This coming Sunday we continue our
examination of the question, “What makes
the Christian lifestyle unique?”
Last week, I suggested that there are five moral virtues, which are at
the heart of a distinctive Christian lifestyle.
I described virtues as the values that define who we are as
persons. These virtues are the
attributes of our inner character that others see reflected in our outer life
of words and deeds. Think of virtues as “habits
of the heart.” Virtues become habitual, so
ingrained within us that they guide and inform our actions without our awareness of their influence. The five Christian virtues strengthen us as Christians to live ethically in a way
that reflects Christ in what we say and do—and, this leads to a distinctly
Christian lifestyle.
Last Sunday, we began by exploring the virtue of Christian hope. This Sunday, I will focus on the virtue of
Christian love. In subsequent weeks, we
will also consider the virtues of justice, frugality, and humility.
Of course, the word, “love,” has many
different meanings. There is the
romantic love of a couple who
have entered into marriage with one another.
Alternatively, I love
ice cream, or I love living
in the town of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Clearly, these examples are not what we mean by love as a Christian virtue.
What, then, do we mean by love as a Christian virtue? C. S. Lewis, a English professor and
Christian, once wrote: “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish
for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained”[i] I think this observation from Lewis contains
the gist of love as a Christian virtue. For
the purposes of describing a Christian virtue, I would re-frame the Lewis
definition in this way: “The Christian virtue of love is both an
attitude and action. As an attitude,
love means accepting and affirming the inherent value of those whom we meet,
regardless of how repulsive or evil they are as persons. Building upon this attitude, Christian love
means seeking that person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
In our
scripture reading this week, Jesus describes the ultimate act of Christian
love, when he says: “No one has greater
love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Then, Jesus continues by saying, “You are my
friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). Of course, this was exactly what Jesus did at
the end of his ministry, when he accepted crucifixion on the cross in order to
demonstrate the depth of God’s love for each of us. Carol O’Day, a Biblical scholar, notes that
in this passage the Greek word for friend is “philos,” which comes
from the Greek verb, “phileo,”
meaning “to love.” O’Day
goes on to observe that the English word, “friend,” does not adequately convey
the depth of Jesus’ meaning.[ii]
Perhaps a better word would be the word, “beloved.” So, we could read John 15:13-14 in this
way: “No one has great love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s beloved friends. You are my beloved friends if you do what I
command you.” Previously Jesus had told
his disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have
loved you” (John 15:12). So, when we
love Jesus, then we keep Jesus’ commandment to love others and then we become
Christ’s beloved friends.
Jesus goes to some length to stress that
his followers are his beloved friends, distinguishing his beloved friends from
servants:
“I do not call you servants any longer, because the
servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends,
because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father…And
I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that would last…I am giving you
these commands so that you may love one another.” (John 15:
15-17)
So, to
summarize, the relationship between Christ and humans is based upon a love that
elevates Christ’s followers to the status of beloved friends. Christ’s love for his beloved friends is
exemplified in his life, ministry, and crucifixion. Jesus loved us so deeply that he accepted the
torturous death by crucifixion in order to demonstrate how awesome his love is. All persons who
obey Christ’s command to love are his beloved friends. As Christ’s beloved friends, we are invited
into a special relationship, which has two important components. First, Christ promises to share all that he
has learned from the Father; that is, we are to grow in our relationship with the Divine. Second, we
are invited to go and bear fruit. When
we share the love of Christ, then we become Christ’s junior associates, joining
in the work of establishing God’s Reign throughout the world.
Many
philosophers and theologians believe that virtues may be strengthened and
developed through practice. In other
words, if we want to have the Christian virtue of love, then we can develop it
intentionally. When we consciously
cultivate an attitude of accepting and affirming the inherent value of those
around us, regardless of their faults and failures, then we can strengthen the
Christian virtue of love within our own character. Similarly, when we diligently work for each
person’s well-being and ultimate good, then we strengthen the Christian virtue
of love within our own character.
If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of
worship, then I invite you to come and join us this Sunday, January 15th, at
Christ United Methodist Church, as we reflect on the Christian virtue of love
and how we can cultivate that virtue. The
church building is located at 4530 A Street.
Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday
mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because
God loves us all.
[i]
C. S. Lewis quotations from the website, http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/22-awesome-c-s-lewis-quotes/,
accessed 11 January 2017.
[ii]
Carol O’Day, , “Commentary on the Gospel of John,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 9, accessed by CD-ROM.
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