The Final Apologetic: Why Our Love For One Another Is Our Greatest Witness

After months of researching online social platforms and observing human communication in chat windows, words are expressed 24/7 by people throughout the world and are eternally recycled by a computer algorithm. The conclusion of my interpersonal communication study led me to one universal repeated basic human need, expressed verbally and nonverbally (emoji): the need to be loved. I was greatly saddened to read the hearts of several individuals who expressed in writing the idea that “Humans know nothing about love.” I was then proud to see a few evangelists who took the time to type out the gospel message in a chat window and to lovingly share that only in Jesus Christ can we know what love is and they explained that this only happens when the Holy Spirit causes us to be born again. I do not believe that it is a waste of time to evangelize online, especially to share the Word of God openly to those who are far from Him. As an evangelist, I am reminded continually that life without knowing Christ is very hard, lonely and at times can lead to hopelessness.

The Search For Love

Before I knew Christ, I was actively searching for genuine love. A church sign caught my eye “They will know we are Christians by our love” and I thought perhaps they had the answer, and that there I would witness the transformed life of being a follower of Christ. I then ventured into a church for a meal but oddly, the truth of Jesus was not shared, and I thought “is this love?” Certainly not, for this violates the command in Ephesians 4:15. Later, I discovered snippets about Jesus but unfortunately, many church people guarded the truth because they did not want to be legalistic, offensive or dogmatic. This was expressed ad nauseam as “truth divides.” I later read on my own Jesus’ words in Luke 12:51-53 which confirmed to me that truth and love should not be separated regardless of the consequences. Tragically, today the definition of love has been hijacked by the world, and many pulpits have turned to man-centered messages that tickle ears. In this article, I will examine some practices of the Christian church, to urge us to ask the hard question, “Is 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 evident in the church today as a powerful witness to a dying world?” In this passage, Paul had great anxiety and love for the Corinthian church. He eagerly waited to hear an updated ministry report from his partner Titus; with patience he chose to include in his writing his outburst of praise and thanksgiving to teach the Corinthian church how God uses believers who reflect the fruits of the Spirit to spread the gospel message. His own words should be the test of our love for Christ and for others as we serve in ministry, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and manifests through us the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the Word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.”

To Know God’s Love Is Indeed Heaven On Earth

When God moves a believer away from a specific church to protect His child, it feels like a divorce where love quickly turns transactional and then eventually disappears. R.C. Sproul has written about the transitory nature of man’s love for one another “Most of our caring of other people is very casual, it’s very fleeting, it’s very temporary—it can be real and intense for a moment, but then we learn how to switch it off and go about our own business.”

For consolation, we need to turn to God’s Word to remember His loving promises to the exiled, Isaiah 43:19 which says “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” In honesty, my response is “no, not perceiving it” but He is Lord and can do as He pleases. John Owen’s message to weary souls is that “only the love of the Father will deliver rest to your souls.” From that truth, men and women must return to the basics, as Paul Washer and many other reformed teachers have emphasized, we need to start by studying the attributes of God. We must begin with knowing God and pray for His help to grow in maturity, for a deeper love for Him and others, and for a greater understanding of theology. Why? “People are so dull in their love for God because there is little preaching on the attributes of God. It is a special gift when you study God. The more you see Him, the more you want to be like Him, the more you want to trust Him, the more you want to glorify Him, the more you want to speak of Him.” (Washer) Yet, when we do an honest evaluation, we may discover “if we do not delight in Him often it is because we neglect to commune with the Father in love. Communion with the Father is irresistibly sweet and He Himself is our safe haven.” (Owen)

The temptation today in the modern church is to start with man but this is foolishness because the “Bible teaches that a man is born with a heart that is turned against God, at best it is cold as a stone, it’s like an inanimate thing in its relationship to God, it wants nothing to do with God.” (Washer)

Armed with the Bible and A.W. Pink’s book “The Attributes of God” the Holy Spirit recently reminded me of when I first read the words “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) With unbelieving eyes and ears, this led me to ask, “What does that mean?” I was searching for love in the world, which is futile and dangerous. I was determined to understand that Bible verse. Pink’s explanation is vital, “it is not simply that God loves, but that He is love itself. Love is His very nature. We all may be tempted to doubt the love of God, but we need to continue to go back to Calvary, the bloody cross to see that His love is everlasting without limit, is pure and that He loved His own when we were loveless.” (Ephesians 1:4-14, Romans 5:8-11) And then praise Him for “our salvation begins with God loving us, but it ends with us loving God.” (Owen) (Luke 10:27)

Loving Like Christ

The Christian life is the continual process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and is beautifully depicted in Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

This verse came to mind as I visited Longwood Gardens, located in southeastern PA, founded by an industrialist Pierre S. du Pont in 1906. The striking scent of the flowers arrested my senses. There were volunteers who loved flowers so much that they joyfully answered questions from the garden visitors. However, if a volunteer’s love was mainly for flowers and not so much for people, that would leave a bad aroma. The same analogy applies to the church, we too can love doctrine (and we should) but if we neglect to love others who we serve and are void of love for one another in ministry, that too leaves a bad aroma. Applying Mark 12:31 “Love your neighbor as yourself,” John Stott states “the local church cannot evangelize, proclaim the gospel of love, if it is not itself a community of love.” Like the garden volunteers who sacrifice their time, Christ’s followers must imitate Christ and be men and women with large hearts. “If our love never reaches to the place of sacrifice, then we have not loved as God desires us to love. His love involves sacrifice. Knowing Christ involves knowing His people and loving them.” (Mark Jones)

We have been given the warning of Matthew 24:12 “And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold.” God has a severe warning of judgment for false teachers who claim to speak for God but are not sent by God. God’s wrath towards Hananiah, a false prophet in Jeremiah 28:15-17 is recorded “Listen now, Hananiah, Yahweh has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.” This grave warning should cause fear for two mega-church pastors who openly stated in a podcast “we are here to rule, not shepherd.” Spurgeon masterfully describes these types of men “There are some men who are only about half alive; they have a living jaw, but not a living heart, but not a living brain; others have a living eye, they can see things pretty plainly, but their hearts are not alive, they can give good descriptions of what they see, but there is no warmth of love in them.” And Timothy Witmer in his book “The Shepherd Leader” states “The ministry of shepherding leaders is absent in many of our churches today. Shepherds are replaced with decision makers. The church desperately needs elders who think like shepherds, not like a board of directors.”

Evangelism: Love In Action

To be a soul-winner for Christ, Charles Spurgeon’s wisdom designates that God uses “a person of character and must be surrounded by a team that reflects the same character. An unholy ministry would be a derision of the world, and a dishonor to God.”

Here is an example of ungodly leadership in the Bible:

In the book of Esther, chapter 6, Haman, the prime minister, lusted after honor and praise from King Ahasuerus. God was fully aware of Haman’s evil heart as he plotted a scheme to harm God’s people and had great hatred towards Mordecai, a royal court official who refused to bow to Haman. After the sleep deprived King discovered that Mordecai warned him of danger, he took Haman’s advice and extended his royal favor to Mordecai by publicly dressing him in his royal attire and paraded him around the town, as the highest honor for protecting the King from harm. Later, God’s judgment of death fell on Haman and Mordecai received Haman’s title as prime minister. Mordecai reflected the character of godly leadership and worshipped God alone.

Ironically, even Haman knew that wearing the garments of the King was of more value than wealth. For a Christian, a relationship with Jesus is of more value than all the wealth in the world. We too receive new garments, as Galatians 3:27 details “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” and Ephesians 4:24 tells us “to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Spurgeon in his book “Faithful To Christ: A Challenge To Truly Live For Christ” proceeds to what is next “if there is a true faith, there must be a declaration of it. If you are a candle, and God has lit you, then let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 5:16). Soldiers of Christ must, like soldiers of our nation, wear their uniforms; and if they are ashamed of their uniforms, they ought to be drummed out of the army. They are not honest soldiers who refuse to march in rank with their comrades.”

What is the message we are to proclaim? Mark Dever answers this question, “To evangelize is to declare on the authority of God what he has done to save sinners, to warn men of their lost condition, to direct them to repent, and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

What can hinder our testimony? Sin. Relating to the effectiveness of evangelism, the lack of love for others and even a lack of love for the brethren is an aroma that does not bring life to its hearers. Spurgeon adds that what greatly affects our ministry witness is when a church or ministry is silent regarding sin. “A person who saw a robbery and who did not yell, ‘Stop, thief!’ would be thought to be associated with the thief. The person who can hear swearing or see impurity and never utter a word of protest may well question whether he is righteous himself. Our Lord expects us to rebuke sin; the dying thief did.”

In Micah 6:8, God tells the religious leaders they lack an internal transformation, a new heart, and makes it clear to them that He doesn’t want their bribes or empty religious performance. Instead, His instructive words apply to all His children “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does Yahweh require of you? To do justice, to love lovingkindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we value character and seek shepherd leaders, like David who led the nation of Israel and was described by God in His written Word “He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them with his skillful hands.” (Psalm 78:72) Christ’s servants must remember two vital truths, “God will judge us not according to how much we endured, but how much we could love” (Richard Wurmbrand) and that a genuine love is a consistent mark of our Lord’s own ministry. (John 11:33-35, Matthew 9:36, Mark 10:21)