So you are saying we should not put people on ignore who rant and rave and/or preach false doctrine?
Or that we should not present the truth of Scripture to people who twist and misuse it, due to a poor understanding of exegesis and hermeneutics?
I only have a few people on ignore, but I found I could "love" them better if I didn't engage them.
As far as spelling, as an ex-teacher, it grates on me more than you can imagine when people have poor spelling and/or grammar, sentence composition and structure, to say nothing of paragraphs that never end. BUT, more than anything, it upsets me that people have been so poorly taught. It is a crime to me that people have gone to school, where the basics should have been learned by grade 8 or 9, and these people seem read and write at a grade 4 or 5 level. (Please no nonsense about learning disabilities - I have known many people with the right help who have overcome severe LD's!)
I suppose more than anything, text speak drives me crazy. I sometimes post from my Iphone or Ipad, and I still try and maintain my standard of correct writing. Now, I am savvy enough to realize that auto-correct can abduct words in the strangest ways, and sometimes I am guilty of that.
That is why EDITING BEFORE you post is the best policy. You can correct all those silly mistakes, make it readable and understandable, then if there is one thing out of place, you can edit it in the short 5 minutes you get to edit your post.
Oh, love... right!
I do get frustrated with some cult members who spew bad doctrine. I freely admit it. Especially when they do it over, and over and over and over again. Do I love them? Ok, guilty as charged.
On the other hand, if these people are not truly members of God's church, and saved, then are we under obligation to love them? 1 John talks a lot about loving our "brothers" (inclusive of sisters in the Greek!) But it does not talk about the necessity of loving those whom we do not share a love of the same God with.
"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. [SUP]10 [/SUP]Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. [SUP]11 [/SUP]But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 2:9-11
"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. [SUP]10 [/SUP]Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. [SUP]11 [/SUP]But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 4:5-6
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [SUP]8 [/SUP]Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8
"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [SUP]21 [/SUP]And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:20-21
"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." 1 John 3:23
I may care for those who are lost, and pray for them to know God, I may hope and pray for those who are deluded about the truth of God's saving grace, but are they truly my brothers?
Not a rhetorical question, I would love to hear some answers as to our obligation to love those who are here to create strife and decision, or only here to push one doctrinal position. And yes, I do know the parable of the Good Samaritan. It means we are to care for those who are hurting, but is that the same as brotherly love?
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