When we talk to our kids about how we want them to behave, we often boil it down to one catchy phrase – “Love God; love people.” Of course, we weren’t the originators of this idea – it is based on Jesus’ response when asked about the greatest commandments – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37b-39). If you want the Cliff Notes version of what it means to glorify God in your life this is it – love God and love other people.
Of course, in that pithy phrase the word “love “is carrying a lot of weight. In the English language we use the same word to describe vastly different kinds of affection. When I say I love chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream, I meant it differently than when I say I love my husband. My commitment to my husband is absolute and my love for him is not contingent on how he acts on any given day. However, my affection for chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream is totally contingent on the pleasure I receive from it. If it ceases to be delightful to my taste buds, I have no problem exchanging my affection that previously centered on it for something else. Because the word “love” is used to describe our vastly varying affinities, it is no wonder that when people hear that Christians should love God and love others, their responses may be wildly divergent. Many may think it just means that they must think good thoughts towards God and their fellow humans, while of course, what God means is that we need to sacrifice our lives in order to serve Him and His image bearers (see Ro 5:8; John 15:13). Love, in this biblical command, is more about commitment than about affection.
Even if we recognize this, we may struggle with how this looks in daily practice. How can we show love to God and to other people? One of the best ways to accomplish both of these things is to follow Christ’s last command before He ascended into Heaven. He told His followers that their task was now to share the Good News of salvation in Him with other people (Matthew 28:19-20). Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus told his disciples that loving Him means obeying His instructions (John 14:15). Therefore, when we follow His commands to share the message of repentance with those who don’t believe, we display our love for God.
However, sharing the Gospel not only demonstrates our love for Christ, it also shows our love for our neighbors. The most loving thing that we can do for someone who does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ is to tell them what they must do to be saved. After all, their eternal destiny at stake. And while they may resist this act of affection, and if they are resistant to the Gospel, it may even change the nature of our relationship, it is no less loving for us to make sure that they have heard the Truth of the Gospel message. After all, we wouldn’t hesitate to tell someone the way out of a building burning just because we think they might prefer to find their own way; in fact, with someone who was important to us, we would be even more insistent that they listened to our pleas and direction. Yet often we avoid opportunities to evangelize those closest to us because we don’t want to risk the relationship. But in reality, if we hesitate to tell them what it takes to be right with God, then our love for them was never complete to begin with.
Christians need to be known for their love of God, and their love of people. And if we truly love people and if we truly love God, we will make sure we tell others about Him.
