But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1 John 2:5
Love is the law Christ gave, echoing the two commandments He lifted from the Law of Moses as the most important of all commandments. The Apostles continued this emphasis throughout their writings. The Church has passed that same focus down through the generations from their time to ours. We are expected – not just encouraged, but expected — to be made perfect in love.
Other allegiances, especially political ones, have historically conflicted at various points with our allegiance to God. Otherwise very religious people seem at times to almost consider it a virtue to slander, lie, gossip, bear false witness, propagate hate, twist facts, create innuendo and otherwise practice the most ungodly abuse of those whose views are different than their own. Take a coin in your hand, and remember the love Jesus demonstrated for his political and religious opponents only two days before the Crucifixion at the hands of the government and at the behest of the religious leaders. The Gospel expects Christ’s love to be perfected in us.
God in His mercy and love accepts us just as we are, and understands our failures along the way. Yet, once we’ve accepted God’s invitation, the Gospel expects us to change our proverbial clothes, and put on the garments of God’s righteousness and love. The promise of this change is that it will continue until we are entirely clothed in the robes of the redeemed in Heaven.
Religious people often go to extreme lengths to redefine, twist or entirely ignore the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. But the Gospel never changes. Neither does its expectation that we will grow in the grace and knowledge and love of God until God’s love is perfected in us, until we have grown to love others as Christ has loved us. This is the expectation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you believe the Gospel?
