Love the sinner hate the sin?

When I was growing up (i tend only to grow outwards these days!), i was taught the maxim that you should love the sinner but hate the sin. As I read more christian books, i was pleased to see C. S. Lewis quoting it saying that he did not initial agree with it but that he had come to. I, however, had never had a problem with it.

After reading the late Proffessor Gunton's book on the atonement he had a chapter on Edward Irving. This Chapter inspired me to read his work on the incarnation, which still is one of the best christian books I have ever read. He suggested that ' love the sinner hate the sin' was arminian nonsence. As if the sin is not the expression of the corrupt person of the sinner. Good point I thought, sins evil is that it is what we are. Irving used this to complain about stock exchange divinity - treating the atonement as if it was a mathematical sum.

I was struck as H. R. Mackintosh in his wonderful book on the christian experience of forgivness makes a similar point. that sin is what we are. It struck me though while reading it though that we can love the sinner but hate the sin.

How you ask?

To love the sinner and hate the sin, can only be done in one way. And I now would not really use the phrase. Through the death of christ, we can look at the sinner and see that his attempt to reject God, to cut himself off from all that is good has been invaded by the Cross. Christ is Last word of God on each human being. Sin not Christ becomes the ultimate definition of the person and thus through Christ we can love them as sinners, while all the time hatting the sin.