God hates sin.
No matter what denomination, what location in the world, what race and even what religion, this is something we can all agree on.
And while we too as believers should hate the sin, the thing I hate is we often don't love the sinner. Am I saying condone the sin? Absolutely not~ I just feel we too often make a person feel not worthy, not good enough & ultimately not accepted through our attitudes toward them and the judgment we cast.
The sins run the gamut~ sexual sin, stealing, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, murder, betrayal etc.
What did Jesus say in terms of how we should treat someone who has messed up and people with addictions? John 8:7 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!'
If we don't always judge the person who has stumbled, we are too eager to throw Bible verses at them, and 'perform' we epicly fail in loving them, meeting them in their place of hurt, disappointment & heartbreak.
Christians, let's show them how much we care before we show them how much we know . . . better yet, let's show them through our love toward them how much we know Him!
It just seems many believers have the worst case of amnesia in the world. What did each one of us deserve? Romans 6:23 provides that answer.
'For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.'
WE ALL deserved death and if it was not for Jesus that's exactly what we would've earned by being sinful thus separated from God.
Let us be ever mindful of much of a glass house we live in! Every single believer in Jesus Christ lives in a glass house because He paid a price for us we couldn't pay on a debt He didn't owe! And yes, even though you may conveniently forget from time to time, we ALL have a past!
I believe as Christians we all live in the same place~ in a glass house in the state of salvation on Grace Lane.
One of the truest quotes I've ever heard is, 'Every sinner has a future & every saint has a past!' Praise God . . . just because you have messed up in the past, through Jesus, you have hope moving into the future and since we 'saints' have a past, let's start being quicker to love than showing off our arm casting stones!
How many unbelievers, and young believers, do we turn away because instead of loving them where they are, we sit on our thrones and look down at them?
If we don't love them, what incentive do they have to become a Christian? When we fail to meet someone with the same mercy, grace, forgiveness & love we've been extended, we just reaffirm everything they've heard most of their life~ that they're not good enough, they don't belong and there is no place for them here. If we do not love them, what incentive do they have to continue being a part of the church family?
We get so hung up on how it may look to others when we should only concern ourselves with how it looks to God and what would he have us do even, and especially, if it makes us feel uncomfortable.
Though the sin is terrible, look at how Jesus treated sinners~ He did not call them a fool, he did not quote scripture to them as much as He loved them!
Let's encourage each other like the Word tells us to do instead of being so quick to point out the speck in our brother's eye when we have a gigantic log in our own (Matthew 7:3)
The Bible doesn't say to stomp on a person when they fall, it says to encourage them when they stumble.
Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Proverbs 12:18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing and 25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another & build each other up.
See, I believe in an effort to stand for truth and not sacrifice our standard, we often fail to love a person, bring them into the fold before we try to disciple them and in doing so we run them off, make them feel inadequate and/or judged.
Am I saying using scripture, sharing it with someone new to the faith/church, is wrong? No way! I'm just saying let's look at them through the lenses of love before we so eagerly beat them over the head with our Bibles.
A Bible is a tool to guide us, encourage us, strengthen us, help people with & share the best news of Jesus, it's not to be used as a weapon except when we are using it against the devil and his demons/dark angels!
Yes, I understand, stealing is wrong, lying is wrong, homosexuality is wrong, other sexual sin is wrong, coveting is wrong and so on and so forth, but I also know we as Christians fail to treat people, who are willingly or unwillingly trapped in sin, as people . . . instead, we treat them like lepers and we are doing them a favor even being around them.
But the truth is, that's not how Christ would've treated them when He walked this earth 2000 years ago. Let's be mindful of the fact they have feelings just like us . . . even the ex-con who you're leary to be around.
Let's reach out and love. . . people!
Ghandi said, "I do not have a problem with Christians, it's just you Christians do not look like your Christ."
As a believer that should anger you, but more than that quote bothering you, it should make you want to show every person you come into contact with on a daily basis Jesus~ after all, it may be the only time they see Him that day!
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