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To: timm22
Is Jesus saying we should obey Him because He wants us to obey Him?

No, he's saying that if we love what he is, we will obey Him. Since a major point of Christianity is being like Christ, this is a measure of devotion.

Does the passage preclude showing love through other forms, such as through faith?

Let me put this in a different context: when I married my lovely bride, I promised to honor and cherish her, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until we were parted by death. Now, if I show derision toward her every time I speak, cheat on her constantly and ditch her when she gets cancer, am i her loving husband? Am I showing her love because I have a piece of paper that says I'm her husband?

Works won't buy your way into Heaven, but as Rich Mullins once said, "Faith without works is like a screen door on a submarine." See the book of james for further clarification.

126 posted on 01/03/2008 1:59:43 PM PST by Mr. Silverback (Support Scouting: Raising boys to be strong men and politically incorrect at the same time.)
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To: Mr. Silverback
No, he's saying that if we love what he is, we will obey Him. Since a major point of Christianity is being like Christ, this is a measure of devotion.

Okay, I think I may understand. I guess the confusion comes in because I am not seeing the "SHOULD" part as it relates to obeying God's rules. To me, it reads more like a prediction or a description than it does a justification. It also doesn't seem very universal.

Let's say that someone, maybe a Buddhist or an atheist, chooses not to love Jesus. Are they then justified in being indifferent to God's laws?

137 posted on 01/03/2008 2:25:39 PM PST by timm22 (Think critically)
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