It's becoming apparent to me that it is impossible to love without faith. One must have faith that the other will not betray or manipulate them, that their intentions are of the best sort for we do not willingly give ourselves to those whom we know will take advantage of us. Love also requires grace which, again, requires faith; we do not give grace to those we think will abuse it. That being so, it's surprising how often we tell each other we love one another and yet 'protect' ourselves with walls so as not to be hurt. I can't help but believe that, by definition, this is not true love. And what is love if not the ultimate act of grace and selflessness? I'm not even talking about the romantic sort, just the platonic. Either we have grossly perverted the thing or we are just extremely ignorant (perhaps both). Either way, I hope you'll keep me accountable in working on it.
ps. Another interesting bit... Jesus loved despite being fully aware that he would be betrayed. he showed more grace and gave more of himself than I could ever imagine with the full knowledge that his passion was to come. What a crazy guy.
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I disagree. It is certainly difficult to love when one does not have faith that the loved will not cause harm, but that does not mean that it is impossible. You pointed out the prime example yourself: Jesus. To love despite risk of being hurt—or despite certainty of being hurt—is not easy, but it is perhaps the purest love of all.
If we give grace only to those who will never abuse it, do we give grace at all?
Your post seems to acknowledge everything I've just said, and yet disagree with itself at the same time. Am I missing something?
I agree with the other guy... and why tell us to work on it when you yourself should be humble and say you'll be working along side us to try to achieve the greatest for of love.
(He said that he *is* working on it, and that he wants us to hold him to it.)
You two really think that we have within us the capacity to love as Jesus loves? I can't decide if I want to believe that or not. I mean, yeah he says, 'You shall do even greater things than I' but the translation means 'more things' and we, his followers, are many more, in number and in years lived, than he, so of course we'll do more than he could in his 3 year ministry. On the other hand, "I can do all things through Christ..." Tricky stuff. I admire your faith. :)
I'm glad you two thought about it and didn't just respond flippantly. Well, maybe Tammy did. No reason for agreeing with you, Trevor, and a poorly placed stab at me. That's like scoring a basket for the other team. But either way, thanks for reading and processing. :)
I wasn't really thinking of that verse, to be honest. I was simply looking at Christ's example and taking into account that we are to follow his example. Love like this is just one of the ways we learn to die to ourselves. That's not to say that we'll execute it flawlessly.
As for whether or not love like this is even possible for us… well, I wasn't even thinking about that. Since you ask, my response is this: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Granted, that doesn't make our actions perfect. But it sets the standard, whether we think it's attainable or not.
Personally, I think it is possible. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that I have attained it, or that I am any more capable of attaining it than anyone else. I'm just saying that, though not of ourselves, I think it is possible. It's God's grace displayed in us. If you want examples, just read the stories of some martyrs.
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