It’s Not As Simple As You’d Think: The Practicalities of Christian Love (2)
As I noted yesterday, I’ve been meditating quite a bit lately on the idea of biblical love. On one hand, it seems that we, at least in part, make biblical love more difficult than it ought to be. If we want to begin loving others, we must first think of ourselves and how it is that we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12). This is how we should be treating others, with kindness and it seems to be one of the first steps towards implementing biblical love.
But Scripture pushes the concept, teaching us that it’s not as simple as we might initially think. While the basis might be as simple as considering how it is that we would like to be treated, ultimately this is not enough. That’s only the foundation upon which we must build. We must go beyond that, not just treating others as we would like to be treated but even better. Perhaps the clearest statement of this principle come in Philippians 2:3-5 in which Paul says:
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus
While we point to this pasage often, I know that I rarely consider its true significance. When is it that we are prone to rivalry and conceit? Well, as Paul points out, when we’re infected with pride? That’s why he contrasts rivalry and conceit with humility. Most often, it is when we are thinking of ourselves rather than others that we foster rivalry. But Paul goes beyond this and says that we are actually to consider others as “more significant” than ourselves. Don’t just think of yourself but others! Consider Paul’s famous description of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
While we often focus on the positive qualities here, we forget that they most often manifest themselves in negative circumstances. We must treat others not just as we would like to be treated but better. Paul says that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” We must think the best of people, we must hope the best of people and we must bear (endure) with them, even if they might not be treating us the way we would like to be treated.
We cannot consider these things without considering Christ. Throughout the New Testament, believers are called upon to look to Christ who died for His people while we were yet still His enemies (Romans 5:10) and taught us to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Christ is the epitome of laying down His life for the sake of others. Christ teaches us that it is we must not only consider others as more important than ourselves, we must love our enemies.
Looking to Christ necessarily fosters humility. We cannot think of ourselves with pride when we consider that “ours was the sin that drove those bitter nails,” that He cancelled “the record of debt that stood against” us, nailing it to the Cross (Colossians 2:13-15). If we stop at only considering how we might like to be treated, we are prone to pride. If we go the extra step treating them better, we are on our way, but only when we consider how Christ treats His people will we truly begin to make strides in loving others as we ought.
Considering how we would like to be treated is only the beginning. If we are to practice biblical love, if we are to love as Christ loved, we must go beyond this, truly considering others “as more significant than ourselves.”
Dear Pastor, thank you for these posts on the most difficult practices, in my opinion, for Christians. I’ve been contemplating the problem that some of my practices as a Christian, with regard to kindness and love, are sometimes more an expression, by me and within me, of good manners or duty, intellectually justified, than the outpouring of genuine kindness and love. I’ve struggled with these particular matters a great deal, lately. I’d enjoy reading more posts on these matters, on the day to day reality of living out this most challenging aspect of Christian practice.
Of late, I’ve been reading about the Elizabethan era (various histories, Fox’s Book of Martyrs,etc.), contemplating the horrific internecine strife between Christian sects; and have been pondering the reality, or lack thereof, of Christian love. I’ve also recently left a church, a year ago, wherein it was a great struggle (thus far a losing struggle) to tolerate the companionship/collaboration of several fellow members.
Pastor, “this is a hard teaching.”,
But thanks for the exhortation.
If my comment (#1) sounds a bit whiny, I wrote it after coming home from a very difficult day working as a substitute teacher in our local middle school. In the crucible of the role I performed today, Substitute Teacher to Middle School Students, Christian love is certainly put to the test.
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