Love the Sinner and Hate the Sin?

I was reading this morning from the book, Death by Love, and came across an interesting point. The phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” actually has its origins in the Hindu Gandhi’s 1929 autobiography, yet Christians toss about the phrase as if it comes directly from the Bible. (Before you jump to a conclusion about what I’m saying, please read on.) However, in contrast we can find several places in Scripture where God clearly says that he hates certain individuals or people groups.

“The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.” Psalm 5:5

“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” Psalm 11:4-5

“Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels.” Hosea 9:15

(NOTE: I’ve heard people say that “hate” means “to not prefer”, and that almost always is used in the context of Jacob and Esau. Without outright denying that interpretation, I will say you cannot apply that particular translation of the word “hate” every time the Scripture says God hates something or someone.)

How do we reconcile our use of this phrase “love the sinner and hate the sin” with the Scriptures? If we are going to so freely toss this phrase about, then we must build a case from Scripture that will help it stand. I find it troublesome that Hindu wisdom has crept into the vocabulary of the born again church.

The trouble is that most people, when attempting to build a Scriptural case for “loving the sinner and hating the sin” will turn to places in the Gospels where Jesus fellowships with sinners and tax collectors, and yet ignore the places in the same Gospels where Jesus speaks very harshly to the Pharisees and chief priests. We can’t build an argument for loving sinners without taking into account the fact that for some sinners Jesus reserved some very harsh judgments (woes). Even in Jesus’ ministry, there seems to be some sinners upon whom he poured out love, and some sinners upon whom he poured out anger.

The importance of this question is actually huge. It’s not that we become hateful in our demeanor toward the person sinning, but if we see someone sinning, we do become angry about the sin and toward the person who is committing the sin. What’s the difference between rape and the rapist; murder and the murderer? Can the person sinning be completely extracted and separated from the sin they are committing and be treated as two separate entities? So in the church, when a person is living in open sin, do we say to the person in sin that we don’t agree with what they’re doing, but continue to treat them as if they were doing nothing at all? That’s called a passive condoning of the behavior and actually makes us accomplices to the sin because we enable it to continue. That’s what happened in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 5 when they continued to fellowship with the guy who was sleeping with his step-mom. And in their passivity they too were sinning.

I may sound like a warmonger, but I assure you I am not. I’m just kind of tired of hearing Christians say that born again people should never become angry over sin. And in part, I attribute it to the acceptance of worldly or pagan philosophy, like “love the sinner, hate the sin.” I readily admit that ultimately our anger should always be a motivator to see that justice and righteousness prevails, which is the most loving thing that could happen to the person in sin, thereby in a sense, making Gandhi’s statement applicable. But due to bad teaching in the church at large, we have redefined love to mean the absence of hate. Any parent should know, if I don’t hate the things that would harm my children, then I will eventually allow those things to bring harm to them simply through my passivity. So even though I have hate in my heart toward certain things, I am still a loving father, and I am more of a loving father because I allow myself to hate certain things.

“What about my own sin?” Some people, when confronted with the sin of another person, may begin dwelling upon their own sin and thereby feel condemned because they have exhibited self-righteous anger toward another person for sins that are just as damning as their own sin. I understand why someone may think this way. We must remove the plank from our eye before removing the speck from someone else’ eye. I firmly believe this needs to happen. But let me be clear about this. Satan will attempt to diffuse your righteous anger over sin and injustice by sort of “blanket condemning” you over your own sins. If he can successfully diffuse your anger, then the motivation to hold anyone accountable will be quenched. This type of general conviction over your own sin is not from God, but rather is condemnation from Satan. Conviction from the Holy Spirit is specific and tells you exactly what needs to be repented from. The counterfeit conviction from Satan is often vague and non-specific as if there’s a mystery sin issue you need to deal with, but you just can’t finger it, or it maybe just a general sick feeling about your sinful condition as a whole. This is what will entangle you and could even cast you into a kind of spiritual depression. And it is this sort of non-specific spiritual malaise about our sins which Satan will cast upon us to attempt to derail the healthy, righteous anger which we should have about sin.

I admit that what I am proposing here walks a knife’s edge. If we allow anger to rule over us, we fall into sin. But if we do not exhibit anger and stifle it when it is the appropriate respone, we also sin. Jesus never said that trying to live like him would be without difficulty. So after all of that, let me refocus and ask you all this question: Can a solid Biblical argument for “love the sinner, hate the sin” be built which takes into consideration healthy, righteous anger against sin and those who commit it willfully?

Do My Ears Deceive Me?

I had to listen to this a few times to really soak in the absurdity, the horror, and the eschatological undercurrent in what this guy says. I still am in disbelief at what I’ve heard. This reporter from Newsweek (Evan Thomas) says that President Obama is “sort of god.” Scary, yet not totally unexpected.

Election

As I was reading in Acts chapter 13, I came to verse 48. Before I quote it for you, let me say that if you do not believe in God’s sovereign election of his children, you will have a hard time dealing with this verse.

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

I’m not sure that one could find a more direct verse – outside of John 6:44 – concerning God’s sovereign election of His saints to salvation.

Election is one of those words which strikes fear into the hearts of many. When we speak of election, people tend to think of Calvinism, but the fact is that Armenians also believe in election. What is election? Election could be simply defined as God’s sovereign choice in eternity past of those who would be born again into His family. Calvinists and Armenians – again put simply – primarily disagree on His method of choosing people, not whether He chooses or doesn’t choose.

Why is the doctrine of election so maligned? It makes people angry, it makes them feel helpless. I know a brother who left our church because he couldn’t attend a church that believed in election. I think the heart of the matter is that it makes them feel powerless. The idea that we control our own eternal destiny gives us some sense of pride that we made the right choice in loving Jesus. It makes us feel like we’re in control. Scripture, however, teaches the exact opposite.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” John 6:44

“As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands;no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,not even one.” Romans 3:10-12

If God is the one who calls people to salvation, and no one can seek God, we are left with little options. God is the one who calls, who elects people to salvation. He did it in eternity past before He laid the foundation of the world.

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” Epesians 1:4-5

We are completely at God’s mercy to call us to salvation. There is no escaping this Biblical truth. I can do nothing to bring about my own salvation. I can’t earn it, I can’t buy it, it is completely God’s sovereign choice to call me to salvation.

How should we respond to this? Does salvation occur in a vacuum of human activity? Thankfully, no. God includes us in the process. We don’t do the saving, but we provide the catalyst through which God saves people. We proclaim the Gospel. It is through the hearing of the Gospel that the Holy Spirit regenerates the hearts of the lost. God has given us a role to fulfill in the work of salvation. Yes, God can and God has saved people in situations where the Gospel wasn’t being preached. Paul was saved on the road to Damascus by direct intervention from Jesus himself. I’ve heard of stories of people from closed countries where the Gospel has not penetrated who were saved through visions and dreams given to them by God. But this clearly isn’t the normal means by which God saves people.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

There is one objection people raise about election which is probably the most difficult for many to overcome. How can God be a loving God and choose some people yet reject others? This isn’t a new question. It arises out of a misunderstanding of our own innate lovableness.

Let’s say that a man’s daughter is kidnapped by a gang of rapists, who rape and kill her (This thought is intolerable to me and makes the point all the more potent). Through an amazing set of circumstances, they all end up on a plane; the father and the gang of rapists. The plane’s engines begin to fail and the plane begins spiraling toward the ground. In another amazing coincidence, the father has two parachutes. As hurt and wounded as he is, the father unshackles one of the rapists and gives him a parachute. And they both float safely to the earth while the rest of the rapists die a fiery death in the plane crash. Is the father unmerciful and unloving because he let everyone else on the plane die? No! It was GREAT mercy and compassion that moved the father to rescue the one rapist. They all deserved to die, yet mercy and compassion moved him to save one.

It is GREAT mercy and love which moved God to call any of us to salvation. We are the rapists! It was our sin which killed his Son. We think far, far, too highly of ourselves when we think God unjust for leaving anyone out of his redemptive works. Isaiah says that our best efforts to please Him are as clean as a woman’s menstrual cloths. Our best efforts at pleasing Him are utterly disgusting to Him. Why not? Wouldn’t you be disgusted if your daughter’s rapist and murderer tried to buddy up to you?

The fact that He called even one of us to salvation demonstrates that He is loving and He is merciful. And He has called an innumerable multitude of people to Himself which magnifies His love and mercy to an incalculable degree – truly love beyond degree!

Worshiping on the Way

In my study through Acts, I’ve made it as far as chapter eight. The Lord really spoke to me as I was reading about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The first thing that occurred to me was that God gave Philip no details in his instructions to head south of Jerusalem to Gaza. He just said start walking. And Philip did so without question. He didn’t know what he was looking for, he just knew God said to go to Gaza.

God frequently asks people in the Scriptures to go places without providing many details. He didn’t even tell Abraham where he was going. He just said, “Go from your country . . . to the land that I will show you.” These people of faith needed few details; the directive to go was enough. I’m not saying that there wasn’t some internal wrestling of the soul, but it never led them to question God. Gideon is the only person I can think of who asked for more details. And I am not inclined to believe that his actions are meant to be an example for us to follow. Philip just started walking.

It doesn’t say how far down the road Philip had traveled before he encountered the Ethiopian. It may have been 2-3 miles, it may have been 20-30 miles. And Philip doesn’t stop to ask God if he should speak to the Ethiopian. He just runs up beside the chariot and begins speaking.

Why are we so tentative? Philip just opened his mouth and began speaking. All Philip knew is that God had told him to go to Gaza. It seems to me that Philip didn’t have any pretensions about about speaking with this man. He didn’t say, “This must be why God sent me to Gaza.” He simply ran up to the man and began sharing. I don’t think for one moment that Philip thought any more or less of this Ethiopian than any other person he had ever shared the Gospel with. He had no idea that this man was the reason God had sent him to Gaza.

If we are faithful witnesses, there is no telling what God will ask us to do or where God will send us because he knows we will be about His business every step of the way. That’s huge. We tend to think in terms of destinations. Mission trips, conferences, camps, etc. God thinks in terms of journeys. We think about what we’ll do when we get there. God thinks of what we’ll do on the way.

The Absence of Power Leaves Us With Plausibility

I seldom title my blog entries before I begin writing them because I don’t want to be tied down to sticking to the title. This time it is different. And while my title may not roll off the tongue with ease, I want to stick to this topic because it is increasingly a topic which keeps being brought to my mind by the Spirit when I have my morning coffee and Bible.

I say “plausibility” because that is the word Paul uses (in the ESV) when he writes to the Corinthians in chapter 2 when he declares that his words were not “plausible words of wisdom.” (2:4). His words were supported by the display of God’s power in his life and ministry. And later in chapter 4 he tells them that the “kingdom of God does not consist inf talk, but in power.” (4:20) You might ask, “What are plausible words of wisdom?” It means that it’s only theoretical because there’s no evidence to support your claims. It’s purely academic because you display no reasonable proof that what you’re saying is the truth.

Then in Acts chapters 3-4 we see the first miracle performed through Peter and John when they healed the lame beggar who sat in the gate of the Temple every day for 40 years or more. People believed their message about Jesus because the Holy Spirit accompanied their message with great power through the beggar’s healing and through the preaching of Christ. And later in chapter 4 it says that the “full number of those who had believed” – which at this point was at least 5,000 people – were of one heart and soul. No one held tightly to their possessions but shared ownership with all. And it comes up again in 4:33, “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” The presence of God’s power not only supports our message, but it unifies us as one body in ways I’ve never seen happen.

I’m telling you that this is what we all need: God’s power. Do you want to be an effective witness? You need God’s power. Do you want to serve faithfully in the Lord’s church? You need God’s power. The power of God is what sustains His church, it’s what revives His church, it’s what grows His church, it’s what transforms His church. How could we ever think we could do anything without God empowering us first?

Why do we not see the kind of unity mentioned in Acts 4:32? It’s not that it’s completely absent. I’ve seen individuals who possess the heart and soul mentioned in that verse. But why is it that we are not like they were? They had 100% participation in the same heart and soul. We might have 10-20%. Where is the disconnect? It is the absence of God’s power. There are more Christians who look just like the world in most ways than there are Christians whose lives exude the presence and power of God. My heart has become quite burdened about this.

Here’s my commitment. I want the power of God to be evident in my life, in my family, and in my ministry. I don’t know how that will manifest itself. All I am certain of is that upon examination, it has been lacking. And it’s entirely my fault. This is not a selfish prayer. I want God to be seen more clearly in me than I am seen in me. I want his working to be seen rather than my working. I want his message to be spoken rather than my message. How can I live another moment, do another “ministry thing” with this knowledge of the importance of God’s power and do nothing? I pray you will join me in this quest to see God’s power more clearly displayed in and through us.

Father, I know that my heart can be easily drunken upon the attention of man. I pray that you would hold my feet to the fire. Do not allow my soul to aspire to places which belong to you. That being said, please display your power in me and through me so that you may be seen more clearly in my life and in your church. Jesus, let it be your character, your deeds, your glory which guides my every move as your child, as a husband and father, and as a minister of your Gospel. Please let these things happen in me so that you will be magnified in the hearts of those who don’t know you. Please let these things happen so that your church will be strengthened. And please let these things happen so that your message will be supported by the evidence of God’s power. Amen.

I Killed Judas.

I began studying through the book of Acts yesterday. I’m not one for rushing, so I’ve spent the past two days in chapter one and I anticipate to finish chapter one tomorrow. Today I read over the section which deals with Judas’ suicide and subsequent spilling of his bowels all over the ground. Peter was quick to remind everyone that Judas’ role in everything was predetermined by God.

I thought for a few minutes. People, generally speaking, have a hard time accepting that God at times ordains that bad things happen; that people commit acts of evil so that His greater purpose would be accomplished. This should not be a surprise to us. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. God often used wicked countries to punish the Israelites. God ordained that the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities would condemn Jesus. And Judas’ role in everything was also prophesied. All of these evil acts were ordained to happen by God. It is a natural to ask how can God remain holy and just and yet still ordain that people do evil things, and then dare to hold them accountable.

Paul deals with people who ask this question in Romans chapter nine. Essentially he reminds us that God, as creator, has the divine right to make some vessels for honorable use and some vessels for dishonorable use. “But who are you, oh man, to answer back to God . . . Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?”

I think the reason we struggle so much with this concept is because our view of fairness is far too man-centric. We think that God is unfair by making some vessels for honorable and others for dishonorable uses. But the reality is the reason God has set some people apart for acts of evil is that the human heart often, if not most frequently, only softens toward God under tragic circumstances. In reality, we are the reason God chose to set Judas apart for his tragic role in human history. We are so depraved that it takes an act of evil of this magnitude to soften our heart for a moment so God may save us. How tragic.

It is inescapable. Not only did I kill Jesus, but I also killed Judas.

The Hem of His Garment

Mark 5:25-28 – “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, ‘If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.’”

When I read this earlier this week, I was amazed by this story which I have heard so many times in my life. This woman, who had spent her life savings on trying to find a cure from the doctors of her day, displays a level of faith that no one up to this point in the Gospels has displayed. Like everyone else, she heard of Jesus healing powers. Like everyone else she searched for Him. Unlike everyone else, she did not ask Him to touch her. Rather she reached out and touched Him. And immediately, the passage tells us, upon touching Jesus’ garment, her bleeding ceased and she felt the sickness leave her body.

Everyone up to this point has been saying, “Jesus touch me! Jesus touch me! Heal me!” And let me say, there’s nothing wrong with that. We should all desire for the touch of Jesus upon our lives. This woman was different. She didn’t say, “Come touch me!” She said, “I will touch Him!” And not even Him, but just the hem of His garment. For me, this painted a vivid picture. How marvelous it is when instead of Him reaching down to us, we ascend to and reach out to Him. It’s somewhat like when God was giving Moses the Law on Sinai. God could have given the Law to Moses in the comfort of Moses’ tent. But Moses, instead ascended to God because, God told Him to ascend the mountain. And that’s what we need to do sometimes. Many times God will meet us in the valley. But there comes those times in life where if we really want to see God and catch a greater glimpse of who He really is, we must ascend to Him. There must come a time when we stop begging Him to meet us where we are, and push through the crowd, through the obstacles of life so we can reach out to touch Him. I believe that many times when we say we are going through a spiritual desert, the reason God seems to be distant is because He is waiting on us to ascend to Him.

This week, I don’t know where you are in life’s journey, but if you are in a desert, if you are longing for the hand of Jesus, maybe the thing you need to do is push through; ascend the mountain. God may not be coming to you in the valley because He’s calling you up to where He is. And if God ever calls you up the mountain, you can be assured He has made provision for the journey. In other words, He’s going to give you the strength you need in order to survive the ascent.

How does one ascend to God? It’s not a canned answer. I can’t tell you what your particular ascent is going to look like. But here are a few things that I’m sure are common to everyone’s ascent:

• Prayer – I don’t mean average prayer either (you know what I mean). I mean intense, focused times of communion with God.
• Fasting – Moses didn’t eat for forty days when he was on Sinai. Maybe we can pull of a day or two.
• The Word – pour yourself into the word
• Solitude – I doubt that this is a journey that can be shared – not immediately anyways.

That should be enough to get anyone started. From there, it’s where ever God leads you on the journey up the mountain. I hope that you all have a blessed week.

Adult Discipleship Update

I hope this message finds everyone well. We have had some challenging weeks since September 9 in our adult small groups. John Piper has charged us with a tall task. Finding our deepest satisfaction in God himself; not in His blessings, not in His gifts but in Him alone. The clarion call of The Blazing Center study has been, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” It has taught us that the unadulterated pursuit of our joy, happiness, satisfaction in God should be the pursuit of our life and should affect us at every level of emotion, in every relationship, and in every decision.

This has left some of us feeling a bit frustrated because we have come to the stark realization that we aren’t there. That’s alright. You’re not alone. Not even John Piper is there. That’s why it is a pursuit. It’s something we are following after, not necessarily something we always possess. Our complete possession of this joy will only be fulfilled when we are transformed completely into the likeness of Christ that glorious day when we stand before him at last. So don’t be discouraged. Be encouraged that you desire to possess that joy. Be encouraged that you know you are pursuing ultimate satisfaction in Jesus Christ. And most definitely glory in those moments when you gain a bit more of the joy that is promised.

Just one announcement. In November my class will be starting a home group that will meet once a month. The dates and times are forthcoming, but there will be childcare provided. The home group is not geared to Bible study, but rather for accountability and fellowship. If you are a young couple, with or without children, and are interested, please be sure to speak with me this Sunday. I want to encourage you that if you are interested in starting a home accountability group (H.A.G. – what a horrible acronym) please let me know so we may help you get it off the ground.

Until next time . . . I’ll be thinking of a better name than H.A.G.

Shane