1 Timothy 1:5-11 (NLT)
5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 7 They want to be known as teachers of the Law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently. 8 We know that the law is good when used correctly. 9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.
In these verses we find the Apostle Paul writing Timothy about the law. Those who have faith in Christ should not become engaged in meaningless instructions concerning the law for the law was intended for the lawless. Instead believers in Christ should be filled with love that comes from their own pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith in the promises of God.
Jesus instructed those who followed Him that they should love one another. Jesus even went as far as saying, “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.” In other words if a corrupt, unjust person can exhort money from individuals and love those who they are close to; how does that differ from a Christian only loving those they are close with. The commandment to us was to love one another. Not just some, but all people.
There is a quote I have often heard in Christian churches, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Search your Bible, Google the words, but you won’t find that quote in scripture. The quote originated from Mahatma Ghandi, Indian nationalist, non-violent civil disobedience leader and follower of Hinduism – the world’s third largest religion. I have to confess I have heard the words so much in church I believed them to be from God. Worldly quotes are fine if they can help us to understand life, but we should not confuse these quotes with what God has told us to do. We never find Jesus condoning sin or condoning the sinner. Instead we find Jesus loving those around Him and challenging them to move away from sin.
Take the adulteress who the religious leaders were ready to stone. In John 8 The Bible tells us the following about Jesus: “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
The Bible tells us there are certain things God hates, but God never tells us to hate. Instead God tell us to love always. We need to make sure we are following the words of God and not meaningless discussions as Paul stated. There are many people today who think they are righteous, but turn to hate as a means to correct others. This is wrong and instead we should follow Christ by loving, encouraging, and challenging people to do what is right.
5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 7 They want to be known as teachers of the Law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently. 8 We know that the law is good when used correctly. 9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.
In these verses we find the Apostle Paul writing Timothy about the law. Those who have faith in Christ should not become engaged in meaningless instructions concerning the law for the law was intended for the lawless. Instead believers in Christ should be filled with love that comes from their own pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith in the promises of God.
Jesus instructed those who followed Him that they should love one another. Jesus even went as far as saying, “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.” In other words if a corrupt, unjust person can exhort money from individuals and love those who they are close to; how does that differ from a Christian only loving those they are close with. The commandment to us was to love one another. Not just some, but all people.
There is a quote I have often heard in Christian churches, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Search your Bible, Google the words, but you won’t find that quote in scripture. The quote originated from Mahatma Ghandi, Indian nationalist, non-violent civil disobedience leader and follower of Hinduism – the world’s third largest religion. I have to confess I have heard the words so much in church I believed them to be from God. Worldly quotes are fine if they can help us to understand life, but we should not confuse these quotes with what God has told us to do. We never find Jesus condoning sin or condoning the sinner. Instead we find Jesus loving those around Him and challenging them to move away from sin.
Take the adulteress who the religious leaders were ready to stone. In John 8 The Bible tells us the following about Jesus: “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
The Bible tells us there are certain things God hates, but God never tells us to hate. Instead God tell us to love always. We need to make sure we are following the words of God and not meaningless discussions as Paul stated. There are many people today who think they are righteous, but turn to hate as a means to correct others. This is wrong and instead we should follow Christ by loving, encouraging, and challenging people to do what is right.
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