“It’s not always loving to agree with someone.” – Rick Warren
It was love that compelled Jesus to tell the woman taken in adultery that her sins were forgiven. It was also love that moved Him to challenge her to go and sin no more. Love is always right, but it isn’t always nice, at least not according to our cultural standards. Sometimes love compels us to confront, to correct, and to challenge others in ways that are uncomfortable.
This is because true love “does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out,” according to 1 Corinthians 13:6. This is perhaps the most challenging aspect of love for us. We often lash out with improper motives. We correct to make ourselves feel better or safer, or we go to the other extreme and offer empty flattery so that we don’t lose face. But real love seeks the best for others even when the best is uncomfortable.
As with every other aspect of true love, this is best exemplified by God, who is love. He loves us enough to tell us about our sin, its effect, its penalty, and just how ugly it can be against the backdrop of His holiness. And He seeks justice. Because God’s love is just, Jesus went to the cross to take our punishment on our behalf so that we could trust in Him as our payment, our sacrifice, and be freed and forgiven forever.
Real love keeps it real and works for the causes of truth and justice because in the end, anything less than truth and justice just isn’t love at all
