Hate the sin but love the sinner

Is it scripture?

“Hate the sin but love the sinner”

Every Christian is called by God to love their neighbor, but what if that neighbor is a thief, a liar, or a criminal? As Christians, we are still called to love the sinner, but not the sin.

The quote “hate the sin but love the sinner” is not in the Bible, but there are many scriptures that can defend this statement as a biblical truth. The first being Jude 1:23; “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.” (NLT). In that scripture we are instructed to reach out to the sinner and love on them to show them the same great love that God has for us; the sin is what we are called to hate.

 Furthermore, we are also called to act and behave like Jesus, who countless times behaved in a way true to this quote. Jesus gave his life for the love of all sinners, and will forever love us all, believers and non-believers alike. His sacrifice and salvation through him shows that he does indeed love the sinner, but hates and condemns the sin.

 Do not pass judgment on one’s sin, remember we are all sinners and God saved us as sinners, He will save them too.  So, we know this statement is true - we are called to love sinners as well as hate the sin. On a final note, a friend of mine was once preaching on loving sinners and a statement he made comes to mind, “Saints are only sinners who have been forgiven.”

Christina Lynn-Valencia