Christ Likeness: The Love of God

The Bible tells us to love one another. Love and like are different; you can love someone even if you don't particularly like them. Even so, differing beliefs can create friction among believers. This lack of love is a contradiction in terms, showing that the ideal standard isn't always reality for born-again, professing Christians. Christ-likeness means loving others as Christ does. To profess to be a Christian and not love does not fit the character expected by the fruit of the Spirit.

 Galatians 5:22-23: "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Therefore, if two professing believers meet and discover they hold different theological perspectives of God's word, it begs the question if there is vitriol, disdain, animus, and outright hate between the two. It is entirely contradictory [or hypocritical] for one or both to present themselves as disciples of Christ while failing to submit and obey the fruit of the Spirit.

 Regrettably, many who profess to be Christians fail to reflect Christ in their actions. This trend has intensified in these "Last Days," as vast groups of self-proclaimed believers live in direct opposition to God's Word. Scripture addresses this by introducing the principle of church discipline, or "shunning," for individuals who claim Christ but manifest the opposite of the Fruit of the Spirit. While we are not the judges of human souls and cannot accurately measure a person's salvation by their shortcomings, we are still called to observe their fruit. Our ultimate obligation is to love everyone, both the saved and the lost. Yet, there is a distinct difference between biblical love and personal preference. We can love someone unconditionally while genuinely disliking their ungodly behavior or recognizing that we simply lack common compatibility.✔️