This is what everyone who comes to Christ has to do! To turn from our life of sin, whatever that sin may be!
Stealing?Stop!
Lying? Stop!
Prejudiced? Stop!
Hating? Stop!
Abusive? Stop!
Engaging in homosexuality? Stop!
Unmarried and sleeping around? Stop!
Cheating on your husband/wife? Stop!
Every sinner who places their faith in Christ, has to stop and turn away from their sin, no matter what that sin is!
Why? Because that’s what loving Christ is about. Jesus Himself said:
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)
Those who claim to love Christ, has to love Him more than anyone or anything else in this whole world! This means obeying all His teachings and living according to the Bible.
But, those who claim to love Christ, also has to love others just as Christ loves them!
Jesus summarised it best when He told us what the greatest commandments were:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39)
Jesus calls all Christians to love God with all we’ve got. Not only that, we are to love those around us (our neighbors), as we would love and care about ourselves.
Jesus raises the bar further when He declares:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Love is the cornerstone, the foundation of life! It’s all about love! But, without God, we cannot love! Without God, there is no love! Why? Because:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)
Jesus commands all Christians to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
The love of Christ compels us to proclaim salvation! His sacrifice for us demands nothing less than our love and devotion for Him. Our relationship with Jesus demands that we proclaim the Good News! Our love for Christ requires that we love others like Jesus loves them! Christ our Lord calls us, His faithful followers (not mere Christians by label), to be aware of our own sins, to not condemn others, but to share the Good News of Jesus with others so that everyone can find eternal life in Him and freedom from their sins!
Hate the sin. Love the sinner.
I saw a comment that someone made on Dan’s post. This person was saying that if Christians are supposed to take everything literally, the “hate the sin, love the sinner” is found nowhere in the Bible.
Sorry, but that assumption is just plain wrong. Christians do not take everything in the Bible literally. To those who think or believe that, I challenge you: where in the Bible did you see that? Show me if you will!
Hate the sin. Love the sinner. This is what Jesus lived when He was here amongst us! He showed us how to do it! He came to save the sinners, but each time He saved them, He commanded them to stop sinning, to turn away from sin! Thus, Jesus loved the sinner enough to save him or her, but hated the sin enough to ask them to stop and turn away from it!
Following the perfect example lived out by Jesus Christ, every faithful follower of Christ CAN HATE EVERY sin AND LOVE EVERY sinner, without contradiction, thereby fulfilling the greatest commandments of our Lord and Savior, God Almighty, Jesus Christ!
My desire for those whom I love and even those whom I do not know well (including you dear reader), is that you will come to know Jesus as I do, so that one day, you will share my joy and be with God in heaven for all eternity!
This my dear reader, is what the Christian faith is all about: sharing with everyone, the Way to heaven, Jesus Christ, by genuinely living out (not just talking about) our love for Jesus by pouring it out on everyone, no matter who they are!
My Jesus calls me to love everyone, including the liar, the adulterer, the homosexual, whoever you are. Because I love you, I will tell you the truth in love. If you reject it, I will still love you by praying for you. Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners, but Himself was without sin. Those who were with Him knew that He was not there to encourage them in their sin, but to turn them away from it and to grant eternal life to those who placed their faith in Him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:15-17)
Like my Jesus, I will love each one of you, but not without warning you to turn away from all that is sin before God.
Just like He expects me to turn away from all my sin and follow Him with all my heart.
I am praying for you.
God bless you all.
Thank Sri 🙂
At last some ratnioailty in our little debate.