Yes, Jesus still loves you…
but don’t be dumb.
I have a couple of confessions to make….
First Confession: I am an enneagram 8. Truth is of utmost importance to me, and I care a lot about a lot of things and a lot of people. Speaking the truth in love is my goal – although I’m not always successful. So please hear what I’m saying with these two things in mind. TRUTH and LOVE.
Second Confession: One of the things that gets me the most riled up is when I see/hear a self-proclaiming Christian proclaiming non-truths. As much as I value truth and ethics and God’s truth I don’t expect people that don’t know God to act or think or talk like they do. But the minute you say you love Jesus and His Word and then you start spouting off things that are contrary to His Word it’s literally all I can do to contain myself. Like I start having heart palpitations. Literally.
I realize that there a lot of areas where God has given us the freedom to have personal convictions. However, there are also things that the Scripture speaks to directly. There are things that the Bible specifically tells us are wrong and to stay away from – not because God is mean or un-fun, but because He knows what is best for our hearts and minds and bodies and souls. His commands are ALWAYS for our good.
If you watch TV or follow the news on any reality TV you might recognize this statement: “I have [_______], and Jesus still loves me.” The controversy surrounding this has brought such a negative light to Christianity no matter which side you’re on, and it just makes me cringe. Why? Because I think that Jesus doesn’t love us when we sin? Of course not. Jesus loves us always no matter what. And yes, all of our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, but…that’s not an excuse to do whatever we want. Louie Giglio puts it this way:
Just because God loves you doesn’t mean that He agrees with you. Love and agreement are not the same. God doesn’t love you because He sees eye to eye with you on everything. He loves and values you because He created you and you bear His image. He wants His great love for you to win you over to His way of life, so you become all He made you to be.
In the same way, I don’t need to agree with you to love you. Love and agreement are not always the same thing. I can love you because you are a person of great worth to God, even if we disagree.
Just because Jesus loves you and forgives you doesn’t mean He agrees with you or condones your actions. The grace of God doesn’t give us license to sin, but it should be a motivator to live lives that are glorifying to Him.
Grace is not “for” sin. Grace is “in spite” of sin. God Himself is gracious, and He was gracious before the first sin occurred. God didn’t develop grace after sin. He chooses to extend grace even though we sin. We should never use grace as license to sin. Paul tells us this in Romans 6:1-2:
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
Another great Scripture that speaks to this topic is found in John 8 and describes the very words and actions of Jesus Himself. When a woman caught in adultery was brought to Him, the custom of that day was to stone her. However, Jesus asked for the one who is without sin to cast the first stone. Many times, we stop the story here and talk about how we are not to “throw stones” at people. And yes, this is true. But as we so often do, we stop at the parts we like and ignore the rest. The story continues as all of her accusers walk away and she left standing alone with Jesus. His words to her are profound:
” I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
Jesus doesn’t condemn her. Jesus loves and saves and redeems and covers all our sins. But He also wants us to stop the foolishness. He didn’t say “I do not condemn you so keep on doing what you’re doing and make a slogan out of it.”
Lastly, it is OKAY – it’s what we are called to actually – to confront other believers (in a loving way) when they have strayed from what we know to be true in God’s Word. Confronting is not the same as judging. It would, in fact, be UN-loving to see someone choosing harmful actions and behaviors and standing by and saying nothing. Think about if it were your child running out into the road after you told them not to and a car is coming. Would you say, “Oh well, it’s their choice to disobey, and I don’t want to come across as judgmental.” ??? NO way! Of course not. That would be dumb. We confront them. We try to stop them BECAUSE we LOVE them and don’t want them to die!
Extreme? Maybe. But not really. Scripture tells us repeatedly that sin brings death.
James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin [p]is accomplished, it brings forth death”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “[…] I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your [w]descendants, 20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for [x]this is your life and the length of your days,”
Friend, choose life. Choose the blessing. Choose to love the Lord, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. Choose His truth – the only truth there is.
In the words of Paul David Tripp:
God has been and is exercising His grace to bring real comfort to our hearts […] but […] there is a second part to His work. It is transformation. […] By grace, God is actively working real vertical comfort into our hearts so that we will not seek comfort horizontally, and by grace He is transforming our hearts so that in our work and our words we will progressively live as He chose us to live. God’s comfort doesn’t mean that the way we live our lives makes no difference, and the fact that God lays claim to our daily living in no way removes the eternal comfort of His reconciling grace. We are His by grace and we are being changed by grace.
So, in my best “8” voice: Yes, Jesus still loves you when you mess up. Just don’t use His love and grace as an excuse to be dumb on purpose.
