A Loving Church

A Loving Church

Matthew 22:34-40 

John Wesley’s discussions of any segment of Christian truth led him quickly into love.  He truly believed that “God is love.” Every aspect of atonement is an expression of love; holiness is love; the meaning of “religion” is love.  Christian perfection is perfection of love.  Faith works by love.  Ethics is the out-flowing of love.  In fact, it would be impossible to extract a doctrine of holiness out of Wesley’s works and suppose that love could be discarded.

Love is the essential inner character of holiness, and holiness does not exist apart from love.

Self-love is as necessary to wholeness as love for others; but love for others, even for God, requires a measure of self-acceptance and self-esteem, which holds the “ego” in self-conscious identity and respect. In Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz, he tells a story on page 230-232. 

Love to God sets the soul in the right direction. As self-love grows, healing takes place and the heart begins to stretch out to a world that needs God.  

To be able to love others (your neighbor) you have to love yourself.

I would like to quote a poem from Mildred Bangs Wynkoop; A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism:

Love takes the Harness out of Holiness.

Love takes the Incredibility out of Perfection.

Love takes Antinomianism out of Faith.

Love takes the Moralism out of Obedience.

Love takes the Gnosticism out of Cleansing.

Love takes the Abstraction out of Truth.

Love puts the Personal into Truth.

Love puts the Ethical into Holiness.

Love puts Process into Life.

Love puts Urgency into Crisis.

Love puts Seriousness into Sin.

Love puts Fellowship into Perfection.