HATING THE SIN, LOVING THE SINNER -- Devotional for March 30, from "Good Seeds"

Have mercy on some; save others, snatching them out of the fire, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. (Jude 22-23)

Which one of these would receive your vote for the strongest Christian: 1) He who would walk into a bar to talk to someone about Jesus; 2) He who avoids “every appearance of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:22)? To answer the question we need to determine which of these requires the most dependence upon God. Candidate #1: Just as we cannot be released from the eternal penalty of sin apart from the Sin-Bearer, so we cannot have victory over the daily power of sin apart from the in-dwelling Spirit of God. It takes heavenly resources to say “no” to all the questionable activities and indulgences that would lure us into their dens of iniquity. Evil lurks not just behind every bush, but in every store, on every TV and computer screen, and in every interaction with others. It requires constant vigilance linked with total dependence upon God to avoid every form of evil. Candidate #2: Who among us could claim the holy boldness of a Daniel, the spiritual aptitude of a Paul, the personal fortitude of a Peter, and the moral fiber of a Joseph, to walk into the flaming outskirts of hell, and not be burned? A bar is a such a suburb of perdition, a lair of Satan. What believer in Jesus could enter and not become prey? What Christ-follower could stay on the narrow road to heaven while engaging Satan-followers for the gospel who are glibly floating down the wide river of indulgence, addiction and perversion, to the treacherous falls emptying into the lake of fire? It takes much more than courage to speak and shine for Jesus – it takes a closeness to Him, and a level of commitment, far beyond that of the average Jack or Jill Christian! It requires the ability to talk the talk of the disciples of darkness, all the while walking the walk of the child of the King. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 9:22, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” What does this mean? One thing it surely does NOT mean is that I allow myself to be made into the likeness of the lost world I am seeking to save. Members of the CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association) mingle with outlaw bikers for the express purpose of leading them to Christ, but they never drink and carouse with them thinking that will win them a hearing. They know better than that! The strongest Christian, then, is the one who may wear the leathers and ride a hog, but keeps one hand tightly in Christ’s grip even while with the other he “snatches from the flames” of hell itself those in Satan’s grasp. He hates the sin-polluted garments, but loves the biker – or whatever other brand of sinner – all the way to the Savior!