Devotional: Foundations of Christian Ethics and Moral Decision Making: True Love

Background Information

Understanding the true nature of love is another essential piece of the Christian ethical decision-making framework. Getting this right is vital and the goal of Christians should be to be full of grace and truth equally as our savior Jesus was. If we fail to show true care and compassion for people we can never help them. As an old pastor of mine use to say, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. On the other hand, it is truth that sets people free and speaking the truth in love that helps lead others to maturity according to the Bible. We must be equally committed to both and understand their connection.

You are probably familiar with the passages of scripture in the Background Information section above. Perhaps you have heard them read at weddings or church or even have read them yourself in your own devotional time. As the apostle Paul makes clear in this passage, love is very important to God. Paul actually says that love is the greatest thing. The first book of John declares that “God is love.” In other words, love is in the very nature of God. It is not something separate from Him. He cannot help but love, because it is who He is. If this is true, then all of creation, including you and me, was created out of love, and were designed to flourish when we align with and operate in love. There is no other way that God could have created things without violating who He is, which is not possible.

So if love is that important and is built into how the universe and human beings and relationships are designed to function, it is vital to have a proper understanding of what love is. That is why Paul takes the time to define it in detail. When many of us read this passage, especially as social workers, we may have the tendency to focus most on the touchy-feely and self-sacrificing parts he describes, such as love being patient, kind, not jealous, not proud, and unselfish, forgiving, and honoring of others. These descriptions help us to see the compassionate, caring, humble, and serving parts of love that are so important to our work and personal relationships. These qualities of love are essential, and without them our relationships will surely fail.

However, there is another side of love that Paul makes sure to point out that is just as much a part of how God loves, who He is, and how He made us. The aspects of this side of love include love not delighting in or promoting things that are evil, wrong, or not true, as well as seeking to protect others from harmful things (thoughts, behaviors, relationships).

Love is not one or the other of these lists of qualities, but both. Combined, they constitute what we can describe as holy love because love (God) only and always wants what is truly best for us and others and that includes redeeming and restoring us to live, think and behave in accordance with His will and design. We are called to be holy as He is holy for this very reason.

Our love is often not holy. We want to separate love from the truth, but it does not work that way. We often want the feel-good part of love without the hard part. Sometimes we want love to mean that certain behaviors are OK so we don’t have to feel bad. But Love without truth is not real love at all, but only sentiment. Love is not a feeling, but a way of being that seeks to align with God’s definition and will. God loves us enough to not allow us to live in our sin. In this way, He is always advocating for us to do the right thing and live the way He designed us so we can experience more of His blessings. Love without advocating for truth is like letting a child play in the street because he wants to and you “just want him to be happy.” This is a misled, foolish, and inadequate version of love.

Thankfully, that is not God’s version of love, and He calls us to join Him in sharing full love and truth with others and the world so that they truly can flourish. God loves us as we are but too much to leave us that way. May we learn to do the same.

Pray

God, thank you for loving us enough to want what is best for us. Thank you that Your love is an uncompromising love that calls us to a holiness that includes lasting freedom and joy instead of merely fulfilling temporary desires and pleasures. Show me more, God, of what Your real love looks like and help me to love others with the full holy and truth-filled love You made for us to live in. Amen.