[Papercut Press Publishing] 1999-07-28 - Sin is Sin

Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abomination.
"I just wanted to throw a question in for you to answer if it isn't too late. It has been a weird summer for me so far. Two of my best guy friends have come out of the closet this summer so far. Two I never expected and I am struggling on what the Biblical thought behind this. I know God says in Leviticus and such its wrong but I have heard so many different things I just don't know anymore. Can you shed some light for me please. Sxxxh"

In our current culture, where it is perceived that one is born "gay" or "straight", this is a hot topic. It is one that I can't write on without offense to some and so I guess I wont try to sugar coat the Biblical message on homosexuality. Leviticus 20:13, calls it, "...a detestable act..." It is a sin (Romans 1:18-32). Having said that, so is adultery, drug abuse, coveting, impure thoughts, pride and a host of other practices that Christians, sadly, also fall into.

I say it is both a sin and that Christians can fall into it. Here, I know, I have crossed the line for some. However, sin is sin. Sin is utterly sinful, and it doesn't matter if one sin offends your morals more than another, it is simply sin. All sin is unholy, displeasing to God, and deserves His wrath. Without the shed blood of Jesus Christ, meritoriously applied, and His atonement for sin rested in and trusted in for salvation, all sins, (big, little, heinous, or seemingly inconsequential) deserve God's wrath (Romans 1:18-20).

So we treat the Christian who has fallen into homosexuality as we would a Christian who has fallen into adultery, or who has a drinking problem. We say, "here is what the Word of God says about your lifestyle" (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, Genesis 19:5-9, 31-38). We plead with them that this sort of practice is unbecoming to one who claims to be a follower of Christ (Romans 1:24, 26,27). It is not something that adorns faith in a pleasing, God fearing way. And lastly, it is evidence that the person may not be Christian at all, because they practice something that God condemns (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We beg them to repent.

If the individual makes no profession of faith in Christ, we speak of the grace of Christ and the mercy of Christ, and we beg the individual to trust in Christ and experience the forgiveness that is in Christ. We treat someone who makes no profession of faith in Christ, but lives as a homosexual, just as we would anyone else who makes no profession of faith in Christ and is a heterosexual. Both equally need the gospel. Both equally need the forgiveness that is found in Christ. We, winsomely, beg them to repent.

I don't think that there is any other response necessary. We need to avoid condemning those who are in sin, which is not our place, but God's (Matthew 7:1), yet showing discernment and honoring the clear teaching of God's Word on this issue, "Be on the watch, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13). The issue for the homosexual is not what the sin is, but rather that the sin is. We must not fall into the trap of keying in on the sin itself, but rather the solution to the sin that is only found in Christ (Romans 10:9,10).

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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