To be a perfect Christian man or a perfect Christian woman, one must behave perfectly?
During Jesus time, the most religious Jewish leaders added hundreds of laws prescribing how good Jews must live. What did Jesus think of these epitomes of religious perfection? In Matthew 23 alone, He called or said to them the following:
- Hypocrites
- Woe unto you, ye blind guides
- You fools
- [you … have omitted… judgement, mercy, and faith
- [you] strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel
- [you are] full of extortion and excess
- You are full of dead men’s bones, and all uncleanness… and hypocrisy and iniquity
- You serpents, you generation of snakes… you kill and crucify… you scourge in your synagogues
Earlier, when asked to define the greatest commandment, Jesus replied:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:37-40)
Do you think that loving God and loving others is about our behavior?
Yes, . . . and no
Are we to extend acts to demonstrate our love? Absolutely. Can we “demonstrate” love to manipulate or gain favor? Can we execute “required” behaviors just like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and not be genuine?
I serve my wife, . . . so she will sleep with me. Hey, I sacrificially served my wife, don’t I GET something for that?
I respect my husband, so he will not grouse when I spend outside our budget. Hey, I stroked his ego, he owes me.
Looking on, we observe serving and respect, but the motives have nothing to do with love.
The crux? My motives and my heart.
Can you see now that it comes down to our hearts, to your heart? Can you behave properly and be far far from God and His purposes? To understand how to live and love as men and women, we must first agree that it IS all about our motives and our hearts. That is where we will begin.