K£vin,
Just one point, in reply.

Jesus said many things.
"Just love each other" was not one of them.

He did say 'love another, as I have loved you'
To add the word 'just' is to put a spin on his teaching, which alters the whole meaning.

Jesus linked loving one another with (1) obeying his commandments (2) knowing God and (3) responding to the love, revealed at the cross. These, together with (4) embracing the truth of his resurrection, and its implications, constitute 'the whole counsel of God'.

To love within the context of life, history, the future, the creation and all people, involves being on about what God is on about.

K£vin, if you desire to correct Christian comment, by quoting Jesus, you just need to be far more accurate.

Or you will just be ... unjust.
That's just about it for now.

Tennysons..

You quoted

"Jesus linked loving one another with (1) obeying his commandments (2) knowing God and (3) responding to the love, revealed at the cross. These, together with (4) embracing the truth of his resurrection, and its implications, constitute 'the whole counsel of God'"

In other words Jesus (pbuh) asked you to love people only if they share your faith and possibly the same church.

the same church with you only.

Boaz,

Do you support this view?

Peace

T

Nope.
You totally mis-read my post.

Love is not, (as you suggest I am saying), conditional upon the religion, creed, colour, shape, size, nationality, gender, goodness, badness, worthiness, or not, of the recipient of love. Not at all.

The issue here is 'What, according to Jesus, does it mean to love?'
It is not what we assume it to be.

Love is not limited by a vague adjective like "just", but rather defined by a human person, and his work of redemption, and his teaching (namely Jesus).

Love is what Jesus expounds, and reveals, and unveils, and displays it to be.
Hence the need to link the word love, not to the word: 'just' - but rather, to the whole counsel of God, to his character as Father (God is Love), his plan in sending his, his will for creation, and humanity, and so on.

Steel... I would not want to live under a Christian 'theocracy' either. So you are safe from me anyway.
The Christianity "creeping" into politics, is possibly more the RETURNing of it to where it has been hounded out by secularists.
Can you imagine the MCG with a crowd of 150,000 and all listening to Billy Graham preach ? The largest crowd EVER in the MCG attended a spiritual event. That at least tells you something about the level of faith in our community in 1957.

DEMOCRACY and FAITH. Steel, in a democracy, the people decide the laws. If sufficient people are 'Christian' they will enact laws they feel comfortable with. The one law they will NEVER implement is "You shall believe in Christ".

F.H. Brother Tennyson explained his point well. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, "If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have, even the sinners do that much".

The New Testament however, also gives authority to the STATE to prevent bad behavior, and if needed the sanction of the SWORD is valid. If an Emperor happens to be Christian, the use of the sword is still valid, providing it is used justly against the evildoer, not the peaceful law abiding citizens.

Coming down for the Bikini march ? :)

This thread has gone too far into preaching.... let's truncate it now.

Anyone else can go to the Hillsong Church for refreshment. ;-)

Tennysons..

Thanks for clarification.

Boaz,

You quoted:
"The one law they will NEVER implement is "You shall believe in Christ".

If there is one thing in history is once a theocracy is in power, it have a funny way of evolving into violence...no theocracies for me thanks...
Thanks for the bikini march invite...am sure you will enjoy it.

Peace,

T