Scriptures on Love and Sin.... A Follow Up Post

My last post was on love, sin and Westboro Baptist Church. To read it go here.

Today, I am just going to put some scripture to what I said last time, so you all know I am not making this up. :)

On God's authority to send us to Hell....

"But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear." Luke 13:5

"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[ and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”^[  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10: 26-31

On us all being sinners and God's loving us in spite of it:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

^"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-9

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

On Loving Our Enemies...

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Luke 6:27

And one final thought:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

When Westboro Baptist Church announced that they were going to protest the funeral of a soldier last Saturday the soldier's church and community united around the family. Something good came of something potentially horrible. Apparently, in the end, there was no sign that Westboro even showed up. God is indeed good.

Have a blessed day!!

Westboro Baptist Church

They're at it again.

Westboro Baptist Church is protesting at the funeral of another fallen soldier. This time, it is at a church just a few hours from me that is a member of the same region as my church. I know the pastor slightly and have friends who will attend the funeral to help form a shield between it and the protesters. The family has also invited the Patriots' Guard Riders to be present as an honor guard.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog article on a bumper sticker I saw that read "Remember: Jesus Loves All the People You Hate." Westboro Baptist Church needs to get that message, learn that lesson. Their constant, explicit  message of hate is absolutely contradictory to God's word.

Think about it. The idea that God hates people because of sin is downright ridiculous. I mean, sure, he hates sin. However, if he hated people because of sin he would have sent the whole lot of us -- not just people who commit one particular sin or another but all of us straight to Hell with no questions asked. He has the authority to do that.

The authority, but not the will. So instead of sending us to Hell, He died for us. All of us. Any of us who follows Him gets to be with Him. Because He loves us. Period.

But, um, there is more to this...

......because if Jesus loves everyone we hate,

then Jesus loves...

                the people of Westboro Baptist Church

and we are supposed to do that, too.

Argh. I don't want to. I mean, have you heard what these people do? This whole thing just boggles my mind.

In a previous post about them, I wrote that we should not hate Westboro Baptist Church because that would be sinking to their level. I think I can manage that.

But there is a world of difference between not hating and actually loving them. I don't even know what that would look like or how to go about it. The idea kinda freaks me out, but it is commanded:

"Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you."

*Sigh* -- I am not even in the hardest position -- I have never been personally, directly affected by the actions of Westboro Baptist Church, but I srill can't get my mind around this.

How does it work? Any ideas?

I think I will begin by praying for them... and see where to go from there.

Transition....

I began attending Youth Conference 34 years ago in 1979. Back then, the conference bumped Labor Day weekend so that yesterday would have been the last day. I still think of this as when the conference should end.

Now, though, conference is “early.” It actually ended two weeks ago today. We held our Graduation service, a barbecue and the traditional closing circle on Saturday, August 18.

This was my last Graduation Service as Academic Dean of the Conference, so this coming year will be a different one for me. For the first time in nearly two decades, I will not be part of the Planning Committee. I also know that I will most probably not be at conference next August.

I am definitely feeling a sense of loss in all this. I have been at 30 conferences in the 34 years since I started. I’m not worried – the conference is in good hands—but I am sad that I will not be a part of it. I think of all the first and second year students who I worked this year and last year – I’ll be missing out on watching their growth. But whatever year I moved on, that would be the case. There are always more special kids, more deep connections.

Graduation was emotional at points. The Third Year class was amazing – they brought energy to the service, they showed that they had really bonded, and they seemed to have fun. I nearly lost it when, after it was announced that I my term was up, they sang to me and then to the Dean who was also moving on. (Actually, everyone sang to us, but they started it.) That’s something I will carry with me into the next year. I feel like I made a difference to someone.

Hopefully, I’ll be back to CYC sometime soon. For now, I remember…

When have you moved on from something that was important? How have you worked through the emotions?