Jesus’ Love is Not a License to Sin
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“The Bachelorette,” Hannah Brown, has been very open about her Christian faith. However, she has recently made headlines for admitting onscreen (rather proudly, it seems) to having sex with men on the show, while quickly defending it by saying, “Jesus still loves me.”
Many people are rallying to her defense, cheering her on for her choices. Proud feminists are silencing anyone who speaks out against Hannah by saying they are “slut shaming” her.
First of all… you don’t even want to get me started on the theory of “slut shaming.”
Is there a double standard that men can sleep around and women shouldn’t? Yes. Does this mean we should empower women to also begin sleeping around? NO!!!
Being a “slut” is shameful – whether you are a man or a woman – so let’s stop celebrating this behavior. If we want to do away with the double standard, the answer is to stop tolerating this behavior from men – not just encourage women to do the same.
On the other side of the fence, however, there are the so-called Christians who are condemning her completely, saying she is a disgrace to Christianity, and even threatening her.
I fall somewhere in the middle. I am certainly not judging Hannah. I understand that I too am a sinner, and I know that desires of the flesh can be a powerful force to deny, and sometimes good people succumb to bad choices. However, I do believe it to be just that – a BAD choice – a SIN.
In this day and age, of course many Christians are having sex before they are married. Does this mean they will burn in hell? No. Does this mean Jesus doesn’t still love them? Of course not. But does it mean that Jesus approves? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
We need to stop using the veil of “Jesus loves me” as a license to sin and do whatever we want and instead be accountable for our actions.
We also need to stop condemning everyone who stands for truth as “judging.”
We hear it all the time. As soon as someone says they disagree with a choice someone has made, especially when labeling it as a sin, everyone is quick to come out with the verse declaring that he who is without sin throw the first stone, and that Jesus is merciful and forgives.
People do this to quickly turn the focus away from their own sin by simply accusing the other as judging them.
Now, for those so-called Christians I mentioned above – the ones who have completely condemned her, who have sent threats – they are OF COURSE ridiculous and not acting in love at all. There are many who probably are judging her, and they are wrong for that, but not every person who stands for truth does it from a spirit of judgement.
The bible is clear on certain things being a sin – with premarital sex being one of those things – so to stand and say that Hannah made a wrong choice, that she sinned, is simply stating facts of the Christian faith – not judging her.
There is no sin Jesus won’t forgive, and of course he will love us no matter what, but there is NOT ONE example in the bible where Jesus went to sinners and told them that what they were doing was fine because he loved them anyway. He said, “Go and SIN NO MORE.”
I have sinned – often repeatedly with the same struggle. However, I have never asked that anyone celebrate my sin, nor have I made allowances for myself under the guise of “Jesus still loves me.”
I am forever grateful for my merciful savior who will love me no matter what, forgive me no matter what, but I also want to strive to be better and to put away the sin that separates me from Him.
Giving yourself the excuse of “Jesus still loves me” removes all accountability and the need to repent or change. As soon as we start defending all sin by saying that Jesus loves and forgives, we do away with the need to stop the behavior.
We all sin, and of course Hannah is no exception. However, as a Christian, she should be acknowledging that she made a mistake, not justifying it with Jesus’ love.
Everyone is going to make mistakes in life, and sometimes we are even going to commit really horrible sins. However, the true show of good character is what we do next.
Do we hold ourselves accountable? Do we strive to do better – even if we fail 100 more times before we get there? Do we repent and ask that Jesus forgive us?
Or do we shrug it off, brush it under the rug by saying “Jesus still loves me,” and continue in our sin?
I do not think Hannah is a bad person, and I do not judge or condemn her as a “bad Christian” like many others have. However, I also do not agree with her choices and the way she has handled this situation.
She has put herself into the public eye where people will look to her actions – whether she likes it or not – and she has the opportunity to serve as a role model. And I still believe that she could serve as a Christian role model if she were to admit to weakness, admit to sinning, and ask that Jesus forgive her, because THAT is the Christian example we should all strive for. The problems she has created for herself have come from her choice to instead declare her sin proudly and then claim Jesus.
We are all blessed to have a Savior who will love us no matter what, and certainly we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. However, as Christians, I think it is important that we don’t hide behind Jesus’ love as a license to sin. Instead, we must own up to our mistakes, repent, and seek to do better.
We are not to be of this world, so let’s not join the world in celebrating our sin and shortcomings.
We will all continue to fail, but it is important how we respond when failure occurs. Simply calling on His love, though it will make us feel better, will not necessarily help us to overcome our sin if we don’t also seek to change.
When you sin, be mindful that IT IS SIN – whether the world classifies it that way or not – and be quick to repent and ask His forgiveness, not just accept His love. There is a much closer relationship to be had with Jesus – and more love to be felt – when we accept His love but ALSO seek to repent and please him.
~ Kris & Jen ~
