How are we doing in being living evidence of God’s existence to the world around us? With so much attention being given to the intellectual legitimacy of faith via the field of apologetics, we were challenged to BEHAVE in such a way that proclaimed a life change… How can we carry out this purpose in our daily lives? The short answer: love.

The slightly longer, but far more complex answer: crazy love. This is not merely another apologetic arrow in our quiver, it is the ultimate apologetic – one that cannot be fabricated by human effort. Inspired by the example of Jesus on this earth, we are to be distributors of God’s love to the people in our lives. Not just our friends and those we share interests with, but more broadly, those who we come into contact with. The most well known description of Biblical love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

As we heard last time, it is this impossible standard of love that we are called to exemplify. It is not within man to love like this. In our selfish shells, we are bent on serving our own purposes and agendas. We put first what pleases us, and consider others a distant second. This all changes when we truly accept the work of Christ on the cross and offer our lives to Him in return. Christ was fully motivated by THAT kind of love. In everything we know about Him, His birth, life on this earth, compassion, teaching, death and resurrection, Jesus was 1 Corinthians love. That love, God’s love for us, fueled the path of salvation and made a way back to the Father. As none of us are sinless and perfect, we tend to make excuses as to our failure to love well. But He sent His Spirit to live in us so that we can be transformed. Only then can others know they are witnessing proof of the work of God in our lives and on this earth.

Knowing His Creation full well, God didn’t just make a list of “love is” statements when defining love. He gave us a comprehensive “love is not” list too. This means we cannot skate by with the thought that we have love because we were patient with someone when pride oozes from our speech. The love we show to others is not a momentary act, it is a continuous interaction – an ongoing response to the love that we were shown. Love will not always be observable by a gallery of spectators, it may sometimes be felt singularly and intimately only by the one it is directed toward. To help us, we should look at people in our lives as joint members of God’s divine Creation. This means tempering our temper. This means making time for someone where we have not made time before. This means checking our ego. This means practicing patience. This means squashing conflict. This means exercising forgiveness. Impossible by ourselves, possible with God.

It is important that the reason we present in defense of our faith is rooted in sound theology, but hypocrisy is a far louder counterargument against even our most articulate rhetoric. In what ways can we love more authentically and live more transparently? What “love is not” is active in our lives?

Let’s strive to love in harmony with our logic.

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35