Do You Love Sin OR Do You Love God

© 2021 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

Love sin or love God.  You must do one.  You can’t do both.  The power of God’s Word, the Bible, enables true Christians to love their Lord and Savior.  The Psalmist expressed it this way.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Scripture makes it clear that if we truly love God, the idea of disobeying and sinning against Him will trouble us greatly.

One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, asked Jesus,

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:36)

Jesus replied,

“… Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians emphasizes this by warning that those who don’t love Christ, face eternal condemnation.

“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” (1 Corinthians 16:22)

Why do Christians love God the Son, Jesus Christ?  The Bible tells us why.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

True love for Christ is evidenced by obedience to His commands.  Jesus, Himself, said,

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

This Includes loving our neighbors, both inside and outside our immediate family.

“And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (1 John 4:21)

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

One doesn’t become a true Christian by exhibiting these traits.  Rather, these traits only demonstrate what God’s Holy Spirit has already done in our hearts.  Is what you and I claim about ourselves really true?  Has God changed our heart and caused us to cry out, as did the Publican:

“… God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)

No one is saved without God’s true work in the heart!  Membership in a church won’t change this.  Pretending to love those we really don’t, won’t change it either.  Scripture warns us to carefully examine the true nature of our hearts.

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Has Christ truly joined you to Himself?

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