Loving the Sinner
"Love the sinner, hate the sin." This is probably one of the most popular phrases in church life, particularly when we are talking about interacting with our society and/or culture. It sounds good from inside the church. I suspect it sounds meaningless or, worse, like a cop out from the outside. I was recently listening to a Focus on the Family broadcast which inspired me to rethink this concept. You can find the broadcast here and you can skip to the 14 minute mark if you want to hear what caught my attention. What if we (Christians) were required to demonstrate our love for the sinner before we could say anything about our hate of the sin? I'm thinking of Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar when he could not tell a lie. How often would I be rendered mute if I were physically prevented from speaking against a particular sin before I had actually loved someone guilty of the sin I am ready to rail against? How would this change my behavior...