SIN IS SIN, NO MATTER WHO DOES IT.

SIN IS SIN, NO MATTER WHO DOES IT.

One of my biggest fears in life as it proceeds in this country is the progressive reach of the government into out personal lives and into the expression of our faith.  As I share this with you, I am not trying to be political; I am trying to help us all see the horror of not speaking up on behalf of our Lord when these things are discussed:  Whether in the news or at work or even in the church.

I am well aware that I should not be fearful about anything because God is in control. But let me remind us that we are part of how He controls.  It truly is important to make a stand against abortion, blatant acceptance of homosexual AND heterosexual immorality, pity for evil as played out in individual and mass murders and sexual torture of any kind; not to mention the people who take great pleasure in destroying the minds of our young with all kinds of drugs. They deserve no pity; not even the pity of finding them NOT guilty by reason of insanity.  They have earned the reward of death. And, by the way, it is alright to want that end for them, though praying that they will find Christ first.

Yes, God is Love, but God is also Wrath, and His glory will be in taking His people from this earth and turning around to blast the sinners into damnation and cleansing the earth itself with the fires of His wrath. (Revelation 16 and following)

But my point is that while we are living here, we are supposed to be on guard against evil and condemning it wherever we find it. I’m wondering if we even look to see where it is. Do we have our eyes open to the evil around us and how that evil changes us and how we think?  Do we shrug our shoulders and say, “That is so sad,” and go on our way ignoring what God would have us do or say about it?

My deep fear right now is how invasive the acceptance of homosexuality is as it affects our lives.  We blithely go along assuming that simply not being homosexual will keep us safe from the whole subject.  We are wrong.  Right now, homosexual and heterosexual sin is becoming totally acceptable in this country.  “Modern Family” and other shows like it, are penetrating the minds of our neighbors, and even ourselves if we watch them, quietly convincing us that the new modern ways of defining family or A-Okay, just fine.  They are not.  They are evil in God’s eyes and the Church, Christ’s body here on earth, needs to be more diligent in dealing with these subjects. 

I am thinking on these things today because yesterday I read a blog that speaks on the subject of homosexuality very well, but left me hanging in the area of heterosexual equally sinful behavior, even though I am sure that the writer considers these things just as sinful.

 

We seem to be quite satisfied that being promiscuous (fornication) must be tolerated, even accepted as a way of life. And, because we shrug our shoulders at that, we blindly shrug off homosexuality as a reality we have to endure and sigh because things have gotten so out of control.

Frankly, we need to step up and stop the progression of this thinking before it takes on the weight of the law of the land. Soon we could not be able to refuse to accept those who are evil as brothers and sisters in our lives.  We need to slam the hammer down on this whole idea, before the law gets involved and demands that whatever our beliefs we cannot refuse service to the community of evil, even when it goes against what we believe.  That includes performing weddings and becoming involved in weddings through photography or providing flowers or the cake or being the wedding planner.  The church may soon be forced, by law, to marry homosexuals and other sinners that a minister would prefer not to marry; accept unrepentant sinners as members; and generally shut up about sin and evil. Hate speech is now on the other side and it is directed straight at Judeo-Christian theology and ethics because we do not accept sin abiding in our churches or private schools or our homes or as part of doing business, no matter what.

Do we love sinners in Christ’s name?  I hope so.  But do we accept their sinning as par for the course?  I hope not.  We really must decide where we stand on these issues and speak up when we can, even if it means being ridiculed or shunned by “friends” and co-workers, maybe even family.  We need to recognize that homosexuals are people with a problem that can be handled sinfully or in Christ.  But we also need to recognize that heterosexuals are also steeping their lives in sin by not following the words of Christ, Himself, concerning their sexual behavior. Unmarried couples living together, having babies together, raising children together or spending their lives steeped in pornography, and strip joints is all fornication: Blatant sexual sin. Jesus loves them, but hates their sin and demands that they repent, turning away from the sin and around to Him, and all that He is. He hates ALL sin and will never accept any of it as simply a way of life here on earth. Let’s follow His example.

May we be aware of the sin around us so that we might earnestly pray for the people God puts on our hearts, realizing that the end will be the end and there will be no more hope for them at that point. May we also repent of our daily sins, even those of ignoring what is going on around us, and may we begin to turn to prayer for the people around us in our daily live. 

But, also, may we begin to speak up and stand up daily for what is right over what is wrong.  Open our eyes and our mouths, Oh Lord, that we may truly be lights for you. Amen.