Unconditional Love Not Licence
by David Cross
It's sad to hear some Christians today endorsing unrighteous lifestyles by saying that the Bible clearly shows us that Jesus accepted everybody, no matter their life choices, and that we should do the same.
He did indeed accept all who came to Him, and He still does, because His love for every human being is without boundaries. However, this unconditional love means that God must confront the sin in our lives, because He knows the harm that this is doing to us and to those around us. The world is increasingly pushing the concept that to hate someone’s life choice is necessarily to hate them as a person. This makes any loving confrontation of their choices socially unacceptable and sometimes even illegal, however emotionally damaged the person might be.
Jesus was loving, kind, uncondemning and releasing to the woman caught in the act of adultery but, for her sake, He was absolutely clear about the choices she had been making. They were sinful and harmful, and she needed to change the direction of her life before it was too late. This divine loving challenge to human behaviour is in fact the foundational message of the Bible, to every one of us.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
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