Sincere Love

In the world these days, a general thought running around is that one must love one’s neighbor because this is the “gospel of impartial love” which Jesus Christ came to exemplify. According to some, this is the sole reason for Jesus Christ to have come to Earth. But what is this so-called “love” that the world preaches? Is it real love?

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

Some people say that to love one another, one must be willing to tolerate their actions. After all, how can one possibly separate one from one’s actions? One’s personality is made up of the decisions one makes and the actions one takes. But is this really “love” to stand idly by and watch someone make decisions that will destroy their life?

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

Let me borrow from the already overused example in this area of Christianity; think of a child who is about to put his hand on a hot stove. Would you stand idly by and allow the child to burn his hand and not attempt to persuade him that it is not such a good idea to do this? If you are a parent, you would automatically want to warn him of the danger, would you not? But then again would you? See, the type of “love” that is being indoctrinated by the world is one in which would allow the child to burn his hand because he wishes to touch it. After all, if the child sees something he wants, we should love him enough to let him have it, right? We should not care about the safety of the child or the consequences that may occur because we are more concerned for the happiness of the child. That is the “impartial love” of the world. That’s ridiculous!

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

Or how about the other well-used example of the child about to run out in front of a car? A “truly loving” parent would allow their child to play wherever and whenever he wished—even if that meant he wanted to play in rush-hour traffic. That’s outrageous!

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

What does the Bible have to say about impartial love? There are so many verses dealing with this subject of love that it would take too long for this essay to discuss all of them in enough detail. However, the message that I feel must be proclaimed is simple enough to be encompassed in two verses: one that has already been quoted and one that will be mentioned later.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

Obviously, one can foresee the consequences of allowing a child to touch the stove or run out in front of traffic: he will get burned or hit. But what does this issue of “impartial love” mean to the average person? Think about the very words you hear on the news, at work, or even at school; some of you may even be the ones saying them. “That Christian over there just told someone he is going to Hell because he doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ! How unloving!” Or, “How dare you tell me what the Bible says about homosexuality! How judgmental!” These actions performed by Christians are condemned their fellow students and professors because they are not seen as showing “impartial love.”

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

Love needs to be sincere. This means that it cannot be wishy-washy like some people tend to believe. (Just observe how quickly someone can fall in and out of “love” around campus.)

Love has to be sincere. This means it needs to last the hard times that life will bring. It cannot run out the door when it sees trouble coming; true love needs to stick by and stick through.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

We must hate what is evil and hold onto what is good. These are sub-qualities of the most sincere love. One must despise evil because it causes strife, torment, and pain; all of the experiences that people abhor. What is evil in the eyes of God? Sin.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9, NIV).

Once again, what does this mean for the average person? It means we must hate that which is evil. We must hate sin. We must hate homosexuality (because it is a disease that brainwashes the mind), lies that tell us everyone is going to Heaven whether or not they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, witchcraft (because it is Satan’s imitation of God’s miracles and therefore dangerous; it is not just for fun or a hobby), and all other evil/sins. (If you will notice, I did not say we must hate homosexuals. On the contrary, we must love them!)

With these evils and sins in our lives, we are not able to have a sincere love for God. This is because God despises all evil. If He despises all evil, then how is it that we can think we are able to get away with tolerating evil in our lives and still claim that we love God sincerely? We cannot.

And yet, we all sin. How then is it possible for us to love God sincerely? We must be willing to let Jesus Christ into our lives and let Him work in us to make us a new person. It is only with His help that we are able to defeat sin in our lives. We cannot do it on our own. Just think about how much trouble you’ve been in and how much sin you’ve committed recently in your own life. You cannot get out of the muck and mire. You must have Someone to pull you out of the mess that you’ve accumulated around you. That Someone is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. He is the only way to Heaven (John 14:6) and He is the firm foundation on which we will not sink!

You ask, “How dare this ‘Christian’ tell me that I’m a sinner and that I am evil?” I’ll tell you (yet it is not I that tells you, it is the Word of God): “for all have sinned [myself included, because I am only a human being] and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NIV). We cannot make it through life on our own. God has told us this from the beginning of time. Yet, He desires all of us to come to Him so that we may one day live with Him in Heaven forever. But, being the supreme example of “sincere love,” He will not force anyone to come to Him. It is up to the individual to make that step. When the individual sees the need that he has in his life, he should go to Jesus Christ and ask Him to be his Savior. Only then will you be able to spend eternity with God.

I truly believe that it is possible to love the person and despise what he is doing. And with this love, we must let them know that they are heading toward trouble which only Jesus Christ can get them out of. We cannot force them to see the light of Jesus Christ. However, once we have told them this, we can pray for them and offer assistance if they so desire. If they are so deep in the darkness of sin that we cannot reach them personally, then we must continue to pray for our neighbors who don’t see the light. Likewise, if we see a fellow Christian struggling with sin, we must offer assistance in the same loving manner.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9 NIV).

I mentioned earlier there was another verse that I felt needed to be proclaimed. It is: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). THAT, my readers, is sincere love!