Last weekend (April 28, 2019) I was in a supermarket and a certain man kept looking at me. So we started looking at each other with these cynical smiles as we picked what we both had come for. Eventually, we met at the checkout queue and the brother took a bold step to break the silence.
Hello, pastor am sure you don’t remember me, but we hosted you at our church in two camp-meetings. I am a Seventh-Day Adventist.
We talked and shared quick greetings and bid each other farewell.
Background
Those of you who don’t know the background of this story am telling I would like to tell it briefly here. I was once a Seventh-day Adventist church member and I de-registered myself from the institution. Ever since I left I lost almost all my sociology, and I have to confess, there are people I le in there who I rally loved but because my religious beliefs metamorphosed, some people could not keep the love for me. The question is, were they in love with me or with my being an SDA member?
I have to confess too, I hate the belief systems of this institution and sometimes I have failed to distinguish the believers from what they believe. I find myself not feeling good about the individual altogether just because of what they believe. This is a demon that has been rebuked in me this month.
In just one month, two Seventh-day Adventists have exhibited to me what it means to love the sinner and hate their sin. One is a man I consider my god-father who was absolutely hurt because I left their religion. This man stayed in my broadcast receiving all my posts, some which were not kind to his denomination. But in April, this man had the audacity to entrust me as the master of ceremonies at his daughter’s graduation party. This exposed me and revolutionalised all my conclusions of equating people to their beliefs.
Another one was this guy from Kireka who had a genuine smile as he spoke to me. Ever since I left the SDA Church, church leaders have warned their flock against me and the believers are scared of me like the devil himself. They have been told to run away, not talk to me whenever they cross paths with me.
In fact, one day I was standing somewhere with my colleagues (Peter and Allan) and a group of SDAs passed as each pointed at me alerting the other about the demon: wuyo Isaiah-White (there he is…hihhihihihhihihihhihi). I have met many in public places and have been ignored or given an attitude but this guy I met in the supermarket was different. Whether the courtesy of these two is a ploy to reclaim a member or not, I don’t care, all I mind is that these two have attempted the impossible and that is LOVING THE SINNER THOUGH THEY HATE HIS SIN.
Rhetorical Queries
I am not advocating for ecumenical relations here, but I think we need to investigate the possibility of distinguishing people from their beliefs and deeds. Can we agree in sociological matters when we disagree in spiritual matters?
How can we love an individual and hate what they believe and do or in other words, can we love what they believe and do but not like them?
Is there a difference between what someone believes and does from who they really are?
If I hate the Basoga (ethnicity) is that reason enough not to marry a well behaved Musoga just because of their ethnicity?
Do we marry religious beliefs or we marry for love? If it is for love, what or who are we in love with?
How do I separate a serial-killer, rapist, thief, priest, pastor etc. as a belief system and the practices that define them from who they are as individuals? Is there a thing like that?
It is a reality of life that some people will oppose the good and right you do because they hate you and others will hate you because of your failures. Isn’t it?
Scriptural View
In the Old Testament, people were stoned for their wrong beliefs and for defaulting a right belief (Leviticus 20:1-2; Numbers 15:32-36) and they were killed for their wrong deeds (Joshua 7:24-25). It seems until Jesus came, (John 8:1-6), IDENTITY was what someone BELIEVED and DID. I think what has changed today is the stoning but people still appreciate others to be exactly what they believe and do.
I am wondering whether in the Catholic world there is a man known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio anymore as distinct from Pope Francis! What about in other religions, are saints treated differently? Is it possible to love the teaching of the teacher and not love the man who teaches? If this is possible, isn’t it possible for us to love the sinner and hate their sinning?
The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that,
“God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us”.
God was in love with us the sinners but not comfortable with sin and our sinning so he loved us enough and died for us regardless of our acts (John 3:16). Here we are face to face with a God who hates sin (Psalms 5:8) but loves the sinner. He equally has no pleasure in the death of a sinner just as he has no pleasure in the sinning of the sinner (Ezekiel 33:11; Proverbs 6:16-19).
The reason God hates sin is that it separates those in love (Isaiah 59:1-2), and those in love, in this case, it is a man and his God. A loving God pursues his loved ones (sinners) and seeks to restore the relationship however much sin has separated both. Here is how the word of God puts it,
“that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2Corinthians 5:19)
But how does God succeed in this? I will tell you how God has balanced emotions and a distinguishing perception. His emotions to us are balanced because he doesn’t expect any better from us. Therefore, when we sin against him, he is not shocked and neither does he react. He has a distinguishing perception that isolates WHO WE ARE from WHAT WE DO.
It is important to know that God is not in love with WHAT WE DO (good or bad) but God is love with WHO WE ARE. In our world, we identify people, not by THEMSELVES but by WHAT THEY DO. Someone who sells groundnuts is called BINYEEBWA (groundnuts), and these social identities tend to restrict our perceptions and we fail to distinguish :
- A person from their Profession
- A person from their Personality and
- A person from their Problem.
God does this and he wants us to attempt the impossible with us but possible with him on board. LOVE A SINNER-HATE THEIR SINNING is what God communicated to all of us his believers when he commanded us in these words,
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).
I can’t say more, all I can say is that let us pray ourselves that we keep trying in Jesus’ might.
God bless you I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)
Priest Isaiah White (+256-793-822833 for further inquiries)
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)
@Think & Become
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 