Not Just Our Own

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire;

hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jude 1:23

Recently, a friend shared a picture on facebook that immediately got my attention. It was the same picture that I have included here. At first glance, this quote seems right nice. In fact, at first glance, this quote almost seems biblical. However, when we filter this quote through God’s infallible Word, we find that it is far from biblical. There is only one part of this quote that lines up with the Word of God, and that is the very first line. In fact, loving the sinner while hating the sin is exactly what Jude directly commands us to do.

If you really think about it, Jude only gives us two options. We can hate the sin and love the sinner, or we can ignore the sin and hate the sinner. I know what Mark Lowry was thinking. He was probably thinking that it seems unloving to hate someone else’s sin. However, Jude tells us that it is actually unloving to not hate the sins of others. You see, it is sin that will cast your neighbor into Hell. If you really love your neighbor, you will convince him of the reality of his own sin, that he might repent of it and turn to Christ.

If you have not yet acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, I invite you to do so today. If you will turn from all sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.