Being Love in a World of Hate
Simply watching the news or scrolling down your Facebook feed can be pretty discouraging these days. With further connectedness through technology and social media, it seems that we are increasingly being exposed more and more to the hate and brokenness of our world. We all react in various ways when we see such things: we might grieve, we might mourn, we may become angry, we might pray, we might feel helpless and not know what do. So as followers of Jesus, what should we do? How do we respond to the hate? How do we respond to the brokenness in our community, nation and world?
- God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (1 John 4: 16-21)
- But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. (Luke 6:27-28)
- If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them…But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. (Luke 6:32, 35)
It is hard for me to read these verses and conclude much else for what our response should be. We are called to love because “he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). What kind of love is it? It is a perfect, complete, self-sacrificing kind of love. It is a love that causes us to die to ourselves. It is a love that doesn’t just apply to those we like and agree with. It is a love that was displayed to us through Jesus Christ, blameless and perfect in our Father’s eyes, dying on a cross for our brokenness, our hate, and our sin.
The challenge I find so often is that it is so easy not to love. The easy and natural thing to do when someone offends or hurts me is to want to justify myself and to get back at the offender. This love Jesus calls us to requires so much effort, so much death to my pride. It even seems impossible sometimes. Praise God for giving us One who impossibly loved those who hated and persecuted Him, even as he was being crucified on a cross. Let us actively abide in this One that we may love the same.