Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. – 1 John 5:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 18, 2018): 1 John 5

Facebook excels at creating religious memes. I was tagged on one recently that promised that if I would share the meme with twenty people, that God would give me a miracle. The message behind the message seemed that God is on a public relations tour and that he is hiring us to be a part of it. So spread the word, share the meme with your friends, and you will be paid for your service. Of course, the meme didn’t depend on just the carrot; there was also a stick. Without actually using the words, the same message that promised a miracle if you did share the message, promised that hell was awaiting you if you did not.

The problem with these posts is that it presents a very skewed image of Christianity, and this skewed image is the only image of which many people are aware. Christianity, for some people in our culture, has become a game of trying to receive the miracles and avoid hell. And on Facebook, the pathway through the minefield is to annoy your friends with all of these silly religious messages.

In reality, being a Christian has nothing to do with sharing these Facebook messages. And it has little to do with miracles or with hell. The main focal point of Christianity is, and always has been, love. And that is it. Love. John’s message is one of love. Love each other, and that will be enough. If you love God, then you love Jesus Christ, his son. If you love the Son, then you will love each other. It is by loving each other that you prove your love for God. The tendrils of love move in and out of our lives. There can be no end to this kind of God-given love for the Christian.

And if we really do want the approval of God, then love is the only path that is open to us. And this is my problem with many Christian examples that I see in the developed world. The examples are almost totally devoid of love. Without love, you cannot claim to know Christ. If you can hate and do not feel guilty about it, then you are far from God because God is love.

Or maybe I could say it this way, paraphrasing the Apostle Paul. “If you share that Facebook meme, but have not love, then you are just an annoying voice in the crowd. If you retweet your belief in God, but have not love, then you are just making noise.”

Without love, our faith is useless. Without love, there is nothing that can redeem us in this life. God is love, and love is the starting and ending point of our faith.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 John 1 & 3 John 1