Most of my blog readership includes fellow Christian bloggers, friends, and my parents (thanks Mom and Dad!). So, when I posted, “Does God’s View of Sin Evolve?” I knew my thoughts would mostly be “preaching to the choir.” However, since joining the Twitter World, the posts sometimes end up reaching a much more diverse audience, especially with “retweets” and “sharing.” Last night, an individual chose to open a link to my blog and responded to my view on homosexuality and same sex marriage. Here’s the comment I discovered in my inbox:
“None of you know what it’s like to be gay; if you were you would drop this “hate the sin love the sinner” crap. I’m seriously sick of it. My relationship is not a sin, in fact, it’s a lot stronger than many heterosexual relationships out there. Sorry if you can’t handle the truth. Goodbye.”
Over the next few days, I hope to occasionally address some of the issues raised in this message compassionately, talking the Bible and same sex marriage.
“None of you know what’s it’s like to be gay”
I can’t speak for everyone, but that statement applies to me. No, I do not know what it is to be gay or to be tempted by that lifestyle choice. However, I know what it is to be a sinner. The Bible states,
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23)
As humans we tend to classify our sins, labeling them as big offenses and little offenses. Murder garners the classification of a big sin; a little white lie lives up to its name. However, our categorizations of sin mock God’s holiness. In God’s eyes, sin’s sin. I think the reason we fall into the trap of sin allocation is we base our opinion of sin upon the visible consequences and our own personal distaste of the behavior. But the truth of the matter remains, sin separates us from God.
Here’s the great news.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
An old hymn reads, “Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done.” Since Jesus knows and understands our struggles and temptations, He provides the right amount of grace and strength to withstand the deceptions hurled at us by the enemy. And when the Enemy launches an attack, God promises,
“I will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, I will also a provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)
So, whether you battle homosexual tendencies, lust, or telling the truth, God stands ready to help us overcome those sinful behaviors. Whenever a temptation arises and beads of sweat pool on our forehead as we waver between two decisions, scan the horizon for God’s escape hatch. And know this, occasionally (and some of us more than occasionally….Christians included) we fail miserably in our walk with Christ. In those instances He stands with His arms open, waiting for the wayward child to repent and come home. Amazing grace…
Ain’t God Good?
Over the left-field wall and out of the park!!! You address this with compassion, love and the power of the Holy Spirit! One thing your letter writer is missing in the diatribe about strong relationships – The relationship with Jesus Christ, which trumps all others! A relationship with Christ lets us recognize that sin is sin, and shows us how to put Him above our own selfish pursuits. Homosexuality is just one way of putting self before God; there are many others.
You may have stirred up a hornet’s nest, Bryan, but God is with you. He will protect you from the stings and give you His wisdom to teach. God bless you. Keep up the good work.
I’m not sure if this is a fair comparison (since I also don’t know what homosexual temptations are like), but everyone is tempted more strongly by some things. For example, some people are drawn to addictive substances (tobacco, alcohol, etc), some are more strongly tempted by sexual sins, some are more strongly prone to emotional issues (anger, anxiety, etc). I’m not sure if the same argument applies to the issue of homosexuality, but that’s the conclusion I’ve thought of when I consider the sins that call themselves a lifestyle.
What’s your twitter handle? I’ll follow you.
Great post, Bryan. We can’t circumvent God’s word to justify any behavior. In line with what Rob said, I fight against worry and anxiety often – they are sins and separate me from God and from the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.
This is a difficult subject, and you’ve bravely and honestly answered the person’s email well. Looking forward to your upcoming posts.
(By the way, another blogging friend also wrote a series of thoughtful, well done posts about this subject. She’s a Christian writer and you can find her on FB, too. Here’s a link to one of the posts. I think she wrote 4 or 5 posts and had a gentle, helpful discussion with a gay man in the comments section)…
http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2011/07/topic-i-most-try-to-avoid-you-know-what.html
Just because I don’t have the temptation to commit homosexual sin by no means says I have never been tempted to sin. I’ve had dear friends, family members in the past, many people who I loved who have died from the complications of homosexuality. I hate homosexuality because of what it’s done to my friend dying of AIDS, my former brother-in-law and his lover dying from Hep C, and dear former classmates who are at this time alone and hurting. There may be a lot of hurting marriages out there–and yes, I was in one of those at one time–but I’m in a good one now, and I feel truly blessed despite my sin nature. I don’t think God is rewarding me because I did what was right, but it’s possible I avoided additional pain because I chose to avoid certain sins. That’s something I may not know about until Heaven.
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