We as Christians often times find ourselves among people who are sinners and tend to interact with most of them kindly, patiently, or generally nice. And then we come across those who flaunt their sins openly; the LGBTQ+, the sex workers, etc. Unfortunately, when many Christians come across these people, they can become judgmental, cold, standoffish, or just plain hateful (in their behavior towards them). Why is this? I believe it’s because they see their sins. They see them as unclean, lowly, beneath them, or all the above. They don’t want to be seen with them and they move on and the encounter is over. Many of these Christians then pray that the sinners they saw find Jesus, salvation, and repentance. When they do this, I think they forget a few things that Christ and his disciples taught us.

First, sinners are not beneath us nor are they unworthy of our kindness. Their sins are not any more atrocious than ours were, and are. When Christ walked the earth, he dined with those considered low and unclean; prostitutes, tax collectors, and the sickly (sickness, and deformities were often attributed to sin). The apostle Paul also wrote to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 5:11) and said that the only people we shouldn’t associate with are those who live in sin and yet call themselves brothers.  ^(“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”)

The second thing that we forget about when we pray for their repentance after shunning them is who will lead them to Christ. When we treat sinners like scum and then pray for them, we are essentially telling God that we weren’t the right people and that He gave the right opportunity to the wrong person. We tell God that He should send someone else to be the light in the darkness. I know from experience, that this kind of behavior is most often caused by fear. In I John 4:18, we are told that, “perfect love casts out fear.” We need to remember that it is so easy to just be nice, and that sometimes, all it takes is a smile and kind word. Kindness, after all, is the fifth fruit in the Fruits of the Spirit, and these are the best opportunities to live by the Spirit and be kind to your neighbor.

The third thing we forget is that while Christ walked and dined with sinners, he did so lovingly while also calling them to repentance. Or, as Rosaria Butterfield says in her book, The Gospel Comes with a House Key, “Jesus dined with sinners, but he didn’t sin with sinners.” He accepted these people but He did not approve of their behavior. He showed them grace and mercy and showed them what the religious leaders would not. He showed them forgiveness. Showing forgiveness and kindness, while living the gospel, is one of the hardest things that we can do but it is the most important. We would not love them fully if we did not try to point them to Christ and his redemptive love. And, just as salvation came at the cost of Christ’s life, our repentance comes at the cost of our old self. We must show our friends, neighbors, strangers, etc., that repentance is worth the cost. We must show them that there is so much more to life with Christ than there is without Him. How can we accomplish this? Simply be kind. Simply love. Simply be there for them when things are hard and when things are easy. Be to them what Christ is to us.

In conclusion, let me tell you a brief story where I encountered a group of Christians who missed an opportunity to be witnesses to a group of young people at a coffee shop. My wife and I frequent a coffee/used book shop in our neighboring town. On one occasion, we were sitting down to table, the usual stack of boardgames in tow. A lady in another group saw our church shirts and approached us. She told us about how good it was to see a group of Christians in the shop playing games. This was followed by the tale of how they had been in on another occasion and were sitting behind a group of young people playing games. They saw that these young adults were playing with tarot cards and she and her group had bad feelings about them. I wondered to myself if perhaps these Christians had tried being kind to them, or instead had judged from afar out of fear. As it turned out, a few weeks later, my wife and I ended up playing board games with that group of friends the next time we went in and we all had a great time. They are lost souls in need of guidance not judgment.       

 So, why the title of Chocolate Chip Cookies? Paul wrote to the Corinthians letting them know that the only way we could not associate with the sinners of the world would be to leave it. Just like it is impossible to be the chocolate chip in the cookie without touching the rest of the cookie, it is impossible to be in the world and not interact with those around you. My challenge for you is to be the chocolate chip and embrace the cookie dough touching you. Share a drink with a stranger, or invite strangers to join your game; If you see people who are lost, be a guiding light. When you go out into the world be kind to all especially those who wear their sins on their sleeves.

I Corinthians 5