Teach us how to love each other

I was referred today to the website of Westboro Baptist Church, a church whose primary "ministry" (using the term as loosely as possible) is picketing people and events that support, permit, or just otherwise are insufficiently tough on homosexuality in the pastor's mind. Please note, the outlook, mindset, worldview, and view of God of this church does not at all reflect the traditional or pervading thinking of Calvinists as a whole. The church's most recent article is about the death of a judge on May 29 who had ruled against them in a legal proceeding, and how they were rejoicing at his death and had plans to picket his funeral.

Such a horrible view of God and outlook on the world begs the question, how do we treat those in sin? Do we eat with tax collectors and sinners? Are we willing to lovingly say that sin is wrong, but at the sane time take genuine interest in those who love their sin--not seeing them as a project but as someone who we are called to earnesly love? Most Christians, I think, have a skewed vision of these sorts of things, myself included. I'm not good enough at loving Christians, much less those around me who are unbelievers.

And how do we view God anyway? What does the Bible say about God's view toward those who are perishing? I must confess that I am not a huge fan of the saying that God hates the sin and loves the sinner. Certainly God's holiness is a factor in such things, and certainly God is fundamentally separated from and carrying anger toward those who remain in rebellion against Him. At the same time, God says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He does, in a sense, have love for the condemned. These are two concepts that the Bible holds in perfect harmony. While certainly these things are not contradictions, I have difficulty understanding that in my mind.

In either case, regardless of how God sees those who are perishing, He is called us to love them, because the world will know who we are by our love. Not by our ability to picket or to shout condemning words, but by our love. I know that I personally do not act lovingly most of the time, and I should. I pray that God will create in me a more loving spirit.

"Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy Divine." (van Dyke)

Luke