The Search for Significance

The Blame Game 79
tion to love and a desire to help. By believing
these truths, we will be able to love the person
just as God loves us (I John 4:11), forgive him just
as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32), and accept
him just as God has accepted us (Romans
15:7). This does not mean that we will become
blind to others' faults or failures. We will still
see
them, but our response to them will change considerably,
from condemnation to compassion. As
our self-worth is less dependent on other people,
their sins and mistakes will become less of a
threat to us, and we will want to help them instead
of punish them.
But what about our response to unbelievers?
Although they haven't yet trusted in the cross of
Christ to have their condemnation taken away,
Jesus was very clear about how we should treat
them. In Matthew 22: 36-39, He told His disciples
to love the Lord your God, with all your heart,
soul, and mind, and also, to "love your neighbor
(both believers and unbelievers) as yourself" Jesus
was even more specific in Luke 6:27,28. He said,
"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do
good to those who hate you, bless those who curse
you, pray for those who mistreat you. n Christ didn't
come to love and die for the lovely, righteous people
of the world. If He had, we would all be in
trouble! Instead, He came to love and die for the
unrighteous, the inconsiderate, and the selfish. As
we understand His love for us, and that He rescued
us from the righteous condemnation we deserve
because of our sins, we will be more patient
and kind to others when they fail. It can be very
helpful if we compare the failure or sin of others
with our sins that Christ died to forgive: "There is
nothing that anyone can do to me that can compare
with my sin of rebellion that Christ has completely
forgiven" That should give us a lot of perspective!