Years ago, Pastor Rick Warren described the two biggest lies Christians face in our country. The first is, “You can’t love someone if you don’t accept their lifestyle.” The second is, “If you don’t accept a person’s lifestyle, you must hate them.” Neither of them are true and they are still around today to try to paint Christians as hypocritical. As believers in, and followers of Jesus, we are called to be like Him – Christ-like.
Let’s look at Jesus’ example for us to follow. He came to Earth to seek and save sinners. He spent so much time with sinners, that the Jewish religious leaders said he must be one; but he never accepted or took part in sinful behavior. He loves sinners, including you and me, so much that he died in our place to free us from our sins if we only believe.
If we did show our love for someone by accepting their sinful lifestyle, we would be loving them all the way to hell. We can never be a true follower of Christ if we hate another person who is created in God’s image. We are called to be the light in this world that will draw others away from sin and into the safety of God’s loving arms.