The Greatest Gift

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

—1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 

The world does not have as much love as it should. There is far too much hate in this world. Christians make up to 2.38 billion of the worldwide population of about 8 billion people, or about 30 percent of the world’s population. While there are around 10,000 distinct religions in the world, over three-quarters of the global population adheres to one of these four – Christianity (31 percent), Islam (24 percent), Hinduism (15 percent), and Buddhism (7 percent). Love is a universal theme of love found in all religious traditions, Buddhist, Christian, Islam, or others. 

 

Love is not exclusive to any one religion and is a primary underlying principle found in religions worldwide. The concept of altruistic love challenges the spiritual person to "love your enemies" or to "love without thought of return." First John 3:11 says, “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,” It is a love that flows out to others through compassion, kindness, tenderness, and charitable giving. First John 3:18, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

 

Buddhists have a path of compassion, where caring for others becomes the motivating force behind existence. Hindus have a branch of yoga, the heart-centered path, that leads to enlightenment through an overwhelming love for God that takes the form of loving all humanity. Eastern religions, such as Taoism and Confucianism, see transcendent love as essential to true wisdom. Love is a universal theme of love found in all religious traditions. As we realize that all religions have this spiritual principle of love at their core, we can develop a sense of shared humanity. The religious tradition of love should inspire all of us to grow in compassion and love for all people.

 

When the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:36), Jesus said to them, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Yet, not all those who claim to be Christian follow these two laws. They may claim to follow them, but if you do not love your neighbor, then you do not have a love for God. 

 

The hatred we see in the world comes from fear compounded by ignorance. First John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Fear often comes from misunderstanding and ignorance. It is the unknown that causes many people to be afraid, and fear often manifests itself in hatred. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul wrote to his fellow missionary Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Those who hate are afraid of equality and love. Love is one of the primary virtues of Christianity along with faith, hope, and charity. 

 

Love has always been considered central to the Christian faith. It refers both to the nature of God and to the orientation and quality of a Christian. The Bible challenges Jews and Christians with God’s command to love God, other humans, and their own selves. Frist John 4:11-12 says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” In the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), love has always been more than feeling, emotion, and passing sensation. The primary principle of all faiths is to show love and we do this by helping others. James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

 

The problem with the phrase “hate the sin, love the sinner” is the interpretation of sin. It is often said to the LGBTQ+ community to justify their claim to love us yet they pass laws and judgement that show their hatred for us. At the heart of sexual orientation is love. Who we love that is the only thing that should distinguish people who are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, any other of a myriad of sexualities, and it is loving ourselves that allows a person to accept themselves as transgender or queer. Those who are taught hatred or are the victims of hatred because of a particular faith, especially when done by people who claim to love us, causes many LGBTQ+ individuals to turn away from religion. We are taught to hate ourselves, and that hatred comes from fear. Whether that is fear of losing our family, being ostracized by our community, facing ridicule and shame for who we are, it all stems from people who do not have love in their hearts, and if they do not have love in their hearts, then they do not and cannot love God because it is hatred and fear that separates them from God’s love.

 

We cannot return that hatred as retribution. In Matthew 5:38-40, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” I remember back in graduate school the hate group that call themselves Westboro Baptist Church came to my campus to protest and shout obscenities to those who they deemed unworthy of God’s love. A lot of people on campus staged a counter protest and engaged with these hateful people. I always felt that there was only one response to hate groups like Westboro Baptist Church, and that is to kneel and pray that God would deliver them from evil and show them the ways of His love. So, as I passed by, I stopped and said a prayer asking God to show them the light of his love. In my opinion, the best way to combat hatred is through love. If we show our love to those who hate us, then we are living by example, and isn’t that what Christianity is about? We are supposed to live by the example that Jesus set forth for us when he walked the earth. I have often seen the picture below of a gay man holding up a sign that says, “Jesus hung out with 12 guys and a prostitutes. He was more like me than you.” I’ve always loved that thought, because Jesus did live the way he wanted us to live.