Chamber Singers

Monday, September 18, 2006

Radio Dial

I heard this quote on the radio the other day.

"You love God only as much as the person you love the least."

What do you think?

posted by David at 12:02 PM

5 Comments:

  • How about this one: "We only love that which we cannot hate"?

    By Blogger Matt H, at 12:11 PM  

  • Peter Kreeft? Mmmm. Love is not restricted or limited by a law. "Against such there is no law" (Gal. 5).
    "Quis legem det amantibus?
    Major est amor lex ipse sibi." (Who shall prescribe a law to those who love?
    Love's a more powerful law which doth them move.)--The Life of God in the Soul of Man (44 Christian Heritage Pub.) Or as Piper says it, "Love is the overflow of joy in God." Love is not restrained by a law, nor is it founded on will-power religion--it is an overflow of joy in the Superior. Anything less would be cheap and have a belittled nature. What do you think about that fraction-action?

    By Blogger the Zepeda family, at 1:36 PM  

  • I would disagree with the radio quote. There are several people I have to work very hard to have even a concept of love in my mind about. People like the 9-11 bombers or those who have a radical hatred of Christians and are persecuting believers all over the world. I can love them with a pity or even an agape love, but not with an affectionate, phileo love. With God, I can love Him with phileo and agape. He is a Father and recieves the love of a Father, whereas others recieve the love scripture commands me to give them. To love God as much as the person I love the least would be to put God on the same level on my love list as Osama Bin Laden or Hitler. He is definetely more than that.

    By Blogger Josh Huff, at 3:16 PM  

  • josh, that is almost exactly what i said when dave first told me about the quote! i think you just put it in better words than i could. something about it just didn't sit right, and you explained it. thanks!

    By Blogger Laura Siegrist, at 6:57 PM  

  • I think that the statement is a little bit of a non-issue for me theologically. It is something that I would never say to a congregation and here's why.

    When you say, "You only love God as much as you love the peerson you love the least," you are essentially motivating people to love by a sense of guilt. That is wrong. That is law, not grace. Guilt is good. It drives us to the Cross, but it does not motivate us to do better. If it does motivate us to "do better" we are circumventing the gospel. We will never do better by holding up a standard of perfect righteousness and saying, "Now, be like him." No, we must trust that Christ has obeyed the law perfectly and loved perfectly on our behalf.

    It's kind of like when a preacher talks up a vision of a perfect marriage or a perfect parenthood and then says, "Is that a picture of you?" trying to motivate people to "try harder." That is the WRONG way to end a sermon because the answer to the question is most definitely, always NO--and it ALWAYS will be NO. Rather, he must paint a picture of CHRIST, perfectly fulfilling both love and law on our behalf. You see, even to say to people "You just gotta love, man!" is essentially law, because you have just placed the burden on them to do what the Law requires--after all, Jesus taught that all of the Law and the Prophets boil down to this: Love God and love your neighbor. People NEED/MUST see that they can never do what the law requires and to trust in their own efforts to do what the Law requires, either for justification OR FOR SANCTIFICATION, is purely false religion.

    We must run, flee to Christ, out perfect lover and lawkeeper, for only not justification, but for sanctification and glorification as well.

    Sorry for the theological rant. What do you think? Doc?

    By Blogger Matt H, at 8:25 PM  

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