And he answering said, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself (Luke 10:27).
ARGUMENT:
“How can God command us to love our neighbour
(i.e., all men) when He is selective in His love?”
(I)
Rev. Ronald Hanko
[Source: Covenant Reformed News,
vol. 3, no. 9]
Regarding
Luke 10:27 and the love of God, the following:
[Texts
such as Luke 10:27 and Matthew 5:43-48] are often used to prove that God loves
everyone including the reprobate wicked. The argument is that when Scripture
commands us to love our neighbor, this involves our loving those who
may be reprobate, since we cannot distinguish elect from reprobate. Because we
love without discrimination, God must also, since we are commanded to
love after His example.
Another
form of the same argument is that in order to love after God’s example we must
love the same persons He does and since we are commanded to love without
discrimination, this must mean that God also loves both elect and
reprobate.
Both
these arguments are fallacious. Scripture does indeed command us to love indiscriminately
without attempting to find out whether a person is elect or reprobate, even
though God’s love is discriminating. That God’s love is discriminating is clear
from the simple fact that word “love” is never used in Scripture to refer
to the reprobate wicked. That we are commanded to love because we cannot
discriminate is also the clear testimony of Scripture. A good example is I
Corinthians 7:16 where a believing wife or husband is commanded to stay with
(and love) an unbelieving partner because he or she does not know whether
they will be used for the salvation of that person.
In
other words, loving after the example of God does not mean either that
our love may discriminate as His does, or that His love is indiscriminate as
ours is. The point in the two passages is simply that we must love our enemies
because God loves His enemies. That we love all our enemies and God does
not (notice please that the passage does not say that God loves all His
enemies) makes no difference as far as this calling is concerned.
Nor
does our loving after the example of God mean that we must love the same
persons He does or that He loves the same persons we do. An example will serve
us well here. As a father, I love my children, and as a minister I must be an
example of this love to the members of my congregation. This does not mean,
however, that when they follow my example, if it is good example, that they
must love the same persons I do.
There
is no ground in this passage for a universal love of God!
-------------------------------------------------
(II)
(II)
Prof. Herman C. Hanko
[Source: Covenant Reformed News,
vol. 3, no. 10]
[This]
passage is a quotation taken from the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18)
and is quoted here by a lawyer who had come to tempt Jesus. He had rather
hypocritically inquired of the Lord what to do to inherit eternal life. The
Lord had asked him concerning the contents of the Law; and this was the lawyer’s
response.
The
lawyer was apparently embarrassed and attempted to justify himself with the
further question: “Who is my neighbor?” In response to this question, the Lord
told that moving parable of the good Samaritan.
But
it is interesting that in the telling of the parable, the Lord turned the
question of the lawyer around from “Who is my neighbor?” to the more important
question, “To whom are you neighbor?”
It
is true that our neighbors are really all men. But this is really never quite the
point when we face the solemn command of the Lord to love our neighbor as
ourselves. It is very easy for me to love my neighbor across the sea in
the jungles of some remote South Pacific island. It is very simple even to love
him to the point that I send some money to an organization that sends food
there in times of famine.
But
it is clear from the law that my neighbor is much nearer. My neighbor is
my wife whom I must love as myself; or my children, or my fellow saints in the church—even
the one who said nasty things to me the other day. My neighbor is the man next
door who is always borrowing my tools and never bringing them back, or the man
up the street who is mean to my children. My neighbor is the fellow in the
ditch who needs help with his car, even though he looks like someone who could
easily rob me if I got too close.
That
is why it is so hard to love my neighbor.
It
must also be remembered that “love” in this context means “to seek one’s
salvation.” I must help one in need as the Samaritan helped the one who had
fallen among thieves. But I must give such help as I can in order that, through
the help which I give him, I am witness to the truth and urge upon such a one
to forsake sin and believe in Christ.
That
is, after all, God’s love for us. And that is the love we must emulate.
* * * * *
Now
to answer the question: “Why must we love all men when God’s love is
particular?”
I
suppose that the first answer to that question is: We must do this simply
because we are commanded to do it. Even if we do not know the reason why,
nor understand the purpose of God, simple, child-like obedience requires it.
And that is enough. God may, graciously, tell us why He wants us to do
something; but that explanation is grace. Obedience is required of us
always, for obedience is better than sacrifice.
Further,
if to love someone means to seek someone’s salvation, and if we were to love
only those whom God loves, we would have to know whom God intends to save. God
does not tell us that; we do not need to know that; it is, in fact, far better
that we do not know that. We must love our neighbor, and God will use our love
to save His people.
While
Scripture does not tell us a great deal more, it certainly is also true that we
must love our neighbor because it is through loving our neighbor that we
are faithful witnesses of God’s cause and truth. And this is important. God
will have His cause and truth defended in the world. Whether men hear or not
makes no difference: God is insistent that His people testify to the glory of
His name. Loving our neighbor does that.
And
finally, it is not amiss to mention that God wants us to have an earnest
interest in the salvation of our fellow men. Even Paul wished himself accursed
for his brethren according to the flesh, if only they could be saved—even
though he knew it was not God’s purpose to save them all. Equally, we must not
delight in the destruction of men, but we must be earnest in their salvation.
The
Reformed faith and a solid Calvinism is not the enemy of fervency in evangelism
and anxious desires on the part of the saints to see the salvation of their
neighbors.
Let
us get on with the important business of loving our neighbors as ourselves. It
is the command of God.
-------------------------------------------------
(III)
(III)
More to come! (DV)
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