GOD HATES
SIN! But, GOD LOVES SINNERS!
As I was
praying this morning I asked The LORD what He is saying, for me to say. Repent
came immediately to mind, as I had just finished my personal repentance time I
knew He was not just talking about me. My next thought was of my household, my
family, our fellowship, the Church, our nation and the world. In other words:
every living human being!
Before I had
entered into my personal time before GOD I thought about GOD’s Love for sinners
based in 1 John 4:8, “GOD is Love.” I had thought why do Christians judge
sinners rather than Love them as GOD Commands. Oswald Chambers said about 1
John 4:8, “GOD Loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His Nature
to do so. Now, He says to me, show the same Love to others.”
Most Christians
have no problem Loving most other Christians, especially in their religious
circle (denomination). The problem is that not all Christians Love all other
Christians for whatever reason – that is sin! Many Christians do not Love
sinners at all – that is sin! If you are a “Christian” and you do not have Love
for everyone on the earth – than you might not be a Christian. I John 4:8
actually says, “He who does not Love does not know GOD, for GOD is Love.”
John’s whole
thought is 4:7-11, “Beloved, let us Love
one another, for Love is of GOD; and everyone who Loves is Born of GOD and
knows GOD. He who does not Love does not know GOD, for GOD is Love. In this the
Love of GOD was manifested toward us that GOD has sent His Only Begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is Love, not that we
Loved GOD, but that He Loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. Beloved, if GOD so Loved us, we also ought to Love one another.”
Most
Christians seem to believe that this passage is about Loving other Christians (because
of the term “Love one another”) – which we are supposed to do; but it is about Loving
everyone! When GOD talks about sending His Only Begotten Son into the world it
was not just for Christians – it was for every human who was or will be born! The most famous verse of The Bible in the
world in John 3:16 “For GOD so Loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son
that Whoever Believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” GOD’s
full thought is John 3:1-21, “…JESUS answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly,
I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of GOD’…JESUS
answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
SPIRIT, he cannot enter The Kingdom of GOD. That which is born of the flesh is
flesh, and that which is born of the SPIRIT is Spirit…No one has ascended to
Heaven but He Who came down from Heaven, that is, The Son of Man Who is in
Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must The
Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have Eternal Life. For GOD so Loved the world that He gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. For GOD did not sent His Son into the world to condemn the
world but that the world through him might be saved. He who believes in Him is
not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he
has not believed in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of GOD…’” The key though
here is that JESUS died for everyone and everyone can be saved. Then comes
personal choice (freewill).
JESUS’
commission to His Believers was to go into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the
whole world and preach the Good News of GOD’s Salvation for all men everywhere.
Paul said in Romans 10 “…But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your
mouth and in your heart’ (that is The Word of Faith which we preach)…For The
Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there
is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same LORD over all is
rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on The Name of
The LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not
believed? And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they
are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the
Gospel of Peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all
obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” So
then Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by The Word of GOD...’”
John 4:31-38
“In the meantime his disciples urged Him saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to
them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’…JESUS said to them, ‘My
food is to do The Will of Him Who sent Me, and to finish His Work. Do you not
say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to
you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for
harvest!’…”
1 John
4:12-19 “…And we have seen and testify that The Father has sent the Son as
Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that JESUS is The Son of GOD, GOD
abides in him, and he in GOD. And we have known and believed the Love that GOD
has for us. GOD is Love, and he who abides in Love abides in GOD, and GOD in
him.”
If you
preach against sin in anger than you are not preaching the Good News. There is
no anger in Love, only Compassion and Mercy! We are all called to preach The
Gospel to our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers and anyone we
can. And when we stand before GOD in judgment there will be no excuse for why
we did not and the blood of those who die in their sin that we should have
preached to will be on our head. I do not know what that means in eternity and
I do not want to find out. In the Church’s modern preaching on Heaven we forget
to preach that we will be judged according to how we lived our life as a Christian,
Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:6-8
