“Love God, love others.”
As the Savior affirmed, these are the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40). But there’s a reason the Bible is longer than just the one page it would take to write those two commandments, even if the whole Law did hang on them.
We need specifics. We need application. We need to have the picture painted of what it would look like in practical terms to love God and love others.
But specifics and practical application are where toes get stepped on. We can tell a room full of people “Love God, and love others” and get hearty amens. But the minute you tell them how it’s done, and point out ways they aren’t doing that, suddenly things are a bit more uncomfortable.
And we don’t like uncomfortable situations, so it’s easier to just not talk about those things. “Let’s just preach the Gospel,” the saying goes. So many churches have essentially reduced their practical teaching to little more than “love God, love others.”
And when we do that, we repeatedly set Christians up to be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14). Like a pick-and-roll in basketball, it’s the same play over and over and over. And it works like a charm.
A few examples…
Churches decide not to tread into controversial waters of God’s design for masculinity and femininity, along with male leadership. “Just love each other.” Then the world comes along and tells them men and women are both equal and functionally the same in every way, and the only way to love our female neighbors is to be feminist.
Churches decide that blanket statements about marriage ought to cover it, neglecting to get into the creation purpose for marriage and the dominion mandate of Genesis 1 and 2. Then the world comes along and tells them that marriage is for personal happiness, and their highest priority should be themselves. Another generation takes the hint and delays marriage for fornication and cohabitation. Another decides that kids aren’t a necessary or even desirable part of marriage. And, finally, the world affirms that all love is love, and if you love your neighbor you won’t oppose anybody’s right to get married or tell them how to live.
Churches decide they don’t want to get into “culture war” topics, so transgenderism isn’t really something the members need to hear. And in some cases when they do, it’s about how we should “love and not judge.” Then the world comes along and tells them the only way to love your neighbor is to affirm trans identities and use people’s chosen pronouns.
Churches decide they don’t want to get into politics, because we should just “preach the Gospel.” Then someone comes along and tells them the only way to love your neighbor is to vote for socialist policies, women’s “right to choose,” and the LGBT agenda.
Churches decide that racial matters are too divisive. Then someone comes along and tells them all white people are inherently racist and need to “do the work” of becoming less white and less racist, and the way to love your “neighbors of color” is self-loathing and constant apologies. At the same time, they teach minorities to be skeptical of white Christians and identify first with race rather than faith.
The wolves complained that the fences were too high, and – not wanting to upset anybody, of course – we accommodated them. Now our sheep are being torn to shreds by a world filled with ideologue wolves.
The lowest-common-denominator faith that has risen up in Christianity in recent decades left us totally defenseless against these Godless ideas. The only answer is to start rebuilding the fences the Bible gave us.
Start teaching the truth as God presented it – ALL of it. Jesus is Lord, and He has demanded obedience in these areas. Telling Christians they are free to do what they want with nearly every aspect of life tells them Jesus is only Lord of the church building.
When Paul warned the Ephesian elders about the wolves who would come in, His solution was exactly this: “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God… Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:27, 31 NKJV).
When we start taking these stands, we should expect them to be unpopular – both inside the church and out. But those who are listening for the Shepherd’s voice will know it. The call to greater holiness will be attractive to those who are asking, seeking, and knocking. It will be off-putting to those who, like the Rich Young Ruler, want eternal life without the cross.
It’s time we start being ok with that. And it’s time we start rebuilding God’s fences and protecting the sheep.