You know what I get tired of? Religious people who go to church and do all the stuff they’re supposed to, but give them half a chance and they rail on somebody. I get tired of people who talk about the love of God, but never seem to show it; never seem to demonstrate grace and unconditional acceptance.
On the one hand, I think it could have something to do with that last statement I made. We sometimes fall victim to thinking that unconditional acceptance means of all a person does: their actions, choices, ideologies, etc. Instead, I’m talking about unconditional acceptance of the person. Then, of course, it’s easy to say that we love people unconditionally, but fail to realize that if our actions don’t back that up, we’re just offering religious platitudes.
On the other hand, it is too often that people are simply being religious, and not transformed. In verse 8, John says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The translation is simple, isn’t it? If your life is not characterized by the kind of unconditional, active love that God is, then we are not saved because we do not know Him. That is a very serious indictment that we had better not dismiss. Eternity rests on it.
