Which is more important? Virtue or Love?

There are two parts to the salvation message.  The first is while we were yet sinners Christ died on the cross for our sins,  thus providing us with a way of escape from those sins and providing us access to the very thrown  of God.  This is what we share a believers.  The knowledge that God will not hold our trespasses against us.  The next step of faith is virtue.  As Christians we think we need to work the rest of our lives to live up to that unobtainable perfection that only Christ was able to obtain and hold all others to that same perfection. 

But we are missing the point!  Christ called us to be virtuous, yes but he also told us that his greatest commandment was this:  That we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves.  So I ask you which is most important?

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 says:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all the mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." 

You see God wants us to be virtuous, but If we do not care about our fellow man then why are we being so virtuous?  Is it for the glory of God or our own glory?

Take the Westboro Baptist Church for example. (The point is not to pick on Westboro but to examine ourselves).  They live this virtous life, they believe just like we all do that sin is wrong and that our nation needs a saviour.  The difference is that while they are right in that our nation needs moral guidance, they are not sending out this message in love.  The truth is that their protests are coming back as a noisy gong and a clainging cymbal.  People are tuning them out and their words are coming back void. So you see, we can not change hearts and minds without love.

How are you choosing to love?  How are you being the hands and feet of Christ to this world?  Are you living the great commission?  Are you choosing to do God's greatest commandment?   

A great friend of mine has started a non-profit organization called the Good Campaign.  I am praying that you pray and ask God what you can do to show his love.  I am going to post a link to their website so you can join.  

In the mean time:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Please pray for Christ Church of Flagstaff this week.