When You Wonder WhySample

Love Isn’t Always Acceptance

We live in a culture that says what’s true for you doesn’t have to be true for me. But if you stop and think about it, that’s impossible. If everything is true, then really nothing is, right?

Christians live out that belief in an upside-down way. We understand that everyone, regardless of their lifestyle or beliefs, is loved by God. While Jesus calls us to love others fully, he also calls us to live in a way that aligns with what the Bible tells us to be true. He is our source and standard of truth, and we can look to the life of Jesus and see what it looks like to love others well while holding to what we believe.

Although love doesn’t mean you need to agree with everything someone does, it also doesn’t mean you condemn them. In John 8, when the teachers and Pharisees bring a woman who was caught in adultery before Jesus, they’re set on condemning her. They ask Jesus if she should be stoned, but he says in verse 7, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”.

While we might struggle with different kinds of sin, none of us are superior. Jesus is the only one with the right to judge, but he tells the woman he doesn’t condemn her either. God fully accepts all of us as we are, but he doesn’t leave us the way we are. Jesus tells the woman to leave her sinful life behind.

It can be hard to know how to respond when a friend is doing something you believe is wrong. Turn to God and pray for wisdom on what to say or how to act. Ask God to reveal to you the truth found in his Word and to show you how to love others well without sacrificing truth.