Devotional Thought of the Day:

¹⁴  Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵  These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14-15 (NLT)

²⁰  But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²²  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:20-24 (NLT)

1002      To save mankind, Lord, you died on the Cross. And yet for one mortal sin you condemn a man to a hapless eternity of suffering. How much sin must offend you, and how much I ought to hate it!

For maybe 20 years, there has been a platitude circling around Christianity. It goes like this, “we should hate the sin, but love the sinner.”

It isn’t scriptural, in that it doesn’t come from the word of God.  We accept it because it seems logical, and it gets us out of sticky situations.  

I don’t think we hate sin anymore.  I think we tolerate it, welcome it, choose it, and count on God to take pity on us. 

If we’ve been brought up in the church, we know what the Bible says about sin.  We know that what it earns death and destruction.  Sin separates us from all that is good; it separates us from God and His love.

It deserves our hatred. It is something we should fear, as it seduces and enslaves people. It does such a thorough job, burying us deeper and deeper beneath its weight.   We excuse it, we claim that not sinning is an inconvenience, that living as God teaches isn’t possible anymore.  Theologians dismiss it with the very phrase that provides the title of my blog – that we are simply justified sinners, and that is all we will ever be in this life.

I think that we’ve come to a point where we don’t hate our sin anymore.   The sins of Isis, the sins of “those” people, the sins committed against us, yes, we still hate that sin.

Do we hate our sin?  Do we hate the sins of our friends?  Do we hate the sins of our children?  Do we fear the grip that sin can have over people, and the damage it can do to their lives?  Do we see it wrecking the relationships around us?

If we did, how glorious would the cross be?  How central to our lives would our baptism be?  what a celebration the Lord’s Supper would be, and the relief we would know as we heard the words, “you’re sins are forgiven!”

He broke the power of sin; he crushed it. He saved us from it.  He brings healing to our hearts and peace to weary souls.

During this Lent, we pause and take the time to not only love the sinner, but fear for them, and struggle to see them freed.  We look to Christ, setting that sin, that desire, that temptation aside… knowing He endured the cross so that we could be free.  Fr that to Him was His joy, to see us freed, cleansed and made holy.

Do we hate sin?  We need to…..

Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 3534-3535). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.