If you’ve been a Christian long enough some Christian, pastor or leader will probably say this at least once during your walk – “Yes, God is love, but He’s also holy!”
Like what does that even mean?
This irks me a little. Not because I don’t think it’s true, but because it feels like a trivialization of the love of God. Add to it the chastising parental attitude that tends to go along with it and you almost feel foolish for equating God with love.
The only thing is – it’s the Bible that says “God is love” not someone looking for a god that winks at sin.
Pet peeve alert! I hate it when someone – in this case, the world – gets to redefine the meaning of things so that we end up tripping over ourselves and backtracking to avoid getting tangled in the confusion. Just. Stop. Are you really going to let cutesy phrases like “Love wins!” or “True love waits” or “I love chocolate” or “Toledo loves love” to have you fumbling over the word “love”? You’re really going to choke on the word because people equate love with sexual promiscuity, condoning sinful lifestyles and whatever new sin du jour they come up with next year?
No! That’s not love. We’re talking agape here! When the Bible says “God is love” it’s talking about…
A healing-the-sick kind of love.
A compassion-for-the-lost kind of love.
A friend-to-outcast-and-sinners kind of love.
A sweat-like-drops-of-blood kind of love.
A beaten-and-ridiculed kind of love.
A body-wracked-in-pain-while-on-the cross kind of love.
A Father-forgive-them kind of love.
Why? WHY do we equate love with weakness? With a wink to sin? Love was STRONG enough to embrace the cross! Holy is great. But it was LOVE that brought us the Savior. It was love that made the Father run towards the prodigal son. Love that didn’t stone the adulteress. Love that dined with the tax collector.
I’m convinced that if people truly encountered the love of God they would gladly embark in a love relationship with Him – one not born out of performance and works and striving to be “holy” enough for God. Just love! A love that literally transforms you when you feel free to give yourself to it completely and without reservation. In a relationship like that, sin drops away. Fear fades into the past. The relationship God sent His Son to die for will actually exist – when we can once again walk with God in the cool of the day just having a conversation.
If you’re sitting there wrinkling your nose, huffing and puffing that people need to know about God being HOLY and that He is JUST and will repay – I think you still don’t get the gravitas of love.
Love encapsulates His holiness. It defines His justice. It shapes His righteousness. Without the love of God the rest appears sharp and cold. Without the love of God Christianity looks like every other religion. Yes, a God that LOVED His rebellious people so much that He gave His life is the defining aspect of our very religion. To shrug love off because of some loose, worldly interpretation of the word is to do God and the people who need to hear about it an injustice.
Maybe instead of treating the word with almost condescension we should reclaim it. Bring to light it’s true meaning and glory. So that people can actually be transformed by it’s beauty. Love is the most powerful force in the universe.
[…] as a formidable force, intricately woven into the fabric of God’s nature. The assertion that God is love (1 John 4:8) underscores the very essence of His character. This profound love is not simply an […]