Should sinners be called “beloved?”
Question:
Answer:
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!" (Isaiah 5:20-21).
It is not unusual for the wicked to attempt to reverse good and evil. They see it as being clever but it only illustrates their lack of respect for Christianity.
Jesus died to bring people out of their sins. "And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (I Peter 2:24). But some seem to believe that they can remain in their sins and still benefit from Christ's sacrifice. Perhaps the author was thinking of Jesus' statement: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13), but if so, he reversed the meaning of one dying for many to make it seem that the many should be willing to die for one man.
"Beloved" is used to refer to those loved by God because they are his chosen people. "So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12). What little I've heard about these politicians' lives, I can't say they typify the Christian walk.
