A Common Misconception.

A stereotype concerning conservative, evangelical Christianity is that it must be intolerant, angry and full of hatred. While this is often the case, with folks like Brother Micah (whose theology is as warped as his attitude) and the Westboro Baptist Church (whence comes the horrid "God Hates Fags" nonsense), a truly Biblical Christianity must be loving, kind, patient, and should cater to the worst of the worst in society.

"though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is(F) trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,of whom I am the foremost."-1 Timothy 1:13-15

Paul tells us that he considers himself the worst of all sinners. He had formerly persecuted the Christian Church, having Christians put to death. Peter is another example of one who publicly denied Christ after having made a public profession, which is very serious. The Markan account even records him invoking an oath and swearing he never knew Him (Mark 14:66-72). Yet this is all in accord with God's plan of displaying His surpassing grace in liberating captives to sin from their slavery, and putting to shame those who boast in themselves or rely on their own power or device.

"but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are"-1 Corinthians 1:27-28.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXEXqMzLX1Y

^John MacArthur does an excellent job here of dispelling the stereotype against Christians that we're bigoted and hateful. He points out that we're not judging the sins of others worse than our sin, and that Christ's blood is sufficient for the sins of whoever genuinely repents, by turning from their sin and trusting in Christ's death on the cross as an atonement for their sins.

" 10"Two men(A) went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee,(B) standing by himself, prayed[a](C) thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12(D) I fast twice a week;(E) I give tithes of all that I get.' 13But the tax collector,(F) standing far off,(G) would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but(H) beat his breast, saying, 'God,(I) be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For(J) everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."-Luke 18:10-14

Replace the Pharisee with a sleazy, hypocritical politician, and the tax collector with a Harlem drug dealer, and you have more or less the sense this parable is supposed to convey.

"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on an other you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man - you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself - that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"-Romans 2:1-4

"...there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith."-Romans 3:23-25

"Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."-Romans 3:27-28

No one has any room to boast. Sin is so infinitely heinous in the eyes of God, that to try and argue that one person is "better" than the other is like trying to vindicate the character of Hitler by pointing out that he didn't kill as many people as Stalin. All have sinned and all short of the glory of God - to have ever lied is to be a liar, to have ever looked at someone with lust is to be an adulterer, to have ever stolen is to be a thief, to ever have used God's name in vain is to be a blasphemer - without some kind of payment, we have to face God on Judgment Day as lying, thieving, adulterous blasphemers. This is why Christ died on the cross - because nothing good we can do can justify ourselves.

We are all Hitlers and Stalins, since God's standards are perfect because He is perfect and He demands retribution for every sin because He is just. The only person to perfectly fulfill the perfect requirements of God's perfect Law is Christ Jesus, whose death and sacrifice is acceptable because He lived a perfect life. He lived a perfect life and died punished as though a sinner, having identified as such for the sake of His sheep, so that guilty sinners who actually deserve that kind of punishment could have Christ's perfect righteousness credited to Him provided they believe He did this for them.