On the ballot in Florida last year was Amendment 2, which was heralded as a reaffirmation of the laws banning gay marriage in the state. In California they approved Proposition 8, which also outlawed gay marriage in that state. Other states enacted similar laws. This is quite a large issue in our world today, and it begs the question of where we, as Christians, should stand on the issue.
Before we can even begin to talk about gay marriage, we should first establish a couple of things:
Is homosexuality itself a sin?
Lev. 18:22 (NLT)
“Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.”Lev. 20:13 (NLT)
“If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.
Rom. 1:25-27 (NLT)
25They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.I Cor. 6:9-11 (NLT)
9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.God is very straight-forward and states clearly that homosexuality IS a sin, PERIOD.
But take another look at what Paul says in Corinthians as he gives us just a little bit more. All of us have sinned, but we all have the same opportunity for forgiveness and to have God cleanse us by simply asking Him. One sin is not greater than another, and ALL of us have the opportunity to come before God and ask His forgiveness no matter what!
So how should Christians treat homosexuals?
Matt. 7:1-2 (NLT)
1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”
Rom. 3:23-24
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
John 13:34-35 (ESV)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
I John 4:20 (NLT)
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
Matt. 7:12 (NLT)
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)
29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”God is clear that homosexuality is a sin, there’s no arguing that. God is also clear that all have sinned and are in need of His forgiveness.
If He had ACCUSED her, she would have become very defensive and just chalked Jesus up as being just the same as everyone else who talked badly about her (remember, she was getting water at noon, well after everyone else had gone). If Jesus EXCUSED her lifestyle choice, He would have been enabling her in her bad choices in life, thus making them “okay.” Instead, He ACCEPTED her, and look how she responded! She went running and brought ALL of her neighbors back to Jesus because, probably for the first time, she felt FREE!
As a religious organization, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has taken up the issue of homosexuality in the world today. In our “sexually enlightened” society it seems that you must either accept homosexuality as a fact of life (or lifestyle choice) or you must vehemently condemn homosexuals as beyond saving because their sin is worse than all others. But the Adventists wisely chose the path that Jesus followed with the woman at the well, check it out:
Seventh-day Adventist Position Statement on Homosexuality
The Seventh-day Adventist Church recognizes that every human being is valuable in the sight of God, and we seek to minister to all men and women in the spirit of Jesus. We also believe that by God's grace and through the encouragement of the community of faith, an individual may live in harmony with the principles of God's Word.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that sexual intimacy belongs only within the marital relationship of a man and a woman. This was the design established by God at creation. The Scriptures declare: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24, NIV). Throughout Scripture this heterosexual pattern is affirmed. The Bible makes no accommodation for homosexual activity or relationships. Sexual acts outside the circle of a heterosexual marriage are forbidden (Lev. 20:7-21; Rom. 1:24-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). Jesus Christ reaffirmed the divine creation intent: "'Haven't you read,' he replied, 'that at the beginning the Creator "made them male and female," and said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?" So they are no longer two, but one'" (Matt. 19:4-6, NIV). For these reasons Adventists are opposed to homosexual practices and relationships.
Seventh-day Adventists endeavor to follow the instruction and example of Jesus. He affirmed the dignity of all human beings and reached out compassionately to persons and families suffering the consequences of sin. He offered caring ministry and words of solace to struggling people, while differentiating His love for sinners from His clear teaching about sinful practices.
This statement was voted during the Annual Council of the General Conference Executive Committee on Sunday, October 3, 1999 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Copyright © 2009, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists ®
www.adventist.org
God is very specific that homosexuality is a sin. However, He is just as adamant that sin is sin, period. We are not to judge each other for our sins, that isn’t our job! God is the judge, not us.
Homosexuality is no worse a sin than lying, cheating, killing, adultery, or anything else in God’s eyes. Sin is anything that separates us from Him, and to say that one sin is worse than another belittles God.
By categorizing sins, we accomplish nothing more than a way to justify our sin of choice (“I lied to my wife, but at least I didn’t kill anyone.”) and negate the need for forgiveness. But God doesn’t have categories: ALL HAVE SINNED, which means ALL NEED FORGIVENESS.
God calls us to be there for each other, to support each other, to help one another overcome sin and temptation. He does not call us to condemn each other for not measuring up.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 (NLT)
No comments:
Post a Comment