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goodbyesickan So I heard the old standby "love the sinner, hate the sin" the other day. I have to say it had been a while since I had heard that particular little gem. The idea behind it is that supposedly you can love a person without approving of what they do.
Like a lot of society sanctioned lies, its deception does not lie in what is says or literally means, but in how it is used to make an unacceptable desire acceptable -in this case, hatred of homosexuals. The phrase is used as a rhetorical way of separating ourselves from those we don't like, those whose exile we feel we need to rationalize. If we truly "hate the sin, love the sinner," we should treat the "sin" of homosexual actions the same way we treat every other thing we regard as sin.
But of course we don't treat every sin the same way. Do we hold rallies against illegal music downloads? Do we protest that the military has no rules against enlisting greedy people? Do we march in front of city hall demanding an end to envy? Do we teach our children to hold up signs reading "I Cor 6:19 -- GOD HATES FATTIES!"? No, we don't. Why not? Because, for the most part, we understand that sharing the love of God is far more important than pointing out every little detail we perceive to be a flaw. We know from our own walk with God that as we learn to know His will, we increase our ability to discern FOR OURSELVES how He would have us live.
No, we do not protest every sin. We choose to protest not based on the will of God, but based on our emotional reactions. We protest those things that disgust us on an emotional, subjective level -not always on a spiritual or righteous level.
"But THEY flaunt it!" You say. Do they? Or, because it weirds you out so much, is it the thing you go out of your way to notice? Even if someone does "flaunt" the way they live, who are you to make judgment? Why do you think you can control others?
If you blow your top because someone is not living as you want them to, you should thank them. That's right, thank them -because God has used them to reveal the sin of pride in your heart. Pride for thinking that somehow you have the right to stand between another person and God.
"It is not my opinion, God says it is sin!" You might say. Well, let me remind you again that you do not have this visceral reaction to every little sin you ever see, so there is something else going on here besides just righteous anger.
When Jesus came across a group ready to pass judgment on a certain young woman, Christ declared "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." Once the accusers were gone, Christ spoke to the woman in private. It is between God and the individual -and if Christ Himself did not condemn her, what right do you have to EVER condemn anyone?
God is love. Jesus is the Truth. Truth and love can be a tricky balance, especially when you believe that someone is heading down a path that will hurt them. But as important as truth is, LOVE COMES FIRST. The greatest commandments are about love. Without love, truth is worthless -a clanging cymbol. Work on love. As you do, you will be humbled by how much you did not understand about the people you previously judged.
God did not win us over by shouting at us, but through love. If you want to change someone's life, show them pure love. Leave the chastising up to God. Nothing you say is going to work anyway. Only God can change a heart. You are powerless to change anyone's life but your own. You are not loving someone if you are trying to control them. Not even God does that.
Do you agree with the phrase "love the sinner, hate the sin"? How do you try to love people, despite feeling they are in the wrong?
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Comments (203)
God works in every way we can imagine and every way we cannot imagine. Can God turn a homosexual straight? Yes. But will God do it if no one introduces the homosexual to God, and not the bullhorn "fiery damnation" God that many people seem to flaunt at every opportunity, no, the God of Jacob and Isaac that says that all peoples and nations come from Him. Don't condemn someone before you get to know them. Keep your mind open, your beliefs firm, and your faith unyielding, and miracles will happen.
GOD IS AWESOME.
...love the sinner, hate the sin...the very idea that anyone has the right to declare something a sin because they don't believe in it, don't understand it, or believe in something against it....each religion believes that those of another religion are going to some form of hell for not following the correct teachings of some higher power...poppycock!
Thank you so much for this. I've always wanted to voice my opinions about judgment in Christian communities but I've never found a way to do it. This covers everything I've ever wanted to say.