By Steve Higginbotham
This past Wednesday night, Chris Cox delivered an excellent devotional message about how hard it is to love. I thought today’s bulletin article would complement Chris’ thoughts.
The real reason so many people find Christianity offensive – and why they want nothing to do with it – may not be what you think.
I’m convinced the one thing so many people find offensive about Christianity is “LOVE.” Yes, “love.”
You see, it’s because of love that Christians must be willing to forgive (Matthew 18:21-
22). But many people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians must bless and treat their enemies with kindness
(Romans 12:20). But many people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians must rid their lives of racism and prejudice (James
2:1,9). But many people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians confront sin and sinners (Proverbs 27:6 ; Ephesians
5:11). But many people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians practice church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:4-5). But
many people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians make great monetary sacrifices for the kingdom’s
sake (Acts 4:32-37). But many people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians give others the benefit of the doubt and don’t judge
their motives (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). But some people don’t want to do that.
It’s because of love that Christians commit themselves to absolute allegiance and
obedience to all that Jesus commands (John 14:15). But some people don’t want to do
that.
Do you see my point? It’s not that Christianity is too harsh, too narrow, too judgmental, too irrelevant; it’s because Christianity commands “LOVE” and love is hard to obey. That’s why Christianity is so offensive to some people. It’s because the two greatest commands of Christianity, which undergird all of it, are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves…and some people just don’t want to do that.
Give it some thought.