I was asked my opinion about a pastor's secret life which had recently been exposed. I was not familiar with all of the details, but we tossed the topic back and fourth. The hardest question that we stumbled into was: does someone choose to be homosexual, or is it simply biological, perhaps even in the same manner that a person is heterosexual? My reflexive answer was "it's a choice," but something about that answer seemed too quick, too easy and maybe too patented. The real question should have been "does God consider homosexuality sinful?"
This question has to be approached with some care. Because if we were to agree that God views homosexuality as sinful, we then have to examine our own lives. Have we become comfortable with any habitual sin? Would parting with it be too hard? Does God have different categories of sin like a McDonald's value meal (small, medium, large and super size)? If so, then my sin definitely is not super sized! Perhaps we have reasoned that we can continue in our sin because God has promised to always forgive a Christian's sin (1 Jo 1:9; Ro 6:1)? Maybe we deceive ourselves into thinking that we simply just do not sin because we have Christ (1 Jo 1:8).
Shining the lights on others is easy. Focusing that same light back on us...well, perhaps not so much.
2 comments:
Sometimes I find that changing the question and then coming back is helpful. It's generally accepted that alcoholism is bad - is there a genetic or generational or environmental aspect? Yes - but acting on it in a way that's harmful on so many levels, that's wrong. Same thing applies to hetero- or homo-, doesn't it? Acting on either in a way that's detrimental is wrong on so many levels. So now, it's not pointing the finger a particular sin, maybe? but realizing that it's all sin, and we rationalize and justify wherever we can? Something like that.
1) As you so eloquently put, there are no "degrees of sin." This is where we as believers have dropped the ball in reaching out to homosexuals, sex offenders, and the like. We see there sin as more repulsive than any other, whereas God sees it all the same.
2) Your allusion to Romans 6:1 is right on target. Grace is not a license to sin. On the flipside, it is nice to know that its there when we do cross the line.
Good post, my friend. Thank you for sharing from the heart.
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