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What is love? Let's ask the Lord.

This idea that "God is love" and "God is present in all people" is a very post modern thought that many of us have been raised in. The problem with it is that it assumes that our cultures definition of love and God's definition of love are the same thing but they inherently and completely different. People imagine a God that creates but does not have sovereign authority over our lives, that God does not judge the righteous and unrighteous on HIS pre-determined scale, and that God that does not hold the sins of the people against them. People assume that since God is love then love must mean that He A:Condones, B:Supports, and C:Encourages actions that are not of Him. We have redefined sin to mean that if WE don't think something is morally ok then God must not think it is therefore the person who commits those crimes deserve death (the aurora shooter for example). But when our culture does think something is morally ok (homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, pre-marital sex, lying, cheating, pride, slandering, crude jokes, movies that make fun of the book of Revelation, cartoons that show Jesus as a clumsy "spell caster", calling yourself God, being crucified on stage, redefining marriage, etc) then whatever the Bible says is wrong because it's "outdated, written by men, not caught up to time we live in, supports slavery, people kill in the name of God" every excuse imaginable we give it. But why? We have a problem with submitting to authority. We love our sin so much that we have actually created our own idea of God entirely so that we can sin without consequence. My problem with Macklemore's statements are not that he supports gay marriage (since he has the right to do so) but he is re-defining God's love in order to do so! Which NO ONE has the right to do nor the authority to do it. Who can oppose God? What opposition can we bring against Him that we can look Him in the face and say that He is wrong for choosing to govern the way that He does? That is a hard truth to accept for most but that's the truth. We want all the stuff God has created while attempting to exclude the Creator. And you know what people think they have done a good job of it. But eventually they will have to face Him and then what? "God I thought you were cool with my sinning!" No that will not be the response. Jesus says that unless you were his disciple he will deny you to the Father as you denied him on earth. "I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me." But that seems unfair to people so they live their lives as if He doesn't exist or as if He will not judge them by whether they were in Christ or not. More people have called me ignorant, stupid, and ridiculous in the past couple of years because I simply believe God (even other "Christians") but if I say to you that, "I'm a Christ-follower and I love you but I'm not willing to tell you the untainted truth about God out of fear of persecution, even though without Christ you will never dwell in the House of The Lord"....is that really love? Jesus displayed love to us but that sacrifical love was displayed so that we might be saved. The love Jesus displays doesn't see rebellion against God and say, "O...it's just how it is, there is no hope for them" or "it's not my business so I'll leave you in your sin". The love that Jesus displays says,"because you are trapped in your sin and death has snared you I'm going to lay down my life for you so that you may have eternal life if you trust in me." So regardless of what the sin is my job as a Christian is to let people know, through action and preaching, that Jesus has come to reconcile the people back to the Father. So no matter what sin plagues your life or what obstacle you must overcome Jesus is The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords and has power over all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Whether God's mission for me leads to death or to persecution I must be willing to accept what comes because God has sacrificed more for me than I can imagine so that I can be redeemed and set free. His sole purpose for the life of a Christian is to be satisfied in His presence so it is there I must remain.

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."-II Timothy 4:1-5

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