Separating Sin from Sinners :: Luke 15:1-10
Luke writes: Now when all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near to [Jesus] to hear him, both the Pharisees and the scribes continued to murmur, saying, This one receives sinners and eats with them (vv 1-2). [Introduction] I’m sure y’all have heard it said, “hate the sin but love the sinner.” I don’t know where that expression comes from. Some attribute it to Gandhi, who suggested in his autobiography that failing to follow that idea is why there is so much hatred in the world. But is it true ... that we are supposed to hate the sin and love the sinner? Does God hate the sin but love the sinner? Can we separate the sin from the sinner, or the sinner from the sin? What happens when we ignore the Law and neglect the Gospel? Our Gospel reading from Luke 15 addresses these questions. 5. Let’s speak to this truth first: Yes, God hates sin. It doesn’t matter what sin we are talking about. Name yours ... idolatry, blasphemy, ignoring what Jesus said ... dishonor, ...