I hear a lot about love when talking to Christians. In our churches, in our music, in our evangelism, and in the way we interact. We are always talking about 'loving on another', 'loving like Jesus', loving you enemies and such, just as Scripture talks about it. 1 Cor. 13 is probably the source of some of the most sermons in American evangelicalism today. We're big on love.
One of the phrases I've heard time and time again is that 'Christianity is all about love'. Sounds good. Sadly, when many people say that, they have the wrong idea. When they think about love, they think brotherly love, love for enemies love, love for sinners and saints alike love. They think a human to human love. To be perfectly honest, that's not what Christianity is all about. Christianity is about human to GOD love. God saves us for Himself. He saves us from lives of wickedness and depravity, of slavery to sin and hatred of and rebellion toward Him, and saves us into a passionate and all-consuming love for HIM far above all else. The sinner does not love God. He can't love God (see Romans 8:7). He is hostile toward God, and has no desire deep down inside him for God, because he cannot see God as He is. God takes this self-centered and rebellious spirit and transforms it completely: turns hatred of God into love of God; love of sin to love of holiness; love of self to love of Truth. God gives faith through the death of Jesus, and in turn the unbelievers eyes are opened to the glory of God and he falls in repentance, and his being is drastically changed. The point of salvation is causing sinners to know and love God.
That being said, I fear that in many churches this centrality of God in salvation is being lost. Salvation is becoming man-centered. It's becoming the attempt of a not really sovereign or omnipotent God to get rebellious people love everyone like they were supposed to, so they can live in an ideal heaven-world where there's no crime or violence or hate. Salvation is becoming about God mending human relations, and fixing their broken love in favor of a love that is sacrificial and all about other people. This is not the main point of salvation. The main theme of salvation is Jesus Christ, by His blood, bring those who were once far off back to nearness with God. It's God bringing the vilest and most undeserving wretches to Himself, to love and treasure and glorify Him. Salvation is God-centered, not man-centered.
That is radically different than the 'Christianity=humanitarianism+a picture of Jesus with His thumbs up' idea so prominent nowdays. We've become more focused on how we can be a positive force in our community than on how we can come to know God better through His word, and proclaim His glory to the nations. Christianity is not humanitarianism. Humanitarianism is all about promoting people's well-being. As good as is sounds, that can't be our priority. Christianity is about bringing us into communion with God, communion consisting of love and reverence of Him. Love of people doesn't equal love of God. If we love God then Jesus says we'll love our brothers; loving people is a fruit of salvation, not a means to it or even the chief end of it. Christianity is centered on Christ.
If this seemed a little negative or whatever, fear not; tomorrow I'll talk about loving each other.
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