Christians, how can you say "Love the sinner but hate the sin."?

Question

In a lot of situations, the sin and the sinner are one and the same.

Gay people are that way because they were born that way. They ARE their sin.

Since the bible teaches not to hate, then you are now in a situation where you have to choose which rule to follow.

See how many paradoxes are in that silly book of yours?

Answer 1

I don't think that being gay is a sin, but that would be why I'm considered a bad christian. In my bible classes at my incredibly conservative Christian university, we were told that gay people should not act on their unnatural impluses and then they were not sinners. Then they told us that if a married man just thinks about another woman in a sexual way then he has committed adultery in his heart. Which then seemed to me that if a gay man thinks about another man in a sexual manner then he IS sinning we just don't know about it (and then my head exploded). But most fundamentalists don't believe that gay people are born that way, they choose it, or they were traumatized in childhood, so they are not their sin.
But long before that I decided that fundamentalist Christianity wasn't for me.

Answer 2

Christians, how can you say "Love the sinner but hate the sin."?

In a lot of situations, the sin and the sinner are one and the same.

{No, the sinner is a person who chooses to do things against the will and law of God, which is a sin. Just as people choose to break traffic laws, the person and the violation are not one in the same.}

Gay people are that way because they were born that way. They ARE their sin.

{No, homosexuals are normal born people who have given into a lie and choose to act on the lie against the law of God. Thus, homosexual acts are the sin, not the person. God made man and made woman for man. A person chooses to go against the natural law of God.}

Since the bible teaches not to hate (as in a person), then you are now in a situation where you have to choose which rule (hate the sin - the wrong-doing) to follow.

See how many paradoxes are in that silly book of yours?
(None! God is not the author of confusion.)

Answer 3

The sin and the sinner are not one in the same. Sin, all and any sin, can be repented of and forgiven.

Homosexual people are that way because they choose to be that way. Try as they may, they have not found the 'gay gene'.

The bible does not teach us not to hate. It says to hate sin. there is no choosing which to follow. Love your neighbor as yourself. Jud 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

No paradoxes, just your misunderstanding and attempts to say things God hasn't said.

Answer 4

I love the question. It is not hard to answer if you know God. God hates sin. It is the one thing it is OK for us to hate. I don't hate myself. I hate my sins. Hate is a very powerful force. When we hate each other we start wars. It starts with anger and we hurt each other and if the anger grows some people kill themselves or others. If we instead take this powerful emotion and "put to death" the "flesh" as the Bible says, we become "more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us and gave His life for us." I don't direct hate at God or others, instead I hate what God hates, the sins in myself and others.
Gay is not genetic. If it is every person who says they are genetically gay and have no choice should have medical evidence of this. In a very small minority this may be true. However for the bi-sexual as an example they certainly have a choice and they choose to indulge the flesh and "swing both ways."
The book is not silly. God is not silly. The wisest choice I ever made is to believe in God and to "fear God and keep His commandments."
Lots of love,
Cathy

Answer 5

i just find it strange that people say "oh he decided to be gay."

i have a friend who's gay and didn't come out of the closet until he was 18, but i knew he was gay in the third grade. everyone did. when he came out no one was really surprised. i'm sure that's the way it is with a lot of gay people. they were gay since they were little kids, only they didn't know what to call it yet, lol.

but in response to your statement, "love the sinner, hate the sin" assumes that the person is really good inside and can't help their deviant behavior. they like being that way. so what about a mass murder who enjoys killing children? can you possibly say that no, he's really a good kid that just made some bad choices. NO, some people are just rotten on the inside, you can't separate them from their actions.

Answer 6

That only applies to the people who think that people are born gay. Personally, I don't. Homosexuality is a choice. Plain and simple. So, that is why we say Love the sinner but hate the sin! BTW, if you would read that "silly book" you might just learn something useful to apply to your life.

Answer 7

I'm sorry, but i cannot be convinced that people can be BORN gay! That is a sociological CHOICE that a person has to make which is something a baby cannot possibly do! We say love the sinner hate the sin, because it's their sin that separates them from the love of God. We have to love them to remind them of His love. We have to guide them back to a place that God can deal with their hearts. If we "shove" it down their throats that they're sinners, we merely offend them with the Word and if we do that, we're pretty bad witnesses. Can you show me another example of sin and sinner being one and the same?

Answer 8

I don't agree with your concept that sinners and sin are the same.

The difference is in choices. We may have goals and fundamental needs and desires. But ultimately our actions are our own choice.

A gay person may not have a choice on their sexual preferrences, but they do have a choice on their actions. Just as I have a choice on whether to have sex.

Let me put it in another context. I have a teenage daughter. When she disobeys, I still love her, but I am to help her understand why certain behavior is unacceptable. I don't focus on her being bad. I focus on the behavior and what needs to be corrected.

And by the way, if you or someone else chooses (yes chooses) your relationship (because no one forces a person into a relationship or the actions in a relationship) that is between you, your partner and God. I don't have to like it but it's your choice.

And that is what God has taught me.

God looks at the desires and intents of the heart, not the outward appearance.

Answer 9

You are incorrect. Someone can be gay and not engage in homosexual activity. Just the same as a hetero who is not getting any. So you can love the sinner, who is God's creation, but hate the sin.

Answer 10

It doesn't actually say don't hate the sinner; it's just that it leaves us with no other option than not to hate him/her; so that premise is wrong.

Anyhows, we're all born gay; it's just that God says that's it's something that He personally refuses to let into heaven. That's all. Well the Jews used to be commanded to, I think, kill them. I don't mind gays; I've often thought some men look beautiful [like dear] and I wondered how that was any different to being attracted to them.