It does not matter how much prophecy we know, whether
we can recite from memory large portions of Scripture, or know perfectly every doctrine's technicalities (I Corinthians 13:1-3). In terms of judgment, what matters is whether we are striving to live what we know to be the
way God lives because it is how those in His Kingdom will live. His way is the way of love, and love
is something we do. Humanly, the opposite of love is hate. This is because we judge things
largely according to the senses. Love, therefore, is a strong feeling for a person or thing; hate is a strong feeling
against. However, this definition is not biblical. Biblically, the opposite of love is sin. Like love, sin
is also something we do. According to I John 5:3, love is keeping God's commandments, and sin, then, is the breaking of His commandments. Though feeling
is certainly involved in biblical love, the will of God and truth play a far larger part. Stripped
of all possible nuances that might affect God's judgment, this is the stark reality of what faces us once God has opened
our eyes and revealed His purpose to us. It brings to the fore that, if we love what He has revealed, then we must hate
sin because it destroys everything God's wonderful revelation stands for. |