• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Quotation Leon Morris on Jesus’ friendship with sinners

Leon Morris on Jesus’ friendship with sinners

Posted on December 18, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments


We are right in the middle of the Christmas season. Perhaps more than any other time of the year, those who do not know or believe in Jesus are curious as to what Christianity is all about. As we interact with those who do not believe, it is important to remember how Jesus dealt with those who were considered “a little rough around the edges.” I thought this quote might be helpful in this regard.

Friend of Sinners“It had been obvious to thinking men that contemporary Israel was far from being the people of God in any meaningful sense. But the usual remedies were withdrawal. The Qumran sect did this literally, withdrawing into the wilderness. The Pharisees did it in a different fashion, living among the people but separating themselves in thought. They despised others and thought of themselves as standing especially close to God. Such groups regarded ‘sinners’ as hopeless. Jesus’ attitude is in sharp contrast. For Him sinners are not to be rejected out of hand. They are to be sough out and ministered to. It is impossible to see in His warmth toward them anything less than an indication that they might enter into the salvation He came to bring. It is significant that His whole ministry was concerned with sinners, not with righteous men.”

-Leon Morris in The Cross in the New Testament

Too often, those who visit churches at Christmas come away feeling that they need to clean themselves up before coming back. I cannot detect that anyone felt this way who came to Jesus.

May we all be a friend to sinners this Christmas and all through the year.


Filed Under: Quotation

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Maintaining a dual citizenship

As believers, we have a dual citizenship, we live in a country (or countries) but are also citizens of the Kingdom of God. We live in this tension every day. We live in this world but we also understand that this world is not all there is.

Learning from our mistakes

The story of Ananias and Sapphira in illustrates the need for correction to take place in the church. If we believe what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 concerning church leaders, we understand that God will arrange for elders to function as shepherds and teachers to keep the body of Christ on track.

Blessed

The reason we are blessed

I want to be blessed because it makes my life easier or more comfortable. That is how I often assess if I am being blessed. If I am uncomfortable or something is going on in my life which is difficult, I feel like the blessing switch has been turned off.

Give God no rest

Give God no rest

God is telling us that he wants us to bring our concerns to him. He wants us to pray for, long for, a day of ultimate peace. He wants us to beg for the ultimate establishment of his kingdom.

Don’t play the Korah card

I have been in a couple of situations where concerns were brought to a pastor who then likened the one who brought the concern to Korah attacking Moses. While I understand the temptation for a leader to deal with a complaint in this way, that temptation must be resisted. Not only is it inappropriate, it does nothing to fix the situation (unless of course the leader’s goal is to eliminate any other opinion than his own).

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
June 2023
SMTWTFS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930 
« May    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2023 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in