What is Love?

Romanticism with a Blend of Relativism: 

I have, for some time now, wrestled with the meaning of love from the standpoint of how the ideological notion is expressed within the contours of the Christian faith. Simply put, I am seeking to garner a clear biblical perspective on the matter of love.  This is important because love is a central component to the Christian belief system, and is the marker of our inward transformation.  The biblical ideal is articulated in the fourth Gospel saying, "By this [love] all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).  Simple, clear, concise, and practical.  End of story, right?

Wait a minute.  In reading such a passage like the one found in the Gospel of John, have we superimposed an ideology of love into the text and, consequently, into the narrative of redemptive history that does not allow us to see the biblical mandate clearly? Have we romanticized the concept of love to the point where Hollywood (or K-drama—hence the picture) has highjacked the biblical formula?  Have we interjected modern concepts into the biblical text and read them to suit our own feelings, motives, and agendas?  Has the Bachelor (as I have commented to my wife) given us a skewed lens into the concept of love with their fancy helicopters, exotic palm trees, and glamorous beachside dinners; while, at the same time, negating to picture love via the cross in self-sacrifice, commitment, steadfastness, suffering, and truth?

The Essence of Love:

In a day and age where relativism fertilizes the soil in which we operate, hard discussions and tension ridden relationships are hard to come by.  Yet the biblical theme within discipleship is a constant, dare I say, push toward conformity to Christ (Rom. 8:29) that is not for the faint of heart.  Conversations that shape and reshape the core belief systems of our worldview is indicative of the love that Jesus encompassed during His earthly ministry.  The Scripture indicates that as "[iron] sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Prov. 27:17).  With relativism structured to appease everyone's sensibilities, will the love of Christ be expressed, exposed, and experienced authentically?

Personified:

At the onset it must be expressed, simply, that the biblical understanding of love is not confined to a mere emotion, affection, or feeling; but rather finds its consummation in the work and Person of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle John writes in his first epistle, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 Jn. 4:8).  This has enormous implications in regards to the theological framework that finds its footing in the practical application of daily living.  What cements our belief systems will ultimately inform our lifestyle.  More on this later.

This means that love is not merely a perspective that is to be learned or meditated upon, nor is it purely an action that is to be practiced.  Love, within biblical formation, is a Person to which we, His followers, are to be conformed to (Col. 3:10).  We are to be so infused into His love that His character, or dare I say His Person, begins to permeate forth in our integrity, thought patterns (worldview), desires, and more.  Jesus affirms this notion in John's Gospel by saying, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" (Jn. 14:21, italics added).  The expressive nature which aligns itself to the commandments of God is indicative of a heart that is filled with the love of Jesus Christ.  The psalmist would describe the holy person as an individual whose "delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:2).  Therefore, this individual "walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers" (Ps. 1:1, italics added).

A love that is biblical is a love that personifies our Savior Jesus Christ.

Hand and Glove:

What does it look like to personify Jesus Christ?

First of all, it is clear that Jesus Christ entered into the tapestry of creation through His glory, "glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1:14, italics added).  Love, from the biblical standpoint, incorporates an intrinsic link to truth that is derivative of the triune God.  The biblical evidence shows that when Scripture depicts the notion of love, truth is near by.

The Apostle John portrays this image in saying, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments" (1 Jn. 5:2, italics added).  In the fourth Gospel Jesus comments, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (Jn. 14:23, italics added).  The psalmist affirms this thought by saying, "I will lift up my hands toward Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes" (Ps. 119:48, italics added).  Love cannot be comprehended biblically without truth; truth cannot be embraced without love.

Above I have indicated that God, in His essence, is love (1 Jn. 4:8).  Additionally, truth is not simply based upon precepts, principles, ideas, or abstract thoughts; but rather is personified in the God-man Jesus Christ.  According to the Apostle John Jesus remarks, "I am the way, and the truth, and and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (Jn. 14:6).

The biblical notion of love and truth is not purely emotive nor preceptive in nature, but is a Person—Jesus Christ!

False Dichotomy: Theology and Proxy:

AW Tozer rightly contends in his book Knowledge of the Holies, "Without a doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God." As followers of Christ we are called to be His disciples.  This means that we must continuously strive to learn and dive into the unquenchable knowledge of the infinitely glorious God.  Our theological development is not meant to merely terminate on our educational endeavors, but rather be an authentic experience that engages the depth, width, and power of the triune God.

If the church is to encompass the love of Christ, she must allow the Scriptures to shape and direct her cognitive awareness in order to inform her expressive gestures of love, compassion, and mercy.  Belief systems are intrinsically linked to the lifestyles that pertains to the individual or institution.  It is imperative, then, to feed into those belief systems a proper dosage of truth—namely Scripture.

Therefore, our theology will most definitely inform our proxy.  The convictional truths will drive our hearts, through the power of the Spirit, to respond in obedience for the glory of His Name.  True disciples will not neglect the proper study of Scripture, but the same diligent follower will not neglect the extension of hands that have been transformed by the Word.  "But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (Jas. 1:22).

Love compounded by truth—through the Holy Spirit—will drive a person to live faithfully for the Kingdom of God.  Love from a Christian worldview is not standardized by how the world responds to its expression, but rather how faithful it is to the revelation of the triune God.  Biblical love may not always be well received by the world—even Jesus was put on the cross—but it is necessary if the church is going to faithfully love in the midst of a depraved world.

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McYoung Yang is the husband to Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (8), McCoy (6), McColsen (4), and DeYoung (1).  He graduated from Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN with a Youth Ministry degree and has served as a Youth Pastor in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for over 8 years.  He is currently studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for his Masters of Divinity.  He hopes to use his training to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.

A Cry for Redemption

The Stand:


The NFL ranks have drawn a great deal of attention in regards to the injustices that have been prevalent across the landscape of our great nation.  Mar-key players such as Colin Kaepernick, Arian Foster, Brandon Marshall (DEN), and the likes have taken a stand, or rather a kneel, to bring forth awareness to the inconsistencies that have plagued our law enforcement as well as our judicial system.  Their influence have stretched to the likes of college and high school athletes.  The social tensions have been felt between both young and old.  Inequality and racism has been a constant theme threaded across the historical narrative of America, and the expression of oppression continues to find its footing in our current day and age.  The necessity to address such matters is clear and poignant, but how do believers engage in social justices in order to make light of the Gospel? How do believers embark in the tension while keeping the truth of the Gospel at the forefront? How is the church to think through these epidemics and be an agent of hope for a broken world?

Resolution:

The appeal that most secular socialist have taken is to heighten awareness and to educate on diversity in hopes of counteracting the injustices that are infecting our streets, homes, and neighborhoods. The remedy is easily infused by a committed stance to enlighten both sides in regards to the differences and similarity shared in order to exemplify a harmonious existence.  There are essential truths that must be embraced by this particular pledge, but the undergirding dilemma that is being negated in light of the well-intended effort is clear—sin.

Insufficient for Long-Term Change:

The quandary in which we find ourself in has an innate linkage to the depravity that is rooted in our human existence.  The long-term trajectory of restoration cannot be accommodated by humanistic strategies, because the battle that is being forged is spiritual.  We can not seek for transformation by mere modification! Not that awareness or education are inherently wrong for they are necessary to a certain extent, but they will not remedy the inner depravity that drives the human inclination to serve the self despite the deterioration of the whole.  Only the cross of Christ can usurp that! It is in the illuminating work of the cross where the Apostle Paul charges the believers by saying,

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:1-4).

As the church, we must be aware of the overarching narrative that is being expressed through the social movements.  We must understand the social development in light of the redemptive formula that has been revealed to us through the Scriptural text.  If we are to be of any assistance to our community, nation, and the world we must root ourselves in the biblical narrative understanding that Jesus Christ is the climatic figure of hope. All of our redemptive and restorative hope, then, is centered in what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross and through His resurrection.  The social dilemmas that we face are not contrary to the spiritual dilemma, but rather are grounded as Gospel-issues.

A Longing for Eden:

The paradoxical tension that we find ourselves in outside of Christ is an intrinsic desire to connect with the Creator (Rom. 1:21), and yet due to sin we "suppress [that] truth" (Rom. 1:18). In part, there is an innate longing for perfection and idealism that marks humanity's desires.  This is played out within history through the search for an utopian existence in one form or another.  Yet what is not grasped is that humanity cannot obtain such idealistic realities outside the rulership and reign of God. Those cravings point back toward God's fingerprint within the creative order.

This innate longing is still apparent within the brokenness of humanity.  It was formed into the very fabric of mankind to live in perfect harmony with God.  The creation narrative is clear that Eden was the canvas in which God created Adam for work.  Adam and Eve were to be God's representatives within the creative design in order to display His reign and rule.  Sin interrupted this perfect domain, but the desire for Eden continues to remain.

The Remedy in the Cross:

The utopian existence felt within the internal desire of the heart is grounded in the person of Christ Jesus who will bring forth the "new heaven and [the] new earth" (Rev. 21:1).  The desirous aim for a harmonious unity between the brotherhood of humanity is personified in the God-man Jesus Christ who reconciles us, first, to our Creator and, secondly, to one another. The heinous outpour of racial tension coupled with the gratuitous governmental debacle is crying out for Gospel restoration.  The world is crying out for a Savior regardless if they know it or not. Will the church become aware of the signs?

The church is to be the beckon of hope which holds high the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In doing so, the church must participate in being a unifying agent which bleeds forth Gospel blood.  The assembly of saints must work hard, then, to embrace the truth that God in Christ Jesus "has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph. 2:14).  When the Gospel transforms the landscape of our indigenous assemblies, we can become a mouth piece of God's redemptive plan.  When all nations come under the rulership and authority of Christ, it will be a testament to His saving work in fulfilling all His promises that "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).

Harmonious union can only be obtain through the Gospel.  Will the church acknowledge, equip, and empower her people to be agents of change in a society longing for redemption?

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McYoung Yang is the husband to Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (8), McCoy (6), McColsen (4), and DeYoung (1).  He graduated from Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN with a Youth Ministry degree and has served as a Youth Pastor in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for over 8 years.  He is currently studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for his Masters of Divinity.  He hopes to use his training to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.