Loving your neighbour is a matter of knowledge

Geoff Thomas

 Sincerity alone is no reliable guide to loving one’s neighbour. When I lived in Philadelphia I met in the Welsh Presbyterian Church a Welsh vet. He told me that he had been called in to Philadelphia Sea World that week to try to discover why their prize exhibit, a killer whale, had died, and he soon found out what had happened. As the seawater in the whale's tank evaporated the authorities had pumped in good fresh seawater. They had done this utterly sincerely, but one consequence was that the saline density of the water climbed higher and higher and eventually that concentrated sodium chloride killed the whale. The staff at Sea World didn't have the knowledge of the chemicals in that tank; their love for the great whale and their sincerity in wanting to keep it alive wasn't enough. They also needed knowledge if life was going to be preserved.

So it is with us. God has given to us information as to how we should love our neighbour as ourselves, how best we can meet the physical and psychological and spiritual needs of our neighbours. That information is found in God's Word, in his commandments, the rules he has given to us telling us how we should live. They are indispensable. I watched Nicky Gumbel on video talking about taking his son to play soccer in the park on a Saturday morning. The boys and their fathers stood around for a while waiting for the referee to turn up, but he failed to make an appearance. So the boys pleaded with Vicar Gumbel to referee the game. He pleaded his ignorance of soccer and of the rule book, but they wouldn't take no for an answer, and so he started the game. He loved his son and his friends, but that was not enough in the tensions of a game of football. It soon became absolute chaos. Each team cried to the other team, ‘Off-side!’ or ‘Foul!’ or ‘Hand-ball!’ and protested to the referee and sulked. Instead of a cheerful game there was bitterness because there were no rules. Tempers frayed, and as the Vicar Gumbel didn't know the soccer code he was useless in keeping the game going. Then at 11am, an hour late, the referee rode up on his bicycle, chained it to a fence, took out his whistle and started the game, and all was well. Do the rules of a game destroy the game? No, they make the game!

Let's think of a referee for a moment. What does he need? Four things; firstly he needs to familiarise himself with the rules and the proper way of interpreting them. So it is with us and our neighbours. The Bible gives us a whole range of obligations that God requires us to meet. Husbands love your wives like this. Wives love your husbands like this. Behave in this way to your children. Love your enemies like this; love your bosses in this way, love your parents in this way. Without such basic divine guidelines loving your neighbour wisely and helpfully is impossible.

Secondly, a referee needs always to be in the best position throughout the game to make a decision. So it is with us; loving our neighbours means we get into the best position we can be for decision-making. Get as much relevant information about actual causes and possible consequences as you can before you make your pronouncements about people. There is a minimum of information that you need first of all or you are unqualified to speak.

Thirdly, a referee, in order to get his facts straight, sometimes, if he isn't placed well for a decision, will consult with one of the touch judges, or he'll ask the opinion of the video referee. So it is with us, if we are to love our neighbours truly we will turn to those who are better qualified to suggest what our response should be. I will call a friend, and pastors will write to me or will e-mail me from all over the country or from overseas with their questions about moral and ethical issues. ‘What should I do in these circumstances?’ They want to love their neighbour as themselves but need information as to how. They are hearing noises coming from people who are passionate but not well informed. The crowd are shouting, ‘Send him off . . . off . . . off . . . off!’ What should the pastor do? He certainly needs to ask for advice.

Fourthly, a referee will, when appropriate, invoke the difficult advantage rule so that the game can keep going even though an infringement has occurred - if it's to the advantage of the wronged person. I think there is an advantage rule with Christians. We must be careful not to jeopardise a greater good through needless inquiries into doubtful details. There are personal private matters into which I don't want to probe.

Paul tells the Corinthians that if they are invited out for a meal in a non-Christian home they needn't ask, or bother their heads, whether the food offered to them there has been offered to idols first. But if a 'weak' brother sitting next to them opens his eyes with horror and whispers to them, ‘This meat comes from an animal sacrificed to the idol!’ they will then reach for another dish of food on offer and decline the meat. They will practice abstinence for the sake of the conscience of the weak Christian (I Corinthians 10:25-29). Otherwise the question of eating such meat should be allowed to lie dormant. It's not necessary to spurn a pagan's hospitality in the interests of witnessing against a pagan's beliefs. Waive the idolatry issue; play your own advantage rule.