I have never been at such odds with American culture. That’s fine, if being at odds means I’m remaining faithful to Biblical standards of morality. But there is a price to pay for being faithful. Some Christians are experiencing legal nightmares due to their stance. That hasn’t happened to me yet, but everyone who refuses to bow to the new immorality will receive criticism, sometimes harsh criticism, in some way.
For instance, try saying something like this publicly and see what happens:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.
In one of his speeches, Barack Obama referred to those words above as some “obscure” passage from the book of Romans. As I read the words, I see nothing obscure about them. They are crystal clear. He was participating in the age-old practice of reinterpreting Scripture to conform to his own personal beliefs. And as we look at our culture today—Pride Month, to be precise—we see that this practice is in full swing.
Being proud of one’s sin makes it a double sin.
The saddest aspect of it is when those who say they are Christians take up the banner of this sin. They have highlighted the last portion of the quote above: they “approve of those who practice” the sin of homosexuality.
Now, some will remonstrate that I am singling out this one sin. That’s not my intent. I believe all sin separates from God. It’s those with an agenda in favor of this sin who are making it front and center, thereby requiring a response from those who remain faithful to what Scripture says. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that homosexuality is only one of many sinful lifestyles.
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
That covers a whole lot of people who aren’t practicing homosexuals. Yet Paul doesn’t stop there—the very next verse is one of the most positive statements of salvation found in the New Testament:
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11
I would like to emphasize the word were. That means that those who were involved in homosexuality found freedom from that sinful life. They were washed clean from that sin, were sanctified (which means living a holy life), justified (and therefore now right with God), all through what Christ did for them on the Cross.
No one is born a homosexual. Yes, I know that conflicts with the prevailing viewpoint today, but I state it regardless. Because it is an active choice, it can also be rejected, as many ex-homosexuals can testify. There can be true freedom from that sin—and that is the glory of what Christ can do in a life. All sin can be repented of and forgiven. No one has to remain trapped in a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s righteous standard.
After repentance and faith in what Christ has done for us, there is forgiveness and a new life that awaits.
Jesus said He did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world. That is what the Good News is all about.