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Straight from Hell


But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. (I Samuel 24:24)

            I’m angry this afternoon. I am offended. One person touched off the fire, but that person isn’t to blame. Our society has, for many years now, taught a deceitful, simplistic, superficial idea of love, and I’ve had enough. 
            Today’s outrage was the claim that love is free and that we should share some. Really? Love is free? Has your love for your spouse, your child, your grandchild or anyone else every cost you nothing? You have never spent a penny, or a second of your time, or a reduced Planck constant (the smallest unit of energy) in the expression of your love for someone? What a disgusting, miserable sort of love that must be. Jesus’ love cost Him His life and we’re now supposed to revere as valuable something that costs us nothing? 
           Jesus repudiated this lie as well when He said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (Luke 14:15) and “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Like 14:26-27) And “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) 
            Love is not free. It ultimately can cost us everything and the point is that we pay it because that is what love does. 
            The same people who claim that love is free claim that love is unconditional. In this, they share a shred of truth. If you love, you love no matter what the beloved does. But unconditional love does not mean that you demand nothing from the beloved. Loving demands that you demand – gently – what is in the best interest of the beloved. To say that love is unconditional, according to the common understanding of the concept, requires that we tell the serial killer or rapist, the mass shooter, the big game hunter, or the child molester that we will support them in their continuing their practice. How often do you hear people who talk about unconditional love telling these people, or those who oppose them, that these people are OK and that we should make no demands on them? Shall we continue to let them do what they are doing because letting them do so is unconditional love? 
           These platitudes presented as Christian love are sick. They are lies straight from hell garnished with a microscopic sprig of truth. No person who truly loves should utter them. No person should dare to voice these comments because it means that every cent, every second, and every reduced Planck constant of energy ever expended for love was a lie. No Christian should dare to voice them and thereby call Jesus a liar.

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