Love is the Source and Goal

Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets.”

Jesus underlined and repeated what he had been saying to make sure that people understood his meaning. If our actions as Christians do not show love for God, love for our neighbors, or love for ourselves, we are not following the commandments. It all hangs on love. Love is the source and goal of Christianity as expressed here by Jesus. Paul states the same in 1 Cor 13:2 – if I don’t have love, I am nothing.

It’s important, then, to discern what actions are loving in any given situation, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Lots of people think it’s loving to continually evangelize their relatives for fear that those relatives will go to hell when they die. I disagree, because any god that can create hell would not be a loving god. It is we who create hell for ourselves and others. So, there’s not universal agreement on what actions are loving. There may be guidelines, however.

One good guideline is context; both of the situation we’re responding to and the verse we may be thinking about. Taking Bible verses out of context  to justify our actions isn’t usually the best way to read the Bible, because the Bible is a collection of stories. Stories imply context. I recognize that the places I sometimes end up are far from what Jesus was strictly saying; I’m trying to bring the context into today’s situation. I try to place each verse in its original context before I begin to think about it. Sometimes, I fail.

In the same way, the exact details, the context of our situation also determines a loving course of action. For example, lieing to the Nazis about the whereabouts of Jewish people is a loving act, even though it would normally not be loving to lie to someone. As Jesus was saying just before he was asked about the commandments, people are more important than the law. Yet, sometimes the right thing to do is hard or painful. Making decisions that avoid this difficulty or pain is one way to go astray on the “primrose path of dalliance.” (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

We can go too far in loving actions and begin enabling people in their harmful behavior. Because it is painful to watch someone we love make mistakes, it is tempting to intervene to avert natural consequences. Consequences are one way we’re taught right from wrong. If we never face consequences, it’ll be easier to continue harming ourselves and others. Determining whether our behavior is too harsh or enabling isn’t always easy; the loving response is not always obvious. Asking and answering the question, “Is it loving?” requires a lot of thought and intentionality regarding our actions.

There are other considerations, but for now, I’ll close by challenging us to be loving and intentional in our responses to others today.