In the last few weeks my Facebook wall has been littered with comments about gay marriage and homosexuality. Since we all know Facebook provides a completely unbiased and fair representation of national events, I figured it would be prudent to throw my two cents in. (If you missed the sarcasm there, then we need to get to know each other better.) So here it is.
I am against gay marriage.
I am also against murder, lying, stealing, adultery, blasphemy, divorce, and abortion. I'm really against abortion.
I am also against selfishness, cursing, unkind words, hatred, malice, spite, impatience, and just general rudeness.
I am against sin. You should be too. It's not simply a voting platform, an opinion poll, or an exercise in defining equality. This is the life blood of a Christian, To flee from sin, and to pursue righteousness.
However, I think some Christians have a tendency to get caught up in the battle. We take up our sword and go to war with those around us, fighting to the death, wanting to wound, maim, and destroy anyone that stands against the truth. We want to make our voices heard. Most of all we want to convince other people they are wrong.
I'm beginning to think this is not the best course of action.
Now hear what I'm saying. We SHOULD defend Godly marriage. We SHOULD actively oppose gay marriage in our legislature. We SHOULD vote our convictions and support those who stand for the Truth.
We should NOT get so caught up in the fight that we forget we've been commissioned to spread the Good News. Our message is one of hope, life, and forgiveness. God sent the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin. He left us here to tell people about Jesus. We need to understand the difference.
I've been reading the Old Testament prophets a lot recently, and I am convinced that God doesn't take sin lightly. I am also convinced that he doesn't discriminate between sinners. God's wrath was poured out on the Israelites for their sins just like it was on the Gentiles who refused to acknowledge his holiness and power.
As Christians living under the New Covenant you and I can be free from God's wrath. No matter what we do, how big we mess up, our sins have already been paid for by the blood of Jesus. We are covered. We are saved.
And that is the ONLY thing that makes you and I different from the world full of murders, liars, adulterers, and yes, even homosexuals.
Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
I believe the thing to remember when encountering homosexuality in regards to faith is what Jesus told his disciples:
ReplyDelete"Jesus said to all of them, 'If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me. Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me will have true life. It is worthless to have the whole world if they themselves are destroyed or lost.'" Luke 9:23-25 NIV
This is the heart of the issue. The things we want and desire in this life are all on the line when it comes to following Christ.