March 14 - Love One Another

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! After a week talking about sex and sexuality, I have a great question here from Grace who asks this, “Is it just me, or does it seem like people really do frown upon homosexuality sin more than others? And if yes, why do you think that is? In my opinion, I think people should show love and empathy to others, even if they are sinners. And what if you have a close family member or friend who is gay, aren’t we supposed to love people no matter what?”

 

GREAT question Grace!!!! 

 

Thank you for asking it! 

 

And I hope everyone heard me on the last few weeks of podcasts. My goal was never to disrespect or treat people less than! Everyone deserves to be loved and respected no matter what. Our job is to love one another! 

 

In fact, listen to this; 

 

This is Jesus’s words in Luke 6:27-36

 

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 

FEW!!

 

Great words from Jesus himself! 

 

He lays it out clearly here to everyone. You should show love to everyone, including the people who are your enemies! Those that hate you - love them! Those who curse you - bless them. Someone who slaps you on the cheek - turn the other cheek to them. Give to those who ask and don’t expect repayment from them. 

 

What is Jesus saying here? Everything he points to is countercultural to what the world would do. When someone is your enemy, it is expected that you would hold a resentment toward them. When someone hates you - it’s easily excused that you would do something in return to them that is brought to the level of their hatred toward you. 

 

But Jesus is saying that we should be different. We should be the people so full of love, that we act in a way that the rest of culture wouldn’t act in. 

 

So to Grace’s question, first of all - We should be a people more deeply full of love than any other group of people. And this is know by our demonstration of love toward others at times when it would make sense to right someone off. the type of love that Jesus talks of here, is a love that is so sincere, it silences any talk against it. There is not room for anyone to accuse you or to feel like your enemy. 

 

And to your question, Grace, people do frown on homosexuality more than other sins. And this is a hard thing to navigate. The truth is, everyone has a level of sin that we are working through. There is not a person who is exempt from sin. We have all sinned. And some Christians would argue and say that homosexuality is deciding to live in sin openly and not turn away from it. Which is often justified as a sin then, that is much more severe. Yet, I know plenty of people who openly admit they do various sins and yet keep on doing them without worrying about the repercussions. Things like, spending money on wasteful things and creating a life without margin in a family they are supposed to are for. Or watching various inappropriate things and then justifying that they aren’t causing anyone any harm. . Or how about people who harbor bigotry and excuse it as - well that’s just the way I’ve been raised, or it’s because of the people I’ve worked with over the years. . . 

 

There is no good excuse for treating others wrong. We are called to love people no matter what. 

 

Now don’t confuse love and affirmation. They are actually two distinctly different things. And to love someone doesn’t necessarily mean to affirm them. The world has warped the idea of affirming someone. To them, love and affirmation are synonymous. Yet, a true loving relationship will love someone even though they don’t affirm their actions. For instance, if my son decided he wanted to play with hand grenades and started pulling the pins on them and throwing them up and catching them. . . I would have some very non-affirming words for his actions. Not because I don’t love him - but because I DO love him and don’t want him to get hurt. This is what real love looks like. I will do whatever I can to keep him safe, even if it means non-affirmation of his actions. 

 

The tension that Christian’s have to navigate, is to balance loving people so well that they know you are there for them, but loving people so well that you have the chance to speak life into their actions that are detrimental to them. 

 

I will say, Christians have gotten this so wrong for so long! We are so ready to call out sexuality as a sin, that we don’t care for the people who are battling such a lifestyle. We simply tell them what we believe. 

 

Here is the last thing I will say to this, and I will probably talk more on it tomorrow. 

 

If someone knows what I believe before they know that I love them, I AM IN THE WRONG! 

 

People should know how much I love them no matter what! Whether I agree, or disagree with their choices and lifestyle, they need to know I love them! The rest is secondary to that. 

 

So Christians, love your enemies. Go the extra mile to show people you care. Give them whatever you can without asking for it back in return. And show people what the true love of Christ is like. 

 

I’ll answer more about Homosexuality and how we handle it tomorrow.

 

But for now, that’s all the time we have left for today. I love you, and God bless!