Love - The Overriding Principle (Part 2)

I can not say enough how important love, as an overriding principle to all we do, is so important to us as we seek to walk as Christians. Many times throughout history God’s people have done things motivated by other factors rather than love. Each time the results are almost always disastrous. Take for instance the Jews and how they lived around the time that Christ walked the earth. The Talmud records that if a Jew were to have a Gentile to their home for dinner it was ok, but if they left the Gentile in the room alone with the food then everything was to be considered unclean. I know it sounds preposterous, but it is true none the less. (For further discussion see Sketches of Early Jewish Social Life by Alfred Edersheim) Obviously this is not what God had in mind, and the results were strained relationships with Gentiles, a very self righteous attitude towards themselves as a people and nation, and a lack of true faith and worship of God. The results of this type of attitude were so disastrous that when Jesus came to the Jews he condemned Judaism and its practices as being false religion. God, Jesus, openly and a publicly rebuked his “chosen people” because love was not guiding all they did. Paul even uses the strained relationships between Jews and Gentiles to strengthen his stance on love controlling all we do.

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name." And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him." And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope." Romans 15:1-12

We have an obligation to bear with others in their weaknesses and struggles. We are not to condemn them, which is really hard for me not to do, but to bear with them and encourage them and love them. For Christ himself, out of love, chose to bear with us in our weaknesses, failings, sin, and rebellion – and are we better than the Master? I personally struggle with standing by men and women who are mature in the Lord when they are in error and sin. I want to bonk them on the head and tell them, “C’mon – you know better than this!” But I am sure that there are a lot of folks who say the same things about me. Where would we be if Jesus reacted the way that I do, if he ostracized me every time I sinned? But he does not because love is the overriding principle for all that he did to redeem me. So I have to let love be my overriding principle, get over my pig headedness, and love those around me. And if they don’t understand the scriptures I bear with them through it for their sake, the sake of the testimony of the Church, and for mine.