Articles
Love With Skin On It
Love with Skin on It
The little boy said, “I’m tired of hearing all this singing and talking about love. What I want to see is some love with skin on it.” God put the greatest amount of skin on His love to us – “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
When all is said and done, more is usually said than done. It is tragic that in the church there is always more talk than action. You might call this an “action gap.” We do not see this gap in the life of Jesus. Jesus “began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). “He went about doing good…” (Acts 10:38). Christ did all things well (Mark 7:37).
The way of Christ is the way of putting skin on our love. He taught, “And why call Me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). To the lawyer He said, “You have answered right; this do and you will live.” (Luke 10:28). Jesus emphasized that having all the right answers is not enough.
Jesus denounced the religious leaders for their failure to put skin on their religion. He said that they said but did not do (Matthew 23:3, 4).
James said it is one thing to say to the hungry and naked, “Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled”, and something very different to put skin on our love (James 2:14-16).
When Jesus came, love with skin on it was the need of the world. This is still the need of the world. John said it this way: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).
At the judgment, we will hear “Well done”, if we have put lots of skin on our love (Matthew 25:23). Bill B. Gibson (Vinita, OK)
