Matthew 5:38‭-‬42 Christian Rights

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.  Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. [Matthew 5:38‭-‬42 NASB]

Oh, how we love to defend our rights. The news is full of Christians in court defending their rights.

A homosexual couple walks into Christian's Auto Service and asks, "Will you fix our car?" Christian answers, "No! I don't approve of homosexuals riding in the car together." They are sued, and go to court. $100,000 in legal fees later, they are still in court defending their "right" to deny service.

Jesus said, "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent." [Matthew 5:25-26 NASB]

Someone will say, "But homosexuality is a sin!" Yes, it is. 1 Corinthians 6:10 says they will not inherit the kingdom of God. But Jesus said "do not resist an evil person." Are they sinners? Yes. Are they of the world? Yes. Does the Bible tell us "don't do business with sinners?" No. On the contrary.

Jesus had no problem with sinners. "Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: "I desire compassion, and not sacrifice," for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”" [Matthew 9:10-13 NASB]

Paul said, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world." [1 Corinthians 5:9-10 NASB]. The only people he had a problem with were fellow Christians living an immoral lifestyle. "But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one." [1 Corinthians 5:11 NASB]

The people of the world will trample your rights if they get a chance. What Jesus is saying is "Let them."

Sinners say that Christians hate them. Christians reply, "I don't hate the sinner, I hate the sin." But you can't separate the sin from the sinner. Either you accept him the way he is, or you reject him entirely. Before you were saved, were you a sinner? Did God accept you just as you were, including your sin? Shouldn't you do the same for sinners? If you don't, who will minister the love of Christ to them?

God doesn't differentiate between sins. He doesn't say, I'll accept this sin, but not that one. But what does it say, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," [Romans 3:23 NASB] "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." [Romans 5:8 NASB]

Jesus died for homosexuals and abortionists and even politicians. Providing a service to a sinner does not mean that you approve of his sin, any more than Jesus approved of the sins of those sinners who ate with Him. It does, however, give opportunity to show that God's love is greater than sin.