Listening to Gungor spurred an interesting discussion at my house over the weekend. My family and I were listening to “White Man” after my parents’ pastor had made some very good political comments in his sermon that morning. The whole song is fantastic, but the relevant part for this post is the chorus and bridge:

But God is love, God is love, and He loves everyone
God is love, God is love, and He loves everyone

Atheists and Charlatans and Communists and Lesbians
And even old Pat Robertson, oh God He loves us all
Catholic or Protestant, Terrorist or President
Everybody, everybody, love, love, love, love, love

So good. It’s not our place to judge, condemn, and prove wrong. We are meant to love and show them we are Christians by our love. I feel like lots of people forget that God is love and instead portray a God of jerks. But this is where the conversation got interesting. My dad made a particularly good comment, “That’s all good, but some people swing too far the other way and make love their god. God is love. Not love is god.”

God is love. Not love is god.

Love does not mean enabling and supporting everything a person wants to do, say, or believe. Love is caring enough about another person to turn them towards the face of Jesus. Let me be clear. I do not mean bashing them over the head with the bible. As believers, we have a duty to show people the only one who can save them. Jesus. Our job is not to tell them they are okay just the way they are (sin and all), but rather to show them the one who can redeem who they are despite sin. Love can’t save anyone. Only God can. Welcome people with open arms but realize that transformation has to take place. Tell them they are loved, but don’t forget that we all are sinners. We all need redemption. We all need a savior.

Love is recognizing that Jesus is the only one who can save. So lead people to God through love and allow Him to do what he does best.