Each of us must regard ourselves as the first among sinners. This is, as per at least the tradition according to St. Andrew, one way to interpret Jesus’ words on judgment. This does not mean that we do not condemn evil. Of course we do, but we greet that evil as a tragedy, as the fall of a person, a fall we are always on the brink of ourselves. In a sense, this is “loving the sinner and hating the sin.” But that truism overemphasizes the need to arrive in a spirit of condemnation. Yes, we will need to condemn, but this does not necessarily excuse hateful affects, belligerent emotions. I’ve written fairly recently about the ways in which orthodox theology can turn into horrible praxis, all because people, in their righteous zeal, fail to recognize that all people struggle, that we are all sinners at the mercy of a glorious god. So yes, we must prepare to be hated; we must stand against sin, but that always means seeing our own sinfulness and offering love—not capitulating to the desire to abuse, to be mean, at bottom, to flirt with self-righteousness.
The second position—be nice all the time—neglects the truth that true love does mean standing up against what is wrong: whether it’s some social position, neglecting justice to the poor and destitute, whatever the case may be. Niceness is not love. At times love, of course, sounds nice, but it transcends niceness. It does not merely acquiesce to others’ demands, nor is it an excuse to let loose one’s “righteous fury.” Rather love is an openness to the truth of original sin, a movement beyond ourselves into the truth of our own created-ness. It is a tight rope to walk, and yet, what choice do we have:
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:16-21)
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