The 17th Sunday after Pentecost lists the following three readings: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:1-10 and Matthew 18:1-20. Chosen as the sermon text is Romans 13:10, “Love does no harm to the neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Every person has a worldview. Our worldview comes from parents, school, friends or religion. Pollster Barna has noted that 1 out of 30 Americans have a Christian worldview. Obviously, we need to define a Christian worldview. I am not sure what Barna means by that but here is what the Bible says about it. And it comes from a Law/Gospel distinction.

A worldview can be thought of as the eyeglasses through which you interpret all your experiences. A capitalist obviously has a different worldview than a Marxist. Limiting the discussion to religious worldviews there are only two. You are either living under the Law or living under the Gospel.

To live under the Law does not mean that you live according to the Law but rather signifies your understanding that what you do makes all the difference in how life treats you and where you are going in the afterlife. Living under the Gospel means that God alone gets the credit for our salvation and our good works not only do not save us but also only take place after we are totally saved.

Every theological verse in the Bible can be understood by this Romans 6:14 paradigm of either being under the Law or under grace; that is, the Gospel. Let’s use John 3:16 as an example. Those who live under the Law interpret this verse to mean that God does His part–loving the world and sending His Son–and we do our part–believing in Him. Those who live under the Gospel interpret this verse to mean that God does both parts. Through His love He not only sends His Son but He also creates faith in the heart that receives the benefits of salvation. God gets ALL the credit!

In regard to Romans 13:10 about love being the fulfillment of the Law, again we find the difference between the Theologian of Self-Glory and the Theologian of the Cross. The Self-theologian thinks that as long as you do something out of love, you are fulfilling the Law. The Cross-theologian realizes that only when you fulfill the Law do you truly demonstrate love.

For the Self-theologian of Glory, abortion and gay marriage can’t be wrong if they are done out of love; that is, not bringing an unwanted child into the world and not forbidding two same gendered people to marry if they truly love each other. The Theologian of the Cross realizes that acts of love from God’s point of view are only those deeds, words and thoughts that are consistent with the revealed Will of God as found in holy Scripture. Therefore, regardless of the apparent motivation behind the decision to abort or commit a homosexual act, both acts are an abomination in the sight of God.

Love is not a feeling by which we measure our ethics; love is an attitude of putting God and His revelation first and foremost. One does not teach love by exhorting tolerance; one teaches love by exhorting compliance with the Truth; that is, the will of God. A Christian husband who never speaks to his unbelieving wife about Christ so as not to upset her is not showing love at all. In fact, one of the great acts of love on the part of Jesus Christ was the taking of a whip into the temple as He woke up the people to the disastrous road they were on in trying to buy their way into heaven.

Those in the congregation who get this verse confused will often measure God’s love toward them by whether or not they are living a life of positive experiences from their point of view. Such a law-oriented attitude dismisses the promises of God that He will never leave nor forsake His children and that all things work together for their good.

The two worldviews are at opposite poles. When apparently bad things happen to good people, the Theologians of Glory assume that God is angry and punishing humanity for their sin. The Theologians of the Cross conclude on the basis of the promises of the Bible that God remains in charge and sees a far bigger picture than we do who look through a set of eyeglasses darkly. Perspective is everything and it is certain that the worldview of the self-righteous results in a pessimism that is in stark contrast to the optimism and sure hope of the Gospel-focused individual who keeps his eye on the promises of Jesus connected to His cross and resurrection.