Religion has actually convinced people that there is a invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you, and he needs money. He always needs money. He's all-powerful, all-knowing, all-perfect and all wise, somehow he just can't handle money.
~George Carlin~
I was listening to a clip of the late reverend Billy Graham the other day. Now, I grew up listening to the late preachers crusades, and I'm certain that he ultimately led many to follow the Lord. BUT, in this message, I ran across what I have come to know as the Christian contradiction. The reverend Graham was encouraging those listening that God loved you no matter what you had done, which is true. However, this is where he lost me. For in his next breath, he proclaimed that God despises the sinner, and that those unrepentant of their sin would be cast into hell. So, the messaging here is that no matter what I've ever done in my life, God still loves me. BUT, that He despises those who sin. And, if you sin, that hell is your ultimate destination. This has been the Christian religious playbook for thousands of years, so I can't blame the late preacher for using it to somehow frighten people into accepting God in their lives. Back in the days of Jesus' ministry, the Jewish authorities had many traditions and rituals which they demanded that people of the Lord follow. So, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree in that respect. Yet, in His woes to the Pharisees, Jesus admonished the Jewish leaders for their treatment of the children of the Lord {Matthews Account 23:16-24}. But what is the truth which Billy Graham and countless other pulpit pounders have either overlooked or outright ignored? The truth is that God does indeed love us no matter what we've ever done, I agree with Billy on that point. But to claim that God despises sinners is to ignore the very reason why Jesus was dispatched into this world in the first place. Jesus came, because "God thus loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son {Johns Account 3:16-17}. Tell me, if God despises the sinner, why is it that He sent His only Son to redeem them? Why not simply allow those in sin to wallow in their sins? The truth is that God has NEVER despised the sinner, but cherished them close to Him through His love.
The old saying is true, that if you tell a lie often enough that eventually people will see it as the truth. This has been the reality of the Christian contradiction. God loves you, but He hates sinners enough to banish them to hell. Does anyone but me see the absurdity of this belief? I believe that the crux of the contradiction is based on the churches obsession with sin. So much so, that it is sin which has caused the Father to throw away His love for us. Now, if God will not and cannot lie, how is it that He hates the sinner? Has He not proclaimed that "He will not leave you nor forsake you" {Deuteronomy 31:6-8, To the Hebrews 13:5}. Has not Jesus Himself spoken that "I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon! Amen!" {Matthews Account 28:20}. Something here doesn't add up. The truth is that God is not a God of punishment or revenge, but a God of love {First Epistle of John 4:8}. Therefore, to say that God hates the sinner is simply ignoring who the Father truly is, and who we truly are in Him. The mistaken belief is that our lives are lived outside of God, where sin runs rampant. God is in heaven, while we're here in this fallen world. But Jesus Himself has spoken to the truth that we don't live separate from, but within the love of God {Johns Account 14:20}. But what about sin? Well, that ship has sailed. In his evangel, the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that Christ Jesus has "Died to sin once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. Paul goes further by proclaiming "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?"{Paul to the Romans 6:2}. Still think that God hates the sinner? If you do, then you're probably still stuck in the contradiction of the church.
He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love
First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament Translation
~Scott~





