Here’s some honesty for you. I judge people. I love people, but I also hate sometimes. I gossip. I think mean things. I don’t love all the time....
As a Christian, this is a hard thing to admit, but I believe it’s true of all of us to some degree. With it being February, the most toxic month of the year for bad moods as far as I’m concerned, I have spent much time thinking, praying, and seeking the Lord on this subject of love and hate in regards to people and my sin of judgment upon them.
Here’s some more honesty for you. I look at the sin in my own life, as well as the sin in other people’s lives around me, and I just despise it. I hate it. Which is okay. I believe that God hates all sin as well. But when our hatred for someone’s sin begins to override our love for the individuals themselves, we have a problem.
My conclusion, at the moment, is this; we are called to love everyone, but that doesn’t mean loving and accepting everything they do. We can recognize sin or evil in their life and hate it. This is not a judgment, for we know from God’s word what sin is and what our attitude toward it should be. But that also doesn’t make it our duty to say or do anything about that sin, unless called upon by the Lord. Our only duty is that love that person with the deep love of Christ. This is a love based on the core identity of every human being, children of the living God. Jesus saw this in every person he came across, and that was what he loved, not always what they did, but who they truly were at their core. And I believe he always made sure to love this true identity before hating the sin and iniquity within us.
Simply put, you can still love a person for who they are, even if you don’t love what they do.
I eagerly await your comments on this. This is not a set in stone belief for me, these are simply thoughts that I have been having during my time with the Lord in the past week or so. Please comment your thoughts, I would love for everyone to weigh in.
-jon
Here’s some more honesty for you. I look at the sin in my own life, as well as the sin in other people’s lives around me, and I just despise it. I hate it. Which is okay. I believe that God hates all sin as well. But when our hatred for someone’s sin begins to override our love for the individuals themselves, we have a problem.
My conclusion, at the moment, is this; we are called to love everyone, but that doesn’t mean loving and accepting everything they do. We can recognize sin or evil in their life and hate it. This is not a judgment, for we know from God’s word what sin is and what our attitude toward it should be. But that also doesn’t make it our duty to say or do anything about that sin, unless called upon by the Lord. Our only duty is that love that person with the deep love of Christ. This is a love based on the core identity of every human being, children of the living God. Jesus saw this in every person he came across, and that was what he loved, not always what they did, but who they truly were at their core. And I believe he always made sure to love this true identity before hating the sin and iniquity within us.
Simply put, you can still love a person for who they are, even if you don’t love what they do.
I eagerly await your comments on this. This is not a set in stone belief for me, these are simply thoughts that I have been having during my time with the Lord in the past week or so. Please comment your thoughts, I would love for everyone to weigh in.
-jon
