Blast the Homosexuals!

Get your attention?

My Sunday school class is dealing with the topic of the church and homosexuality. We had a very good, open, and honest discussion. The book, unChristian, says that those outside of the church and some inside the church have the perception that the church hates the homosexual person.

This is partially true in perception. There are many churches and pastors whose mantra is to deal only with the homosexual agenda. They show little care for the homosexual person.

In dealing with perceptions one has to deal personally with his or her own feelings towards truth. For me, I once had a very hate filled attitude toward those who are homosexual. Partially out of the unknown, and partially because of what I perceived as the proper action towards this sin.

What I failed to understand was the sin and the person. I could not separate the two. So let's do a little exercise. What is the only sin in the Bible that is punished by immediate death?

I will let you look it up. Here is a hint - it is not homosexuality (if it was, there would be a lot of dead people).

• The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
  

Only when I began to understand this verse did I begin to understand how God sees people. The verse says that God is faithful to His promise of the return of Christ, but He is patient with everyone because He is "not willing" that anyone should die without knowing His love and forgiveness.

This also reminds us that though God is patient, He is also a God of justice. His patience does not run out but our rejection of His love and mercy runs out of time. We are all guaranteed death. We each have a small amount of time here on earth, and we each have to choose how we will spend that time.

Regardless of how well we spend it, we have to answer to God for this time He gives us. All sin is punishable, but God says we have a way out through His Son Jesus Christ. We just have to believe in Him and confess our sins and live a life faithful to Him.

Knowing this and understanding that God loves all people, I have learned to check my attitude towards people.

I have learned to hate sin, especially sin that deceives people and blinds them. Having battled my own vices over the years I know what it is like to be trapped in a way of life that is destructive to me and those around me.

I believe homosexuality is a sin. I believe it, along with all other sin, must be confessed and forgiven. I do not, however, believe that it is any worse than other sins. It is a forgivable sin, and can be conquered (or at least subdued).

I know several people who live a homosexual lifestyle. I care for them and believe they are good people, yet because of their lifestyle, they are living in sin. My hope is that they can see this and overcome it.

I hate it when I hear Christians spew hatred towards those living in sin. If we spent as much time dealing with other sins with the same tenacity as we deal with homosexuality, there would not be anyone left to love.

Stay tuned for the next several weeks as I reveal what our discussions uncover. Until then, be in prayer for the people of China and Burma. There is a tremendous loss of life, and I pray for them to recover and find peace.