"Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin"

I am so impressed with Doctor Martin Luther King Junior.

Big surprise ay? But seriously...have you read his stuff? I had to read a letter he wrote for one of my classes. We are studying the vice anger and the opposite virtues: meekness and peacemaking. The main concept is loving your enemies.

As a girl who has been in the Christian world her whole life, I have heard this concept so many times. Loving your enemy is obvious in thought but not so obvious in real life. Truly...how many times do you encounter someone truly loving someone else who has wronged them? 

Two misconceptions: 1. Loving your enemy is weak. 2.By loving your neighbor you are somehow saying whatever they did/are doing is okay. 

Really? Loving your enemy is weak? I'm pretty sure Jesus loved his enemies so much he died for them. Would you call him weak for dying on the cross for us? Also, think how much harder it is for one to restrain their rage and act out of love for someone who has wronged them? That is impressive. That is revolutionary. THAT is love. I feel like whenever this happens, Jesus shouts, "SHABAM!!! They finally have it!"

In response to giving an "okay" to wrong by loving enemies: Love does not avoid the wrong. Love looks straight at the wrong and recognizes the fallen nature of the individual. After all, God sees us in our entirety, even the worst parts of us. He never excuses our sin, never says simply that it is okay, but loves us despite it all. 

What is the alternative? Hating those who are hateful? That just adds more hate. Nothing is solved. No peace can come from the human response to hate. 

Martin Luther King had this concept mastered. His resolve to be loving to those who were so cruel to him amazes me. His cry was to hate segregation but to love those who fight to segregate. This concept is summarized in the saying "Love the sinner, hate the sin." 

Can we really get this down? Can I really get this down?

Truth be told, I don't feel like I have many enemies. But I have to ask the question: If I was in Dr. King Jr.'s position, how would I react? I don't know. I hope that I would be able to react in such a Christlike way as Dr. King. 

What would the world look like if we took this principle into practice? This world would be so unrecognizable to our eyes. Will it ever happen? Probably not anytime soon. Yet I am convinced that our generation can be a good start. I can be a good start. 

~For those who wish to discover this concept further, I recommend the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Luke 6, Romans 12, and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.