Revolution of Love by George Verwer

 I remember reading this article from the book with the same title many years ago. How true George is, we can know from back to front Calvin's Institutes, Wesley's sermons or even the Bible but still be spiritual babes, unspiritual Christians as well as bad witnesses, if we have no love. I hope like myself you will be challenged by these timely words. AK


There is, I believe, a basic ingredient which is largely lacking in Christianity today, and the lack of it is the source of most of our problems. It is the cancer which is eating away at the church, but it is no secret. In fact, it is so non-secretive that it is written on almost every page of the New Testament. And yet, because the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked, and because we are so bent on our own way, we do not see (or seeing we do not believe) that the basic message of the New Testament is LOVE!



It is my absolute conviction that most of us miss this most obvious and most repeated message, even while laying great emphasis on “sound doctrine.”



Well, I would like to ask you, “What is sound doctrine?” We have long discussions on the Second Coming, on the Atoning Work of Christ, on the Church, the Holy Spirit, etc., etc. But what about love and humility and brokenness? These usually go into a separate category, but I want to tell you that if your doctrine does not include love and humility and brokenness, then your doctrine is not sound.



There are thousands, even millions, of people who claim to be “orthodox Christians” because they cling to a certain set of beliefs in accord with the Bible. They are aware that they do not practice much humility, but they do not think that makes them any less orthodox. They are aware that they do not really love the brethren in Christ (especially those who are different from them), but that does not cause them to think their doctrine is not sound.



They admit that they know nothing of “laying down their lives ” for the brethren and esteeming the other as better than themselves, and yet they consider themselves fundamental orthodox Christians.



Oh, what an error this is! This false concept – thinking we can be orthodox without having humility, thinking we can be sound in doctrine without having love, thinking we can be fundamental evangelicals though our lives do not show forth the fruit of the Spirit – this is the greatest error that has hit Christianity even before or since the reformation!



Doctrine cannot be separated from practical living. Brethren, I do not see Jesus Christ as a dual personality, partly doctrine and partly moral, trying to bring to separate realms of truth into our minds. He was not on the one hand trying to teach us what we call doctrine, and on the other hand trying to make us morally upright. It is completely wrong to think of doctrine as being apart from living.



“Oh,” someone says, “there is a good, evangelical Christian . . . he has good sound doctrine. He does not have much love for others and he is not very humble, but he’s very sound in doctrine.” He is not sound in doctrine if he does not love the brethren. What do we read in 1 John 4:8? “He that loveth not knoweth not God.”



There is no sounder doctrine than love, and apart from love there is no sound doctrine. This is the basis of all Bible doctrine. You take the base out and everything you build will eventually collapse

George Verwer founder of Operation Mobilization