Hate The Problem. Not The Person.

The church has forgotten something essential. In its zeal to defend holiness, it has begun to fire at the wounded, as if the solution to sin were exile rather than restoration. Don't get me wrong, correction is necessary. But when did correction turn into destruction?

Paul made it clear in 2 Thessalonians 3;14-15

"And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother."

Do not regard them as an enemy.

Today, admonition has been replaced with disdain. We forgot that the real enemy is not the person but the sin that enslaves them. Jesus Himself gave us powerful examples of how to treat those who fall.

John 8;1-11

The woman caught in adultery was dragged before Him, with stones ready to be thrown. The law demanded her death. But Jesus, with His enigmatic calm, wrote on the ground and challenged the accusers: "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." One by one, theya walked away, leaving behind their hypocrisy. And Jesus, without excusing her sin, told her, "Go and sin no more."

Lukes 19;1-10

Zacchaeus, a corrupt man despised by his own people, found something unexpected in Jesus: a call, not condemnation. The crowd murmured, scandalized that the Teacher would enter the house of a sinner. But it was precisely that grace that transformed Zacchaeus, not the harsh judgment of the masses.

Peter, who denied Jesus three times, was restored with the same intensity with which he had fallen. There was no humiliation, only a question that pierced his soul: "Do you love me?"

And this is where we become inhuman. We have turned into merciless judges, executioners of those who need to be rescued. We confuse firmness with cruelty. But if we truly want to reflect Christ, we must learn to differentiate between attacking sin and destroying a person.

Restoring with Gentleness

The Bible warns us that when we correct others, we must do so with a spirit of gentleness, being careful that we do not fall into the same temptation:

Galatians 6;1

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

Many have forgotten this. They correct with arrogance, forgetting that sin is a trap anyone can fall into. We must correct with humility, knowing that grace is the only thing that keeps us from being in the same position as the one we are correcting.

Psychology and Its Impact in Society

This problem is not just in the church; we see it everywhere in society. Psychology has studied the impact of dehumanization, a phenomenon in which we stop seeing others as whole individuals and instead reduce them to their mistakes, ideologies, or behaviors. When this happens, it becomes easier to judge without empathy and reject without remorse.

Attribution Theory is social psychology explains that we tend to justify our own mistakes with external circumstances ( "I was tired," "I had a bad day"), but we judge others as if their failures deine their very essence ("They're a bad person," " They're always like that"). This creates a colder society, where condemnation replaces understanding.

Both inside and outside Christianity, this has become a serious issue:

• Cancel Culture on Social Media - A person makes a mistake, and instead of helping them learn, they are publicly destroyed.

• Personal Relationships - Instead of resolving conflicts with maturity, people cut each other off with no chance of redemption.

• Churches - Those who fail are often marginalized when they should be the first to receive restoration.

The problem is not just religious. It is human.

Now, don't misunderstand my words. This is not a free pass to sin without consequences. We cannot play with grace as if it were a shield for rebellion.

Paul said it clearly:

Romans 6;1-2

" What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?."

Wisdom means correcting, but it also means restoring. It means not allowing sin to be normalized, but also not becoming heartless Pharisees. Jesus confronted, but He also embraced.

So before you point fingers, ask yourself: Are you correcting to restore, or to destroy?

Hate the Problem. Not the Person

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