STILL ON VALENTINE.

STILL ON VALENTINE.

Dr. Benson Omole.
The whole world celebrates Valentine's Day every 14th day, of February. 

Many Christians are not comfortable with the evasive, and sidestepped meaning of the Valentine Day celebration.
As of today, there is no definite historicity about a Saint Valentine. All about him were shrouded in near-truth, and hear-says. Saint Valentine's theology could not quarantee eternal salvation.

When Christians hear many people talking about observing Valentine's Day or Love, we quickly wrestle with balancing genuine Christian love ( as commanded in the Bible) with some of the worldly pressures and excesses often tied to the celebration of this kind of Love. Some call these tensions “the evil realities of our time”—not meaning that they are good, but meaning that they are the real challenges warring against our souls. 
Christians must wisely navigate if they choose to abstain from this unwholesome affection.

Let’s look at some of these implications carefully, and with our biblical spectacle:

1. Commercialization of Love.
One major challenge is that Valentine’s Day celebration is often driven by business orientation, and material exchange rather than sincere love and affection.
In this case, Love is measured by money, gifts, or outward display rather than sacrificial and spiritual Love.

1 Samuel 16:7 – “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 reminds us that love is patient, kind, and not self-seeking.

Christians may give gifts, but must guard against reducing love to materialism.


2. Cultural Pressure and Emotional Expectations.
Valentine’s Day often creates social pressure to prove love through romantic gestures. This can cause guilt, comparison, or unhealthy emotional demands. People may feel unloved if wrong expectations are not met.

Romans 12:10 – “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Christian love should be sincere and consistent, not seasonal or pressured.


3. Romanticization Over Holiness.
Valentine Day celebrations sometimes promote sensuality or relationships outside biblical standards. It encourages sinful lust or sinful relationships that dishonor God.

Hebrews 13:4 – Marriage should be honored and kept pure.
1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 – God’s will includes sexual purity.

Christians must distinguish between godly affection and sinful indulgences.


4. Limiting Love to Romantic Relationships.
Valentine culture often focuses only on Lovers, excluding family love, married couples, brotherly love, and charity.
This narrows the biblical definition of love.

John 13:34–35 – Jesus commands believers to love one another.
Galatians 6:10 – Do good to all people.

Christian love should extend beyond romance to community and service.


5. Historical and Cultural Mixture.
Valentine’s Day, allegedly traces back to traditions linked to Saint Valentine, but over time it blended with secular and cultural practices, which embedded disobedience to the orderly pattern of God's Love. Some of these culturally accepted elements may not reflect the true Christian values.

Philippians 4:8 – Focus on whatever is true, noble, pure, and lovely.

Christians are called to redeem culture, not blindly adopt it.

Healthy Christians must approach Valentine's Day Love with serious caution!!!

Instead:
a. Let us celebrate sacrificial love modeled after Jesus Christ.
b. Strengthen marriage and godly relationships.
c. Show charity and kindness to others.
d. Keep Christ as the foundation of love.
e. Love Christ Jesus to the extent of obeying all His Word.

If I may add this:
Let anyone who desires to abide in the unquenchable fire, for the whole of eternity, celebrate Valentine's Day kind of Love!!!

Thanks for reading.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CROSSOVER NIGHT AND THE SILENCE OF SCRIPTURE

Image
“CROSSOVER NIGHT” AND THE SILENCE OF SCRIPTURE Joshua Ojo. A Biblical Examination of New Year’s Eve Vigils “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” — Deuteronomy 12:32 INTRODUCTION:  A PRACTICE ALMOST EVERYONE ACCEPTS As December 31st approaches each year, religious centers across the world prepare for what is popularly called “Crossover Night,”  “Watch Night,” or “New Year’s Eve Vigil.” Church halls are decorated. Special services are announced. Prophecies are pronounced. “Declarations” are made over the coming year. People are told that how you cross over determines how your year will go. For many, this practice feels spiritual, emotional, and meaningful. But the most important question is not: Is it popular? Is it emotional? Is it traditional? Does it feel good? The only question that matters is: “Is it authorized by Scripture?” The Bible warns us: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” — 1...
Read more

THE BIBLE SPEAKS DAILY (DECEMBER 26th, 2024)

Image
TODAY'S TOPIC: Biblical View of Vigils and Cross-Over Night Prayers.  "...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God..." "...And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him..." 1Cor.10:31; Col. 3:17. As a Disciple of Christ, it is essential to approach this question with Biblical authority (Colossians 3:17), and a commitment to practices explicitly commanded or authorized in the Scriptures.  Let us examine this topic through the lens of Biblical teaching! --- 1. Understanding "Vigil" and "Cross-Over Night Prayers". Vigils generally refer to late-night or all-night gatherings for prayer, worship, or reflection. Cross-Over Night Prayers are specific to New Year’s Eve, where individuals or Congregations gather to pray into the New Year. These practices are popular in many religious traditions, but we must ask: Are they authorized by Scripture, and can the Church of Christ...
Read more

Swim To The Light!

Image
Swim To The Light! In October 1917, an immigrant passenger ship bound from Italy to New York was caught in a violent Atlantic storm. Among the third-class passengers was a twenty-eight-year-old carpenter named Antonio Russo, traveling alone with his five-year-old daughter, Maria. Antonio’s wife had died in childbirth two years earlier. America was supposed to be their second beginning. A place where poverty loosened its grip. A place where Maria might grow up with choices her mother never had. At 2:00 a.m., the storm struck hard. Waves smashed across the deck. Water poured into the lower compartments where immigrant families slept. The ship began to list. Panic spread faster than the flooding. Antonio lifted Maria from their bunk and ran. By the time he reached the corridor, water was already waist-deep and rising fast. Passengers screamed, shoved, fell. Bodies pressed together, all of them fighting toward the same narrow stairways, the same shrinking chance at life. Antoni...
Read more