In his letter to the Christ followers in Rome Paul urges everyone to love without hypocrisy, with sincerity and not pretend.
That creates a conundrum. The first obstacle: Define love. The English Oxford dictionary defines love as “an intense feeling of deep affection.” I believe that is woefully inadequate.
Love is so much more than intense feelings of deep affection. The highest form of love is a selfless, sacrificial love that wants the best for others. The Bible says God is love. He demonstrated it in creation and proved it on the cross.
We live in a culture that is rapidly changing the definition and expression of love. The problem is that is not our right, God has defined it and therefore it doesn’t change.
To love without hypocrisy is becoming rapidly tougher. It means we sometimes have to say and do things that fly in the face of our culture.
If someone is walking into a street of oncoming traffic do we stop them, grab them or yell at them? Of course we do.
To sincerely love someone who actively suppresses the truth of Jesus means we must tell them. To not tell them is to be a hypocrite. Pretend love sits in silence as they walk toward destruction.
Our call is to cling to the truth and love but do it with gentleness and respect.