Bits and Pieces – 194th Edition – June 9, 2024

     Love is the essence and heart of the Christian Gospel.  There is the love of the Eternal Father for a sinful world.  There is the love of Christ manifested at Calvary when He died for His people.  There is the Christian’s love for God, His word and His way, and there is the love of the believer for his neighbour.

     A person truly born again of the Spirit of God will show the fruit of that Spirit, and the first fruit is – love.  The Lord said, “a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another” [John 13:34].

     However, Christians are sometimes accused of being unloving and hateful, as was the case in Uxbridge, ON, recently.  Some school children met in the library to be addressed by, of all people, two “drag queens.”  Outside were some Christians who had the courage to protest against this abomination.  The local newspaper described the protesters as hateful and used the old canard “judge not” to lambast the Christians.

     Do these people never see the hatred they exhibit for Christianity, while accusing God’s people of hatred?  And do they never quote the rest of the verse “judge not?”  It is found in Matthew 7:1.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”  The following verse says, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.”

[Matthew 7:2].

     Christians are right to make judgment based on the teaching of the Word of God.  The same Word of God, too, shall judge them.  Listen to the Lord’s instruction, “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.  And in controversy they shall stand in judgment: and they shall judge it according to my judgments.”  [Ezekiel 44:23,24].

     These protesters, whoever they may be, are being condemned by the media for doing what God instructed His people to do.  As Peter said, “whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye”  [Acts 4:19].

     True Christian love consists of two main features – love to God and love for the neighbour.  The Lord expresses this where He underlines the great commandment of the law, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”  [Matt. 22:37].  Then He adds, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy thyself.”

     True love of God must be accompanied by obedience to His Word.  Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” [John 14: 21].  Anyone who professes to love God and deliberately breaks God’s laws, or confirms others in wrongdoing, deceives himself.

     True love of our fellow man is manifested when we faithfully declare “all the counsel” [Acts 20:27] of God’s message withholding no stern truth and concealing no dread warning.  It is true love for our neighbour when we alert him to his standing before a Holy and Righteous God, and try to point him to Jesus Christ by whom salvation is obtained.

     The tabernacle had no windows by which to let in the light of the day, all its light was candlelight.  Yet God left not Himself without witness, nor them without instruction; the commandment was a lamp, and the law a light, and the prophets were branches from that lamp, which gave light in their several ages to the Old Testament church.  The church is still dark, as the tabernacle was, in comparison with what will be in heaven; but the word of God is the candlestick, a light shining in a dark place [2 Peter 11:19]. And a dark place indeed the world would be without it. [Matthew Henry].