“Do
not be led astray;
neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals,
nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor
swindlers, shall inherit
the kingdom
of God.”
-1
Corinthians 6:9-10
DO
NOT BE LED ASTRAY
Why
is it that I am seeing young, professing Christians post images of
the Civil Rights Movement on-line, calling Believers to “love”
unrepentant homosexuals- not by proclaiming the truth of the gospel
to them- but by denying the picture of marriage that God has
ordained?
Why
is it that so many are afraid to stand by the truth and instead
demonstrate a pseudo-compassion toward unrepentant homosexuals that
is not love at all? Daring to portray
themselves as more humane than God while watching souls careen head
long into hell?
It
is for this very reason that Paul warned us in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
that we should not be led astray. We must be on guard, listening to
the unchanging Word of God rather than the creative propaganda
machine of the ungodly.
WHAT
DO WE DO?
I'll
be honest, there are times that I am just sick of hearing about this
issue. I mean why should I have to think about the homosexual agenda
if I want to buy a Starbucks coffee or a maxi skirt at JC Penny?
I
really just want a day off.
But
I suppose there are a couple of problems with that mindset. First,
at the root it is admittedly self focused. I don't want to have to
think about it. It infringes on my quietness of mind. And if this
were a vacation, rather than a spiritual battle I might have a more
valid reason for feeling this way... not that I am really much of a
boycotter. But I desire to be faithful. To respond with truth and with
prayer.
Second,
this mindset does not help our family. Really, this is a Deuteronomy
6:5 opportunity and may impact many people. As I was considering all
the contradictory reports in the news and how a redefinition of
marriage in our society might affect us, I was realizing that our
family actually represents five future families for the Lord. If our
children have five children each, that represents twenty five future
families. What they believe about God's Word- and specifically about
marriage- is important. And quite honestly that is of greater
concern to me than the headlines.
As
we have been talking through this issue in varying degrees with our
children, these are some of the points we are covering:
- Unrepentant sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God. Whether fornicators, idolaters, adulterers or homosexuals... The only hope for any unrepentant sinner is faith in Christ. Paul is crystal clear in 1 Corinthians 6:10 when he tells us that the immoral demonstrate they have not experienced new birth and will not inherit the kingdom of God.
- True repentance brings change. Paul continues, in 1 Corinthians 6:11, to state “and such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified...” Hope for the homosexual is not found in public acceptance. Hope is found in Christ alone. And Christ will never leave a sinner in sin. Just as He commanded the adulterous woman to “Go and sin no more.” He commands the thief to stop stealing; the sorcerer to renounce his magic; the murderer his violence and the sexually immoral his corrupt sexual acts. True repentance will bring change. False conversion will not.
- Love is sharing the gospel with a dying world. It is unloving and self promoting to falsify the gospel by seeking to act more loving than God Himself. We distort God's grace if we fail to show men the narrow gate; calling them to repent of sin and live in the freedom that only Christ can bring. Love is not just “hanging out” with sinners. Christ modeled compassion that included calling men to repentance, not leaving them to their sin.
- Marriage is instituted by God and has certain requirements. God created marriage and uses the picture of marriage to represent Christ and His Bride, the Church. For this reason God has commanded that a man must marry a woman “in the faith.” While all people within the United States of America have the right to marry, homosexuals, pedophiles and polygamists do not desire to marry according to the standards God has given us. In our society, homosexuals already have the option of civil unions, but their goal is to redefine the word marriage in hopes that they will gain social acceptance. Many Believers are defending the word marriage so that people will not be led astray (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This is a component of loving a lost world.
- We cannot substitute God's Word for secular advice. Many well intended people seek to refute sin by some standard other than God's Word. They seem to forget that God's Word is the only authority. We know that men are born in sin. The psychological “findings” may or may not agree with this truth at various times. Homosexuals currently say they are “born this way.” Does their assertion give us a door to explain original sin? Sure. But being born in sin does not pardon our actions. Just as the thief is responsible for stealing, all men are guilty for any sinful act they commit.
At
the risk of giving the impression that I am taking these things
lightly, my primary concern is not so much whether
ungodly men seek to legitimize ungodly behavior.
Instead,
I find myself asking: Is our family understanding and embracing
God's standard of marriage? Or are we too being led astray?
Are
we standing uniformly for ALL godly marriage? Are we celebrating
unions “in the Lord” while not co-signing unequally yoked
ceremonies and other ungodly relationships?
Are
we ready and faithful to deliver the truth to a perishing world?
This is not about being for or against certain people. It is about
living as a servant of Christ.
“urging
them by the mercies of God
to
present their bodies as living and
holy
sacrifices to God,
not
conformed to this world but
transformed
by the renewing of their
minds,
so that they may prove the
good,
acceptable, and perfect
will
of God.”
-
Romans 12:1-2
Blessings
to you!
Be
sure to read: Voddie's article: Gay is Not the New Black
And
Homosexuality {A Biblical View} by Greg Bahnsen
____________________________
Posts
As I think about this issue, I can become so sad. Sad that we as humans feel we can make our own rules and reinvent laws when we feel they have become "outdated". It reminds me of original sin, of course. The first lie we believed, "we can be like God." I am not as articulate as you, but I see the root of this as pride. This is how I wish I could lovingly explain it to a homosexual person. Their sin is certainly sin, but we have our sin as well that we struggle with, which had separated us from God until He drew us by His cords of love and grace. I do wonder if homosexuals heard us talking about our own sin, if they might see that we aren't only categorizing them as sinners. I would hope they would see our humility as we confessed our own sin, our own need for repentance, our own need to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. This is the conversation I pray to have.
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ReplyDeleteAmen, Kimberly!
Paul added more to the list in Romans 1:28-32 whisperers, backbiters, boasters, disobedient to parents, undiscerning and those who approve of those practicing sin to the list. We all have fallen short. I certainly have! Knowing our sin should drive us to the cross; cause us to forsake our sin and teach us respond in mercy when dealing with fellow sinners. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). May we all respond in humility when dealing with the lost- whatever their sin.
We have always loved the response of the angel who came to assist Joshua. Joshua asked, “Are you for us or our adversaries?” To which the angel responded, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord...” The angel was a servant of God. To imply he was “for” one group of people and against another was against his core. He was walking in obedience to God alone. We should see our situation so clearly. :)
Thank you for this post
ReplyDeleteThank you for stepping up my friend. I threw in some of your bits over our discussion here, that I had not sensed out myself.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are well-spoken. Could you imagine if I blogged thoughts, ya know like I tend to do out loud, until I had it all worked out. Total disaster.
And we pray.
Thank you, Cary and Dana.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you think out loud. Makes for great kitchen counter discussions over tea. :)
I just found your blog- so glad I did! Thanks for sharing this. I agree 100% and I wish this issue was talked about more. Thanks again for sharing!
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