Now here's an interesting question...

[Murph]

Virgil if you are out there I would love to read your input please...and Drew, and Keith, and Bob...what say you one, what say you all! Anybody else?

A friend asks...

"Love the sinner hate the sin." Is this biblical? Is this what God does? Did Jesus teach this? I have heard this said many times but I'm not sure this is a correct saying. I have actually used it myself when someone called me judgemental, but I've been reading about sin lately and I would be interested to see everyone's thoughts on this matter."

[Deleted]

When we read, "For God so LOVED the world", it was addressed to the lost, who are all sinners by nature. So in that sense it is quite biblical.

However, to say that God speaks to the sinner in a personal way through the epistles would not be true - for the New Testament is written to believers only.

[Keith]

Aug 24, 2013 12:55:19 GMT -6 Murph said:

A friend asks...

"Love the sinner hate the sin." Is this biblical? Is this what God does?

Yes, to both questions. Though that exact phrase is not in the Bible the concept and practice is:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

[Murph]

This is how I answered...

"Been out of pocket today...and then had to think about your questions Leigh. You can ask some butes... I am no theologian but will give the questions my best shot. I googled the statement ''Love sinner and hate sin" and found that it came from Ghandi in his autobiography in 1929. So the first thing is that the quote comes from Ghandi...and is not Biblical.

Second question..."Is this what God does?" God can both love and hate but does it perfectly because He's God...as opposed to us humans. We have all these motives and stuff...He can hate sin because He has no sinful intent. So he can hate the sin and the sinner in a perfectly holy way but be willing and able to forgive with love any sinner who professes faith and repents his or her sin. Take a look at 2 Peter 3:9. Hard to grasp, but remember God told us He doesn't think like we do nor are our ways His ways... Isaiah 55:8: 1 Samuel 16:7b. God is so cool and way beyond our human understanding...love what Isaiah describes in Isaiah 6...and Habakkuk's description in Hab. 3...Lord God is awesome!

Last question..."Did Jesus teach this?" Answer I think, is in 1 John 4:7-11. "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein 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 ought also to love one another." so...even tho that quote is not in the Bible, I think we would do well to remember to hate the sin...but love one another like the Lord has taught us."

[Murph]

Thanks for your input...'preciate that.