Love Without Exceptions
Loving like Jesus means rejecting the false choice between truth and grace. It means seeing every person as worthy of mercy, even when it costs us comfort. This is the love that transforms hearts, relationships, and souls.
Reflections
Love Without Exceptions
It’s a statement that can make us squirm: "You cannot love Jesus and hate the people He died for." It cuts through our comfort zones and challenges the very core of our faith. We might not say we "hate" anyone, but what about that quiet disdain for the political opponent, the frustration with the difficult family member, or the silent judgment toward someone whose lifestyle we condemn? The truth is, every person we meet, especially the difficult ones, carries the same inherent worth and divine image that Christ embraced on the cross.
So, what does it mean to love others as He did? It means learning the difficult art of separating the person from their sin. This is not about approval or pretending that wrong is harmless. It is about hoping for redemption where others only see condemnation. It is the commitment to hate what destroys a soul, but never the soul itself.
The Tension of Truth and Grace
This is where we often get stuck. We fear that showing grace means compromising truth, or that standing for truth requires harshness. But Jesus never presented this false choice. He told the woman caught in adultery, "I do not condemn you," and then immediately added, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11). He offered grace and truth, in that order. His love was a safe harbor that empowered transformation, not a rubber stamp that approved of the storm. Our call is to hold this same tension: to be a people so grounded in truth that we can afford to be gracious, and so committed to grace that truth can be spoken without fear.
This kind of love is not a blind sentiment. It is a courageous choice. It sees the truth with clear eyes, the brokenness, the rebellion, the pain, and still chooses kindness. It mirrors the mercy of Jesus, who offered grace before a person had it all figured out.
What Does This Love Look Like Today?
It's one thing to agree in theory, another to live it. This love takes practical shape in our daily lives:
- In listening to understand before we speak to correct.
- In refusing to participate in gossip or character attacks, even when the target is someone we disagree with.
- In defending the dignity of a person when their ideas or actions are under attack.
- In praying first for the person who irritates or opposes us, asking God to bless them before we ask God to change them.
These are not acts of weakness. They are disciplines of a heart being shaped by the cross.
The call is clear: Let grace be your default. Let compassion guide your judgment. But remember, we are not asked to manufacture this impossible love on our own. We can only give it because we have first received it. The more we abide in His love, the more our own love becomes an act of faithful obedience, not just personal preference. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
This is the love that changes everything: hearts, relationships, and even our own souls. It is the most powerful evidence of a life truly transformed by the Gospel. It is the love without exceptions that points a watching world directly to the heart of Jesus.
Members Discussion