The Christian Love Test

Loving the Sinner Without Loving the Sin

By Taylor Ducket

July 1, 2012

As Christians we are supposed to be an extension and a reflection of Christ. Lately I have seen a lot of Christians, but I am not seeing Christ; this is a problem. Many people quote the scripture that states, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The question that often comes to my mind, though, is how much of Christ is really living in you on a daily basis?

With the President’s announcement supporting gay marriage, the recent debates over homosexuality have brought out the worst in people, especially Christians. I get saddened by some of the things I hear and see Christians saying and doing with regards to this topic. A lot of what is being said is hateful, hurtful, and judgmental, to say the least. I feel that as Christians we have forgotten a couple of important spiritual principles.

The first principle is that we are to love everyone. Jesus made it very clear that we are to love even our enemies, no matter what. Nowhere in the Bible is there a section that gives exceptions to this command; it is simply love everyone, period, end of story. 1 John 4:7-8 sums it up perfectly. This scripture says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Why are we as Christians treating those who God called us to love with so much hate? Hate and malice only open doors for the enemy to run rampant in your life; they also block your blessings because you are disobeying a direct order from God. Christianity is beginning to develop a reputation as an intolerant religion, and that is disastrous for our faith. We were told to go forth and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19). How can we make disciples of all the nations if we cannot even make disciples at home? This does not mean condoning the sin, but everyone needs God in their lives, even those who practice homosexuality. Instead of shunning them we should welcome them with open arms, that they may give their lives to God and begin a wonderful journey with Him, and possibly be open to repent of their sin.

Secondly, passing judgment is not our job because none of us are in the position to judge the sins and actions of others. Many of the Christians who are going around judging people have huge logs in their own eyes that they need to remove, yet they insist on worrying about the specs in their neighbor’s eye (Matthew 7:3). Why would people who are homosexual want to come and be a part of a church where they would be judged and looked down upon constantly? Bottom line: We are called to still love the sinner but hate the sin. Regardless of whether a person agrees or disagrees with gay marriage, who are we to judge, when we all have sin in our lives in some area? Some of the most judgmental people that I have met in my life have been other “Christians.” I feel that this is because the church has forgotten this principle: do not judge others. Matthew 7:1 tells us to “not judge others lest we be judged“. Many people condemn homosexuality as a sin worse than others; however, in God’s eyes sin is sin. The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. We have all sinned; no one is perfect or blameless. Don’t judge others because they may sin differently than you ,because at the end of the day, we are all sinners who need to repent, and seek forgiveness.

My goal every day is to let God have His way in my life, but in order to do that Christ has to be truly living through me. Whether I agree or disagree with gay marriage is irrelevant because the Word has the final say, and I am not going to treat you any differently based on how you choose to live your life. We all have choices. I will instead evangelize to you, invite you to church, and pray with you whenever needed. As Christians our desire should be to represent Christ the way He deserves to be represented 24/7/365. We need to not be Christians in name only and should strive to move from knowing the Bible to living the Bible. Preaching tolerance, peace, and love but causing all manners of chaos, destruction, and injustice makes one a hypocrite and it’s confusing the unbelievers.

Above all else we need to love and forgive all of our neighbors just as God has loved and forgiven  us.

With Grace,

Taylor Duckett

Contributing Writer, B.L.O.G. Magazine

Taylor Duckett is a student at the University of Miami majoring in Political Science and Economics. She enjoys writing creatively in her spare time and writes for her college newspaper. Taylor is a woman who says yes to God everyday no matter what and God is truly the Lord of her life.