"But God designed to deliver from sin, and to work a great change. While the sinful state continues, God loathes the sinner, and the sinner loathes God, Zec 11:8. And that for such as these Christ should die, is a mystery; no other such an instance of love is known, so that it may well be the employment of eternity to adore and wonder at it."
Matthew Henry Commentary on Romans 5:6-11
"God hates the sin but loves the sinner"
I'm sure you've heard, read, and even said those words…
Our 'go to' verse to support the saying is often John 3:16 - that 'God so LOVED the world'.
But as much as it sounds lovely and helps us try to give non-Chrisitans the idea that God hasn't totally rejected them, is it really a biblical statement...or is it a statement that reflects our 'guilt/innocence' emphasis society?
It may seem abhorrent to us as 21st Century evangelicals that such a common statement should even be questioned, but in honour-shame societies such as here in Africa, such a differentiation between a person and their deed, is not so clear.
When we talk about honour-shame vs. guilt-innocence we often describe it by saying that guilt is about what I 'do' and shame is about who I 'am'. Guilt is about the act and shame is about the person themselves.
There is plenty of scripture to indicate that our lostness means not only that our sins are a problem, but we are rejected.
Another missionary in Africa wrote on her blog about how on a trip to the USA, she encountered the prevalent Western idea that God accepts me for who I am. She explained that it is a view that comes from culture rather than the Bible. Scripture tells us we are enemies of God and children of our father the Devil. God does not accept us.
She went on to say on her blog that there is still hope because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. "Acceptance, no. But love, yes."
Maybe we should be looking at it from the perspective that God graciously 'honours' us (the world) collectively with his love, because we are his creation. But to be fully honoured by him with his acceptance individually requires being included in Christ, by redemption.
I would suggest that God's rejection of us is not only because of sins we have committed but because we are sinners by status and nature. We sin because we are sinners. Our very selves are repulsive to God. I know I balked at this idea when I first began to contemplate it. I have been well indoctrinated by a 'saying' that came with good intention, but I had to be willing to have that replaced by Scripture's truth.
Our sin is not some external skin tatoo or face painting, but a condition that has altered our spiritual DNA.
Maybe we have been so marinated in 'guilt' perspectives (related to what we 'do') that we find it difficult to see beyond it? Or maybe we have been so marinated in pop-psychology that tells us we are really good people deep down and only do bad things from time to time, and we want people to feel good about themselves? Maybe its a bit of both and each belief feeds the other?
I like how my missionary friend says that "Jesus Christ died on the cross because God does not accept me."
She went on to say:
We have tried to make categories in order to make sense of our sin, the cross, God's love and forgiveness. But maybe some of our efforts of trying to make sense of these has been influenced more by culture than by Scripture.
Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, God's heart is sad over our sin. But because He is holy, He is not only sad, but mad. He is angry. We are under His wrath. But, in His grace and mercy He has chosen to delay His day of full wrath.
But as demonstrated by Jesus' attitude to Jerusalem, God's heart is one of grief, that those who have rejected Him, He must reject in their loathsome state of sin. Yet, He loves His creation.
Though we may not understand it all, as unredeemed sinners, God both loathes and loves us. He loathes who we have become, but loves us because we are still His created ones made in His image who were meant to be for His joy and glory. In the three parables of what is 'lost' which Jesus tells in Luke 15, we see God's love for what is lost. We are not yet fully rejected for eternity - that will happen on judgement day, but it's like we are in the 'rejected' ante-room awaiting punishment, while the judge desperately wants us to repent so he doesn't have to condemn us. He grants us the honour of an opportunity to avail ourselves of a 'rescue option'.
But we must realise that our sin, and not only our 'sins' is what makes us loathsome. Our 'sins' are just a product of our 'sin' state. The shame of Adam is our shame. Those in honour-shame cultures understand very well that shame changes the status of everyone in the sinner's family. They are shamed even if they have done no wrong act themselves. Even if they are born after the act, they are born into shame. Similarly, we are shamed even before we are born. Our state is loathsome before we do any wrong 'act'.
But God's love as our Creator remains as part of 'common grace'. He yearns for us to repent, and gains no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His heart is for reconciliation and restoration though His holiness demands rejection. He wants to give us more than earthly breath. He wants to give us eternal life. So He continues to show us His love by His patience and kindness, but longs to brings us into full reconciled relationship and the abundant fulness of His life and love.
And because of both loathing and love, He sent His only Son to suffer the Father's loathing so that we could receive the fulness of His love.
I'm sure you've heard, read, and even said those words…
Our 'go to' verse to support the saying is often John 3:16 - that 'God so LOVED the world'.
But as much as it sounds lovely and helps us try to give non-Chrisitans the idea that God hasn't totally rejected them, is it really a biblical statement...or is it a statement that reflects our 'guilt/innocence' emphasis society?
It may seem abhorrent to us as 21st Century evangelicals that such a common statement should even be questioned, but in honour-shame societies such as here in Africa, such a differentiation between a person and their deed, is not so clear.
When we talk about honour-shame vs. guilt-innocence we often describe it by saying that guilt is about what I 'do' and shame is about who I 'am'. Guilt is about the act and shame is about the person themselves.
There is plenty of scripture to indicate that our lostness means not only that our sins are a problem, but we are rejected.
Another missionary in Africa wrote on her blog about how on a trip to the USA, she encountered the prevalent Western idea that God accepts me for who I am. She explained that it is a view that comes from culture rather than the Bible. Scripture tells us we are enemies of God and children of our father the Devil. God does not accept us.
She went on to say on her blog that there is still hope because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. "Acceptance, no. But love, yes."
Maybe we should be looking at it from the perspective that God graciously 'honours' us (the world) collectively with his love, because we are his creation. But to be fully honoured by him with his acceptance individually requires being included in Christ, by redemption.
I would suggest that God's rejection of us is not only because of sins we have committed but because we are sinners by status and nature. We sin because we are sinners. Our very selves are repulsive to God. I know I balked at this idea when I first began to contemplate it. I have been well indoctrinated by a 'saying' that came with good intention, but I had to be willing to have that replaced by Scripture's truth.
Our sin is not some external skin tatoo or face painting, but a condition that has altered our spiritual DNA.
Maybe we have been so marinated in 'guilt' perspectives (related to what we 'do') that we find it difficult to see beyond it? Or maybe we have been so marinated in pop-psychology that tells us we are really good people deep down and only do bad things from time to time, and we want people to feel good about themselves? Maybe its a bit of both and each belief feeds the other?
I like how my missionary friend says that "Jesus Christ died on the cross because God does not accept me."
She went on to say:
I cannot understand the cross until I understand that my sin is the reason it cost so much. I cannot understand that cost until I come face-to-face with the truth that I Am Not Acceptable. But He became Acceptable for me. I was not acceptable, and yet I am loved in a way that is far beyond what I can ever understand. And the more I understand my wretchedness, the deeper I understand His love. I am not acceptable to God. Not because of who I am, but because of what He has done....and I would add, "and because of Who He Is". He as the perfect, pure, sinless, acceptable one died in my place.
We have tried to make categories in order to make sense of our sin, the cross, God's love and forgiveness. But maybe some of our efforts of trying to make sense of these has been influenced more by culture than by Scripture.
Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, God's heart is sad over our sin. But because He is holy, He is not only sad, but mad. He is angry. We are under His wrath. But, in His grace and mercy He has chosen to delay His day of full wrath.
But as demonstrated by Jesus' attitude to Jerusalem, God's heart is one of grief, that those who have rejected Him, He must reject in their loathsome state of sin. Yet, He loves His creation.
Though we may not understand it all, as unredeemed sinners, God both loathes and loves us. He loathes who we have become, but loves us because we are still His created ones made in His image who were meant to be for His joy and glory. In the three parables of what is 'lost' which Jesus tells in Luke 15, we see God's love for what is lost. We are not yet fully rejected for eternity - that will happen on judgement day, but it's like we are in the 'rejected' ante-room awaiting punishment, while the judge desperately wants us to repent so he doesn't have to condemn us. He grants us the honour of an opportunity to avail ourselves of a 'rescue option'.
But we must realise that our sin, and not only our 'sins' is what makes us loathsome. Our 'sins' are just a product of our 'sin' state. The shame of Adam is our shame. Those in honour-shame cultures understand very well that shame changes the status of everyone in the sinner's family. They are shamed even if they have done no wrong act themselves. Even if they are born after the act, they are born into shame. Similarly, we are shamed even before we are born. Our state is loathsome before we do any wrong 'act'.
But God's love as our Creator remains as part of 'common grace'. He yearns for us to repent, and gains no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His heart is for reconciliation and restoration though His holiness demands rejection. He wants to give us more than earthly breath. He wants to give us eternal life. So He continues to show us His love by His patience and kindness, but longs to brings us into full reconciled relationship and the abundant fulness of His life and love.
And because of both loathing and love, He sent His only Son to suffer the Father's loathing so that we could receive the fulness of His love.
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