Love and Justice

Christianity is often associated with several key concepts , two of which are love and justice . However , it is crucial to define these two terms to arrive at a clearer understanding . This seeks to discuss the Christian view of love and justice

What is love ? More importantly , what is Christian love ? What are the characteristics of Christian love ? Paul B . Henry enumerates the characteristics

One , love is voluntarily given ' It is not forced , or demanded Christian love is all about willingness to give and share . One cannot seek love it can only

be received if it is willingly delivered . It cannot be called love if it is by force or manipulation . One should not be compelled to submit . Love is only love when it is willingly given it cannot be derived any other way . Suppose a woman is engaged to be married to a man her parents chose for her . She does not love this person , but she will marry him . The marriage may demand her to love her husband , and she might . However , this is not real love . Real love is not demanded or demanding . It is always willing

Second , love is personally mediated ' Christian love is personal There is no such thing as loving impersonally . Since love is voluntary , it follows that is also personal . It is simply because when one willingly gives something , it automatically denotes a personal decision . Say for example , a college student decides to give a friend a gift , even when there is no occasion . The gift comes from the willingness to give , and the act of giving is personal decision . This person decided to give a present out of her own free will . In turn , the choice of the gift is personal as well . Love is personal insofar as it exhibits the exercise of one 's free will

Third , love always entails sacrifice . One wants give up something for the welfare of another . Suppose a mother has enough money to purchase a new pair of shoe to replace her old , worn pair . At the last minute however , her child needs something for a class project . The mother will then postpone the purchase of the shoes to give way to her daughter Because there is no extra money , the mother will put the child 's need first . That is sacrifice

Lastly , love is beyond ordinary moral obligation ' To begin with it is not an obligation . If one is feels the need to fulfill an obligation , it is not voluntary . It is not personal , either . It is because there will be an external factor that will burden to oblige

Now that the main characteristics of love have been discussed , justice should also be elucidated . What characterizes Christian justice

First , justice should apply to all . It is universal , eternal and objective ' Since God is the Supreme Being that reigns through all the creatures of the earth , justice should also cover everything that God created

Second , justice should also be contained within a specific social structure . God...