"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" -1 Corinthians 6:9 (ESV)
I'm sure that all of you know what I'm talking about when I refer to the new law that has been made within this past two weeks. And I have been holding off on writing lately, because I wanted to be sure that I said all the right things, as this is a very sensitive subject. But I want to start out by saying that I do not hate homosexuals. I do not agree with their life choices, but I most certainly do not hate anyone. Homosexuality is a sin just like any other (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Having said that, I don't think that that means that we should accept homosexuality, but hate those other sins just as much. If we viewed all these other sins the way that we view homosexuality, and we couldn't even fathom the thought of committing them, then how much easier would our Christian walk be?
Homosexuality is a sin like any other. However, the Bible doesn't only list it as a sin, but also as unnatural, as we see in Romans 1:26, Jude 1:7. And in Leviticus 18:22, and Leviticus 20:13, it is called an abomination to the Lord. And in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we see that they will not reach heaven. In fact, as we see in Jude 1:7, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of this sin. And yet people still use this same Bible, written by the same, unchanging God (Malachi 6:3), and say, "God says you should accept people and their sins, because we shouldn't judge others." Do you really believe that God would send His son to die on the cross, if forgiving sin was as simple as not judging others? And even if we all become okay with homosexuality, does that even matter? If 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is correct, and those who practice this sin cannot enter heaven, then does it matter what we think? You can tell me not to judge all you want, but it's not my judgment that matters, and do you really think that you are going to face the Lord on Judgment Day, and tell Him "Judge not lest you be judged"?
Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgeent you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." Well how about we continue reading until verse 5? "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye.' When there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Does this not say that once you have removed your own sin, that you should remove the sin of your brother? Does this not speak of making sure you can see clearly, so that you can properly aid your brothers in getting rid of their sins? And this also says, in the second verse, that with the judgment that we pronounce with, we will be judged. Well, does that mean that we can't judge anything? How about judging right from wrong? We have to make judgments to make sure that we aren't in sin, otherwise the entire Bible would be useless! This is not saying that we shouldn't judge at all, or that we should ignore the sins of others, but that we should make sure that we can see properly before we make our judgments.
Yes, we should love everyone, but this goes back to Matthew 7:1-5, as well. If we love someone, we are going to make sure that they reach heaven, correct? And if that means aiding them in removing their sins, then that's what we need to do. But how can we help someone in the removal of their sin, if they don't even know that it is a sin? We need to lovingly point them to why it's wrong, and how to remove it. And if they are a true child of Christ, then they will strive to remove it, so that they can be closer to God. We also need to do the same when someone shows us our sin. But we need to make sure, above all things, that we always do it in a loving way, so that we don't push them even further into their sins.
I know that the only people reading this are those that already know that homosexuality is a sin. Or at least for the most part, anyway. But I don't write this to preach to the choir. I write this so that you can have these arguments in the back of your mind, so that next time someone challenges you, you can point them to these passages. And I write this so that I can encourage you, to please, please study this on your own. Don't let me tell you these things. Let the Gospel. And then share what you've learned. Share it with the world, in the most loving way you know how. Kill others with kindness. Because no one is going to forbid you from loving others (Galatians 5:22-23).
