Ever wonder where the saying, “Hate the sin, love the sinner” came from?
“It is clear, then, that the man who does not live according to man but according to God must be a lover of the good and therefore a hater of evil; since no man is wicked by nature but is wicked only by some defect, a man who lives according to God owes it to the wicked men that his hatred be perfect, so that, neither hating the man because of his corruption nor loving the corruption because of the man, he should hate the sin but love the sinner. For, once the corruption has been cured, then all that is left should be loved and nothing remains to be hated.”
Augustine, City of God (Image Books, 1958) p. 304
Nice one. This quote has been variously misattributed to Ghandi.
Comment by Graeme — March 18, 2008 @ 4:36 am
The QUOTE may have come from Ghandi, but the idea came from the bible, which was written thousands of years before either one of those people took it.
Christians are called to love everyone, but we are also called to hate evil as God despises evil. By loving our brothers and sisters we are supposed to NOT love the sins they do, because if we condone their sinful behavior we are a stumbling stone for them by letting them live in sin and think its ok, and the bible says:
“but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” Romans 14:13
“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” Romans 12:9
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge RIGHTEOUS judgment” John 7:24
“Bretheren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” James 5:19-20
“…whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” 1 John 3:10
That last quote I feel is the best sum of things, that to be of God we have to do righteous things (ie living righteous, making righteous judgments etc) BUT ALSO we must love our neighbors, we are told to do BOTH not just one for a reason.
Comment by Church & State — December 4, 2008 @ 3:10 am
Mahatma Gandhi published the quote in a book 1929, so it is still possible the quote be from him (seeing as this example given here is from 1958 and Gandhi had already died then)… What I would like to know is if it isn’t older? I’ve heard it is from Martin Luther but can’t find anything on it…
Comment by Gabbers — June 17, 2009 @ 7:17 am
Love is not meant to point out evil, is it?
Comment by Debbie — September 26, 2009 @ 8:44 pm
Gabbers, Augustine of Hippo finished his City of God in the year 0,426. I don’t doubt that Martin Luther was familiar with the quote, and may have used it.
Clearly the saying is strongly in accord with what biblical precepts, but nowhere in the bible is this idea expressed with anywhere near this level of spot-on concision. I think we have to give the quote to Augustine.
Comment by dogimo — October 12, 2009 @ 12:06 am
dogimo, I would not be as quick to assume that Luther was not familiar with Augustine’s works, especially his City of God… that said, one thing that we do get from Augustine is “All truth is God’s truth”. I am fine with Ghandi being the person who coined the phrase.. but that is not the point. I am not sure that we can actually love the sinner and still claim to ‘not’ be an enemy of God – we are called to love what God loves and hate what he hates… I find it difficult, actually impossible, to separate a sinner from his/her sin – the sin because that is what they are not the other way around!
The real trouble is that we humans have an imperfect love and an ill-intended hate. God knows and shows pure love, and righteous anger/hate/wrath… until we are God I believe we should go on loving everyone, while also not approving of their wickedness (their very person and all they do = sinners).
Comment by Thom — November 14, 2009 @ 9:56 am