Love Without Dissimulation

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.” (1Ti 5:24-25 AV)

This is a great observation from someone who has been in the ministry for a while.  What Paul is saying is that people are not all that they seem.  Consequently, our observations should not taint our love and appreciation for them, or the lack thereof.  Paul is saying that some of those who do not seem as though they have sin problems probably do, and their sins will be discovered after. Conversely, there are those whom we believe to be good persons, and there are others who are, but we will not discover it until after words.  In other words, people may not be as good or as bad as they at first appear.  Therefore, it is good to refrain from framing unnecessary opinions of others because we simply do not, nor we will ever know, the whole truth.

This is actually liberating.  This attitude towards others opens opportunity for ministry.  Our prejudice keeps us from being a blessing to those whom the LORD wishes to influence.  Our prejudgment of their character will formulate how we approach them and what we might offer by way of ministry.  We are not saying that we should ignore the obvious.  Someone prone to anger should be approached on way.  Someone with no objective thinking ability, another way.  But each encounter should have with it an element of neutrality.  Even though a person may be prone to anger does not mean that each and every time he will be angry.  No, a leopard cannot change his spots.  But his whole hide is not one big spot.

When we begin to look at others in that light, it is actually much easier to love them.  We can accept the bad and look for the good.  We can work with the bad to change it to good and appreciate the good that is there.  People are worthy to be loved.  If God loves them enough to die for them, then we should love them enough to be a blessing to them.  If God loves us, faults and all, then we should do the same, one to another.  If God is no respecter of persons, then we cannot be either.  No matter the individual, they are still an individual.  They have needs and desires just like we do.  We take the good with the bad and love on them anyway.  We would want the same towards us, wouldn’t we?