John 4: 19-21 says, “We love because He first loved us.  If anyone says, I Love God yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, who he can see cannot love God who he has not seen.  And he has given us this Command: Whoever loves God must love his brother”.