Would You Call That Love?

If you were asleep inside a burning building, and I called out to you to wake you from your sleep, and for you to come out from inside that building, in order to save your life, would you call that love? Especially if I ran inside that burning building, risking my own life, to take you with me to a place of safety, and in order to save your life, would you call that love? 

If I saw you choking on a piece of food and so I ran over to you to help you get rid of what was blocking your airways, would you call that love? And if you stepped out into a street and I could see that a car was about to run you over, that you could not see, and so I pushed you out of the way, or I pulled you out of its path, would you call that love? I believe you would.

So, why is it that when this is done in a spiritual realm that many, especially many who call themselves Christians, do not consider it love at all? But they think you are being pushy or getting in their face or not minding your own business or that you are being legalistic or hyper religious or negative? Or they think you are just being nosy, bossy, or judgmental, and not loving?

But do you know that to love with the love of God is to do what I have described here, only in a spiritual realm (but in a physical realm, too)? For we who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be taking the truth of the gospel message to the people of the world, which includes to all who profess faith in Jesus Christ, for not all are saved who give lip service only to God.

And we are also to be those who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness, and who are warning, urging, and exhorting others who profess faith in Jesus Christ against getting trapped in the deceitfulness of sin, and against being deceived by the lies of those who masquerade as servants of righteousness, but inwardly are ferocious wolves out to destroy you.

We are to be those who are calling out to those who are trapped by sin’s deceitfulness, and/or who are following after wolves in sheep’s clothing, and/or who are being deceived by liars and manipulators of truth. And we are to be calling out to them to come out from the world’s system so that they do not share in her (Babylon’s) sins and in her punishment, for her sins are piled high to heaven (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 18:1-5).

And this is love! This is the love that God had/has for us that he sent his Son Jesus Christ to the earth, to take on human form, and ultimately to suffer and to die on a cross in order to free us from our slavery (addiction) to sin so we will now be servants of righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And he was willing to be thought evil of, and to have people mock and crucify him, in order that he might free us from sin.

And we who believe in him need to be willing to do the same. For so many people are following after the lies of the enemy, and they are not following after the truth of the gospel of Christ, and many are trapped in sin’s deceitfulness and/or they are followers of man over being followers of God, and are in danger of the fires of hell, as opposed to being promised heaven.

So, we need to be willing to risk our own lives in order to get the truth out to the people, even if they hate and mock and ridicule and even kill us in return. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21-23; cf. Romans 6:1-23; 1 John 2:3-6).

And he said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have eternal life. But if we deny him in this life, he will disown us when he returns for his bride (Luke 9:23-26; cf. Romans 8:1-14; 1 Peter 2:24; Titus 2:11-14).

And, yes, this is what it means to love, to tell people the truth that can save their souls from hell, and that can give them salvation from sin and true hope of spending eternity with God in heaven. And that is not promised on the basis of giving lip service only to the Lord. We must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, by his grace, in his power and strength.