{"id":32331,"date":"2021-02-20T16:18:53","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T22:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=32331"},"modified":"2021-02-20T16:18:53","modified_gmt":"2021-02-20T22:18:53","slug":"should-sinners-be-called-beloved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-sinners-be-called-beloved\/","title":{"rendered":"Should sinners be called “beloved?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\nHi Brother Jeffrey,\nI was considering a post I read on Facebook. It said Kamala Harris is beloved and Joe Biden was worth dying for. This made me think about the idea that Jesus called Pharisees a brood of vipers. There is something troubling to me about calling evil men beloved and worth dying for. Jesus didn’t die for sinners, he died for the sin they commit. If I’m off, please help straighten me out. I’m kind of thinking out loud here with a brother. Sometimes disagreeing with so-called Christians makes me look at things differently.\nThank you for any help!\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

“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!<\/em>” (Isaiah 5:20-21).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/em>” (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<\/em>” (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.<\/p>\n

“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<\/em>” (Colossians 3:12). What little I’ve heard about these politicians’ lives, I can’t say they typify the Christian walk.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Hi Brother Jeffrey, I was considering a post I read on Facebook. It said Kamala Harris is beloved and Joe Biden was worth dying for. This made me think about the idea that Jesus called Pharisees a brood of vipers. There is something troubling to me about calling evil men beloved and worth dying…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[987],"class_list":["post-32331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-wickedness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65979,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-happened\/","url_meta":{"origin":32331,"position":0},"title":"What Happened?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores It used to be that we called things by what they were: What used to be called lazy is now called \"finding myself.\" What used to be called modest is now called \"old fashioned.\" What used to be called indecent is now called \"adult.\" What used to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34208,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/sexting-is-now-called-normal-dating-behavior\/","url_meta":{"origin":32331,"position":1},"title":"Sexting Is Now Called “Normal Dating Behavior”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source:\u00a0Matt Roush, \"UM Study: Sexting May Be Normal Dating Behavior For Internet\u00a0Generation,\" CBS Detroit, 24 July 2012. Source:\u00a0Deborah Gordon-Messer, et al, \"Sexting Among Young Adults,\" Journal of Adolescent Health, 24 July 2012. \"For young adults today who were weaned on iPods and the Internet, the practice of \"sexting,\" or sending\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36434,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/intolerance-of-contrary-views\/","url_meta":{"origin":32331,"position":2},"title":"Intolerance of Contrary Views","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: The Tribune Washington Bureau, \"Pastor drops out of inauguration,\" Omaha World-Herald, 11 January 2013. The President invited a man to give a benediction at his inauguration, but when it was discovered that the man had stated in lessons back in the 1990s that homosexuality was contrary to the teachings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55463,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/changing-the-label-makes-sin-more-dangerous\/","url_meta":{"origin":32331,"position":3},"title":"Changing the Label Makes Sin More Dangerous","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Unknown One of America's great needs is to recognize sin for what it is. We are too prone to explain it away, or to soften its horrors. Wilbur Chapman tells of a distinguished minister who preached on sin, and one of the leading members came to talk to him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/11\/poison.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":33738,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/episcopals-approve-transgender-clergy\/","url_meta":{"origin":32331,"position":4},"title":"Episcopals Approve Transgender Clergy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: \"Episcopal bishops approve blessing for same-sex unions,\" Associated Press, Omaha World-Herald, 10 July 2012. \"In a separate vote Monday, the full convention approved new anti-discrimination language for transgender clergy candidates and church members. Some dioceses already ordain transgender people or elect them to positions of parish leadership. But advocates\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44865,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-i-marry-the-man-im-living-with-ill-lose-half-my-benefits\/","url_meta":{"origin":32331,"position":5},"title":"If I marry the man I’m living with, I’ll lose half my benefits","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I married at 15 to get away from an abusive father. That husband had an affair with our friend. I forgave him and took him back. He did it again. I divorced him for adultery. I later married an older man who was divorced, who committed adultery many times.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32331\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}