The True Love Story by David Jeremiah

Wednesday, October 4

The True Love Story 

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. 
Proverbs 10:12 

Recommended Reading 1 Peter 4:8

The 1970 dramatic film Love Story introduced one of the most oft-quoted lines about love in the modern era: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” One of the stars of that film, Ryan O’Neal—who had the words spoken to him by his dying girlfriend—was in a romantic-comedy movie two years later with Barbra Streisand (What’s Up, Doc?). In that movie, when Streisand says those same words to O’Neal, he responds, “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.”

Most people would agree with the 1972 assessment from What’s Up Doc? of “love means never having to say you’re sorry.” But there’s a kernel of truth there. After all, “love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12; see also 1 Peter 4:8). Theoretically, that means one doesn’t have to say “sorry” to be forgiven. But biblically, there is a problem; there is a price to pay for sin: death (Romans 6:23). And Jesus paid that price for us—unconditionally. Jesus introduced true unconditional love to the human experience, paying a horrific price for our sins. But that doesn’t mean we are exempt from saying “sorry” when we sin (1 John 1:9).

Let unconditional love be the basis for all your relationships. But if you sin, always say “sorry” to God and others.

Repentance is being sorry enough to quit your sin.
Albert Martin