Yep. That’s right. I love sinners.

It’s the current trend for Christians to get caught up in this condescending state of looking down on those that struggle as if that is what God has called us to do anyway.

We are called to be like Christ, and that picture of Christ and sinners is a picture of love.

We treat interactions with people who aren’t Christians as if it’s a chore. We say things like I don’t know how to deal with sinners. Deal with them…

They aren’t a sickness. They aren’t a checklist item to get through so that you can get to the fun part of your life. They are broken people who desperately need the love of Christ. I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty familiar place for me.

The real question is this: how do I love sinners?

I can tell you how not to. An easy place to slip up is to spend time with people and indulge in the sinning that they do and do it all in the name of influencing them. It’s easy to do that. One thing I have learned is that it is hard to find opportunities. Forcing these opportunities into doing whatever they want to do in the name of discipleship is wrong.

How do we set ourselves apart? How are we so different? The answer is quite simple: forgiveness.

As Christians, we have the ultimate example of forgiveness in Christ. For us to set ourselves apart, we have to imitate that very forgiveness that we place our hope in. Where does this forgiveness show in our life? It shows in way that we treat people. It shows by not letting the actions of people affect the way that we love them.

It is time for Christians to step up and answer the call to love. It makes all the difference.