Duty in Loving = Using
A friend has been wrestling with the John 15 upper room discussion on love.
What the passage seems to suggest is that loving God is connected with loving my brother. Plus you throw in the verse that says how can one say one loves God if one hates one's brother, and you have a very good case.
So...let's play with this a bit and see where it leads us?
The basic premise seems to be then that to love God I must love my brother. Or perhaps more forcefully said, I had BETTER.
But what has creeped into this is duty -- not the noble self sacrificing duty (if there is such a thing, I'm not completely convinced there is). What do I mean? I mean this, use of another.
In order for me to love God, I have to use you. Therefore I love you so I can love God. Well that begs the question, am I loving you? My love for you is a tool for my ultimate goal which is loving God. A worthy goal, I'm sure, but something seems to stink a bit, no?
From the root, we see the fruit. I'm using you to get to God...or at least to love Him. So... it's all about me. My interests are greater than yours, because I'm getting to God. Well if that's the root, then who's to say that getting to God, loving Him, is the value? Could I not say that getting to love Him is a tool as well?
If the using of another is not love, then my "loving" my brother is not love. And therefore I am not loving God. And even if I could get away with this "loving" would I even be loving God? Could I not be using Him too, all for my gain?
What the passage seems to suggest is that loving God is connected with loving my brother. Plus you throw in the verse that says how can one say one loves God if one hates one's brother, and you have a very good case.
So...let's play with this a bit and see where it leads us?
The basic premise seems to be then that to love God I must love my brother. Or perhaps more forcefully said, I had BETTER.
But what has creeped into this is duty -- not the noble self sacrificing duty (if there is such a thing, I'm not completely convinced there is). What do I mean? I mean this, use of another.
In order for me to love God, I have to use you. Therefore I love you so I can love God. Well that begs the question, am I loving you? My love for you is a tool for my ultimate goal which is loving God. A worthy goal, I'm sure, but something seems to stink a bit, no?
From the root, we see the fruit. I'm using you to get to God...or at least to love Him. So... it's all about me. My interests are greater than yours, because I'm getting to God. Well if that's the root, then who's to say that getting to God, loving Him, is the value? Could I not say that getting to love Him is a tool as well?
If the using of another is not love, then my "loving" my brother is not love. And therefore I am not loving God. And even if I could get away with this "loving" would I even be loving God? Could I not be using Him too, all for my gain?
posted by GBT at
Friday, September 22, 2006
