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Dear Church, Tolerating Sin Isn’t Love. But This Is…

We are called to love. It’s our number one commandment and top calling as children of God. I mean, when asked what was the greatest commandment Jesus put it out there pretty straightforward and plain. We’re to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and then we’re to love our neighbor like ourselves. I take this pretty seriously, so when I contemplate loving someone as much as I love myself I want to take it even deeper. What if I loved people more than I love myself? What if I loved them kinda like how I love my children?

Although it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, I like to think that our Heavenly Father loves us in a manner similar to how I love my children. It’s this deep, unconditional love. It’s that love that perseveres through hurt, betrayal, or even indifference. It’s the kind of love that loves you even if you don’t love back. It’s what I like to call a “no matter what” kind of love, and it’s perfect.

So when you begin to envision love in a parent-to-child manner aside from the deep commitment it entails, you’ll also see that it comes with discipline. It comes with correction. It comes with a guidance born of the desire for the child’s best interest at heart. For example, if my four-year-old tried to pick up a poisonous snake, I would yell harshly and quickly, “stop!” I wouldn’t allow my seven-year-old to cross the street without looking both ways, and I wouldn’t give my toddler free reign of the content locked beneath the kitchen sink.

I betcha no logical human being would question why I parent this way. It just makes sense that because I love them so deeply I want to protect them from harm, teach them what is correct, and prevent them from making a deadly mistake that could cost them their life. That’s true love.

True love is based in truth, so when you love someone, you approach them in love and truth. You don’t hold back the knowledge you have any more than you hold back your feelings, and by pouring out life-giving truth on that person, you extend their life. It makes you wonder, though, why it isn’t logically accepted or expected to freely give the truth to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Especially when it’s a truth that can give eternal life. Now that’s true love!

There seems to have slowly evolved over time a belief that to love is to tolerate sin. This commonly held belief in society today says that if you love someone you will show tolerance for decisions that go against the truth as it is instructed in God’s word. Even many churches have fallen for the lie that to love is to show tolerance, but in doing so have shown their brothers and sisters an injustice. They’re withholding truth and knowledge that leads to an abundant life on earth and also a wonderful eternity in the presence of the Lord. By withholding truth in the name of “love” we aren’t really loving at all. We are hampering love. We are excusing sin that in essence creates a divide between God and His children. So you see, tolerance isn’t love.

Brie Gowen
Brie Gowenhttp://briegowen.com/
Brie Gowen is a 30-something (sliding ever closer to 40-something) wife and mother. When she’s not loving on her hubby, chasing after the toddler or playing princess with her four-year-old, she enjoys cooking, reading and writing down her thoughts to share with others. Brie is also a huge lover of Jesus. She finds immense joy in the peace a relationship with her Savior provides, and she might just tell you about it sometime. She’d love for you to check out her blog at BrieGowen.com.

WATCH: Sisters Sing Bone-Chilling Easter Rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’

The young sisters from Fort Frances, Ontario sing an Easter rendition of Leonard Cohen's famous "Hallelujah," that is so beautiful, it'll bring tears to your eyes.

What Is Maundy Thursday?—How to Celebrate During Holy Week

As we celebrate Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, you may start to wonder, what is Maundy Thursday? Three days before Easter, we come to Maundy Thursday. "Maundy" comes from the Latin word "mandatum," meaning command, order, or commission.

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