Response to comment by livebygrace on the Da Vinci disgrace post

This is a response to the comment by livebygrace who posted on the Da Vinci disgrace post, regarding the nature and tone of my post.

livebygrace's comment:

We are called to be "Salt and Light" as believers in Christ. However we should not be offensive. More grace...more humility.... more prayers...more love... is needed. Change the World by our conduct...not by mere words and baggering of the permissiveness in this world. We cannot insist on a RIGHT THEOLOGY without A RIGHT BEHAVIOUR. My brother. Let Christ's divine love mellow you and melt your heart - to love the sinner even though you hate the sins. Love one to another- John 13:34,35

This comment is a typical comment which people like to make regarding the perceived 'unloving' tone in others. For those and possibly others in the future, here is my response:

Hello livebygrace,

I agree with you that we are to be loving to others and we need to love the sinner and hate the sin. However, I strongly disagree with you over your interpretation of what loving means and your description of my post as offensive in nature. We should not conform to the world's definition of what being 'loving' is, but we are to be transformed by the renewal of our mind (Rom. 12:2) When Scripture tells us to be loving, it means to be loving in like-manner as how being loving is being described in the Bible, and that is where I think your description fails.

If you were to just look at the actions and words of Jesus, who being God incarnate is perfectly loving, would you be able to say truthfully that he is indeed loving, accoring to your unbiblical definition of 'being loving'? Consider this, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees using very strong and seemingly offensive words (Luke 11:39-52), and He likewise proclaim severe judgment and woe unto the unrepentant cities (Luke 10:13-15). According to your definition of loving, is Jesus being loving here? Or how about the Apostles? Since what they say in Scripture is inspired by God, they do reflect what does it mean to be loving in the words used in the epistles. Consider then the words of the Apostle Paul in Ga. 1:8 where he just condemned a certain group of professed believers in the visible Church to eternal hellfire and damnation because of their teaching of salvation by faith + observation of the Jewish ceremonial law. Was the Apostle Paul being loving here? Or how about the Apostle John, the 'apostle of love', who 'attacks' Diotrephes and saying that this guy is talking wicked nonsense against the Apostles (3 John 10 — ESV)?

If you were just to examine these passages and then look at my post, you can see that the use of strong words of denunciation (NOT vulgarities or crude language) is approved for the Christian. The only thing to look out for is our attitude. By God's grace, I pray that God will continue to give me the right motives in serving Him and doing what I do, for the gloy of God alone.