Loving Our Neighbors Even When we Disagree
A while back, I was a member of a church that joined other community churches of various denominations in a social justice group. The idea was good. They wanted to help homeless people get cell phones, so they could leave a number on job applications. They wanted buses running later at night for people who work various shifts. My first red flag something was not healthy in the group came before one of our meetings with a city councilman. Our social justice group was instructed by the leader not to applaud or even smile at the councilman until he agreed to all our demands. The message was basically to be ice cold towards him until he does what we want. After we manipulate him, we can make him feel loved and welcomed. To me, this was not social justice. This was bullying! I left the “social justice” group, because it wasn’t very social or just.
GoodSalt.com-ksjas0225
I can’t really condemn the group, because we have all been there. We have all been tempted to not befriend or welcome or even love people if we think we have a just cause against them. The most forgotten commandment may not be the Sabbath commandment after all. It may be, “Love thy neighbor.” As Sabbath keepers we raise our eyebrows at people making excuses not to keep the Sabbath, but how many times do Sabbath keepers make excuses for not loving somebody! I have talked to kindergartners and conference officials who have defended their mistreatment of somebody, justifying it because the somebody did not think or act the way they wanted them to.
This is nothing new. Martin Luther thought he had a just cause for wanting Anabaptists put to death. After all, in his mind they were cutting children off from God by not baptizing them at birth. In his mind Jews were also worthy of death since they rejected Jesus. Luther had a lot of good biblical insights, but even he was tempted by the reasoning that a just cause excuses us from being loving and civil to each other. Luther wanted religious tolerance for himself, because he considered his cause just. But he did not exercise tolerance towards those whose causes he did not consider just.
While the Reformers rejected the creed of Rome, they were not entirely free from her spirit of intolerance. -Ellen White, Great Controversy, Page 293
Do we do the same?
While traveling through Samara, James and John did not like the way Jesus was being rejected, so in their religious zeal they offered to call down fire from heaven and burn those Samaritans up! Like Luther and the rest of us, they had a lot to learn about the love of God. Jesus said,
“You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Luke 9:55-56 NKJV
Jesus never condoned sin, but always loved the sinner. Too often we love the sin and hate the sinner!
The same John who wanted to burn up the Samaritans, later realized, “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. Since God is love, I don’t care what you believe or how well you understand the Bible, without love your theology is incorrect! I heard Wintley Phipps say, “Our love for God is no stronger than the love we have for the person we like the least.” And I think he’s right.
Even Martin Luther and John the Beloved needed to learn how to love. Do you think we still need to learn to love? May God help us all to love!
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Very well said. Sure needs to hit home! Thanks for sharing this.
Is Love a generic term? I say no. Agape love is the type of love we seek. There are a number of texts that Jesus used to define love, such as love your enemies, do good to those that hate you. How well do we apply what the Bible admonishes? The problems that we deal with in our every day life as pointed out, are a dichotomy. We have at least two faces. One good and one not so good. Does loving then come naturally, so to speak? My prayers often ask for a loving heart. Some of the just situations as noted may need space for opportunity in many minds. Right is right as we see it. The grey areas will find room for debate. That is inevitable. Loving one another 24 hours a day does not come naturally. The Disciples had problems with this type of life much the same as we do.
"it does not come naturally" is kind of the point isn't it...loving our enemy doesn't come naturally, neither does forgiving "seventy times seven" because the righteousness God requires of us is unnatural to our fallen nature, that is EXACTLY why we need to be Born Again of water and the Spirit, so that the love of God can be poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (romans 5:5). The righteousness God requires of us is God's not ours
Thank you for this great insightful article! We often need to be reminded of these things!
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself and teaching as how to reconcile to each other. True love will drive us to want to be reconciled to each other, and this we can only do if we allow the same Spirit that was in Christ to be in us.
Loving our neighbors, fellow church members & etc. is a difficult task for most. That difficulty can even be true for family also! Most of us don't really have a deep grasp upon God's love. Perhaps many church members read the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, but it does not convict them enough to bring about a daily life impact. Many are content with playing church, rather than embodying Christ's example of getting intensely involved with our brothers & sisters. That means, fellowshipping with them during the week, offering tangible help where needed, calling & praying with them & generally adopting them as family members. Sis. White declares that, were we to truly reflect & exhibit God's love, we'd see 100 joining our church where we only see one. The mandate is clear, we must exercise His love, so that it grows stronger & more effective within our own lives, thereby helping transform others lives after His divine character. And consequently, drawing more to accepting His most valuable gift of eternal salvation.
"Many are content with playing church, rather than embodying Christ's example of getting intensely involved with our brothers & sisters." This shows the extent of blindness we often than not marvel in, may the Almighty God the author of Love and Grace help me no wonder one Pastor said we should no longer call people to church but rather to Christ.
Naturally It is not easier to love our enemies or those we disagree with, we need God's help to do that, we need the help of the holy spirit . That is why we need to seek His help and wisdom each and every moment of our life to know how to relate and love our neighbor even those we disagree with.
It makes me to start wondering if I truly love, as said I / we needs God help to be able to exercise true love.
Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. Happy Sabbath!
So help me Lord! Amen and thank you for sharing.
Yes, we need to learn to love, the greatest commandment. Help me, help us Lord Jesus.
I think this message needs to be preached in all Adventist Churches. I have been an Adventist since 1994 and I clearly see that the Adventist Church is great in Bible knowledge but in application is very poor. Throughout the entire bible God is clear that He does not force any to follow Him. We need to be Ambassadors of God and Christ by showing through action not only word that following Christ is the greatest and most wonderful thing anyone can do. Unfortunately now in the political climate we are in Christians are showing ALL the opposite and acting as advocates of Satan.
If we do not love the brother/sister whom we see,how can we love God whom
we do not see?