If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1 John 4:20
Someone asked the question on a Christian board I use to frequent some years back: What is the biggest sign to you, we are living in the last days?
My answer then is the same as it is today–cold love.
Someone asked me then, ‘do you mean love growing cold?, and I replied yes and no…to me there is a difference, a slight one, but still a difference. Cold love is a type of love which masquerades as the Real McCoy but it is not. The comparison which comes to mind would be the type of love many of the Pharisees possessed: on the surface they loved the law but underneath they had little or no love for the people: as a result they had no real love for God.
Its predominantly found only in religious circles, and today its an epidemic within the Church of Jesus Christ. Its part of the last day apostasy.
Paul Proctor touches on the correlation between love grown cold and evil in his newest commentary today:
When Christian Love Grows Cold, Evil Flourishes
One of the biggest challenges for Christians today in our cruel and sadistic world is resisting the urge to abandon love for justice. But, love for God and one’s neighbor, being the greatest of the commandments, underscores our call and duty as followers of Jesus Christ to not take vengeance for an injury or injustice inflicted upon us or return evil for evil regardless of the opportunity or circumstance.
It’s one thing to defend – it’s quite another to attack.
Knowing and accepting the difference, which is not always easy, especially under the stress of perceived danger or heightened emotion, will affect what we say and do, revealing to those watching, particularly those with spiritual discernment, our motive and agenda, be it agape love or something else – not to mention the legitimacy and priority of our witness for Christ.
The Tennessean’s Bob Smietana, recently reported: “A new poll from the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life found that—62 percent of white evangelical Protestants surveyed believe that torture is often or sometimes justified.” He went on to say: “The poll also found that 44 percent of all regular churchgoers — regardless of race or denomination — believe that torture is often or sometimes justified.”
My question for that 62 percent and 44 percent is: How do you torture someone you love?
How do you witness to someone you have just “waterboarded” or worse for information they may or may not have? If we truly love our enemies, as Jesus commands us to, and are genuinely interested in their conversion and their understanding of God’s love and forgiveness, is such a thing even possible?
Can Christians have it both ways?
Unfortunately many prominent conservatives have successfully redefined righteousness for the brethren they share political affiliations with, by claiming “enhanced interrogation” techniques like “waterboarding” are not really torture – that such practices are justifiable because of the lives that might be saved.
Shall we save lives at the expense of souls?
Navy Seal and former Minnesota governor, Jesse Ventura, has emphatically stated in numerous on-camera interviews that waterboarding is indeed torture, in spite of what many staunch republicans claim. He should know because he was waterboarded himself as part of his Seal training.
A former Navy interrogation instructor also came forward on camera to tell a congressional hearing that the technique should not be called “waterboarding” – that “it should be called the drowning torture.” Part of his job, you see, was to teach sailors and marines how to survive it. One does not need to be taught how to survive something that is harmless.
Radio personality, Mancow Muller, used to believe waterboarding wasn’t torture – that is until he was waterboarded himself on camera. After only a few seconds he jumped up and declared it to be “absolutely torture.”
How could Christians in good conscience, support such a thing? Jesus said when iniquity abounds the love of many will turn cold. Frankly, I can’t think of any behavior colder than torture – can you?
If the Pew poll is accurate, it seems to me a great number of professing Christians have either been honestly deceived or taken pragmatism to a brutal new level. The bible says that men who trust in men – whose confidence is in the flesh and whose hearts have departed from the Lord are cursed.
What about those who resort to torturing suspects to get what they want?
Was Jesus tortured on the cross that we might torture others in His name for a good cause? Is that the gospel we are committed to or could it be our love has just grown cold?
I wonder – would Christians consider it torture if they were rounded up, strapped down, blindfolded and waterboarded until they renounced their faith in Christ?
If it’s not really torture, then I guess we have nothing to worry about, do we?
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:12-13
"If the professed convert distinctly and deliberately declares that he knows the Lord's will but does not mean to attend to it, you are not to pamper his presumption, but it is your duty to assure him that he is not saved. Do not suppose that the Gospel is magnified or God glorified by going to the worldlings and telling them that they may be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their Savior, while they are wedded to their idols, and their hearts are still in love with sin. If I do so I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel , insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness."
And what is one of the main thins responsible for Christian love going cold? I say worldliness.
I would say betrayal by others in the church…
I honestly at one time thought America was the Nation which stood apart… yet the more I listen to political parties hashing it out over the wicked deeds in each party and of course all of it being ” in the Best Interest of the people”… I begin to see that we aren’t really set apart after all.
Do you really think anyone in their right mind, who is living in the US actually thought the U.S.A would NOT have anything to do with torture methods?
I always thought it was a given… if they train men and women with the idea that they may end up in enemy’s hands and therefore they have this knowledge, what on earth ever made us think we aren’t testing it on the enemy… or even those who are captured??
We spend too time in the flesh and not enough time submitting ourselves to the workings of God… I hear it all the time in church… those people don’t want to save souls… they want blood.
Paul Proctor’s opening line is an excellent description of what i’ve been seeing for years as cold love.
I use to see witness of this in those who beat people over the head with the law–or legalism. For decades it was easy to find churches [many of them pentecostal] who always had a few members who “out of love” (they would claim) felt the urge to rob others of the freedom they had found in Christ, and attempt to replace it with their own brand of ‘love’ which was rooted in control and not real love (for the person) at all.
Its changed today–we don’t have as many legalists in churches who are more concerned with your outward appearance then your spiritual life.
Instead we have groups deeply rooted in evangelical churches who are not satisfied with God’s justice but carry and weld the sword themselves. And i don’t mean the sword of the word.
The consider themselves appointed to carry out what they term ‘justice’… if its through word or deed. Or as in the case of torture, by supporting those in government who practice it. They see this as justice, not realizing that justice which has abandoned love is not Godly justice at all.
They are just as unbalanced as the old pentecostals use to be who would upbraid you over nail polish or cutting your hair.
I believe in action speaks louder than words