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Christian Love

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32)

This kind of love is not a distinctive Christian trait. In fact, Jesus said that “even sinners love those who love them.” Many Christians love those who love them or love lovely people and think that they are evidencing Christian love by doing this, when in fact they are loving in a humanistic fashion. In other words, they love in the same way every other human being loves.

There is distinctive love that only Christians have. They have it because they received it when it was given to them by the Lord. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). His love for us had nothing to do with our loveliness or our love for Him. It had to do with His nature and our need. When we share this love with others, it should have nothing to do with their love for us or their loveliness. (In fact, those who need love the most are the least lovely; love produces loveliness in the one who is loved.) Jesus said, “But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:36).

If you are not loving as Christ loved, you are either a disobedient Christian, or you are not a Christian.

Comments

wsensing said…
Thank you for all your faithful teaching!
12:54 PM
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