[371 words]
You may have seen the recent commercial by the Ad Council that tells us love has no limits. It shows people behind an x-ray screen embracing only showing their skeletal outlines. The people emerge from the behind to reveal they are a same sex couple, to a cheering crowd. The scene is redone with people of different races, religions and ages. Each one is accompanied by the text; love has no gender, love has no race, love has no disability, love has no religion, love has no labels. The ad campaign claims to combat what is seen as bias in our world today.
It got me to thinking about how the world is trying to redefine love. We hear the argument in our world to today, “How a person can be against two people who love one another? To try to put limits on love is wrong.”
But how does the Bible label love?
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1st Corinthians 13:4-7).
Some things stick out to me in this passage are in conflict with the world’s definition of love. The world says you should cheer when someone is in sin, but Biblical love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. The world says love can act anyway it wants, but Biblical love never acts unbecomingly. The world says should be proud of your lifestyle, but Biblical love does not brag. The world says you are offensive and should be shunned if you don’t accept what is accepts, but Biblical love does not take into account a wrong suffered. The world says you should accept any belief no matter if it is valid or not, but Biblical love rejoices with truth.
There is a saying, “He who controls the language, controls the masses.” When it comes to love, who makes the definition, God, who is love, or the world who does not know him?
Barry Haynes
Hope AR