Love is not the absence of sin. Removing sinful behavior does not equate to holiness or God’s acceptance. By defining God’s standards purely in terms of what is sinful gives an unbalanced view of God’s character, just as surely as saying Jesus is forgiving and loving without maintaining a tension between God’s mercy and God’s holiness.
Our actions flow out of the condition of the heart; Christ wants followers who love in thought, action, word, and deed. By emphasizing where man fails to uphold God’s perfect laws, the watching world gets a distorted view of how to maintain a relationship with God. Over and over the Westboro two equate “love” to upholding God’s law without ever mentioning the need for Christ’s sacrifice. Our actions, everyone’s actions (including the Westboro Duo, Russell Brand and me) are insufficient to appease God, even if we are religiously good. By constantly putting the emphasis on the law and sin little room is left for the more perfect way, mainly grace through Christ. It isn’t just what we believe it is what we emphasize.
It is enlightening to see the two common misconceptions of God’s character on one stage, first the Pharisitical rule following religious self righteous devout pious types and secondly the cheap forgiveness hedonistic new agey free love types. It is convicting to see how foolish I can appear if I don’t maintain a balance in my presentation of grace and morality.
Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Well said, Steve Miller. I often find the balance of things is more in line with Scripture than the extreme take. Both extremes here are naive. One is hateful with no love while the other appears loving but rejects any consequences.
Love is not the absence of sin. Removing sinful behavior does not equate to holiness or God’s acceptance. By defining God’s standards purely in terms of what is sinful gives an unbalanced view of God’s character, just as surely as saying Jesus is forgiving and loving without maintaining a tension between God’s mercy and God’s holiness.
Our actions flow out of the condition of the heart; Christ wants followers who love in thought, action, word, and deed. By emphasizing where man fails to uphold God’s perfect laws, the watching world gets a distorted view of how to maintain a relationship with God. Over and over the Westboro two equate “love” to upholding God’s law without ever mentioning the need for Christ’s sacrifice. Our actions, everyone’s actions (including the Westboro Duo, Russell Brand and me) are insufficient to appease God, even if we are religiously good. By constantly putting the emphasis on the law and sin little room is left for the more perfect way, mainly grace through Christ. It isn’t just what we believe it is what we emphasize.
It is enlightening to see the two common misconceptions of God’s character on one stage, first the Pharisitical rule following religious self righteous devout pious types and secondly the cheap forgiveness hedonistic new agey free love types. It is convicting to see how foolish I can appear if I don’t maintain a balance in my presentation of grace and morality.
Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Well said, Steve Miller. I often find the balance of things is more in line with Scripture than the extreme take. Both extremes here are naive. One is hateful with no love while the other appears loving but rejects any consequences.
Steve, well said.
The problem is that people think they have to choose one or the other view. Both are messed up.
Their appearance to explain Westboro’s positions is as helpful to the Gospel message as that girl who followed Paul and Silas around for three days.