Defining Biblical Love PART 15 – Rules Governing Religion and a Duel to the Death

This podcast continues with our previous lessons from 1 Corinthians 13:5 and Paul’s statements that divine biblical love does not seek its own, does not provoke, and does not keep a running account of wrongs done. What exactly does all of this mean?

Today, we’ll address the laws and rules of religion, Jewish and non-Jewish faiths and oftentimes how we cope with those who challenge our viewpoints. And why would this happen? I think because some of our challenging viewpoints are really not at all done in love though we might think otherwise. How can we know if we are in fact thinking, saying, or doing something IN LOVE?

The one thing about what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 is that we seem to give ourselves permission to essentially trample over someone’s personal space and/or boundary by requiring that each person that we come into contact with; that they submit to a review of our careful scrutiny and examination involving their thinking, their words, and/or their actions. We puff ourselves up with a proven pride to help others pass our divine inspection and if they challenge it, then we challenge them unto a duel to the death.

Are we to be YHVH’s thought police or local community fruit inspectors? And to what end is our standard of judgment? Perhaps to be less stringent with ourselves and more stringent with others (see Matthew 23:1-2)? – Perhaps conversely, we might put ourselves under a more stringent kind of self scrutiny and self inspection in hopes that we prove worthy to receive a divine passing grade for our attempted saintliness in the eyes of Almighty Eternal One. NO, I’m sorry but divine love does not work this way, at least, not the love that I understand from scripture.

Join us today for our podcast Episode 79 of Real Israel Talk Radio and Defining Biblical Love Program Part 15.