I beg to differ. I think you need to know the mind of Jesus a little better, before we compare him to the current world view of the western society.
This doesn't make sense. I was not comparing Jesus to the current world view of western society - whatever that means, and we don't need to know his mind.
Scripture says that he ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners; I provided the verses.
In my book, that means that he associated with them. Your view seems to be that anyone who associates with sinners adopts their lifestyle and becomes a sinner; I disagree.
In all the cases you mentioned above, Jesus did what he did strategically and knowingly that these ONCE sinners, were NOT sinning wilfully, but as God knew the end result of his meet with them would be repentance and turning back from their sinful lifestyles. Jesus who is God all knowing would have not associate with sinners who he knew would not turn from their ways. He obviously would not continue this association with a sinner if that sinner did not change their ways, would he?
So Jesus only ate and drank with those sinners who he knew were going to repent?
Are you saying that if God sees a sinner and knows that they will never repent, he doesn't bother with them? Where's your Scripture for that?
He would always instruct, sin no more.
Maybe he did, but Scripture does not always record that.
People criticised Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners - yet nowhere do we read, "Jesus answered, 'don't worry guys, I'm only doing it so they will repent'."
As far as the prostitute is concerned, Jesus knew that after the event she would sin no more.
So, what if she HAD sinned? What if she'd gone back to her former ways, even if only briefly? Are you saying that God wouldn't have bothered with her in the first place, or that he would have withdrawn his love after she sinned?
Those words "neither do I condemn thee" are enough evidence for me to conclude that the woman no longer worked as a prostitute from that moment onwards.
Well sorry, but I think you've come to the wrong conclusion.
Jesus said to the crowd that the person who had never sinned could throw the first stone at the woman. The crowd put down their stones and walked away - at least they knew that they couldn't claim to be perfect.
Jesus then said to the woman, "
has no one condemned you?" "no-one" she replied. Then Jesus said "
nor do I condemn you".
Jesus was perfect and was the only one there who could have thrown a stone at her; but he didn't. He would not condemn - blame, judge - her for her sin of adultery. Yes, he said "sin no more", but he did not forgive her because he knew that she would sin no more.
Died for once sinners needs to be highlighted. Not died for sinners who wilfully live a life of sin and to promote sin to the whole world.
It doesn't say he died for ONCE sinners.
Jesus died for sinners. Someone may live a sinful life for many years; Jesus died for them. When they become Christians they will still sin - we all do - and may occasionally even fall away or turn back to their old lifestyle; Jesus still died for them.
Otherwise, it sounds like you would say to someone; God loves you and Jesus died for you because he knew you would repent and follow him. If at any point you fall away, sin and stop following him; that's it.
I know you haven't used these words, but your message appears to be that God will only associate with, love and forgive those who he knows will listen and repent.
In other words, his love is dependant upon our repentance. No. God loves because he IS love.
How can anyone dare to use the cross of Christ to promote a lifestyle of sin by saying that he died for them, when they openly and wilfully continue in sin,
If a Christian says "Jesus died for me and will always forgive me, so I can live as I like", that is obviously wrong. That is what the Corinthians believed - Christ had set them free so they could do what they pleased; and Paul had to correct them.
Personally I don't believe that someone who has experienced the mercy, love and forgiveness of God will WANT to sin, continue with their previous lifestyle and hurt him. Scripture says "we love because God first loved us". God loves us, we respond to that love, are able to love him and show love to others. If you love someone, you don't deliberately plan to hurt and disobey them.
But we all still sin, and God still loves and forgives us when we do. Even if someone repented from lustful thoughts, then gave into them, or worse still, acted on them, God would forgive again. There are Christians who can testify to that fact.
The same thing, as to not associate with sinners who wilfully continue to live a lifestyle of sin, like whoremongers, warmongers, murderers, thieves, pedophiles, homosexuals, inappropriate behavior with animals, genderless, transhumanists etc. Jesus would not have us associate with the likes of lawless Man/people (Anthropos) of sin like the above mentioned.
Like I said, it depends what you mean by "associate with".
But if you mean that we cannot befriend, or help, someone who is a homosexual, a thief or whatever; I disagree.
I would not socialise with someone who I knew abused children, but I wouldn't refuse to let them use a food bank and let them have food. In the voluntary work that I do, if I said, "I will only help people who don't steal, get drunk, use drugs, hurt people, who aren't homosexuals and who have never been to prison"; first of all, I'd be asked to leave, and secondly, I would not help very many people.
I may answer the rest of your post later.
Basically, what I am saying is that God loves everyone, Christ died for sinners - which is everyone - and so it is not wrong to associate with them.
I am saying that I would not refuse to talk to, help, listen to or provide the basics in life to someone who I knew was an alcoholic, or homosexual. Personally, I would not say "if you repent, you can have this help", or "if you repent, I will talk to you and befriend you." That makes my friendship and offers of help dependant upon their repentance. That is not what God does. If God loved and forgave only those who repented, that would mean that salvation depended on our good works, and that we could earn it. If God loved and forgave only those who loved him and repented, he would be doing what Jesus told us NOT to do. Jesus said, "be perfect as God is perfect".
But if you are saying that when someone becomes a Christian they should not wilfully return to the lifestyle from which they were saved; I agree. If you are loved and forgiven by God, you show, and I think would want to show, your love for him by breaking away from your former lifestyle.
In some circumstances, God may ask you to continue to befriend these people - for example, people who have been in prison and become Christians have done an enormous amount of work with offenders and ex offenders.
But I think a person should wait for God's guidance. A new Christian who said "I've been saved from alcoholism, so I'm going to hang out with alcoholics so I can witness to them", without a clear leading from God, may just get sucked back into that lifestyle. That would be foolish but God would still forgive them if they repented again.