Where Did The Love Go?
We have a most beautiful description of love in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 reads: "Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..."
Every one of these actions and descriptions are attributes of God. This should not surprise us because we read in 1 John 4:8 that "God is love". The majority of our society has chosen to kick God out of their lives. God has been told to get out of our schools. God has been chased away from our court houses and government buildings. We know they are trying to get the name of God off our money. Most just refuse to say the words "under God" in our pledge of allegiance. Not only do they want God to go away, but they really want anyone who believes in God to go away also. If that does not happen, they want those people to shut up about God and not bring Him into any conversation. The only time they are comfortable with the name of God is when they use it as a curse word.
Since God allows everyone to make their choice, God gets out of the way. Let's see what replaces the love of God. The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans and told us what happens when the people do not retain the knowledge of God in their lives. Romans 1:28-32 reads: "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, hater of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them". Does this not describe our present society?
One might think it strange that people would choose such hatred to live in all the while longing for the attributes of love; yet unwilling to receive the love of God and be content to live in such evil environments.
People make the choice to love the world and everything in it. They also make the choice to eliminate God and His attributes from our world. Can you imagine what the world would be like without God anywhere? No right or wrong at all. Murder, rape, stealing would not be crimes and there would be no courts of law because there would be no law. If left up to many of the more vocal advocates of no law, they would only prosecute those who confess their faith in God and those brave enough to preach what the Bible teaches.
The love of God is greater than anything and everything. To attempt to describe the love of God to mankind would fall short. The attributes of God are what He wants us to acquire and practice. Once again, imagine a world where everyone is kind, loving, fair, just, and helpful to each other. Sure many want this, but they are unwilling to give up the evil in the world to acquire it. Love is better, and love is of God.
By Carey Scott

Return to the General Articles page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /