Does Love Approve Sin?

by David Rollert

Numerous lessons, articles, books, and classes focus on how the world’s view of love differs from God’s view of love. We know the world’s definition of love does not match God’s definition. Yet we live life constantly bombarded with worldly viewpoints. It is no wonder that we will sometimes fall back on the world’s view of love. One topic in which this often happens is “loving sinners.”

In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus challenges us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Two common misunderstandings persist about this passage. 1) Loving our enemies means showing approval for their sin, and 2) loving explicitly means showing affection to or prioritizing the feelings of our enemies. Neither view is accurate according to Scripture.

Loving your enemies does not mean showing approval of their sin. A person may outright reject this command because they feel that anything less than absolute loathing would be approval of sin. These folks try as hard as they can to find reasons to justify holding on to their hate and, in doing so, poison their own hearts. Others will go the other direction by simply refusing to call anything wrong. They find any possible way to try to dismiss or approve of sin, even to the point of outright rejecting God’s word. However, God’s word is clear: loving our enemies does not mean approving of their sin. In Ezekiel 33:11, God declares that he desires that the wicked repent and turn from their evil ways. In this we see true love: the desire that a person be right with God and spend eternity with Him. By this definition, approving of sin would be the opposite of love.

Now, let’s address the misunderstanding that says that loving our enemies means being affectionate toward them. This is honestly an interesting topic. We are commanded to be kind to all, patient when wronged, and not quarrelsome (2 Timothy 2:24). But we are not commanded to prioritize the feelings of those who live in sin, nor to show them affection. Instead, we are commanded to correct those who oppose the truth so they may repent and escape the snare of the devil (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Being affectionate toward those who live in sin will indicate to them that we approve of their sinful actions. Godly love will want to help them come to repentance. It is possible to do something kind for someone without showing admiration or preference. So then, to whom are we to show affection? Philippians 2:1-2 says we should have affection and compassion toward our fellow Christians. This affection is directly linked to our unity in the Spirit.

We must love our enemies. But that love does not mean approving of their sin, nor does it mean being affectionate toward them. Loving our enemies means doing good and being kind to them, praying for them, and seeking to help bring them to repentance.