Love & Hatred

"These things I command you, that you love one another.

If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you." [1]

Last Sunday, Chuck read a portion of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. He noted that Jesus and Martin both were assassinated for trying to bring people together in harmony. Life can get messy fast when someone stands between two groups who are at odds with one another and tries to reconcile the two.

Our Lord Jesus Christ paid with His life to reconcile God and humanity. God hates sin. Humanity for the most past loves sin. Who could destroy the alienation between the two? Christ paid humanity's sin debt before God when He became a human/divine sacrifice for our sin. Without sin, humanity is acceptable to God. By removing our sin, Christ made way for the Spirit of God to dwell in human flesh. The Holy Spirit is the love of God poured into our hearts. Thus, in Christ and by the power of His Spirit, humanity can love God and one another.

The mission that God's prophet, the Church, has inherited is to stand between a world that loves to sin and a God that hates sin, and bring the two together. How? By preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Through the Spirit of Christ, the divine/human alienation between God is replaced with love. Not to say, that everyone will accept the message of reconciliation. No, some, will hate and violently attack God's messenger. Still, the message must be preached. Why? Because, some, will believe.

But wait, there is a love among the messengers of Christ that is inspiring, encouraging and comforting. Jesus, our Lord has commanded us to love one another. And He has given us His Holy Spirit to keep us united and to help us do just that.

[1] John 15:17-18