The Words of Dr. King: Love & Freedom

We are called to abide in the love of Christ, and His love extended toward us and received in our hearts can transform the way we regard other people.   Here are some words from 1st John 4:
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.9In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Love is more than just being nice or even displaying kindness.   Love is born out of a relationship with a God who saw your need and desired what was best for you and sent His Son to die to purchase your redemption.  He saw that a changed heart, infused with His presence, was what could make things right with Himself, so He made a way through His death and resurrection to inhabit the human heart.  Love is transformational; and love sets us free - free from the burdens that way us down, free from the sins that keep us from God - He has set us free to love Him, to walk in His ways, to experience His joy, and to love others as He has loved us.   We have been given love, and we have the freedom to exercise it.

In the concluding verses of Romans 12, we see these words from the apostle Paul:
17Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.18If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.19Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.20Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Today, we celebrate the birthday of the great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - and one of the dynamics of this holiday is to encourage people to do works of service.   Over the weekend, you saw young people on the streets of Montgomery doing good for others, and no doubt there are those types of activities that are taking place today, as an expression of laying down self and loving others. 

King spoke of a tangible, non-self-serving love, even expressed toward one's enemies.   According to Rich Tucker on The Foundry blog of the Heritage Foundation:

Christianity teaches that people must love one another, and even before he began his crusade for civil rights, King frequently preached that people must love their enemies and forgive those who attempt to harm them. The marches, rallies, and boycotts he organized all featured non-violence, because they were born in Christian love and hope.

One such instance that he references is a sermon preached in Montgomery at the church he pastor, now called Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church - stored on a site administered by Stanford University, here is just a portion of the message, "Loving Your Enemies".  As he neared the conclusion of that sermon, he said that:

...love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.

Tucker points out several aspects of the teachings of Christianity that provided a basis for Dr. King's approach to the civil rights issue.  He writes:

King explained that “just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.”

King’s faith supported everything he did, and his vision for America arose directly from his Christian ideals. “If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong,” he declared.“If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong.”

He was able to identify and address a need within the human spirit, a thirst for freedom. In his final speech, in Memphis just before he was assassinated, King spoke these words:

The nation is sick, trouble is in the land, confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. (All right, Yes) And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men in some strange way are responding. Something is happening in our world. (Yeah) The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee, the cry is always the same: "We want to be free."

Two concepts for us today: 1)  the power of sacrificial love, a love that we can know by an encounter with and a relationship with Jesus Christ.  But, it's a love that not only can we experience for ourselves, but we can give it away.   That love can transform our countenance, and when put into action through the capacity we have in Jesus Christ, it can transform relationships - bringing forgiveness, healing, restoration, and even mutual respect.   It's a love that can show us how to walk with and relate to people with whom we disagree.

Another concept is:  2) the power of freedom.  Jesus said you would know the truth and the truth would set us free.   Freedom is not the license to do what you want; for the Christian freedom is being released from burdens and barriers in order to please Almighty God.   There is a longing for something greater, for something more, for a deep experience with something or someone outside ourselves, and we can have that freedom to pursue this passion, the object of whom we have identified as Almighty God.

So, today, as we hear about or participate in King Day events and experiences, perhaps we can take some principles from his teachings and apply them in our own lives.