I read in this website http://www.biblelife.org/attributes.htm that God does not want us to love evil people (sinners). He does not want us to befreind them either or its a direct violation of his will. It also says that Jesus did not love all people, for example the pharasees or the gentiles. Im confused as to what to believe. Is it wrong for me to love people who are not christians??
Please be respectful
2007-12-26 15:29:36 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Kent R. Rieske, the person who wrote the website you quote, is mistaken.
Kent hates, so he thinks God hates . . . and Kent hates so much that he doesn't allow God's love to change how much he hates, so he misinterprets the Bible to reflect his hate.
Kent is mistaken. Kent quotes a lot of the Bible on that web page, but not Jesus . . . here's what Jesus says. . .
Math. 5: 43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."
Math. 22: 34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ 37He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
Kent must have missed this one . . .
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 15: 12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants* any longer, because the servant* does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
2007-12-26 15:35:39 · answer #1 · answered by jimmeisnerjr 6 · 7⤊ 1⤋
Jesus wants us to love all people and anyone who say different doesn't know the Bible well. Go to John13:34 A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you,that you also love one another. Go to Mark 2:13-17. He eats with people who are considered sinners in society and 17"I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, in repentance." John3:16 says "For so loved the World".. Read the Bible and you will see this person is not following the teaching of the Bible.
2007-12-26 23:49:06 · answer #2 · answered by Tessa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read the Bible for yourself ... being respectful.
The first thing I noticed when I went to the biblelife link is that it is focused on hate. Read the words of Jesus in the New Testament, you will find no hate.
There was a time when God was angry, and He still has His moments I am sure, but be very wary of one sided approaches as outlined in your link.
Just like any human involved endeavor, religion can be spun and twisted. Read it, decide for yourself - take it all in, not just hand-picked bits and pieces.
I don't believe in "not loving evil people" ... how else are they going to come around and become rightous? Love the sinner, hate the sin.
2007-12-26 23:41:51 · answer #3 · answered by TexasTrev38 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I've seen it quite a few times, so I'll reiterate it: "Love your enemies as yourself" lol.
Don't sweat too much about it. Isn't it true that we are all sinners? Now, I'm not one to believe every small thing like lust, etc. are sins, but I must confess that we do some nasty things from time to time.
Knowing that we are all guilty of ill deeds, that means that we all "evil", so we can't love anyone as a result? Not true. Not loving anyone would be against God's will.
Love all.
2007-12-27 00:01:44 · answer #4 · answered by ArmedSquirrel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus loved the Pharisees. He lovingly showed them their errors, so that they might find eternal life. If He did not love them, He would have left them to their sins
A gentile is a non-Jew. After His Resurrection, He chose Saul (whose name was changed to Paul) to be an apostle to the gentiles. Saul had been a fanatical Pharisee.
We are all sinners. Jesus loves sinners. He wants us to turn away from doing sin. We can love the sinner, we must not participate in the sin.
If Jesus does not love sinners, who is left to love?
2007-12-27 00:07:16 · answer #5 · answered by hamrrfan 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For God so loved the world (everyone) that He gave His only begotten Son.... He loves everyone, but He also corrects us when we are wrong and leading others astray. I was a sinner and a Christian reached out and loved me right where I was, and I gave my life to Jesus because I never felt like anyone loved me like her. God is love and we are to love others, even the sinners, because we have all been there once.
2007-12-26 23:34:27 · answer #6 · answered by godlovesjacob 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
With respect to your religion, which you are obviously trying to work at, I think it's important to recognize aspects of religion that should not be taken literally. If you were to take every word of the Bible literally, then you would justify owning slaves, or believe that people can live hundreds of years. It doesn't seem right to take one part so seriously, and dismiss another part such as the slavery part. What that is doing is molding it conveniently to your own culture's ideals.
When religions exist together peacefully and without rivalry, they are at their best, in helping everyone to love and to study their own religion without being threatened. When they teach against each other, such as in the case of choosing not to love non-Christians, that is the root of atrocities like religious wars (look at the Middle East.) I would hate to think that God approves of the problems in the Middle East. And with two different religions exerting their extremism, you have to figure that at least one of them is wrong, and that you could be wrong in the same way if you aren't careful. I can tell that you know the answer in your heart, that you should love.
Feel free to e-mail me, I would love to chat more about matters like these.
2007-12-26 23:48:53 · answer #7 · answered by Thinker Dan 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It all depends on which parts of the Bible you choose to read. Sure, Jesus might have preached some of that lovey stuff, but the Christian god is not always so benign in that text.
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Matters such as these are not best left to others to answer. When it comes to things such as religion, one should investigate all of the pertinent resources before making any sort of decision.
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Personally, I suggest reading the Bible from cover to cover.
Read it again if you need to, and try to come to an understanding of it.
From there, decide for yourself what to believe.
^Not really an answer, I suppose.
2007-12-26 23:59:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nichodemus was a pharasee that Jesus loved. You are generalizing. That's why it's important not to judge [condemn] anyone. WE DON"T KNOW what God knows. We are called to judge FRUIT.
That said, there IS a risk to befriending those who have chosen to hate God. Don't let them drag you down with them.
2007-12-26 23:37:12 · answer #9 · answered by Michelle C 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
John 3:16 says:"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life."
God loved the WORLD. God doesn't want us associating with those that would undermine our faith. (1 Corinthians 15:33) This is quite understandable. But he has provided for his servants to make known his will to everyone in the world and give them a chance to take sides in the issue of universal sovreignty.
You must also recognize the different kinds of love spoken of in the Bible. When discussing love in its various forms, the english language is woefully lacking. The kind of love used in these scriptures is "aga'pe". Agape "carries the meaning of love guided, or governed, by principle. It may or may not include affection and fondness. Although distinguished by respect for principle, a·ga′pe is not unfeeling; otherwise it would not differ from cold justice. But it is not ruled by feeling or sentiment; it never ignores principle. Christians rightly show a·ga′pe toward others for whom they may feel no affection or fondness, doing so for the welfare of those persons. (Ga 6:10) Yet, though not feeling affection, they do feel compassion and sincere concern for such fellow humans, to the limits and in the way that righteous principles allow and direct."
It is this kind of love that motivates Christians to share Bible hope with their neighbours.
2007-12-26 23:41:13 · answer #10 · answered by Epitome_inc 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋