Sounds simple, right? That sounds good to me… if everybody loved everybody else, our world would be far, far better. There would be no crime. No slavery. No prostitution. No abortion. Nobody would go hungry. Nobody would take advantage of another’s generosity. There would be no need for soldiers, or courts, or lawyers, or police. There would no metal detectors at airports, or security guards at the mall.
These words aren't found in the Bible, but that doesn't mean they're not biblical. They are, of course. However: that doesn't mean they're always useful.
At first glance, God in the Old Testament seems harsh, and perhaps callous. God in the New Testament seems loving, and gentle. With respect, this is a simple misunderstanding. It's also not new...this has been a common misunderstanding since at least the turn of the first century AD.
In a recent online discussion a friend claimed that you can love God, or you can love yourself, but not both. To support his claim he cited 2 Timothy 3. Here's the passage in question:
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is not only to embrace the One who is Truth, but to love - infinitely, as He loves - those who despise the Truth as well.
Having a website is a big responsibility. Most of the time, most people don't think twice about it...after all: they wonder why anybody at all would read their website. If they're convinced that they're not being read, they don't have to think about what they write.
