Loving Biblically

You have probably seen the bumper sticker, “Love is a Verb.” It is correct, of course, but love is also a noun. The important thing to know is that biblical love, the noun, is always expressed in action; love really is a verb. The modern definitions of love cannot be confused with the biblical truth. Love in the biblical sense cannot mean affection or lust as Hollywood portrays. Nor can love be mere acceptance without judgment as the moderns would have us believe (eg. Rob Bell). Although biblical love is not purely an emotion, it has an emotional component. (See “More Than a Feeling”) The question then becomes what actions appropriately express biblical love.

The prayer of Paul in Philippians 1:9-10 gives a clue to what real, biblical love must look like. “And this I pray: that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is superior, in order that you may be sincere and blameless in the day of Christ.” Paul did not simply pray that the Philippians would love more; he asked that they might love better, “in knowledge and discernment.” We need to know who to love and how to love.

This is not just some academic exercise of interest only to scholars. Jesus plainly said that love would be the distinguishing attribute of His disciples (John 13:35). While that statement was about love among His followers, His other great commandment about love broadens the field: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He even went so far as to say we must love our enemies. That pretty well covers the whole human race. And it applies to everyone who claims the name of Christ. That covers the “who.”

The “how” is more difficult to summarize. One answer is to understand the first century meaning of the verb the New Testament uses for love: agapao (ἀγαπάω). As many have said, this is not a love primarily of the emotions but of the will. However, I have come to realize late in my life that it is not devoid of emotion if fully engaged. (See “More Than a Feeling”) The love that we are to imitate is the love of God, and that contains an element of compassion as demonstrated time and again throughout the Old and New Testaments. We have only to witness Yahweh pining over wayward Israel or Jesus weeping over Jerusalem to see the emotional aspect of divine love.

We are not left clueless as to what loving actions look like. In what perhaps is Jesus’ most well-known parable, he describes love in action by telling the story of the “good Samaritan.” In the story, a man takes care of another’s immediate physical needs and goes a step further to provide for his short-term security. We aren’t told if the Samaritan had feelings for the injured man; what we do know is that he made an effort to care for him. The word “care” is my favorite synonym for “love” in the Bible. Biblical love means to care about someone, to care for them, to care for them as you would care for yourself.

Here is where love gets tricky. If I love someone who is abusing drugs, it may seem that meeting their immediate need would mean providing them with drugs. This is patently ridiculous. The best thing I can do is help them get clean; this is their true need, not another fix. Sometimes, love must be tough. This also applies to what we tell people. If someone is contemplating an action that is contrary to God’s will, we are bound to tell them that the Bible condemns their actions (Galatians 6:1-4).

I am inching out on a limb now, but I think that in a representative government like we have in America, our love for our fellow-citizens compels us to support causes that will foster an atmosphere that is conducive to biblical principles. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I believe abortion falls into this category. Many Americans want a mother to have the right to terminate a pregnancy at will. Terminating a pregnancy is taking a human life according to the teaching of Scripture.

Taking a human life is something that can be done properly only under the most dire circumstances. Defending one’s life or the life of another can be accepted; just wars fall into this category. Capital punishment has long been thought to be another instance of the proper taking of a life, but this concept is reasonably debated. Taking a human life because it would be inconvenient for another person is clearly not acceptable by biblical standards. Pressing for public policy that severely limits access to abortion is a way to show love for all those who may be contemplating a dreadful mistake.

This is nothing like the “theocracy” that Christian opponents claim it is. If a majority of voters want policies that support biblical principles, they have every right to see them enacted. Furthermore, it is not hateful to seek such policies. In the public square today, the word hate has devolved into a code word for disagreement. If you disagree with abortion on demand, you hate women. If you disagree with the LGBTQ agenda, you hate gays. If you support limiting immigration in any way, you hate foreigners. It is not hateful to disagree with someone on public policy matters, but that is where we have come in today’s public discourse.

My final point has me quite a way out on the limb I mentioned, but I believe I am still attached to the trunk of truth. Campaigning for policies that support biblical principles is not hateful; in fact, it is the most loving thing we can do. I believe that people everywhere in the world would be best served, best cared for by regimes that followed biblical principles. Keeping America on the track of her founding, biblical principles is the loving thing to do. Speaking against those who disagree is not hateful; it is instructive in its intent and loving in its motivation.

The same thing goes for foreign policy. For example, calling out the Chinese for their role in the corona virus pandemic is not hateful; it does not mean I hate the Chinese. It means I love my fellow-citizens enough to want them to stand against a serious threat to our country. Supporting policies that limit immigration does not make me a xenophobe; it means I love my fellow-citizens enough to want them protected against the ravages of uncontrolled immigration. I love the people who are in distress and want to come to America, but biblically speaking, it is not the job of government to care for them; that is the Christians’ job; it is the responsibility of the church to meet their needs.

I am back to Paul’s words to the Philippians. Christian, biblical love must abound in knowledge and discernment if we aim to be sincere and blameless. To know how God loves, we have to dig deeply into the Bible and ferret out the true measure of divine love; it is a mix of caring, compassion and judgment. The most difficult thing to grasp is that God’s love involves discernment – judgment. Yes, God so loved the world that He sent His Son that believers should not perish but spend eternity with Him. Notice: the unbelievers perish. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” It would be cruel, unloving for Jesus to demand obedience and then grant eternal life to all without discerning between the obedient and the disobedient.

I have put myself in a tough place. If I am obedient to Christ and love in a biblical way, I will offend some people. Some people will think I am a hater; they may hate me for what I say and do. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I will recount the words of Jesus: “They hated me; they will hate you too.” I am not happy about this situation. Another passage of Scripture comes to mind: “Whether it is better to obey God or man, you decide.” I know where I stand. I know I am sincere; I trust I am blameless as well.

NOTE: If you can disprove my position with a biblical argument, please comment here. I must review all comments before they will appear on this page. I will not publish your comment unless you specifically permit me to do so.