Hating the Sin
I recently wrote a blog titled, “A Christian Support of Same Sex Marriage.” I posted it on Facebook and received a few favorable replies, but there was one somewhat negative response. My Facebook friend posted this:
Love the sinner, hate the sin.
You’ve heard the statement countless times, I’m sure. It’s a cliché. This may surprise you, but I have a certain amount of respect for clichés. Phrases usually become clichés because there is at least a hint of truth in them. Still, “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is a cliché that always rubs me the wrong way.
Here’s my question – Is it possible to “love the sinner, but hate the sin”?
I have my doubts. Let me explain be describing a prevalent tendency I see in American culture. When it comes to “sin” we are trained to associate people with their actions. We could phrase it another way – In American culture we tend to reduce others to their sin. For example, if someone commits a crime, he is labeled a criminal. If someone is addicted to alcohol, she is labeled an alcoholic. If someone is caught lying, he is labeled a liar. There are many other examples, but you get the idea.
Because these labels associate the person with the sin if we hate the sin, then we also hate the sinner. The phrase is then a self-defeating trap that actually justifies our hatred of “sinners.” And it’s an addictive trap, because hate provides a sense of superiority over others. The phrase is a way of distancing ourselves from “sin” by only seeing sin in the “sinner.” We think we are good and righteous because we can compare ourselves with a sinful “other.”
Still, there might be some truth in the cliché.
One truth might be to disassociate the sin from the person committing the sin. If you can do that – well, go for it. I cannot. It takes a spiritual discipline that is beyond my powers. The other truth of the statement could lead us to an awareness that we are all sinners. If we are to “love the sinner, but hate the sin,” then we must recognize the sin that infects us all. This is what Paul was getting at in Romans 1-2. In chapter 1, Paul wrote about a litany of sins committed by those people who “were filled with every kinds of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”
That’s how Romans 1 ends, and that’s usually where we end, too. But Paul didn’t end there. “Therefore,” he continued, “you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same thing.” Paul warns that our judgments against “sinners” make our hearts “hard and impenitent.” In labeling others as sinners we make a judgment against them that blinds us to our own sins. Paul goes on to claim that among humans there is no distinction between “sinner” and “non-sinner” since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is important for Paul because any judgment against another that provides a sense of superiority over them (what Paul frequently calls “boasting”) is a sign that we are caught in sin.
What’s the way out of the trap? I think Paul’s advice is good – becoming aware of our own sin makes room for humility when it comes to the sins of others. But Paul also advises us to move beyond our preoccupation with sin and evil. “Do not be overcome by evil,” Paul wrote in Romans 12:21, “but overcome evil with good.” Evil overcomes us when we get caught up in labeling others as sinners. We overcome that evil when we do good for others, especially those “others” our society labels as “sinners.”
Question for Evangelicals: Is the Bible the Word of God?
Adam explores the Word of God. Is the Bible the Word of God? The Bible never explicitly calls itself the Word, but does call Jesus the Word of God. If we call the Bible the Word of God, does that mean we are worshiping the Bible? Is that bibliolatry? What do we do with conflicting passages of the Bible? Jesus says "You have heard that it was said, eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer." Here Jesus is challenging certain parts of Scripture. See, for example, Deuteronomy 19:21. If Jesus interpreted the Bible through love and mercy, we should do the same.
Birthday Parties and Biblical Hospitality
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