The Unbelievable Truth: God

Really Loves Sinners

“One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who
stray as “those evil people” or “those poor people who need our help.”
Nor must we search for signs of “love-worthiness.” Grace teaches us
that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.” –
Philip Yancy; “What’s So Amazing About Grace?”
For some reason, there are Christians who find it difficult, even
impossible, to accept the idea that God really does love terrorists and
rapists and murderers. Even though they all quote scriptures like “For
God so loved the world…” and “While we were yet sinners Christ died
for us” and many other verses, the idea of actually believing that
God loves those evil people is just too much to bear.

When we say that God’s love is unconditional, that’s exactly what it

means. He loves us because He is love, not because of anything we
have done to deserve that love. God’s love for us is not based on our
goodness, in fact it’s in spite of our lack of goodness. His love is
unmerited. His grace is lavished upon the filthy. That’s what makes it
“Amazing Grace”. Because if we were basically good people then His
grace would only be “Nice” it wouldn’t be “Amazing.”

The truth is that if God can’t love Osama Bin Laden, or Hitler, or the
Umpire who blew that call in the World Series, then He can’t love you
and me. We’re all sinners. We all deserve punishment. We all sent
Jesus to that cross. And what did Jesus say to those who nailed him
there? He forgave them. He forgave us all.

Granted, not everyone has received that love and mercy. But if those of
us who have received His mercy and amazing grace do not extend it to
those who have yet to taste of it, then how else will they ever see it? If
those of us who have been forgiven don’t love those who don’t deserve
it, then how will they ever know His unconditional love?
See, it’s not just that God loves those filthy sinners, it’s that you and I
are also commanded to love them too.

“If you love those who love you,” Jesus said, “What credit is that to
you? Don’t the pagans do that?”

We are called to love our enemies, and to pray for those who do evil,
and to show mercy and grace and compassion to those who don’t
deserve it, because we don’t deserve it either.

Jesus shared a parable about this once. He told a story about a man
who was forgiven a massive debt and then went out and demanded
payment from another person for a very small amount. When the
Master who had forgiven the large debt heard this, he called the man
back into court and said, “I showed you great mercy, and yet you were
unwilling to forgive someone even a small debt? Because of this, I will
throw you into prison and you will not get out again until you have
paid me back every penny you owe.” (See Matt. 18:21-25)

See, if we really believe that we are sinners saved by grace, then we

need to love and forgive others in the same way. Not just those who
insult and injure us, but also those who harm others.

Just listen to what the worst sinner of all has said about this:

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ

Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am
the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in
me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense
patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive
eternal life.” – Paul the Apostle, (1 Tim. 1:14-16)

So, God really does love the filthiest of all sinners. We need to learn to
accept this unbelievable truth, because if we can’t accept that, then
we’re lying to ourselves about our own condition. We believe that we
are better than everyone else if we can’t accept that the worst of all
sinners is the one who looks back at us in the mirror each morning.
Either God’s love is unconditional or it’s not.
What do you really believe?
*
Keith Giles’s new book “Jesus Unbound: Liberating the Word
of God from the Bible”, is available now on Amazon and features
a Foreword by author Brian Zahnd.
JOIN ME IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: Sept. 15 at “Proactive
Love: How Loving Our Enemies Changes Everything”. Register
HERE>
I also co-host the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast on iTunes and
Podbean and I live in Orange, CA with my wife of 28 years and our
two sons.

Half Truths: Love the sinner. Hate the sin.

We’re on our final week of our Half-Truths series. This series is based on a book by Rev. Adam
Hamilton called Half-Truths. In this series we are looking at common sayings that are often
associated with Christianity and said by many Christians. And at first, they may sound OK, and
we often mean well when we say them. But when we look a little closer we realize that these
sayings aren’t as true or as Christian as we first might have thought. The final saying we are
looking at today is “Love the sinner. Hate the sin.”

This weekend, as I watched the news out of Charlottesville, I debated writing a completely
different sermon for this morning. When neo-Nazis and KKK members are marching in broad
daylight on the streets of America, their words and actions filled with hatred and racism, then
there is the need for the word of God to be heard. When people are killed and injured by an act
of domestic terrorism for the world to see on TV. The church should not remain silent.
So yesterday, I wrestled with whether I should throw out what I had written and instead devote
this sermon solely to what is taking place in Charlottesville, and what it says about what is taking
place all over America. But in the end, I decided to mostly remain with my original sermon. I did
this for two reasons.

First, I was unsure that I could come up with the words needed to theologically address the
events taking place in Charlottesville. Like many of you, I am still trying to make sense of what
has taken place, and how God is calling us to actively engage in opposition to hate, racism and
white supremacy. The second reason that I stuck with this sermon is because I think it does
speak, in several important ways, to the events of this weekend. We need to be talking about
love. We need to be talking about sin. We need to be talking about hate. And it’s more important
than ever, that we speak loudly of love and tread carefully when talking about hate, sin and
sinners.

Love the sinner. Hate the sin. It sounds Ok, on first read. How can it be bad to love
anybody? And doesn’t it sound really Christ-like to love sinners? And shouldn’t we hate sin?
Especially if we think of sin as things that we do that hurt ourselves, others, or hurt God.

The phrase is not in the Bible, though. It is thought to have originated with St. Augustineseveral
hundred years after Jesus. In one of his letters he called for early Christians to have a “love for
mankind and a hatred of sins.” Over the ages, this saying has appeared in various forms, but
they all mean basically the same thing. If we know of someone who is sinning, we should
continue to love them as a sinner, but hate and condemn the sinful actions they do. And this
does sound true, right?

Never stop loving someone no matter what horrible things they’ve done. But here’s the catch.
Rarely, are we ever able to contain our hatred only to the sin. Ghandi once spoke about this
saying: “Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is
rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.”

Love the sinner. Hate the sin. If we practice this, we end up focusing much more on sin and the
label of sinner, much more than we focus on love. Jesus never said love the sinner. Jesus said
love your neighbor. Jesus knew that if he commanded people to love the sinner, they would
begin looking people more as sinners than neighbor.
Think about it. If I said to you right now, I want you to love everyone sitting here in the
congregation today, especially those who have been recently diagnosed with a highly contagious
form of smallpox. Are you going to focus on loving your neighbor, or on who looks a little under
the weather today.

Love the sinner. Hate the sin, doesn’t lead us to love, instead it leads us immediately to a place of
judging who is a sinner and what sins are they guilty of. Love the sinner. Hate the sin, is often
used as code for saying “I judge you. You are a sinner, you should be ashamed that you do
_____, but even though I am better than you, I will love you anyway.”

This is a good time to read our second scripture this morning. Because it addresses this very
topic.

Luke 18: 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10‘Two men went up to the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was
praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers,
or even like this tax-collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.”13But
the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his
breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14I tell you, this man went down to
his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but
all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

In Jesus day, the Pharisees were Jewish authorities, who by all accounts, should be considered as
righteous. They strictly lived their lives according to proper Jewish laws. And to many who first
head Jesus tell this story, they would probably agree with the Pharisee’s self-assessment. He was
a righteous man, especially when compared with the tax-collector. The tax-collector would have
even agreed that the Pharisee was more righteous than he was.

But in a twist at the end of the story it is the tax collector who is justified by God, and not the
righteous Pharisee. Seminary professor, David Lose says this about the story:

“Here is the essential contrast. One makes a claim to righteousness based on his own
accomplishments, while the other relies entirely upon the Lord's benevolence. Rather than
be grateful for his blessings, the Pharisee appears smug to the point of despising others. In
his mind there are two kinds of people: the righteous and the immoral, and he is grateful
that he has placed himself among the righteous. The tax collector, on the other hand, isn't
so much humble as desperate. He is too overwhelmed by his plight to take time to divide
humanity into sides. All he recognizes as he stands near the Temple is his own great need.
He therefore stakes his hopes and claims not on anything he has done or deserved but
entirely on the mercy of God.”

What matters to God in this story, and in our own lives, is not who is righteous, but who is
judgmental and who is not. Not who lives a so-called perfect life, but who realizes their
dependence on God and that righteousness is a gift from God and not our own doing.

So coming back to Love the sinner. Hate the sin. The problem with this saying is that it focuses
us on the sins of others, on judgment of others, rather than on our own sin and being honest
about where we are with God. Love the Sinner. Hate the sin, at its heart focuses on the sins of
others and our judgment of them.

In the Half-Truths book, Adam Hamilton tells this story about Billy Graham:

Some time ago I read an interview with Billy Graham’s eldest daughter, Gigi. She was her
father’s date to Time magazine’s seventy-fifth anniversary party, a banquet in
Washington, DC. President Bill Clinton spoke at the event. He had just been impeached by
the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice. The charge of perjury
involved what President Clinton had said, under oath, about his relationship with White
House intern Monica Lewinsky. At the banquet, her father sat with President and Mrs.
Clinton. He was warm and gracious to them. After the dinner ended and Graham and Gigi
were riding back to their hotel, the two discussed difficulties the president and First Lady
were going through with so many people gossiping and judging. Gigi said her father’s
simple comment was, “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict; it’s God’s job to judge; and it’s
our job to love.”

It is our job to love. Not to judge. It is our job to love. When we label someone as sinner, we
stop seeing the person and we start seeing the sin. Our job is not to convict but to love.
Should we keep silent about the problem of sin? Of course not. There are absolutely times when
Christians must stand up and name sin and evil for what it is. This moment in the life of our
country is one of those times. We must name hatred, racism, white supremacy, and the failure to
condemn them as sin. Any Christian who engages in actions or rhetoric motivated by hate or
racism, has ceased to represent Christ. Any Christian who remains silent in the face of racism
and hatred, will have to answer to God for their complicity.

But we must resist the urge to judge and label those protestors in Charlottesville simply as
sinners or to think of them as lesser people, not as holy and righteous as we are. Our job is not to
convict but to love. In fact, Adam Hamilton says:

The truth in “Love the sinner, hate the sin” stops with the first word: Love.

Let me ask you this. Where have you most often heard the phrase Love the Sinner, hate the sin,
used? I have most often heard it used in terms of homosexuality. For those Christians, who
believe that Bible says that homosexuality is sinful, this verse has been used to explain how
someone can condemn a large part of someone’s identity while still claiming to love that person.
Ask someone who is gay, ask someone who is transgender, ask them if they feel loved by people
who say love the sinner, hate the sin.

When we use this saying we are first and foremost defining that person as a sinner, rather than as
someone we love. Furthermore, as you heard Kelsey read from Matthew, we should not be
judging other people, we have enough sin in our own lives that makes us liable to
judgement. The only person we should label as sinner is ourselves. Love the sinner, hate the sin
should be rewritten and we should instead be saying, I love you, even despite the fact that I am a
sinner.

· Everything happens for a reason.

· God helps those who help themselves.

· God wont’ give you more than you can handle.

· God said it. I believe it. That settles it.

· Love the sinner. Hate the sin.

Five half-truths. So if I have done my math correctly, that makes 2.5 whole truths. And isn’t that
better than no truth? If there is some truth to these why do we really need to be worried about
saying these things? If we mean well, isn’t that enough. Unfortunately, that’s not enough. The
reality is these half-truths can hurt people who need hope and healing. These half-truths can be
destructive to someone in a time of need. These half-truths can discourage people and turn
people away from God and Christianity.

And even more importantly, why would we give someone a half-truth when we could give them
the whole truth of a God who loves them and is there to support and guide them every step of the
way.

I am indebted to Rev. Adam Hamilton and his Church in Kansas that made the inspiration for
this sermon series available to other churches and preachers, and so I’d like to close with his
words today:

I’d like remind you of the “whole truths” we found behind the half truths we have rejected.
We reject the idea that everything that happens is God’s will. Instead we say that whatever
happens, God is able to able to work through it, to redeem it, and to bring good from it.

We reject the idea that God only helps those who help themselves. We recognize that God
expects us to do what we can to help ourselves. We pray and we work. But ultimately the
very definition of grace and mercy is that God helps those who cannot help themselves.

We reject the idea that God won’t give us more than we can handle. This is partly because
we reject the idea that whatever adversity we face is given to us by God. What we do
believe is that God will help us handle all the adversity life will give us.

We reject the idea that every verse of Scripture should be read, out of context, as the literal
words of God. Instead we recognize that the biblical authors were people, influenced by
God but not merely stenographers. Like all of us they were shaped by, and responded to,
the historical circumstances in which they lived. And thus we believe that, when they are
rightly interpreted, God speaks through the words of Scripture in order to teach, guide,
shape, and encourage us.

Finally, we reject the notion that God calls upon Christians to “love the sinner, hate the
sin.” When we choose to focus on the sins of others and speak of hating their sin, we violate
the words and spirit of Jesus. Paul calls us to hate our sins, and Jesus calls us to love our
neighbors, all of whom are sinners. When we demonstrate love and not judgment, we draw
people to Christ rather than repel them from him.

Forgiveness of sins
Jesus’ work

All those who come to faith in Jesus and ask Him to forgive them of their sins because
they have repented of them, receive unmerited, undeserved forgiveness by grace. There
is no requirement for us to achieve anything in order to receive the forgiveness of sins.
We see this clearly when Jesus opened the way into Paradise for the robber on the cross
who repented of his sins: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” This is God’s great
love for us that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life.

“… the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus …” Romans
3:21-24.

Jesus bore our sin and the sin of the entire world, both upon His body and in His body.
When He died on the cross, the just for the unjust, He wiped out the handwriting of
requirements, or the letter of accusation, or the condemnation that came from breaking
the law. “The wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23) and Satan used this for what it was
worth to accuse people before God. There was nothing more to accuse now – Jesus
had crushedThis refers to the process in which God breaks down a person’s own self-
righteousness, strength, and pride so that they can come to a position of humility and
obedience wherein He can use them to carry out His will.... the power of the devil by
overcoming all the sin that had entered in through the Fall. The debt of sin had been
paid. The devil was never able to outwit or fool Jesus into doing His own will. On the
contrary, by God’s help, by power and grace from on high, He overcame every time. This
work took place in His body, in His flesh, and thereby He had power over death. By this
work we also have the possibility of receiving forgiveness for all the sin we have
committed.
Paul puts it in this way: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was
contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the
cross.” Colossians 2:13-14.

Those who committed sin in the old covenant were guilty according to the law and were
punished; some even received a death sentence. Sacrifices always had to be offered for
sin, but these sacrifices did not take away sin. (Hebrews 10:1-4) However, Jesus, God’s
only begotten Son, took all the sins of the world upon Himself; we can say that He took
the blame for all sins committed throughout history. He did not give in to temptation
like all people before Him, but in the power of the eternal Spirit that was with Him, He
overcame all the sin that had entered in through the Fall, which was the source of all
subsequent falling in sin throughout history. Thereby He wiped out the “handwriting of
requirements” that went against us! This is incomprehensibly great! It means that we can
partake of Jesus’ life without having done lots of good works to deserve it – we are
saved by grace!

Everyone can therefore receive forgiveness by unmerited grace for all the sins they have
committed; but if we want to enter into the life of discipleship there are some clear
conditions. Peter says: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. A
wholehearted conversion must result in us turning away from the old life where we
served sin and sought the world with our mind. We must start on a new way, on which
we seek God and the heavenly things. We cannot continue to commit sin in secret.
When Jesus met Paul on the way to Damascus, He said to him: “… to open their eyes, in
order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they
may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by
faith in Me.” Acts 26:16-18.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. It is important to understand that the forgiveness of sins is not
the final goal of a disciple, but the beginning of a new life, a life we can live without
committing sin! Paul describes this glorious development as follows: “But now having
been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to
sanctification, and the end, everlasting life.” Romans 6:22. Partaking of sanctification
means that we partake of more and more of God’s nature.

“The sea of forgetfulness”

In Isaiah we read what God says about the future: “Do not remember the former things,
nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall
you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. … I,
even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember
your sins.” Isaiah 43:18-19,25.

When we have asked God for forgiveness for the sins we have committed, and firmly
resolved not to do them anymore, God blots out the transgression, and does not
remember it any more.

“He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our
sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19.

God casts all the sins we have committed and for which we have asked for forgiveness
into this “sea.” If we have sinned against other people and harmed them, we must put
this in order, if possible. However, we must also cast the sins that others have
committed against us into that same sea. Like God, we must be able to forgive our
fellow man for their sins and injustices against us.
We must forgive

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and this is a part of the so-called “Lord’s Prayer:” “And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12.

There is a clear condition to receiving the forgiveness of sins that we also forgive the sin
and injustice which we think other people have done to us. We see that Jesus
emphasizes this in the Lord’s Prayer, which He taught His disciples.

Also read Matthew 18:25-35. Here we see how Jesus views the matter of forgiveness. If
God forgives us, we are obligated to forgive our brother. Without a forgiving spirit, we
stop serving God, and Satan gains power. If we are unable to forgive, and begin to hate
our brother, we remain in death and have no future. John says that we have passed from
death to life if we love our brothers. (1 John 3:14) That is where our future lies!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.