OK, Jesus commended in one or two places the actions of the Pharisees, while roundly & soundly condemning them inwardly -- to the point He called them "whitewashed sepulcres" -- filthily and wormily dead on the inside.
You wouldn't be implying that Jesus was somehow unloving, would you be?
Isn't one form of love -- for say a parent of spouse of an addicted love one -- tough love? (Vs. enabling them in their addiction by "loving" them (your version) -- vs. not telling them the truth?
Doesn't one of the greater chapters of love in the New Testament speak of how "love rejoices in the truth"? (1 Cor. 13:6)
Is not then one form of love -- telling people the truth...not wanting them to wind up in hell? Or do you attempt to be somehow "neutral" toward hell as a destination?
It is those who know the truth that have a responsibility to tell the truth in a way that will lift up our fellow man; not put him down.
So when Jesus referenced the Pharisees as "children of the devil," you condemn Him? Are you consistent here? Or when the apostle Paul referenced the false wolves who would come into devour the sheep (Acts 20:28-31), you condemn this apostle for using a derogatory animalistic application?
I could on & on from the Scriptures.
The problem is you have had an epic fail here.
Jesus and our Lord's prophets and apostles tended to comfort the afflicted; and afflict the comfortable.
You my friend, have failed miserably to practice discernment on who needs both LAW and Gospel and who needs to more immediately hear about the grace, compassion, mercy and love of God. Yes, we all need that...but as Jesus said, he didn't come to attend as a physician those who don't think they need a doctor...
Where you have flunked here is that we have a large body of religious people who think that membership in a given man-made organization is what qualifies them for heaven or some degree of heaven...that, coupled with meritorious good deeds that will earn a spot for them...Jesus was quite harsh for this reason upon religious hypocrites...
They don't realize they have a cancerous sin of self-pride -- a pride that encourages them to think they can build their own stairway to heaven.
Just as a man who won't concede he has cancer won't seek a cure, a person who won't concede their darkness, their slavery to sin nature, etc. won't seek Our Lord in an eternal relationship as Savior...
Posters like you love to quote John 3:16, but somehow never get around to citing what Jesus said two verses later:
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Is this then an unloving assessment by Jesus?
We should show the light of our lives, warn those who do not know what they are doing that there is danger, and tell all that there is a better way.
OK...you finally got around to trying to offer a bit of counterbalance...that, yes, people need warnings about a danger.
If you back up to my Acts 20:28-31 reference, how often did Paul warn the Ephesian church about these false wolves. Now & then? Once in a while? Occasionally?
Would you believe DAILY for three years...Night and day???
The problem is you present this caveat of issuing "warnings" almost as a minor afterthought; for the APOSTLE Paul, this was something he did -- if we take him literally -- over 2,000 times in three years' time...and all as he also made it a goal to proclaim the "whole counsel" of God...says Acts 20.
So, it's not like he was only conducting seminars on the cults & heretics.
I think there is a difference between giving condemnation between believers and how a believer treats one who is a non-believer.
we have a large body of religious people who think that membership in a given man-made organization is what qualifies them for heaven or some degree of heaven...that, coupled with meritorious good deeds that will earn a spot for them...Jesus was quite harsh for this reason upon religious hypocrites...
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Not to mention they believe they are the only true Christians, that they don’t need our Jesus or our God, they have their own. A created Jesus who is the product of sex between God (who has a body) and Mary (his spirit daughter), who is the spirit brother of Satan, earned his godhood through good works and didn’t pay for sin on the cross, rather their Jesus is basically a ‘loan shark’ who paid for sin in the Garden, didn’t need to die and we have to pay him back by being good little Mormons.
Those are very difficult obstacles to overcome and require some forceful statements and debates.