Love the sinner; hate the sin?

I'll admit, I've used the saying "Love the sinner; hate the sin," before. However, it never dawned on me that my attempt to show love to broken people might actually belittle and shame them (after all, I said to love the sinner!). I cannot claim that I have come to this conclusion on my own. In fact, I had never considered the weight of these six words until I read a blog post (http://bethwoolsey.com/2013/10/3-reasons-i-quit-loving-the-sinner-and-hating-the-sin/) last night that was shared to Facebook.

When we say, "Love the sinner. Hate the sin," we imply that we regard someone else as a sinner. While it is true that everyone, in fact, is a sinner (Romans 3:23b — "...we all fall short of the glory of God."), we as fellow sinners have no right to call others such. We are not to sit in God's chair and judge in His place. Likewise, we should not point out others' sin and hate it, but should hate our own sin. Handle the plank in your eye before you point out the speck in someone else's eye (Matthew 7:4, Luke 6:41-42).

We ought to simply love people — our neighbors (Luke 10:29-37) — and show them grace, for, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us," (Romans 5:8b). We are all sinners, and we have no right to call other people sinners (as if we are exempting ourselves from this title); nor do we have any right to hate the sin of others rather than hate our own sin.

Instead of loving the sinner and hating the sin, we should simply love.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Life is (Un)Fair

Throughout the Old Testament, the promises of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience seem inconsistent with real life for many of the people whose stories are recorded in the Bible. For some of the righteous and obedient, life seemed very “unfair,” as we define it, yet some of the wicked prospered. In the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job, the reality of a fair life versus an unfair life is portrayed in the lives of man.

Psalms, written by numerous authors over years and years, is a book full of songs, poems, prayers, laments, and praises to God—human reflections about life. All of Psalms can be generally grouped into two categories: lament and praise. Psalms of lament—cries, struggles, sadness—are found throughout the book of Psalms as confessions, complaints, or prayers for relief or the destruction of enemies; these can also be known as psalms of disorientation (when the writer endures life’s hardships and brings his struggles before God). Psalms of praise are often songs or poems about trust or thanks toward God for all of His blessings; these can be known as psalms of orientation (when the writer’s life is untroubled and well ordered) or new orientation (when the writer receives a new beginning after orientation and disorientation have happened). Both lament and praise are forms of worship, making worship a full experience of life’s ups and downs.

Proverbs was written for the purpose of passing on wisdom from the writer to the next generations. It includes advice and basic knowledge about life. Proverbs promotes the idea that the obedient are rewarded and the disobedient are punished, following what Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 say. The way of the righteous—life—and the way of the wicked—death—are the two distinct ways of life mentioned in Proverbs repeatedly. Proverbs 3:33 (“The Lord curses the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the upright.”), Proverbs 4:18-19 (“The way of the righteous is like to first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.”), and Proverbs chapter 10 are just a few of the proverbs that contrast the righteous and the wicked.

Ecclesiastes can be seen as a depressing book; however, its truth reveals something much deeper about life than most readers realize. In much of Ecclesiastes, the author wrote and reiterated that everything is meaningless. He had everything a man could ever want in life but he was not happy. Eventually he came to understand that his earthly pleasures could never fill the space where God was needed—they were meaningless in comparison. Nevertheless, despite the many declarations of meaninglessness in Ecclesiastes, there are more cheerful areas of the book. The writer eventually acknowledged that wisdom is good, and he told his readers to “eat, drink, and find satisfaction”—to enjoy what God has given them—because the Lord is a God who provides.

Job was a righteous man in the eyes of the Lord; yet the Lord tested him, and Job lost everything. His children were killed, his livestock and other possessions were taken away or destroyed, and he was afflicted with sores from head to toe. Throughout his period of sadness and loss, Job’s friends tried to comfort him, but they failed and displeased God in the process. The Lord spoke to Job and his friends, displaying His sovereignty and ultimate rule over every aspect of life. Only God, the sole judge of man and earth, can determine what is “fair,” but Job challenged God by saying that he thought God was being “unfair” and needed to do things more justly. When Job admitted to God’s rule over his life, God blessed Job with more children, livestock, possessions, and a long life.

With the confusing definitions man provides for what is fair, “fair” can only be determined by God, the ruler, Creator, and judge of mankind and all of creation. Because we live in a fallen world, bad things happen to everyone at some point, even those who obey God; but God calls us to trust His plan for our lives. Life is hard and does not always seem “fair,” but God didn't want that for us; His plan was for His creation to dwell with Him, away from pain and trouble. When we disturbed His plan by trying to be in control like God, we could no longer be in God’s presence. He is holy—set apart from sin and wrong—and we became blemished with sin’s stain. However, since Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden, God has been working to bring His people back to Him. God loves the world and everything in it. His ultimate plan for man is redemption; He wants to bring us back His loving arms, where we belong.

Weekend of Leadership

I spent this weekend at North Texas LTC with my family and friends. For those of you who do not know, LTC stands for Leadership Training for Christ. It is a Church of Christ convention that takes place every Easter weekend. Each year focuses on a different book of the Bible, a theme found within that book, and a specific verse that highlights the theme. My church participates in LTC every year, preparing students from third through twelfth grade for months before LTC. We students practice songs for large and small choruses and memorize lines for dramas; we practice giving puppet shows and study the Bible in preparation for Bible Quiz; we log hours of service throughout the year and write speeches or create art pieces or write poetry or children's books. These events we prepare for, among others we can take part in, align with the given theme, book of the Bible, or verse for that year. This year I sang in two choruses, participated in a drama, and gave a short speech.

The theme this year was "Give it Up," taken from Luke 14:33: "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." In January, when I heard what the theme was, I immediately thought about an issue that had recently arisen in my church: instrumental worship. (You may be wondering how instrumental worship ties to the theme. In my speech, which is included at the bottom of this post, I explain how I connected these ideas and why I think this subject is too important to be dismissed.) The topic of instrumental worship was fresh on my mind because it had just been announced that, starting on Easter Sunday, we would have two worship services—an a cappella service and an instrumental service. I had no problem with this because I love both ways of worshiping. I've sung a cappella all my life and love to sing in harmony with my family and friends. However, I also have a history with guitars in my family. My grandfather, great uncles, and many other relatives play or used to play the guitar; and my brother and I both play now. We've grown up with instruments all around us while attending an a cappella church. We were never taught that instrumental worship is bad or wrong. We just knew that God loves it when we sing to Him, when we play for Him, when we pray to Him. However we choose to worship Him, God loves it because we are giving Him a piece of ourselves.

Because of my church's recent decision to include instrumental worship on Sunday mornings, many members who do not approve of instrumental worship became upset about the impending change. For four weeks, all teenage and adult members attended a group class about instrumental worship. I took notes in each class and gathered useful information, some of which I included in my speech. I wanted to share my thoughts at LTC because I believe that instrumental worship is a wonderful way to praise God. So, I wrote a speech about instrumental worship.

On Saturday, during the hour leading up to my speech, I grew more and more nervous about giving my speech. I had thoroughly prepared for my speech in advance and had practiced giving it to my family several times, but I was afraid. I shook before and during my speech, but my voice was clear and my mind was set.

I gave my speech within the three to six minute time range allowed and followed grammar rules and speech etiquette. I did my best to look at my audience and make eye contact with the judges. I tried to act humbly while still allowing my conviction to show through.

At the end of the day, we were told what each of our events earned: gold, silver, bronze, or honorable mention. I was awarded silver for my speech and was shocked. Not because I only got a silver, but because I actually got a sliver! I knew going into it that I was taking a risk by talking about such a topic at a Church of Christ convention. Both of my judges disagreed with me about instrumental worship, but they had enough reason that they were not blinded by their opinions and judged me more fairly than others might have. Granted, I was still disappointed that I did not receive a gold, but who wouldn't be? I figured I wouldn't receive a gold, but I had still hoped for the best.

I was elated that my drama and choruses had earned golds and that my friends had done well in their events as well. I had a long day, but it was worth it because I got to enjoy it with my friends and family.

For anyone who is interested, below is my LTC speech.

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Luke 14:33 from the Message says: "Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple."

As our theme verse says, Jesus wants us to give up everything to follow him. So, today I would like to challenge you all to be open-minded for a few minutes and perhaps be willing to lay aside or give up a previous mindset. I am going to bring up something that is rather controversial in the Church of Christ, but I ask that everyone hear me out, even if he disagrees with what I have to say. I would like to focus on the controversy instrumental worship.

I would like to begin by saying that instrumental music is scripturally founded. I have heard it said before: "Give the Bible to someone who has no preconceived notions about the Bible, and it would be hard for them to conclude that instrumental worship is wrong." I agree with this statement. There are innumerable scriptures about instrumental worship—I counted at least twenty-five different passages of varying sizes that mention worship with instruments.

2 Samuel 6:5 says: "David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals."
Psalm 33:2-3 says: "Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy."

Not only is instrumental worship mentioned in the Old Testament but in the New Testament as well.  Revelation 15:2-4 says: "…They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: 'Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.'"
I would also like to point out 1 Corinthians 12:5-6. "There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us." This does not focus on instruments, necessarily, but I believe it deserves some attention. However we serve God, we are still one body serving one King.

Another notable point is that instrumental worship is not a matter of salvation, but a matter of preference. For example, I respect a cappella music—in fact, I love a cappella music. By the end of the day, I will have been in two a cappella choruses that I have thoroughly enjoyed preparing for over the last few months. However, I am also a guitarist and I love instrumental worship. I lead worship for our youth group every week, singing and playing my guitar to praise my King. Whatever your opinion is, instrumental worship should not be a dividing factor in the church. There are far more important things the church should be concerned with, like reaching out to the outcasts and loving everyone we meet.

Instrumental worship, at its simplest, is heartfelt worship of our Lord. It can draw people to their Creator and has the potential to become magnificent praise if we allow it. God deserves our attention and affection, but if we get sidetracked by arguing about means of worship, we can hurt our brothers and sisters and neglect praising the Lord. Instead of arguing, turn your hearts to God and praise him with all you have. As long as you are praising God, disagreement about the way you worship is of little importance. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." That is the main point—whether you prefer to sing or dance or play an instrument or teach, you can worship God gladly in everything you do.

This is my challenge: Give up the controversy and focus on love.

"In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:33

Worship Him Gladly

Psalm 100:1-2 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.

Psalm 100 is one of many scriptures dedicated to praising God. Worship is such a vital part of our relationship with God that it pours from the Bible in heaps of verses and entire chapters. This clearly indicates that worship is not something to be put aside for later. It can be something we do throughout the day, in everything we do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

There are many forms of worship (music, dance, teaching, writing, etc.), and everyone goes to different measures to worship God. Music is perhaps one of the most moving means of worship—certainly broadly used—and I venture to guess that many people enjoy music as a primary form of worship. However, with numerous forms of worship can come controversy as to which should be used, particularly controversy about music genera.

Following are four passages about musical and other worship:

2 Samuel 6:5, 14-15
David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. ... And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams' horns.

Psalm 33:2-3
Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.

Psalm 150:1-6
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! Praise him with a blast of the ram's horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Revelation 5:13
And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: "Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever."

God deserves not only our attention but our affection, so turn your hearts to him and praise him with all you have. As long as you are praising God, there is no need for argument about the means of worship. 1 Corinthians 12:5-6 says, "There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us." Whether you prefer to sing or dance or play an instrument or teach, you can worship him gladly in everything you do.

Seven Signs in the Gospel of John

During the course of his ministry recorded in the book of John, Jesus performed seven signs, or miracles, that had earthly meaning as well as heavenly purpose. As each sign grew in magnitude, from turning water into wine to raising a man from the dead, the purpose of bringing glory to God was fulfilled.

            

The first sign Jesus performed was changing water to wine. Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother Mary told him that there was no more wine. He replied, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” However, she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Nearby were six stone water jars that each held from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. After they filled the jars he told them to take some of the water to the master of the banquet. The master of the wedding banquet tasted some of the water, which had been turned to wine, but did not know where the wine had come from. He liked the wine and told the groom so: “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best for last.”

         

The recipients of this sign were the servants who filled the jars with water; they witnessed Jesus’ first sign. Although changing water to wine sign seems inconsequential to the overall plan, it was the first of Jesus’ miracles, signifying his transition into ministry.

            

When Jesus visited Cana again, a royal official whose son was deathly ill heard that Jesus was in town and went to him and pleaded for Jesus to come and heal his son. Jesus said to the official: “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe.” The official asked again that Jesus come heal the child before he died. Jesus told the official, “You may go. Your son will live.” The official went home and found that his son had gotten better around the time Jesus had said “Your son will live.” So he and his entire household were recipients of this sign because they were directly affected by the miracle and they believed in Jesus because of it. Jesus implied by what he said in the quote above that he healed the official’s son to establish or reassure the official’s faith.

            

When Jesus was in Jerusalem near the pool of Bethesda, he came across a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. When he learned that the man had been an invalid for such a long time, Jesus asked the man if he wanted to get well. The man said that there was no one to help him into the pool when the water was stirred, and when he tried to get in, someone else would get in before him. Jesus said to the man “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk,” and the man was healed. Later Jesus found him at the temple and told him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

            

The man who Jesus healed had had no faith in Jesus to heal him—when Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well, the man spoke of how he could not get into the healing waters of Bethesda—yet Jesus healed him. Afterwards the man told the Jews that Jesus had made him well; he received faith from being healed. One reason Jesus performed this sign was compassion for the paralyzed man. Jesus not only healed the man physically but also cleansed him spiritually.

            

As Jesus and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, a large crowd of about five thousand men followed them to the shore because of the signs they had seen him perform. Then Jesus went up onto a mountain and saw the crowd that followed him. He asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip replied that even eight months’ wages would not buy enough food for everyone to have a bite. After searching, the only food that could be found was five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down. Then Jesus took the little food that had been found, gave thanks for it, and distributed it to the people. When everyone had eaten his fill, the disciples gathered the left over pieces of food and filled twelve baskets with the bread and fish.

            

The recipients of this sign were not only the crowd of people that received food but the disciples who were with Jesus. The crowd was amazed at the sign, but they intended to force Jesus to be their king because he could provide them food. To Jesus’ disciples, however, this sign was more proof that Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus performed this sign to show his power to his disciples and to the multitude of people. When they wanted to make him king by force, he retreated to a mountain, showing his desire to have a relationship with people so they could know him and be saved.

            

Jesus’ disciples got into a boat in the evening, after Jesus had fed the five thousand. It was dark, and Jesus was not with them because he had withdrawn to a mountain by himself. When they had rowed three to three and a half miles across the lake, they saw Jesus coming toward them on the water. Because they did not know that who they saw was Jesus, they were afraid; but Jesus called out to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” When the disciples realized it was Jesus, they took him into the boat, and the boat reached the shore immediately.

            

The recipients of this sign were the disciples in the boat. They were afraid until they realized that the figure walking on water was Jesus. After seeing Jesus feed five thousand people with five loaves of bread, then witnessing him walk on water, they more fully understood Jesus’ God-given power. Similar in the meaning to his previous sign, this sign showed his disciples that he is the Messiah. He demonstrated his power by doing something that was thought to be impossible.

            

When Jesus and his disciples saw a man who had been blind from birth, the disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, Jesus spit in the dirt, made mud, and put it on the blind man’s eyes. Then he told the blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man washed, and when he opened his eyes, he could see.

            

The recipient was the man whom Jesus healed. The blind man did not request that Jesus heal him. In fact, he never said anything to Jesus before he was healed. After Jesus healed him, he believed that Jesus came from God and defended his belief in front of the Pharisees. Jesus performed this sign to give God glory and to show his disciples, as well as the man who was healed, that he is from God.

            

The last sign Jesus performed was raising a man from the dead. Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived to comfort the man’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Deeply moved, Jesus went to the tomb and asked that the stone be removed. When Martha said that there would be a bad smell, Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” Then the stone was moved and Jesus prayed: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” He then told Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and Lazarus came out wrapped in grave clothes but very much alive.

            

The recipients of this sign were Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and the people who had come to visit the grieving sisters. All of the people grieving for Lazarus witnessed this spectacular miracle, and, as a result, many of them believed in Jesus. Jesus performed this final sign to glorify God and show the extent of God’s power through Jesus. Jesus prayed that the people watching him would believe that God sent him so that they would believe in Jesus and praise God.

            

The seven signs Jesus performed during his ministry recorded in the book of John are as important to his work on earth as what he taught. They developed his character as a compassionate, healing, and powerful Son of God. In each sign, Jesus’ goal to bring glory to God was met.

Humble Servants

Mark 10:43-44
"But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else."

When James and John asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left when he was on his throne, the other disciples became upset with them; but Jesus said to the disciples, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different." He continued by saying that anyone who wanted to be a great leader among them must be the servant of everyone else, and whoever wanted to be first must be everyone else's slave. He finished by saying, "Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."

I think Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that in order to be a leader, one must humble himself; they could not be like the haughty rulers that let power get to their heads. Jesus, the Son of God, lived as a human, served others, and gave his life for the sake of many people. In doing this he gave his disciples an example of how they were to live if they continued to be his followers. Since we are his disciples, we, too, must humble ourselves and serve others.

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk Him out of it. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?" But Jesus said, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires." So John agreed to baptize Him. After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."

John 1:32-34

Then John testified, "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon Him. I didn't know He was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, He told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that He is the Chosen One of God."

John the Baptist preached a message of repentance, and people of every background came to be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, John tried to talk Him out of it. Jesus had no sin, and John thought that Jesus ought to baptize him; why should He ask John to baptize Him? Jesus was the Chosen One of God and didn't need to repent of sin.

In this context, to repent is to give up an old way of life and take up a new way of life. Jesus wasn't being baptized to repent of any sins but to change the course of His life. After His baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus began His ministry and preached His message of repentance. After Jesus was baptized He changed everything about His life. His baptism was an anointing for ministry.

"It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires." I believe that when Jesus said this to John, He meant that He must be baptized in order to begin His ministry and do what God required. God required Jesus to spend time ministering to the masses as well as developing close relationships with a select few of His followers so that they could carry on the message of the kingdom after Jesus was gone. To do all of this Jesus had to be baptized first; He changed His life and exchanged the quiet life of a carpenter's son for ministry.

In getting baptized, Jesus committed Himself to God's will and accepted what was going to inevitably happen at the close of His ministry. He accepted a mission of salvation for mankind through great sacrifice. He became a servant and lived a life of conflict and persecution that led to a painful death.

But that was not the end of Jesus' mission; God had something extraordinary planned that exceeded all expectations. Jesus defeated death and completed His mission on earth.

I give credit to Steven Carrizal for many of the ideas and much of the information included in this blog post.