While on the internet earlier this week I came across a quote by Rick Warren. There are many things that Warren teaches that are not true, but he got it right with this statement:
Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense.
You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.
This truth can easily be demonstrated with the parent/child relationship. Many children grow up to embrace beliefs or practices that their parents reject. The parents will express disapproval and may be intolerant of such rebellion, but that in no way indicates a lack of love.
The same thing is true regarding our interactions with one another as Christians. Paul wrote (cf. Galatians 6:1-2) that it is the spiritual man’s duty to correct his brother who is in sin. To do so is an expression of love.
It is also an expression of love to convict the alien sinner of his personal guilt when it comes to sinning against God. It is our duty to the world to seek to save their souls from sin. When we condemn their sin and call them to repentance, we are not hating them. We are practicing charity!
