God hates sin but loves the sinner

Many times we look at people that we deem to be "core sinners" and wonder why they just won't stop sinning. Beloved of God, this is akin to the French Queen Marie Antoinette (supposedly) saying "Then let them eat cake" upon being alerted that the people were suffering due to widespread bread shortages! How could starving people who have no bread possibly afford to buy expensive cake to quell their hunger?

I believe that most people who commit sins, including Christians, are victims of "time and chance," looking for a way out like fish trapped in a net, and not a way to continue wallowing in sin. Remember the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:11-18-

"11 I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all. 12 Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them."

Many of these God-loved souls that Christ died to save are victims of "time and chance," caught like fish struggling to get out of treacherous nets of sins, porn addiction, fornication, lack, addictions, pride, feeling inferior, sicknesses, oppression, barrenness and such. What they need is a Saviour and not the law a.k.a telling people stop sinning and get their act together by their own human effort at keeping the Ten Commandments and doing good things. Remember that the law does not grade on the curve; James 2:10 says-

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."

At Christ's words: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" the law-bound scribes and Pharisees who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery realised this (that they were as guilty as the woman they were accusing) and could not accuse the woman any further, much less stone her. Without the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the good person who only lied about his location for a good reason is in the same boat of unrighteousness as the vilest offender in the world!

The Pharisees left the sinner woman with Christ and the sinner lived. But many of us in the church, especially leaders who keep on accusing people, especially our young people, of their sins without pointing them to Christ as Saviour do not understand that without Grace, we are ALL as guilty as the ones we are accusing and condemning. This is why many young people don't like going to church. They want to stop their lawless deeds but cannot (the arm of flesh - human effort at doing the right thing- will fail) and what they hear is the pastor pointing them back to the Ten Commandments that they know that they cannot do. No one can. Romans 3:20 says:

"For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

Our best efforts at keeping the Ten Commandments are filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6.

By all means, we should let our young people know that God hates sin. But He loves the sinner! Remember "For God so loved the world..." The world that has sinned! He hates sin because the lawless deeds that they indulge will cause them harm (sin is like a cancer that destroys the sinner.) He wants the world saved so He gave His Son to die for our sins. Our Saviour's eyes burn at sin but radiate perfect love for the sinner, similar but utterly superior to an oncologist father treating his beloved child who has cancer. 

Pointing our young people or anyone to themselves (human effort) for their salvation from sin is to kill them. Grace is our Teacher, not you or I. By His grace, let's point them to our Saviour Jesus Christ (Grace personified) as the only One who can train them to forsake sin (Titus 2:12) and redeem them from their lawless deeds, as it is written in Titus 2:14.

"14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."

He saves all who believe from the prison of their sins. What most people do not realise is that the sins that they commit and their bad habits hold them captive in a prison.This is why redemption is needed. To redeem means to "ransom" or "buy back." Only the blood of Jesus sets free indeed from this prison. Many people struggle and use human effort (fasting to break generational curses, keeping the law and sowing seed get right with God, etc) to escape from this prison but this victory is short-lived because "the wages of sin is death."  Right living is a fruit of the gift of righteousness that we have in Christ,not the root. Unless the full price (death) is paid, the Accuser will hound such until such are returned to their prisons. Even their short-lived freedom is spent in fear of returning to that bondage, like a criminal that is on the run. Because the full wages have not been paid, the long arm of the law will seek and get such back in deeper bondage. This is why many Christians keep on shuttling from one deliverance service to another every month looking for a pastor to "deliver' them when all one needs to do is believe the finished work of Christ in setting us free indeed.

Christ died our death to set us free from the prison of sin. All it takes to be set free is to believe Him and stop our puny efforts at saving ourselves. See the counsel of our Lord God in Isaiah 30:14-17 (MSG)

...“Your salvation requires you to turn back to Me

and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.

Your strength will come from settling down

in complete dependence on Me—..."

Christ places no demands on us. All we need to do to be saved (from hell, death, acts of sin, disease, oppression, depression, lack, every earthly ill) is to believe in Him, and even this we do by His grace. As it was with the sinner woman, it is His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

The arm flesh (human effort at doing right) will fail but God's grace saves from sin.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.