Love your neighbour
Matt 22:39 A second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' (NLT)
Matt 22:39 The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' (NASB)
This verse is what Jesus said in response to the question of which is the greatest commandment of the law. The first was to love God with everything that you have, are, and do. The second is EQUALLY important, to love your neighbour as yourself.
I was praying and asking God, should i love my neighbour and accept their sins, their flaws. The whole concept of people accepting flaws is something i have always championed. We are all flawed, imperfect, and essentially, if you love someone you should accept their flaws. Someone told me that i was not like that, i spent a lot of time trying to change that person. I believed that yeah, i should be more accepting. I should accept the character.
Then i realised that God DOES NOT ACCEPT FLAWS. Mind you, He forgives sin but He does NOT accept it. Big difference. Forgiveness means that you are forgiven, that He loves you BUT NOT THE SIN/FLAW/FAILURE. Heb 10:26 tells us that "(F)or if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins," God forgives the sin but hey, it's gotta go.
Love your neighbour as you love yourself. I been fighting sin all the time, encouraged to press on to be more like God. Why should i not extend that same level of grace to others? I am called to love others the way i love myself, if i love myself enough to want to spur others to be more like God, then i too should spur others to be like God.
God does not want us to remain as fallen people. Yes we have and will sin. We are fallen. But we have a saviour who rose up and cleanse and sanctified us, that we may rise up. Bible tells us we are in a war. We are fighting. Fighting to rise UP. Fighting against the spirit of the world. Fighting to be MAN and WOMAN of GOD, Filled with the SPIRIT of GOD, not of the world.
EPH 6 tells us of the armour of God. Why would you need the armour except if you are ready for a battle? You are called to PUT on that armour, to fight.
Fight therefore to be like God. Fight therefore against the spirit that says if you love someone you have to accept their faults. YOU CANNOT. Bible does NOT accept faults. We are made in the image of God, to one day return blameless and without spot. God FORGIVES faults, not accepts it. Fight that you might rise above the tide.
This applies not just to spurring on towards God, but when you are down, Fight the downess. You are VICTORIOUS in Christ, WHERE IS THAT VICTORY? If your friends are not walking right with God, even the littlest bit, FIGHT that spirit of the world.
Matt 22:39 The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' (NASB)
This verse is what Jesus said in response to the question of which is the greatest commandment of the law. The first was to love God with everything that you have, are, and do. The second is EQUALLY important, to love your neighbour as yourself.
I was praying and asking God, should i love my neighbour and accept their sins, their flaws. The whole concept of people accepting flaws is something i have always championed. We are all flawed, imperfect, and essentially, if you love someone you should accept their flaws. Someone told me that i was not like that, i spent a lot of time trying to change that person. I believed that yeah, i should be more accepting. I should accept the character.
Then i realised that God DOES NOT ACCEPT FLAWS. Mind you, He forgives sin but He does NOT accept it. Big difference. Forgiveness means that you are forgiven, that He loves you BUT NOT THE SIN/FLAW/FAILURE. Heb 10:26 tells us that "(F)or if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins," God forgives the sin but hey, it's gotta go.
Love your neighbour as you love yourself. I been fighting sin all the time, encouraged to press on to be more like God. Why should i not extend that same level of grace to others? I am called to love others the way i love myself, if i love myself enough to want to spur others to be more like God, then i too should spur others to be like God.
God does not want us to remain as fallen people. Yes we have and will sin. We are fallen. But we have a saviour who rose up and cleanse and sanctified us, that we may rise up. Bible tells us we are in a war. We are fighting. Fighting to rise UP. Fighting against the spirit of the world. Fighting to be MAN and WOMAN of GOD, Filled with the SPIRIT of GOD, not of the world.
EPH 6 tells us of the armour of God. Why would you need the armour except if you are ready for a battle? You are called to PUT on that armour, to fight.
Fight therefore to be like God. Fight therefore against the spirit that says if you love someone you have to accept their faults. YOU CANNOT. Bible does NOT accept faults. We are made in the image of God, to one day return blameless and without spot. God FORGIVES faults, not accepts it. Fight that you might rise above the tide.
This applies not just to spurring on towards God, but when you are down, Fight the downess. You are VICTORIOUS in Christ, WHERE IS THAT VICTORY? If your friends are not walking right with God, even the littlest bit, FIGHT that spirit of the world.
posted by W | Monday, July 23, 2007
2 Comments:
God knows tt we're flawed. And I think because of the Holy Spirit, we are made aware of the areas in which we are lacking. But God's gracious love allow us space and time to be renewed and transformed.
I think its not so much accepting one's faults, as it is to accept that one HAS faults. And I believe tt loving someone is to be able to help him/her to overcome these flaws.
But we also need to be aware if these flaws are just things we ourselves are against, if they are just personality differences or if they are something that God hates.
Also, sins and flaws, i believe have certain differences.
Anyway the saying often goes "Hate the sin, but love the sinner".
I agree. I think where faults are concerned, the area i mean the most are faults that are well, sins, but also where they fall short of God's glory. Such 'faults' should be tackled.
Where it is merely personality differences, we must be patient and tolerant.
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