Love is faith at its purest

There is audible concern among many Christian circles that these days faith is being watered down. It’s a shame that one of the casualties of this line of thinking is love. Far from the unequivocal words of 1 John 4:8 that God is love and singularly love, God’s being is now equated more and more with values of vengeance and wrath. Love even suffers devaluation as a weak virtue lacking true strength of character.

There’s little faith involved in visiting wrath and vengeance on someone. In fact it’s the clear judgement that a person is incapable of redemption that leads to it. Contrary to some beliefs, it is the easier option in comparison to love. A greater strength of character is required to see behind a person’s flaws to see a being worthy of mercy. A greater strength of character is required to calmly respond to heated opposition rather than match like with like. A greater patience and wisdom is required to meet rebellion with a love that uplifts towards the path of right than seek to beat it from the path of wrong.

Furthermore, Jesus’ time on earth, particular his sacrifice on the cross, go against everything ideas of vengeance and wrath stand for. If anything, it is the approach of the Pharisees that promotes such an approach, as evidenced in how they brought about Jesus’ end. Think on that end. Jesus’ has suffered at the hands of people he showed nothing but love to, the people he came to save by showing the error of their ways. What are his last words? Not words of judgement, wrath or condemnation, but “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Even in the face of violently unrepentant people, people visiting a far more wicked end on Jesus than many others who contemporary Christians seek to rebuke sternly, Jesus’ thoughts were of mercy. What strength! Why would we seek change through division and rebuke where Jesus in the face of dire circumstances chose mercy? Indeed, when we do act this way, perhaps it is Jesus who confesses *us* to the father because it’s we who do not know what we do.

That was Jesus at his most emblematic, and his purest. Suffering at our wickedness to bring a message of forgiveness. Surely we could suffer to move the wrath and judgement from our testimony in deference to this approach from who is supposed to be the head of our faith.