I John 4: 19-21
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
What does it mean to be consistent? In the context of this Bible passage, consistency means that our beliefs and actions are consistent. It means that they match! Consistency means that there is a deep inner harmony between what we say, and what we do. What we confess with our mouths should be the same as what we hold dear in our hearts.
The issue before us today is this statement, “I love God.” That is a good statement and confession. It is what the first commandment teaches. Loving God above all things is the first is not only the first commandment, it is the foundation of all the commandments that follow. We most certainly should confess, “I love God.”
But, as you well know, inconsistency is the problem for us sinners. We know what to say, but we are prone to live otherwise. This is due to our weakness. Satanic temptation, worldly pressures, and our own imperfect natures cause us to be inconsistent. Our lives often betray us. Our sinful lives show that we believe something other than what we confess.
The example for today is the confession of anyone who says, “I love God,” but then harbors hatred towards his neighbor. When we see this in ourselves, we may protest, “My neighbor is a horrible person and doesn’t deserve anything good from me.” Your neighbor, even a good neighbor, is certainly a sinner and deserves nothing good at all. But, the title “neighbor” includes us as well. None of us are without sin. None of us deserve any good thing.
Yet, God, who is perfect in Love chose a different path than the one of retribution. God chose Love. He chose to enter the world, die on the cross, and rise from the dead for us. He chose to offer His love to those who most certainly didn’t deserve it. God shows us how to love sinners and gives His Grace to those who believe in Him to follow Jesus’ example of love and forgiveness in our lives. Therefore we confess as it is written in I John 4:19, “whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Let us pray,
Lord as you have loved me, even to the point of forgiving me all my sins, help me to love all people. As you have spoken the truth to me in your law, help me to speak the truth to all people as well, that they may hear your Gospel, believe in Jesus, repent of their sins, and grow in love. I ask this in your name. AMEN