God Hates Sin...But Loves The Sinner

Leviticus 20:22-24 -  ‘You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.  And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.  But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

God repeated many of the statutes he had already given Moses….but this time he added the penalties for breaking any of them.  The repeated list of ‘do nots’ included correct treatment of our parents…sacrificing of our children to another god… and the many sexual practices that were routine in other nations.  God was clear…honoring our parents…revering the gift of a child….and keeping the marriage bed pure…were of the utmost importance on our lives.

The reason they were so important is listed right here as well.  God calls his people to be separate from the rest of the world.  In obeying his statutes…we place his name on our actions…and take one more step toward total faith in his power over sin in our lives.  God hates sin… but loves the sinner so much that he wants to strip sin of its power to control any part of our heart.

I admit that it is very hard to find the fine line between hating the sin…and loving the sinner.  After all…we are all sinners….saved only by the grace and blood of Jesus Christ. The key is in the way Jesus himself modeled for us how to love all people.  His whole life was driven by the mission his father had sent him to do.  He healed the sick…and loved on anyone that came to him for help. He turned no one away.

When Jesus returned to his father…he gave the task of loving on sinners to those who believe in and accept his love. If our focus is still on the world and what it has to offer…then we might miss someone that needs to be told about God’ love.  We must become more like Jesus…focused on God…and how he wants us to tell others about him. As the old hymn …Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus says…’then the things of this world grow strangely dim…in the light of his glory and love’….

Father…thank you for the reminder that you love me more that the sin that manages to creep into my life. Forgive me for the times that I allow that sin to focus me more on the world around me instead of the task that you sent me here to do. Help me to turn my eyes completely on you…so that you can empower me to do all that you sent me here for. Amen.