An early Sunday Message

This afternoon I was notified by e-mail of comments after mine on a post I had commented on.  I spoke about this blogger at the beginning of this post, How she had toasted in a comment someone she disagreed with.  You see, she is VERRRY judgmental, and very aggressive against those she considers "milquetoast Christians"  (Note: I know one of my readers knows who this is, and they have had a running battle with her ever since. The rest of you, I refuse to direct any traffic her way because she is NOT a good example to follow.)  Anyway, as I was saying, she got a comment on her attitude from this one guy (with her original words printed up first):

The statement ‘love the sinner but hate the sin” is just one of many lies being spread by this new Milquetoast Christianity.   It is not in the Bible at all- no one uttered those words or those sentiments. God literally hated the sinner too sometimes. Certain sins made him angrier than others. This statement is [...]

You are why I hate conservative Christians! How can so much ugly fundamentalism be contained in such a cute little package?

 

Ugly fundamentalist, indeed.  Her response proves it out:

So. You hate me because I print God’s own words. This can only mean 1) you are a so-called atheist and hate all Christians, so why do I care? OR 2) you are a false Christian who dares to hate God’s own words which makes you not a Christian at all and again, why do I care? Either way, I will see God and you will see death. Your choice, not mine.

At this point, I felt obliged (you know me) to chime in:

Jesus told us to love our enemies. Where do your comments fit in? Our job as Christians are to save the lost, not taunt them. You’ve been told. You can delete it, but you can’t un-read it.

I put it that way because I commented before and  got deleted (at least I thought; but I see it's on the comments section now, along with a reply which somehow I never got an e-mail about).  Not to mention so many from others I've heard from whom she apparently didn't feel like consigning to hell.  This time, I guess, I was worth damning:

Really? Is that why Jesus called the leaders of the day, ‘Hypocrites’, ‘dens of vipers’, ‘white washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones?’ ‘evil generation’? I could go on and on, but YOU have your ears plugged. Begone, cowardly milquetoast. You see God’s words and reject them. You will answer to him not me. Believe me, he’s on my side on this one.

So let's look at what Jesus DID say about loving your enemies:

Luke 6:

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
³² “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Matthew 23:

³³ And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”^[h]




Romans 12:

⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”^[a] says the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”^[b]

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

The thing is, my friends, anybody can take verse and situations out of context in order to give themselves power, glory, an excuse to hate or sin.  Unfortunately this is a person who does such things under the guise of being a "Christian".  I did send back to her- with one further verse:

 

It must be nice to read only the parts of scripture that allow you to hate. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek. I knew somehow you’d reply thusly, but I thought I’d try for A) your soul’s sake and B) in the hopes that you might be a tad more intelligent than the Westboro Baptist crowd and would WANT to stop demeaning the word Christian with your hard-hearted attitude. Guess I was 0-for-two there, eh? On the bright side, I can use your replies on my blog to show others what Christianity Isn’t. I’m gone. In the mean time, you might want to check out Luke 9:54-55; 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”[a]
55 But He turned and rebuked them,[b] and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.


You'll notice, I didn't engage in her infantile "You'll go to hell and I won't".  Instead, I shall Quote Constantine XI Palaiologos to Sultan Mehmet before the fall of Constantinople:

...I will defend my people with my last drop of blood.  Reign in happiness, until the All-Just, the Supreme God, calls us both before His Judgment."