PART III We need to Hate Sin

Part III
By Guest Blogger
Pastor Pat Ward’s



We need to understand how horrible sin is. If we don’t, then we will continue to live in it, and we will allow others to continue to live in it.

Psalm 38:3-6 “There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.”

James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Sin leads to death, it breaks us of all strength and health. If this is true, then why do we ignore sin? Why do we allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to live in sin?

One of two things. We either don’t take sin seriously, which means we don’t take God seriously. Or we don’t love them!

Now let me give a few warnings here.

This order is of absolute importance. To confront a brother or sister in Christ about their sin, we need to first love God, then love them, and finally hate sin.

This means we need to be right with God ourselves. We must have a good grasp on our own relationship with Jesus Christ. Next, we must, and I emphasize MUST, already have a relationship established with the person. If you are not willing to establish a relationship in good times, what makes you think you have a right to confront that person in bad times?

We cannot skip from love God to hate sin. We must also love the people. And that is not a passive love, but an active love. One of the reasons Christians are called hypocrites is because they love to point out sin, but hate to actually get to know people.

If the person doesn’t genuinely know that you care about them as a person, it isn’t time to confront any sin.

Finally, let’s discuss v6

What is holy? What are the pearls? In judging we like to try to change the world. Sometimes I think as Christians we are getting the cart before the horse. We are trying to get the world to act like Christians, yet we are not telling them about Christ. We want the world to hold to biblical beliefs, but we aren’t sharing with them the God who can allow them to keep them.

If you see a non-Christian living in sin, do me a favor. Don’t tell them about it. Tell them about Jesus.

You are wasting your time confronting sin, when you haven’t given them the answer to sin. You are giving what is holy to the dogs.

Don’t believe me? Let’s see what Jesus has to say about this.

Luke 11:24-26

You can help people clean up their act on their own, but if they haven’t filled their life with the One True God, it will be worse for them then before. They will fall back into sin and more, because they don’t have the only power that can defeat sin. Jesus.

So let’s judge. Ourselves. How is your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you have one? If you do, are you listening to Him through His Word and obeying? If you don’t have a relationship with Him or if you are being disobedient, repent. Turn from your sin and follow Jesus.

If you are thinking about confronting somebody in their sin, I urge you be careful. Pray and follow the steps I have listed: Love God, Love the person, hate sin.