Post #118167 by Sam Gambino on Tue, Oct 5, 2004 1:40 PM

On 2004-10-05 10:17, Formikahini wrote:
It's the accepting each other "in spite of" that shows real love.
I'm no better a person than any of them, and that's what Christ was continually trying to point out to the hypocritical leaders of his time. The hookers and tax-collecting thugs knew and admitted they had broken God's law, and look who Christ hung with. (Mind you, he didn't condone their previous behavior!)

My dad loves the saying "You like somebody because, and you love somebody in spite of."

I love that saying too.

I agree. Jesus is all about forgiveness, grace and redemption. He wasn't too proud to be seen with reformed prostitutes or swindlers (or even unreformed ones for that matter, and like Formikahini said, he didn't condone their behavior), nor was he too proud to humble himself enough to wash the feet of others. It's unfortunate that he so often somehow gets labeled with all of the characteristics (like hypocrisy, pride and condemnation) that so much contradict what he is all about.

[ Edited by: sam gambino on 2004-10-06 00:01 ]