"Hate the sin, love the sinner" - does that make sense?
I'm not sure about the point, but the oft used (at least in some circles) slogan "Hate the sin, love the sinner" made me think of a few bible verses:
"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges." (Rom 2:1)
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned." (Luk 6:37)Now, does distinguishing between the sinner and the sin make sense at all? Does not judging someone as a sinner mean already not to love that person?
Christ's radical understanding of love roots up all kinds of judging. He's not just saying that you shouldn't condemn others, which is of course also true. His telling us not to judge at all.
The motto "love the sinner, hate the sin" is a contradiction in term. At least if by it is meant that it's okay to judge someone as a sinner, as long as you don't judge the person (whatever that would mean).
Yes, we are supposed to 'hate' sin. We know that sin and death is our enemy. Sin is what separates us from God (nothing else). But we also know that Jesus has overthrown that enemy. Jesus is king now. This is why Christians are supposed to let judgment up to Jesus. This doesn't just means waiting for Jesus to come riding on the clouds at some future point in time. Christ is present as a judging light in the consciousness of people at this very moment.
"For the word of God [Christ] is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Heb 4:12, NIV)Christ enlightens the hearts of human beings and exposes sin. There is one and only one purpose of this, which is to bring people to Christ. Being brought to Christ one will follow his commandments, which are all based on the one commandment to love others. One of them is: Don't judge.
There is thus one thing that proves that someone is not lead by the spirit of Christ, and that is judging. This is why when judging others we are really judging ourselves, as Paul says in Romans. And this is why we should not judge others, if we don't want to be judged ourselves. No one is without sin. Pointing out the sin of others does not get us anywhere.
Also, the distinction between sinner and sin presupposes a false idea of a substantial core at the center of personality which is quite contrary to the biblical view that everything in creation is 'vanity' (Ecc.), and subject to change. This is also why the whole person (not just the 'bad part') has to die, for this person to be made alive (Matt. 10:39).
The slogan "hate the sin, love the sinner" seems to be a sad excuse for judging others, while pretending to be loving.
(Oh, and by the way, when did God say 'you can't wear a dress and beard simultaneously in the Eurovision song context?')
See also "Why I Can't Say 'Love the Sinner/Hate the Sin' Anymore"
