With gay marriage now legal throughout the United States, it’s important that Christians understand how to navigate these waters in biblically loving and biblically true ways.
I think it’s important to start out by briefly explaining why the Bible is so important to Christians (or at least, is supposed to be). The Bible is where we learn specifically who God is, how to be saved, and how to follow God. It is from God and is about God. If you take the Bible away, all you are left with is a bunch of different people’s different opinions–and what authority does an opinion really have in the eternal scheme of things? So the problem for Christians when one piece of the Bible is called untrue is that it undermines the authoritative foundation of the entire thing. If God got the part wrong about homosexuality, then who’s to say he got the part right about Jesus’ resurrection or how to be saved? I wrote more about this specific conundrum a few months back when I was critiquing Rob Bell’s Love Wins book.
A Christian’s Guide to Gay Marriage:
1. The Bible says that homosexual practice/action is a sin, not homosexual attraction/orientation
A Christian can be gay, with the definition of “gay” being “attracted to the same sex,” and not be sinning. I would hire a gay pastor if they were single and celibate. Just as I am attracted to many women besides my wife, an attraction I cannot control…all women do not become ugly once I put on my wedding ring—but I can choose to not sin by not acting on these attractions and not actively dwelling on those thoughts. (Note: Attraction and lust are two different things) While all don’t choose to keep the label “gay” for various reasons (which is fine), read more about Why a Gay Celibate Christian Chooses to Keep the Label “Gay.” I’m only stating what’s in the Bible, which you’ll find in both the original Greek and most all of the modern English translations: the action of homosexuality is a sin, not the attraction or orientation. Yes, some choose this attraction/orientation, most do not. If you are a Christian who disagrees with this point, you are making “lust” and “attraction” mean the same thing, which is simply incorrect. It’s also an unfair double-standard that you aren’t applying to yourself. As a heterosexual, can you imagine if someone told you it was a sin every time you thought someone of the opposite sex was attractive (a.k.a. not ugly)?! Can you imagine the constant paralyzing shame this would put you under? And how sad and cruel (and evil) it would be for others to try to hold you to this unbiblical standard?
2. The Bible says that we are not to judge non-Christians’ behavior. Meaning: We are told by the Bible not to tell non-Christian LGBTQ people that what they’re doing is wrong.
It gets no plainer than 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.
Why would we expect someone who doesn’t believe the Bible and never agreed to follow it to do what the Bible says? This applies to all areas of life, including sexuality for this conversation, as well as money, ethics, humility, forgiveness, and any number of other topics. This also sheds light on the fact that a Christian is supposed to be someone who does believe the Bible and who has agreed to do what it says, more on that later.
Non-Christians need to hear about Jesus and his grace and mercy, death and resurrection, not our judgment of any of the many non-biblical things they are doing. We don’t tell heterosexual non-Christians to stop having sex with their boyfriends or girlfriends, we tell them about Jesus. The same applies here. I’m reminded of the great line, “The gospel doesn’t make bad people good, it makes dead people alive.”
3. You can support gay marriage and still be against it morally/biblically
I recently wrote an article about how I believe the American institution of “marriage” (with all of its legal and civil rights that go along with it, e.g. tax and insurance benefits) is already a far cry from the Bible’s institution of marriage, and I sincerely question why I as a pastor have the legal authority to grant people legal and civil rights. In “A Solution to the Bible vs Gay Community gay marriage debate,” I write about how as a pastor I’d like to legally be unable to do anyone‘s legal marriage ceremony where they get their tax benefits and insurance perks. I’d like to only have the “power” to do spiritual marriage ceremonies, with no legal or civil strings attached. Everyone would have to go to some legal / governmental entity to get their tax breaks and insurance perks and they can come to the pastor if they also want a binding covenant of monogamy between them and God based on the Bible’s blueprint. And I’d be all for calling this biblical ceremony something other than the English word of “marriage” altogether (in my previous article, I propose using gameo, the New Testament Greek word for “marriage”), because the Bible’s idea of marriage and our culture’s view of marriage diverged paths a long time ago (see next point). It only creates problems to call them by the same word anymore.
As a quick aside: I do understand the Christian argument against gay marriage that the Bible’s blueprint for marriage and family is better for the overall societal framework of America. I think that a better and more redemptive solution than fighting fire with fire is to give gays and lesbians the civil and legal rights they are looking for and separate ourselves from a secular idea of marriage altogether. I know I am tired of people taking their marriage vows so lightly (as well as the complete disregard of the Bible’s prohibition of sex before marriage). Instead of shouting the same rally cries, we could completely rebuild the Christian concept of “marriage” (yes, even using a new word!) from the biblical ground up, which would put us in great position to be a macro-level light to the rest of our culture…“Huh, why is it that those types of marriages seem to work so well…?”
This scenario allows gays and lesbians to have their equal tax and insurance benefits, it gives Christians biblical marriage in a way where we can still be a light to the world with the truth of Scripture, and the current war between culture and church, which I believe only builds walls not bridges to the gospel, fades away.
4. The construct of marriage wasn’t ruined by gay marriage, it was already ruined by divorce and premarital sex.
Rather than being self-righteous and pointing our fingers at a sin that most of us will never struggle with, let’s own up to “The Real Reason Marriage and the American Family have Dissolved,” which Christians have played a major role in.
5. Christians who say the Bible is okay with gay marriage / with homosexual behavior are making a conclusion based on what they want the Bible to say, not what it actually says.
You will find numerous gay Christian advocates who attempt to argue exegetically and hermeneutically that the Bible says homosexual sexual behavior and/or gay marriage is okay. Matthew Vines’ book God and the Gay Christian and Justin Lee’s book Torn or two of the more popular ones. Both men have very compelling and sympathetic life stories, but at the end of the day it’s evident that they are measuring what the Bible says against their experience, rather than the other way around. We are supposed to go to the Bible, see what it says, then allow it to shape our experience. What Vines and Lee do is go to the Bible with their experience firmly in place, and bend the Bible to fit what they want it to say, while still claiming they believe in the authority of the Bible the same way I do.
Christopher Yuan, a gay celibate Christian who is also a professor at Moody Bible Institute, does a great job going into the details of both of these books and breaking down the subjective hermeneutical method that the authors use: Yuan on Vines, Yuan on Lee (see “texts in context” section).
The pro-gay approach is much more genuine that says, “I don’t believe this part of the Bible is true” than the approach Vines and Lee and others attempt to take. (more on that here)
I want to be careful to note that this doesn’t mean these Christians are going to hell, but it is likely going to determine where people are church members as it presents two very different ways of viewing the Bible. Practically, how could I be a member at the same church as someone who thought the Bible said it was okay to have premarital sex or okay for me to look at pornography? (These hermeneutical arguments are out there as well) I would go to them with my struggle, looking for help, support and accountability as one Bible-believing Christian to another, and they would just tell me that wasn’t actually what the Bible said and that I could go ahead and do these things no problem.
Like I led with in my first paragraph, this is about the Bible, not necessarily homosexuality. Homosexuality just happens to be the relevant issue of our times that is determining who still holds a high view of all of Scripture and who doesn’t.
Further resources:
- How Gay, Bible-Believing Christians are Breaking the Mold of the LGBT vs. Christian Debate by Noah Filipiak
Related posts:
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There is no such thing as a non practicing gay person. you are being deluded . Gay is not a type, personality or birth anomaly, it is a actional behavior. You are not loving people if you water down and dismiss their sin. The world does just fine in doing that. A godly Pastor has a duty to love those and help them with sin, not dismiss it. You are trying very hard to find a way to be accepted within the culture today, and be accepting of all, but you are failing your God and Savior that died for these very things that you want to twist and turn into falsity. You can’t have it both ways. God has not changed his mind.
I don’t believe either that God has changed His mind and I don’t believe that that is what Noah is stating here. I also don’t believe that “there is no such thing as a non practicing gay person”. I do believe there are because they know Christ as their Savior and know sin as sin. I see no where in this article that Noah is dismissing sin and that he is “twisting and turning it into falsity”. I do read in your statement that you consider all gays to be in sin (regardless if they have relations with the same sex or not) and yes it is an actual behavior but as in all things the sin comes from acting on it – that is when it becomes sin.
Anonymous, can you show me some Scripture that backs up your view that there is no such thing as a non-practicing gay person?
“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” —Romans 1: 25 – 28
What kind of a message is it to say to a gay person. “Its OK with God that you have these feelings and desires, but you are sinning if you act on them?” The only response that gives hope is to share the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is for freedom that Christ has set us FREE! Is it true that some people are born with this Sin? Well, we are all born into sin so I would think it would be. The question is to the person that is in bondage to the sin of homosexuality is “do you want to be FREE?” Repent and receive redemption (to FREE from captivity) of Sin that is found in Christ alone. Live a new life in Him.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” —Romans 8:2–5
May the Holy Spirit open the eyes of even one that they may be a living testimony to the true, wonderful, life giving, freeing Gospel of Jesus Christ! Will you not turn to him? Oh, how he loves you and desires to bring glory to HIS NAME in your life. Can the God that created you not transform you and give you natural desires?
Anonymous, know you’re trying to be faithful to the word but would like to suggest that freedom in Christ means finding grace to be able to walk in the Spirit in this world, faithful to Jesus. Like Jim in the video above and many others whom God has revealed Christ in the heart, there is a glory in Jesus that makes following him worth leaving lesser things, including unwanted sexual desires for other guys. Maybe the answer to your question, ” Can the God that created you not transform you and give you natural desires?,” is that God has transformed me and graciously given incredible desire for Christ in this world. In view of the promise of knowing and gaining Christ and being found in Him in this world, the question of sexual activity loses significance. There is a testimony to the worth of Jesus and the grace of God in Christ in being celibate. Maybe God will one day grant straight desire, but in Christ I’m already in the better place for which being straight would add nothing.
Well said Alan! For decades I tried to be straight. I prayed with all my heart for years, attended healing seminars, met with pastors and prayer teams, read books, put on the Armor of God, resisted and rebuked the devil, went to “ex-gay” groups, spent hours and hours reading the Bible, spent 2 years in an “ex-gay” recovery program, endured exorcisms, and more that I can’t remember anymore. I spent a long time believing that God must not love me because He didn’t “heal” me and take away my same-sex desires. The freedom came when I realized that God’s healing was a process that had been taking place during all my efforts, that He may never free me from same-sex attractions, but that I was free to love and obey him despite them. I can’t say that I know of anyone that God has completely freed from any sin; it remains a struggle which lessens over time as we continue to surrender our desires for His. Being straight is no longer the goal, being obedient and faithful is.
Hey Jim, incredible lengths you went thru. For what it’s worth, really admire that you went thru all you did and are who you are today. Don’t know if it was voluntary, but if so, what great courage to be so open to others.
I didn’t know Jesus when things happened and didn’t/couldn’t tell anyone and didn’t handle things well. Tried on my own to make sense of things but didn’t do a good job. Think for all of us, Jesus answers the heart need for things we go thru. Have needed to know and learn Christ to face things to make it thru. Thinking you’ll agree with me that God always proves himself faithful. . . always. Even the hard things that we suffer, God somehow makes over for our good in following Jesus.
Jim, heard this old tune this morning and was reminded that with God in Christ all is good. Hate looking/going back and finding the past can still tear apart. What Paul writes is life, forgetting what lies behind, I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me.
One verse:
Hitherto Thy love has blest me
Thou has brought me to this place
And I know Thy hand will lead me
Safely home by Thy good grace
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Bought me with His precious blood
Hit the wrong thing. Last comment wasn’t anonymous, Alan
Thank you for sharing Jim (below). You said “I can’t say that I know of anyone that God has completely freed from any sin; it remains a struggle which lessens over time as we continue to surrender our desires for His.” I have to agree with you in that I know very few people who have a living testimony of FREEDOM from this sin (or other bondage to sin), though I have heard a few testimonies that I will never forget. I’ve struggled with Sin in my own life and have questioned many times “is there freedom from SIN” here and now?
Question: are your same sex desires Sin? The author claims they are not, only acting on these desires is sin. (I believe this is completely contrary to Gods Word and also believe he is in error when he says “I can choose to not sin by not acting on these attractions and not actively dwelling on those thoughts.” I can not choose not to Sin. Deliverance from Sin is found IN CHRIST alone. “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” —Galatians 2:19–21) I’m assuming you are acknowledging your desires are sin or otherwise what is it you are trying to be free from? If the answer to the first question is yes, that these desires are indeed sin then the only answer for Sin is found in Christ. Repent and receive forgiveness and redemption from Sin that is found in Christ alone. You shared all that YOU DID … attended seminars, read books, recovery programs, even prayer but nothing that YOU can DO will set you free. Know the truth and the Truth will set you free. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life” What would actual FREEDOM from these desires look like? Can you be 90% free? Freedom is 100% or its not freedom at all. Jim the more we grown IN-Christ, in the truth of the Gospel as we seek the Lord in his Word the more we see that its “Christ in me the hope of glory”. Not what I am to do for Christ but his life in me. HE IS the author and perfecter of our faith and HE brings glory to his name in our life. May the Holy Spirit give you eyes to SEE and grant you complete deliverance and freedom so you can be a living testimony to what the LORD has done. “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14–21 KJV)
Romans 1:25-28 is specifically talking about “lust”, not attraction/orientation. Lust is practicing, attraction/orientation is non-practicing. Homosexuals can be free from lust, just like I can as a heterosexual. This text does not say the attraction/orientation is a sin, you have added that to it.
God can transform someone and give them heterosexual desires, just as he can cure someone from cancer. But he also chooses to keep many with these desires, just as I still have the flesh desire to have sex with other women than just my wife or to think about such things (lust), but God can help me live pure in spite of my flesh desires, exactly as he can a homosexual.
It’s important that you see you are adding to Scripture, which I know is not your heart, but is something that you should not do. I am giving a biblical argument, not adding to the Bible or taking away from the Bible. To add to the Bible, to call things sin that the Bible doesn’t call sin, is very damaging to people and creates huge walls to people finding Jesus.
Amen!
Sin is in the heart Noah. Read the be-attitudes in any language you wish. The action is a manifestation of what is in the heart.
Matt:5,
21 “You have heard that our fathers were told, `Do not murder,’l and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment.
22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, `You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, `Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom!
And again in:
27 “You have heard that our fathers were told, `Do not commit adultery.’
28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
And certainly lets not look past verse 19 which has a direct message for you Noah.
19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
These words of Yeshua (Jesus) in Matthew 5 totally contradict your statements in your article that “the action of homosexuality is a sin, not the attraction or orientation.”
Who should I believe?
I’m sorry Noah, but I have to go with the guy who rose from the dead.
Remember the twelve steps of recovery start with acknowledging the problem as the first step. Recovery cannot happen without this crucial first step
Hi Michael, I appreciate where your heart is coming from with this, but you are confusing lust with attraction. Attraction is not a sin, period. I’m married and am still attracted to other women; they don’t all become ugly to me just because I put a ring on my finger. It’s what I choose to do with this attraction. Every married man is in this same boat, and it applies the same to those with same sex attraction.
I have tried to no avail to change my same-sex attraction for over 15 years. I am a virgin. I have spent those years in prayer, Bible study, evangelical therapy, accountability groups, and reading pertinent material, and constant repentance. I genuinely received Christ’s salvation when I was a small child and have borne fruit for His kingdom ever since. My attractions haven’t changed in the least. Please tell me what I’m doing wrong.
If you have living faith in Jesus empowered by the Spirit, if you love him as the most beautiful of all, if you are in union with God thru his Son, you are in Christ and there’s no condemnation at all. Don’t let anyone take away what God’s accomplished in you. SSA doesn’t make you wrong.
I think your comment is meant for someone else, but for some reason I got noticed by email. Gay or straight, whatever we face, what matters is being faithful in Christ and knowing every day the living grace of God that makes that possible. May God continue to bless your journey.
I did the same thing for many years. Although I have seen my attractions diminish, they have never gone away entirely. The Bible never says that our temptations or attractions are sin, only what we do with them. If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation! Romans 8:1. I now simply try to live a life that is pleasing to God and swat away the attractions like an annoying mosquito. Feel free to email me at jimdecke@hotmail.com if you would like to talk, vent, or ask more questions.
Hi Anonymous 2, I think Jim hit the nail on the head. I did a post on this specifically, I hope it’s very helpful, freeing and life-giving for you: http://www.atacrossroads.net/what-does-the-bible-say-about-same-sex-attraction/ –I’d also recommend the book “Washed & Waiting” by Wesley Hill, he is a gay, single, celibate Christian who is also an author and a theology professor: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310330033/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0310330033&linkCode=as2&tag=noafilsblocut-20&linkId=H3IFKXDCTXFJUTDM I’ll be interviewing him on my podcast soon, so I’d encourage you to stay tuned it to that as well: http://www.noahfilipiak.podbean.com – thank you for the comment and for reaching out, please let us know if there’s any other ways we can help / encourage you
This is a great article. Thank you for your time and energy spent writing it.
I appreciate this article very much. Thank you Noah.
I am a non-practicing gay person… I have attractions to those of my same sex and do not act on them, the same way that I don’t act on other attractions or temptations that are for things God calls sin.
I’m having trouble with #2. On a personal level, I don’t go around telling non-Christian LGBT people that what they’re doing is wrong. However, I do say so on my facebook page where I am friends with many non-Christians…should I be wording my posts in a certain way so that I’m not judging non-Christians? Also, regarding gay marriage, which is a political/legal issue, how does a Christian say, “this is wrong”, without judging? I think it may boil down me being incorrect about “judging”. I thought that the Bible taught that we were not to judge (condemn) anyone, but that we should be judging (discerning right from wrong) regardless of a person is a Christian or not. Think of murder. Should we not be clear to everyone that murder is wrong? Or do we only make those statements to other Christians? Help!
Great questions Jim. To your first question, yes I do think you should reframe your public LGBT posts on Facebook. I’ve observed when you interact in person with an individual who is gay or lesbian, whether they are Christian or not, you are full of grace and you come across as very non-condemning and non-judgmental, but when you post toward the group “entity” of the LGBT community on Facebook you are much more condemning, etc. I think what’s important to remember is that the “entity” of the LGBT is actually just a whole bunch of individuals. So there’s no entity-robot out there reading your posts, but rather just individuals who are hearing your harshness as an individual message from you to them, which I think is going to build walls between you and them (making you feel unapproachable) rather than bridges to the gospel. Does that make sense?
I can say gay marriage is wrong without judging in the same way I can say premarital sex is wrong without judging and that divorce is wrong without judging. And by “not judging” I mean I’m going to show truth in a loving way and still treat someone just like I would anyone else. We are good at this with people having premarital sex, but we get all confused when it comes to gay marriage / practicing homosexuals. I don’t think it needs to be confusing; I think we should have the same mindset in both cases.
With the murder example, or we could be more practical and take abortion as an example, which I know is on your heart and something you post about—I think it’s important to think about “If someone who has had an abortion reads this, how will they feel? Will they feel comfortable confiding me in me or will they feel like I will only chastise them? (As if I’ve never committed a sin)” I have found Romans 2:1-4 (specifically v4) to be very helpful in this.
“2. The Bible says that we are not to judge non-Christians’ behavior. Meaning: We are told by the Bible not to tell non-Christian LGBTQ people that what they’re doing is wrong.”
I don’t believe your statement, as currently formulated, harmonizes with Scripture. Yes, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 states “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”
But note how in Acts 17:22 Paul, the very same author of Corinthians, specifically calls the Athenians out on the sin of idol worshipping. “29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
I have lately made an intense study of the topic of judging, along with 1 Cor 5:12-13 in particular. To be frank, I still am unsatisfied with my understanding of it. I strongly suspect (using my admittedly fallible human reasoning) that we should interpret “judging” in 1 Cor 5:12-13 to mean judging in the sense of carrying out of a sentence. The context of 1 Cor 5:12-13 was about Christians needing to expel from their fellowship some unrepentant Christians. Paul flat out tells the Corinthians that this isn’t what they are supposed to do to the world: to expel the world, they would have to leave the world. Besides which, he warns them, this isn’t our job as Christians. God will expel them from fellowship when he puts the goats on the left and the sheep on the right.
At this point of my study, I favor interpreting 1 Cor 5:12-13 as essentially telling us to focus on disciplining the misbehavior of those in the Church and letting God punish those outside. This is not at all a call for us to stop telling sinners that what they are doing is wrong. *That* would be unloving. Only someone who hates you wouldn’t warn you that the bridge ahead is out whilst you drive headlong towards it.
The bridge of LGBTQ rights is out! Attempting to cross it will lead to death!
How we present this rebuke — this call to repentance — is another matter. For that I would advise to speak unto them in the way you would like to be spoken to if you were in their situation. This is easier for me to say than do, I assure you — I tend to be tactless and blunt about moral matters. I have little patience for the sugarcoating of sin. Why? Because I know the harm it causes and because it dishonors my God.
3. You can support gay marriage and still be against it morally/biblically
I think I see where you are coming from here Noah, but please examine my response and let me know if I’m wrong.
As Ravi Zacharias is fond of saying, “If you are determined in going in a certain direction, if you are bent upon silencing the voice of God in your life, you know what God will do? He’ll step aside and second your motion.”
He did this with Israel when they demanded a king. He did this with Balaam who wanted to go with King Balak of Moab in order to get rich. He does this sometimes with entire churches who insist on indulging their false doctrines. He does this with probably all of us at one time or another of our lives.
I can support gay marriage from the standpoint of, “Fine, have it your way!” whilst uttering the prayer, “God forgive them for they know not what they do!”
Let me be absolutely clear on this: gay marriage is moral *madness*. It is a sign that this nation is utterly lost and I am starting to keep an informal tally of the righteous men left in it. I’m waiting to see how low that number will go before God judges us like he did Sodom and Gomorrah.
There are times when our collective moral obstinacy is so putrific that I begin to have some idea as to Jonah’s frame of mind when he walked into Nineveh and said, I’m certain with a very smug heart, “40 more days and God will overthrow this city!” And then I weep at and repent of the hardening of my heart because these people — Miley Cyrus, Tim Cooke, Ellen Degeneres, Wanda Sykes, Ian McKellen, Steve at my full time job, Ashley at my weekend job and so on — they are all children of our God. They are all part of the LGBTQ community that will face eternal damnation unless they turn from their sin.
Maybe we could skirt by the job of telling them that Christ thinks homosexuality is wrong because, well, who in America hasn’t heard that by now? But thanks to so many Christians trying to reinterpret the Bible to say that homosexuality is really okay, is avoiding this even an option now?
Jim Decke, if you are respectfully telling people that they will go to hell for their sins and you follow that up with a call to give their lives to Christ, I don’t see where the Bible gives you precedent to stop that.
Noah, I look forward to your reply. I’m always open to correction. The Good Lord knows I ain’t perfect and my understanding of the Scripture here could be wrong. God bless.
A good resource on judging can be found by googling andy stanleys “N Commandments” and listening to the “Judge Not” sermon based in scripture. Helped me inderstand the concept better. Thanks!!
For instance, this article: https://www.facebook.com/aigkenham/posts/975836519113371
As always Noah love your thoughts and insights I especially agree with no. 4 Satan starts with the small things or what we think are the small things and it’s all downhill from there. As the story goes on a leaking ship small holes if they aren’t stopped lead to bigger and eventually the ship goes down.
Thank you for a biblical perception
Thank you. I completely agree with this along with your comments on marriage in general and how that is messed up by divorce and pre-marital sex. I am a Christian and I have many Christian friends who believe being gay is a sin (not the action of lust being a sin) and i have always walked away from those conversations with them perplexed and unsatisfied because i read scripture and I beIieve His Unerrant Word. So glad we scripture And the Holy Spirit for clarity. Thank you thank you thank you. Your blogs on this and marriage in general and the thoughts on culture vs the christians (and how this could be solved) makes perfect sense and gives me peace. That usually means it is Truth and you have backed it up with scripture. Amen!
Societys current definition of marriage is not biblical. Lets make it a covenant again call it something else in the church and live our lives according to the Bible.