Apologia & Doctrinal:
http://tshuvah.weebly.com/02272012hatethesinlovethesinner.html
THE STATEMENT "HATE THE SIN LOVE THE SINNER" is wrong as it stands unqualified (because there is only a thin line in the statement between Biblical truth and error):
This post isn't about not showing love as Believers for the lost; rather it is about a misplaced or perverse type of love being substituted for "Agape Love"...
While it is true that by nature we are all sinners; yet in a very important sense we are NOT called to "love" those who practice gross iniquity and evil. haSatan loves those who practice evil. Tolerance of evil is in itself evil, by the sin of omission. A tolerant soft-loving attitude displayed to those who continue to commit the most vile acts, does not do those individuals who practice wickedness any good...rather it harms them, quenches conviction, and enables and encourages them to continue to practice lawlessness. -
The problem is those who want to be 'loving' but fail to abide in the distinction between Agape -vs- phileo 'love' by incorrectly substituting in application one for the other.
We're called as Believers to be Sanctified apart from the world; but not as some kind of a 'world-conformed tolerant-hippie' ! :-)
NOTE: Here is my reply to someone who commented on this post I had put on my FaceBook profile page:
...Know us by our love for "one another"/Believers - that is Agape-&-phileo, not phileo-&-eros. Seeing our love for one another is a conviction when they don't have it, and it is not shown to them who remain in wickedness, and so it moves then to repentance and draws them to YAH's Love. - Showing a misplaced 'love', one convincing themselves they are walking in Apage-Love by doing so, has the opposite effect....taking away their opportunity for conviction and repentance. - Saying I don't really like what Hitler did, but I love him - is contrary to New Testament teaching. - As Agope Love is not phileo love, Love From Above is not worldly love. - That doesn't mean don't have compassion, concern for the lost...AGAPE LOVE. - But the misplaced love that exhibits extremes says things like: "I love terrorists, murderers, and rapists; I just don't really care for what they do" <- is perverse!...almost demonic sounding if taken to the extreme. - Yeshua Messiah loves the sinner, yet He drove the money-changers out of of the Temple with a whip. YHVH loves His creation, yet calls those His enemies who are apart from Him...yet He still loves...as Agape Love is circumspect; but worldly-love is myopic. We are called to walk in Agape Love at all times...but we are commanded to not walk in phileo (friendship) with the world-which Scripture says is enmity with God. We need to pray for discernment to know the difference.
NOTE: And I replied again to another’s comment:
…You see, there's one deadly difference between the Gospel that was still proclaimed in the 60's and early 70's; and the gospel that we hear from mega-church pulpits today....One deadly difference between the sloppy-agape love that's being preached today, and True Agape Love that Scripture talks about. -
Even the song "just as I am without one plea" can be misleading in the way some preachers spin it today; as the song should be saying: 'Just as I've been with one major heart's plea...SAVE ME!'…As Yeshua/Jesus doesn't love those who are lost and in sin "just as they are", rather in the sense that: He loves them starting from where they are and inspite of where they've been! At first glance that sounds the same, but it isn't even close! The woman caught in adultery wasn't told to 'go and feel good about yourself just as you are' - she instead was told to "go and sin no more". Messiah met people where they were at, but then immediately took them in His Love and lifted them from where they'd been. - He didn't say feel good about yourself as you are and come to Me. – Rather the message was: Confess your sins, repent/turn unto YAH from your wicked ways… <- And that was still a given in the 60's and early 70's; but it is not for the most part what we're hearing today.
Now while: Condemnation not born of Agape Love is not True love, as that’s religious legalism apart from YAH’s compassion for the lost; yet love that holds no room for rebuke, conviction, confession and repentance is not Agape love either!...rather that is a worldly counterfeit love…a buddhist-style, hippie-type, feel good about yourself, peace love dove type of love maybe; but it is not Agape
What's your story?...during the 60’s I’m pretty sure I was a worse sinner than most. But back then I meet Christians who were genuinely concerned and approached me as I was, in True Agape praying that I’d turn from my wicked ways, and be Born From Above made a new creation; but they didn’t accept me unSaved into their midst as an equal, telling me to just feel good about myself and tolerating an unrepentant lifestyle…they weren’t the type of modern Christians who’d welcome you ‘just as you are’ into their circle to feel better and good about yourself; rather: They were the type of Christians who’d have you sit in the middle of their prayer circle and pray for you to repent, confess your sins, and accept Jesus/Yeshua Messiah into your life !
I love my kids, but there are some things I will not ‘tolerate’ them doing in my midst…that is true love and concern for them. – But I’m sure we’ve all seen some parents who want to appear loving, and who for the sake of that fake-love will let their kids continue in all kinds of wickedness and not even speak to them about it, so not wanting to come off as unloving…that is NOT Agape love!
Fake-agape love –vs- True Agape-Love: On the surface they look similar – but they aren’t - one will only "love" you while it silently watches you march into hell !
And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. - Jude 1:22-23.
http://tshuvah.weebly.com/02272012hatethesinlovethesinner.html
THE STATEMENT "HATE THE SIN LOVE THE SINNER" is wrong as it stands unqualified (because there is only a thin line in the statement between Biblical truth and error):
This post isn't about not showing love as Believers for the lost; rather it is about a misplaced or perverse type of love being substituted for "Agape Love"...
While it is true that by nature we are all sinners; yet in a very important sense we are NOT called to "love" those who practice gross iniquity and evil. haSatan loves those who practice evil. Tolerance of evil is in itself evil, by the sin of omission. A tolerant soft-loving attitude displayed to those who continue to commit the most vile acts, does not do those individuals who practice wickedness any good...rather it harms them, quenches conviction, and enables and encourages them to continue to practice lawlessness. -
The problem is those who want to be 'loving' but fail to abide in the distinction between Agape -vs- phileo 'love' by incorrectly substituting in application one for the other.
We're called as Believers to be Sanctified apart from the world; but not as some kind of a 'world-conformed tolerant-hippie' ! :-)
NOTE: Here is my reply to someone who commented on this post I had put on my FaceBook profile page:
...Know us by our love for "one another"/Believers - that is Agape-&-phileo, not phileo-&-eros. Seeing our love for one another is a conviction when they don't have it, and it is not shown to them who remain in wickedness, and so it moves then to repentance and draws them to YAH's Love. - Showing a misplaced 'love', one convincing themselves they are walking in Apage-Love by doing so, has the opposite effect....taking away their opportunity for conviction and repentance. - Saying I don't really like what Hitler did, but I love him - is contrary to New Testament teaching. - As Agope Love is not phileo love, Love From Above is not worldly love. - That doesn't mean don't have compassion, concern for the lost...AGAPE LOVE. - But the misplaced love that exhibits extremes says things like: "I love terrorists, murderers, and rapists; I just don't really care for what they do" <- is perverse!...almost demonic sounding if taken to the extreme. - Yeshua Messiah loves the sinner, yet He drove the money-changers out of of the Temple with a whip. YHVH loves His creation, yet calls those His enemies who are apart from Him...yet He still loves...as Agape Love is circumspect; but worldly-love is myopic. We are called to walk in Agape Love at all times...but we are commanded to not walk in phileo (friendship) with the world-which Scripture says is enmity with God. We need to pray for discernment to know the difference.
NOTE: And I replied again to another’s comment:
…You see, there's one deadly difference between the Gospel that was still proclaimed in the 60's and early 70's; and the gospel that we hear from mega-church pulpits today....One deadly difference between the sloppy-agape love that's being preached today, and True Agape Love that Scripture talks about. -
Even the song "just as I am without one plea" can be misleading in the way some preachers spin it today; as the song should be saying: 'Just as I've been with one major heart's plea...SAVE ME!'…As Yeshua/Jesus doesn't love those who are lost and in sin "just as they are", rather in the sense that: He loves them starting from where they are and inspite of where they've been! At first glance that sounds the same, but it isn't even close! The woman caught in adultery wasn't told to 'go and feel good about yourself just as you are' - she instead was told to "go and sin no more". Messiah met people where they were at, but then immediately took them in His Love and lifted them from where they'd been. - He didn't say feel good about yourself as you are and come to Me. – Rather the message was: Confess your sins, repent/turn unto YAH from your wicked ways… <- And that was still a given in the 60's and early 70's; but it is not for the most part what we're hearing today.
Now while: Condemnation not born of Agape Love is not True love, as that’s religious legalism apart from YAH’s compassion for the lost; yet love that holds no room for rebuke, conviction, confession and repentance is not Agape love either!...rather that is a worldly counterfeit love…a buddhist-style, hippie-type, feel good about yourself, peace love dove type of love maybe; but it is not Agape
What's your story?...during the 60’s I’m pretty sure I was a worse sinner than most. But back then I meet Christians who were genuinely concerned and approached me as I was, in True Agape praying that I’d turn from my wicked ways, and be Born From Above made a new creation; but they didn’t accept me unSaved into their midst as an equal, telling me to just feel good about myself and tolerating an unrepentant lifestyle…they weren’t the type of modern Christians who’d welcome you ‘just as you are’ into their circle to feel better and good about yourself; rather: They were the type of Christians who’d have you sit in the middle of their prayer circle and pray for you to repent, confess your sins, and accept Jesus/Yeshua Messiah into your life !
I love my kids, but there are some things I will not ‘tolerate’ them doing in my midst…that is true love and concern for them. – But I’m sure we’ve all seen some parents who want to appear loving, and who for the sake of that fake-love will let their kids continue in all kinds of wickedness and not even speak to them about it, so not wanting to come off as unloving…that is NOT Agape love!
Fake-agape love –vs- True Agape-Love: On the surface they look similar – but they aren’t - one will only "love" you while it silently watches you march into hell !
And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. - Jude 1:22-23.
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