The greatest of these is charity
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (King James Bible, John Chapter 14, Verse 6)
This particular verse is the mainstay of the fundamentalist evangelical movement. It basically says that all you have to do is believe in Christ, establish a personal relationship with him, and accept his as your savior, and you’re saved.
This conveniently allows you to go through life ignoring everything else that Jesus taught regarding the importance of loving others.
“The way to God is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Intellectual acceptance of Christ is not enough. You must come to him determined to turn from what displeases him, with a total trust in Christ’s saving power for you. Christ promises those who turn to him: ‘Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed from death to life’ (John 5:24).” – Billy Graham
“I am the way, the truth, and the life”…
This verse is used by fundamentalists to explain that (1) only those who believe in Christ will be saved, thus excluding the majority of the world’s population and (2) all you have to do is believe…it’s not necessary to DO anything.
It is important to realize that in the New Testament, there are many general statements like this, most of which can be controverted elsewhere, if you just keep reading. Most importantly:
-And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
-He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
-And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
-And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
(Luke 10, Verses 26-28)
-Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7, Verse 21).
Clearly Jesus says that loving your fellow man, just as you love your god, is the key to salvation, and that is the great commandment. It’s not enough to just say “Lord, Lord” to be saved. You must love your neighbor. Unfortunately loving your neighbor is not something that fundamentalists care to do, as evidenced by their acceptance of ultra-conservatist social policies and general attitude of intolerance. Part of the problem is the word “love”.
-And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13, Verse 13)
The Greek word “agape” is usually translated as “love” in newer translations of the Bible, whereas the King James version translates it as “charity”. Translating agape as love means that you can “love” your neighbor without doing anything… whereas “charity” clearly communicates the imperative of action.
Charity got a bad name during the Protestant Reformation. The idea of faith versus good works was a central issue. Many protestants believed that through its doctrine and practices (such as selling indulgences), the Roman Catholic church was stressing good works over faith. The end result of the movement of Luther and other reformers was that charity/good works was de-emphasized and the idea of “love” was stressed. This was a tragic consequence of the reformation and has persisted in many of today’s Protestant movements, especially those fundamentalist churches rooted in Puritanism which dominate the religious and social landscape today.