Love Is the Final Apologetic 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

Love Is the Final Apologetic

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

 

 

"Upon his authority he gives the world the right to judge whether you or I are born-again Christians on the basis of our observable love toward all Christians...

 

[If] people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative which Jesus gave them." Francis Schaeffer

 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.

Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

 

 

“Love that person who rubs you the wrong way. Love the unfaithful. The immature. The obnoxious teenager. The grumpy father-in-law. The noisy neighbor. The nosey neighbor. The fruit cake making old aunt. The unfair boss. The inconsistent friend.

 

The lazy worker. The worrying wife. The hateful husband. The wannabe hipster. The argumentative church member. The unruly two year old. The angry atheist. The bitter, unattractive single women. The unwise college student. The blatant homosexual. That snippy sister-in-law. The Muslim. “Love them”, Jesus says. “No, really. Show them who I really am by bringing some agape their way.”

Yours Truly, The Fifth Gospel

 

 

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:44-46).

 

"Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.

If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity