One thing I absolutely cannot stand is when people profess to be Christians and then do not live their life according to the gospel. For the past couple of years, there has been a "church" from Kansas that does just this. Most of you know exactly who I'm talking about. That's right, folks. I'm referring to the infamous Westboro Baptist Church and their fearless leader, Fred Phelps. Now, I like to use the terms "baptist" and "church" very loosely here, seeing as neither word really fits what they are. It frustrates me that they receive media attention for what they do while claiming to do it for the cause of Christ, therefore diminshing the real mission we as Christians are called to pursue. Soapbox aside, I've begun to think about how we as Christians are supposed to react to sin, seeing as we are sinners too. In fact, believers are no less sinners than nonbelievers. The only difference is that believers have been justified and redeemed. So, the real question isn't how should we react to sin, but rather how should we minister to the brokenness of others in order to show them Christ?
God hates sin. That's the bottom line. To God, a sin is a sin is a sin. Copying a couple of answers from your buddy's test is no better than killing somebody. It just isn't. That doesn't make sense to people. We have categorized sin into "bad", "worse" and "worst." We did. Not God. That being said, there is no escape from sin and I am no better than a criminal sitting in a jail cell. So what does that mean? Christ tells us to live like Him. We are to study the Word and know the gospel so that it might become basis of our daily lives. Now, this is where I get frustrated. I can't tell you how many times I've heard fellow believers say they won't associate with certain people because they are gay or they sleep around or they do drugs.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." Now, this can easily be misinterpreted. Paul is NOT saying that he had to literally become a prostitute or a homosexual or an alcoholic in order to minister to people. The bible is very clear about guarding your witness and any sin will absolutely bruise your mission. But, the bible is also very clear about another thing. Love. No, not the mushy, romantic kind. The kind of love that is willing to recognize faults and still accept someone. The kind of love that God has for everyone.
This takes me back to where I said that God hates sin. I realize, it sounds like I'm contradicting myself. God hates sin, yet He still accepts people. What? I know. It's crazy. That's where the title of this blog comes in. I hear it all the time and, contrary to popular belief, it is not actually in the bible. But, even though it isn't, it holds true. It's exactly what Christ does for us and it is exactly what He expects us to do for others. The only way to win people to Christ is to show them the love of Christ. Sure, I can talk all day about how much God loves everyone, but unless I show that love every minute of my life, no one is going to believe me.
So, rather than condemning "those sinners," show them love. Let them see that each and every one of us is no better than a filthy rag even at our best. Let them see that the there is someone who loves them unconditionally. Someone who will wash that filthy rag over and over again as long as they are willing to hand it to Him. Someone named Christ.
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