Love has been defined as doing what's in the best interest of another, and it doesn't necessitate the presence of emotion or passion but an attitude. God's love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom. 5:5) and as believers, we desire to pass it on and express it in a brotherly manner.
The Bible says twice in 1 John 4 (vv. 8, 16) that "God is love." I might add, "God is love, period." That is God's essence and what defines Him. He knows only how to be loving and wants to express it towards a stubborn, rebellious world. That doesn't mean He doesn't get angry at sin but His love never wavers. But man confuses this with the expression, "Love is God," which means that as long as love is involved, it's merited and approved by God. Note that today's New Morality defines anything as right or moral that has a good motive--that one meant well or had the intention of a loving heart. In God's economy, something is only right if the motive, the method, and the end result or goal is pure and right in God's eyes.
We truly don't limit love to God, for love is part of the image of God He has bestowed on us, but God is the One who delimits what it is. Love is to be consistent with God's character and essence. And God defines how we should express our love; for instance, hugs for brotherly love, discipline can be its expression for wrongdoing, and sex the expression of marital love. There is the natural and unnatural expression of love: love for children, parents, siblings, friends, and others not having sexual relations with is natural; however when there is pedophilia or lust of any kind, which is unnatural desire, it's not an appropriate expression of love.
Homosexuals believe they have a right to express their love their own way; however, no one has the right to do their own thing--which is the essence of sin. There's nothing wrong when a man loves a man, but when sex is involved it becomes perverted and wrong. Sex is reserved for the marital state and its fulfillment can only be by God's design. Any perversion of God's standards is breaking faith with the Designer. God is no celestial killjoy just trying to stop us from having fun either, but this is for our own good and we are hard-wired this way and can only find true fulfillment and meaning following God's will.
We are not to define ourselves or who we are by our sexual identity either. Saying "I was born this way," or "I am just who I am," or "You must accept me," all are misleading and fail the truth test. They are implying that God made a mistake and made other expressions of sex besides in the marriage of a man and a woman, as Jesus endorsed. God made man male and female and defined two states of bliss: marriage and celibacy. There is no excuse in saying we are born this way because we are all born sinners and must confess and repent of our sins, even heterosexual ones such as adultery and fornication and sexual immorality of any kind. We cannot say that we just cannot help ourselves any more than a liar saying he cannot help but lie and is therefore justified, or a rapist in raping.
Another thing about transcendent law or objective, moral law is that it never changes: what Moses said was wrong is still valid and times may change but morals don't in God's economy. Common law is usually based on historical precedent such as the Bible. Just because a society has accepted something as moral, doesn't mean God has put His stamp of approval on it when it's condemned in Scripture. The Bible deals in absolutes and there is no changing His mind on the issues from the giving of the Law.
Such expressions as "love is love," "make love, not war," and "free love" are not biblical and against the Christian worldview that love is a gift of God to be cherished and nurtured in the state of matrimony in its sexual expression. We wouldn't have known love had not God sent His Son and the point is that we didn't love Him but He loved us! If we love not we know not God for God is love and He who loves fulfills the law for there is no law against love.
We must never accuse God or the Bible of being wrong and leave the applications and definitions of love to man. The Bible was not written by merely fallible authors but was God-breathed or inspired by God. People think they are in a position to judge God, but don't realize that on Judgment Day they will be the ones judged by God. We are not His judge, He is our judge! In sum, to oppose God's definition of love is a form of hatred, and should be called a hate crime; i.e., not to oppose man's convention, traditions, or laws; God's not against love, just how it's expressed within the boundaries and rules He has made. Soli Deo Gloria!
The Bible says twice in 1 John 4 (vv. 8, 16) that "God is love." I might add, "God is love, period." That is God's essence and what defines Him. He knows only how to be loving and wants to express it towards a stubborn, rebellious world. That doesn't mean He doesn't get angry at sin but His love never wavers. But man confuses this with the expression, "Love is God," which means that as long as love is involved, it's merited and approved by God. Note that today's New Morality defines anything as right or moral that has a good motive--that one meant well or had the intention of a loving heart. In God's economy, something is only right if the motive, the method, and the end result or goal is pure and right in God's eyes.
We truly don't limit love to God, for love is part of the image of God He has bestowed on us, but God is the One who delimits what it is. Love is to be consistent with God's character and essence. And God defines how we should express our love; for instance, hugs for brotherly love, discipline can be its expression for wrongdoing, and sex the expression of marital love. There is the natural and unnatural expression of love: love for children, parents, siblings, friends, and others not having sexual relations with is natural; however when there is pedophilia or lust of any kind, which is unnatural desire, it's not an appropriate expression of love.
Homosexuals believe they have a right to express their love their own way; however, no one has the right to do their own thing--which is the essence of sin. There's nothing wrong when a man loves a man, but when sex is involved it becomes perverted and wrong. Sex is reserved for the marital state and its fulfillment can only be by God's design. Any perversion of God's standards is breaking faith with the Designer. God is no celestial killjoy just trying to stop us from having fun either, but this is for our own good and we are hard-wired this way and can only find true fulfillment and meaning following God's will.
We are not to define ourselves or who we are by our sexual identity either. Saying "I was born this way," or "I am just who I am," or "You must accept me," all are misleading and fail the truth test. They are implying that God made a mistake and made other expressions of sex besides in the marriage of a man and a woman, as Jesus endorsed. God made man male and female and defined two states of bliss: marriage and celibacy. There is no excuse in saying we are born this way because we are all born sinners and must confess and repent of our sins, even heterosexual ones such as adultery and fornication and sexual immorality of any kind. We cannot say that we just cannot help ourselves any more than a liar saying he cannot help but lie and is therefore justified, or a rapist in raping.
Another thing about transcendent law or objective, moral law is that it never changes: what Moses said was wrong is still valid and times may change but morals don't in God's economy. Common law is usually based on historical precedent such as the Bible. Just because a society has accepted something as moral, doesn't mean God has put His stamp of approval on it when it's condemned in Scripture. The Bible deals in absolutes and there is no changing His mind on the issues from the giving of the Law.
Such expressions as "love is love," "make love, not war," and "free love" are not biblical and against the Christian worldview that love is a gift of God to be cherished and nurtured in the state of matrimony in its sexual expression. We wouldn't have known love had not God sent His Son and the point is that we didn't love Him but He loved us! If we love not we know not God for God is love and He who loves fulfills the law for there is no law against love.
We must never accuse God or the Bible of being wrong and leave the applications and definitions of love to man. The Bible was not written by merely fallible authors but was God-breathed or inspired by God. People think they are in a position to judge God, but don't realize that on Judgment Day they will be the ones judged by God. We are not His judge, He is our judge! In sum, to oppose God's definition of love is a form of hatred, and should be called a hate crime; i.e., not to oppose man's convention, traditions, or laws; God's not against love, just how it's expressed within the boundaries and rules He has made. Soli Deo Gloria!
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