loving our homosexual neighbors

June 16th, 2005

the following is a post of mine responding to this post from an on-line theological/worldview board:

“[what about the suggestion] that homosexuality might have been a hygenic or even social law (if the Israelites were a small group needing to reporduce) and that there was nothing inherently SINFUL about homosexuality.”

and more specifficaly this response from another member:

“well i guess jesus was kidding when he told us to love our neighbors. i’m sure he meant to say “love only your straight neighbors”

this is my response in the midst of 7 pages of discussion of both sides.

the statements made about jesus telling us to love our neighbor… very true.jesus did say he came for the “sick”, those who needed healing. he dealt with and ministered to the outcasts, the poor, the broken… all sinners.but when he did so, he commanded them to sin no more.today, if jesus were physically among us, i have no doubt that he would interact with homosexuals. but he would tell them to “sin no more”, he would not simply say ” well, i do not agree with you, but i will still love you and stand up for your rights as a person if you choose to remain in your present lifestyle.”i don’t see why this is so hard to see. jesus taught repentance and forgiveness of sins, not acceptance. those who would not repent and follow him simply turned away (rich young ruler). loving sin instead of turning from that sin is saying “no” to christ.obviously people gave and give their life to christ and continued/ continue to commit *sins*, but to constantly live in a lifestyle of sin is a constant denial to follow him fully.we all sin, we all have reocurring sins.. pride,lying, lust, etc. i am not saying that we don’t.but i think there is a distinct difference in suporting or saying ” i am a homosexual and i choose to openly live this lifestyle”, expecting everyone to just ignore the scriptural teachings on disobedience in general, not to mention speciffic teachings on homosexuality.you do not see a group of people who are liars, or struggle with lust, or pride or what have you saying that they will now live an openly sinful lifestyle by lying,cheating,lusting, etc. without shame or admittance that these actions are deliberate sins- that is the way they are and everyone should stop being so judgemental and accept them for who they are. because, hey, they are people too!some of my closest friends have been homosexuals. i do not take this topic lightly. i know i have sin in my life. i in no way think i am above any homosexual in meriting the grace of the lord.but it is time that we stop hiding behind political correctness. what we are doing by”proving” how loving and accepting we are is giving an “o.k., you do what you have to do and be who you have to be” to people we should be praying for and ministering to, just as we would someone who had a major sin problem in any other area of their life- and as i hope people would for us were we to openly be involved in a sinful lifestyle.
-stephen


i have more than a few friends who would say themselves that they are quite more liberally minded than i am. i am still trying to work through and figure out where exactly the line is that divides “loving one another” and excusing sin and calling those who call it such unloving.im sure that the line must be somewhere close to the planks in our eyes and the absolute truth of the bible. we know we have planks in our eyes the same way we see the “speck” in the eyes of our brothers. because, plank or speck, sin is sin, no matter whose eye it is.
we are constantly blinking.
-stephen