Last week a group of people who call themselves Christians came to my school and stationed themselves at a spot in the middle of campus. As students passed by, they yelled hateful things at them and made accusations based on their sexuality, clothing, actions and anything else they deemed to be "un-Christian-like." As a Christian, this angered me and saddened me deeply. They claimed to be representing Christianity, but they were not. Christianity is about love, not hate, and I am so sorry for anyone who was victimized by their false message.

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. It says,

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Notice that it says everyone who believes in him will have eternal life, not "only perfect Christians who never sin." Because here's the thing: there's no such thing as a perfect Christian who never sins. This is not to say that sinning isn't a big deal, it does sadden God very much when any of His children disobey Him, but that doesn't mean that He doesn't love them. In His eyes, sin is sin, and one person's sin doesn't make them any less worthy of His love than another person's sin. Paul tells us this in Romans 3:23-24 when he writes,

"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness declares that we are righteous."

Therefore, as Christians, we should never try to make someone believe that they are unworthy of God's love because, despite their imperfectness, they will still receive it. It is also our job to share not only God's word, but also His love with them. John 15:17 says,

"This is my command. Love each other."

Hating non-believers is not going to get anyone anywhere. It will just make them see Christians as hypocrites who shame people for their mistakes, and who would want to be a part of that? However, if we love them they will have the opportunity to see one of the many reasons why Christians choose to dedicate their lives to the Lord.

To see more of my thoughts about what Christianity is really about, click here.