Since President Obama admitted his position on gay marriage last week, I have had the opportunity to have several conversations with people on both sides of this issue. While I have friends who support gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle, I have to tell you it breaks my heart.
I know how a sinful lifestyle affects the soul…regardless of the mechanism of that lifestyle. It might be substance abuse, sexual sin, pornography, gossip, lying or any other sin. The human heart and soul cannot indulge in sin and escape unscathed. Our bodies, hearts and souls are inextricably linked and actions affecting one part, also affect other parts, whether we realize it or not.
Over the weekend, I shared a dialogue with a friend who seems to agree with gay marriage. She said several things that I felt I needed to respond to, however, I took time to pray first. Did the Lord even want me to respond? If yes, how? What did He want me to say?
When I sensed His ‘yes’, I moved forward with much prayer and pondering. First, I felt it important that my friend know that we will remain friends, regardless of our differences of opinion. Then I used a few of her thoughts from a message she sent me as a launching pad for my thoughts.
One of her thoughts about the whole issue is that she doesn’t feel it is right for anyone to JUDGE anyone else because of their lifestyle or actions. Here are my thoughts….
“I completely agree…we are not called to judge others and that is not at all what I am doing. Judging is God’s job. Period. The issue of homosexuality, along with many others, is one that God has been very clear on in the Bible. There are three sets of verses where God is very clear about this.
1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 NIV (9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.)
Leviticus 18: 22 NIV(22 ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.)
Also in Genesis 19, the Bible calls the act of sex between men a wicked thing when the men of Sodom want to have sex with the angels who have visited Lot.”
“So, I am not judging others when I say that homosexuality and gay marriage are wrong. That is what God said and I believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God. I’m just not sure how anyone can read anything otherwise from those verses. Now, with that said, homosexuality is no different than murder or lying or gossip in God’s eyes. They are all wicked and those who engage in them and refuse to turn from them and to Christ will reap the consequences of their sin. It is all sin in God’s eyes. In the 1 Corinthians verses notice that Paul said “that is what some of you WERE” giving the impression that a turning from those sinful behaviors had occurred and now the persons were clean before God.”
My friend reminded me that even Christians differ in their opinions on the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage. Here are my thoughts…..
“You rightly said that Christians have different opinions on this issue. In truth, it does not matter one whit what my opinion is or your opinion is or any other human’s opinion. What matters is what God’s opinion is and He has been very clear about it in the Bible. Our job is to bend our knee and our will to His commands and will.”
“It does not mean I am questioning anyone’s faith just because their opinion differs from mine. I guess I do question whether those who support homosexuality and gay marriage have read God’s opinion on this topic.”
She also felt that we, as Christians, should focus on sharing the loving nature of God with others, rather than condemning them for their choices. Here are my thoughts….
“You are once again correct, we do serve a loving God. I am so thankful for His love and forgiveness for me. I stand in need of it every single day in spite of the fact that I do not deserve it without the blood of Jesus Christ covering my sin.”
“He, however, is not only loving, but He is just and holy. His holiness will not allow Him to overlook sin…sin of any kind. So, when we disobey Him, there must be consequences. I have felt the sting of the consequences of my sin many times because God is just and He does punish sin. We cannot rightly represent God to anyone…saved or lost…unless we fully disclose His just and holy character, along with His loving character.”
“You are correct when you say that people on both sides of the political aisle support gay marriage. There are also Democrats and Republicans who are against gay marriage. So, in my way of thinking this is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue. It is a moral issue. It is an issue about which we will give account to God one day for our stance on, just like abortion, the Jewish Holocaust, the ethnic cleansings around the world and any other issue on which we had the opportunity to make a difference. Just because the popular opinion pendulum has swung in favor of homosexuality does not make it right. If popular opinion swings in favor of child pornography or having sex with animals, incest, or murder, they still will not be right in God’s eyes. This is why it is all the more crucial to have God’s Word as the plumb line for our lives….every aspect of our lives.”
“I fear we (I include myself in this ‘we’) do not take Galatians 6: 7-8 seriously enough in our culture…both outside the church and in. With so many of our decisions, we mock God. I did it for many years when I chose to live in sexual sin…following the desires of my own flesh. I reaped what I sowed on many different levels. America will as well for many of her decisions.
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Friends, I believe the day has long since arrived when we, as Christ-followers, can no longer remain silent on issues such as this. We must speak up. We must do it in a loving manner, just as Jesus would, but we must speak up. I anticipate that I will be on the receiving end of some spiteful comments over this post, but I cannot stay silent. The very moral fiber of our nation has eroded away and it has happened while the majority of Christians silently sit in a padded-pew induced coma. What kind of legacy are we leaving for future generations if we sit back and fail to speak the truth? I urge you…pray about how God would have you address this and other fundamental moral issues. The future of our nation depends on it.
