The last few years in our country have vividly illustrated the dangers of the “love” that the world wants. This is a “love” that has no objective standard but defines itself and acts according to any individual’s own ideas. This is why the “love” the world is preaching burns down buildings, destroys property, lives in immorality and degeneracy, approves heinous acts, and takes life.
To say that this kind of “love” has no standard is inaccurate. The problem is that the standard is set by sinners in their subjective and broken understanding of right and wrong. The standards shift according to preferences, pressure, the mob mentality, and whatever needs to be justified to get one’s own way. Then this “love” shamelessly stands on the proverbial street corners with a megaphone and proclaims, “This is all for the good of others and our children! Trust me! This is what love looks like. Burn, pillage, destroy, kill, rejoice in death, live how you want, and hate all who disagree. This is the way to life and joy!”
Behind every false gospel like this the Devil whispers, “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). But the Lord says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25; Romans 6:21). In the day you eat the fruit of this false gospel you will die. When sinners decide to define anything and ignore God’s own standards and definitions as given in the Bible the end of it will ALWAYS be death and destruction. The evidence of this is written all over our fallen hearts and carved in the landscape of our cities, places of education, and even in our churches.
Such “love” is no love at all. It is hatred for others and worship of self. It is Satanic in its origins. It does not reflect the true God who is love.
“God is love” (1 John 4:8). This does not mean that God is affirming of every choice a person makes. It does not mean that God is love the way that the world defines “love.” It means that God is love in his nature. He is the standard of love and the One who gets to define love in its meaning, its boundaries, and its application.
Love does not overlook sin. Love does not endorse sin or call for wickedness. God does none of these things because he would be unjust to do so. If your idea of God’s love is that he is up in heaven overlooking sin and just choosing to look the other way, you do not understand love and forgiveness as the God of the Bible has defined them in his Word.
Love does not overlook sin. Love takes action against sin. God in his love will someday judge sin. Does this surprise you? It must be so because God is not at war with himself but is holy, just, gracious, merciful, and loving (Exodus 34:5-7). He is not all these in little portions. This is who he is in all his perfection. His love does not war with his justice. His holiness does not fight against his grace. You cannot pick one attribute of God and say, “This is all there is to God.” To do so is to make an idol for yourself, and I would urge you to read Exodus 32 to see what God thinks of that.
I will say again, “Love does not overlook sin; love takes action against sin.” This is where the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ comes in with glory and power (Romans 1:16-17). God has so loved the world that he has given his only Son (John 3:16). God took action against sin in the cross where Christ freely and lovingly took the sins of his people on himself and faced all of God’s judgment and wrath against sinners (Isaiah 53:5-7; Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11). The Lord Jesus has risen again and is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him (Hebrews 7:25). This is how the love of God is most clearly put on display. He did not overlook sin or look the other way. Instead, God the Son came and took the sin of sinners on himself and dealt with the punishment at the cross for all who will come to him (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 5:20-21). He did this, not so we would go on living for ourselves but so we would live for the One who loves us and gave himself for us (2 Corinthians 5:15). He did this so we can have abundant life (John 10:10). And abundant life does not continue to live in sin and sit in the rot that sin brings (Ezekiel 33:10). Instead, an abundant life is lived under the love of God the Father and the reign of Christ Jesus who has saved us by grace from sin and death and has given his commands to show us how to truly experience life (Titus 2:11-14)
Christians, may we submit to God and allow him and him alone to be our standard of love and righteousness (1 John 4:8). God guard us from making the world, our own hearts, or political parties our standard of love and morality. May God alone through his Word be our standard and guide. May the love of Christ control us (2 Corinthians 5:14). May we who have been reconciled to God take up the ministry of reconciliation that God has given us by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:18; Acts 1:8). May we lovingly warn the world of the dangers and penalty for sin (Ezekiel 33:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10). May we boldly and lovingly proclaim that Christ has paid the penalty for sinners at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). Then, may we compassionately and passionately implore people on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God through faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Call them to leave behind the Domain of Darkness, entrust themselves to Christ, and be transferred by the Father to the Kingdom of his Beloved Son (Colossians 1:13-14).
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:9–11 ESV).
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