Serving man in a world you love.

[Jenny A]

Not really a christian thing to do.

The bible says this about loving the world:

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the
lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever. "

Ah but you have the point right there: "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 17. You see it? Whether one is atheist or theist, the world will pass away. We all die.

But there is no god. So there is no living forever with god not even if you believe very very hard and pretend there is with all your might. That being so, it is much better to love the world and the things in the world.

And Paul does command us to love each other in the very same chapter:

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 John 10-11

So Paul commands us to love man, isn't the right? That is much better advice. Though in some cases it's very hard to follow.

You quoted:

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

This quote from Romans 14 is indigenous or stupid on your part. Let us read it in context:

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Romans 14:13-18.

It is not about self abnegation or not loving man. It's about not judging each other. It says that getting to the kingdom of heaven is not about eating the right stuff. It's about righteousness, peace and joy. ----I'm all for peace and joy--not to mention letting others eat what the want to eat. Heaven and never-never land are of no concern to me.

One of the most annoying things about Christian Bible quoters is how often you grab verses out of context and misrepresent them. The very least you could do if you must quote the Bible is to quote it for what it actually says.