Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church - Ephesians 4:15The church these days seems to be divided over the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Albert Mohler reminds us how we are to respond to homosexuals with regard to Paul's message to the Ephesians about spiritual maturity, love and truth.
Evangelical Christians must ask ourselves some very hard questions, but the hardest may be this: Why is it that we have been so ineffective in reaching persons trapped in this particular pattern of sin? The Gospel is for sinners--and for homosexual sinners just as much as for heterosexual sinners. As Paul explained to the Corinthian church, "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" [1 Corinthians 6:11].Mohler challenges the church to reach out with the Good News that Christ has died for all sinners who trust in the sacrifice of God. But in order to know what they are being saved from, we must be compassionate and courageous enough to tell the truth of God's purpose for us in our relationships with each other and our creator.
I believe that we are failing the test of compassion. If the first requirement of compassion is that we tell the truth, the second requirement must surely be that we reach out to homosexuals with the Gospel. This means that we must develop caring ministries to make that concern concrete, and learn how to help homosexuals escape the powerful bonds of that sin--even as we help others to escape their own bonds by grace.
Homosexual rights activists try to isolate the evangelical church, forcing change by political action and cultural pressure against a cultural tide of moral relativism that promotes personal feelings as the highest value. With evidence of young Christians ascribing less and less to a biblical worldview, Mohler implores our churches to
...teach the basics of biblical morality to Christians who will otherwise never know that the Bible prescribes a model for sexual relationships. Young people must be told the truth about homosexuality--and taught to esteem marriage as God's intention for human sexual relatedness.Not losing sight of the call from Ephesians,
The times demand Christian courage. These days, courage means that preachers and Christian leaders must set an agenda for biblical confrontation, and not shrink from dealing with the full range of issues related to homosexuality. We must talk about what the Bible teaches about gender--what it means to be a man or a woman. We must talk about God's gift of sex and the covenant of marriage. And we must talk honestly about what homosexuality is, and why God has condemned this sin as an abomination in His sight.
And yet, even as courage is required, the times call for another Christian virtue as well--compassion. The tragic fact is that every congregation is almost certain to include persons struggling with homosexual desire or even involved in homosexual acts. Outside the walls of the church, homosexuals are waiting to see if the Christian church has anything more to say, after we declare that homosexuality is a sin.But Mohler says that compassion does not mean that we need to change the message of sin. Telling a homosexual that he is a sinner is neither callous nor intolerant. We never think that a doctor is intolerant because they tell a patient that they have cancer.
Biblical Christians know that compassion requires telling the truth, and refusing to call sin something sinless. To hide or deny the sinfulness of sin is to lie, and there is no compassion in such a deadly deception. True compassion demands speaking the truth in love--and there is the problem. Far too often, our courage is more evident than our compassion.HT: The Pugancious Irishman
...We cannot settle for truth without love nor love without truth. The Gospel settles the issue once and for all. This great moral crisis is a Gospel crisis. The genuine Body of Christ will reveal itself by courageous compassion, and compassionate courage. We will see this realized only when men and women freed by God's grace from bondage to homosexuality feel free to stand up in our churches and declare their testimony--and when we are ready to welcome them as fellow disciples. Millions of hurting people are waiting to see if we mean what we preach.
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4 comments:
I find it interesting that the "church" would be "divided" over such an issue that is so clearly taught in scripture. I suppose that is what happens when we leave important doctrines left unto our own interpretations.
Hey Cody - I also think that this is an issue that is so clearly taught in scripture. I'm glad we agree on that.
Because we have some history together, I know that your comment is a jab at the Christian church from a place of perceived superiority from within the LDS church.
A couple of things:
1) There are plenty of gay LDS groups and associations. See here http://www.affirmation.org/links/.
2) The LDS church is simply one prophet (with a homosexual son, daughter or close relative or same sex urges himself) away from a "New and Everlasting Revelation from God" that homosexuality is acceptable now.
3) There are thousands of splinter groups that have emerged from Mormonism that differ in important doctrines taught in your scriptures.
4) If we are to believe that Mormons are Christians, as LDS claim, then we are divided as Christians on greater doctrinal issues than homosexuality, including the nature of God, Jesus, the gospel, salvation, etc.
1) There are plenty of gay Christian groups and associations. Does this lead to the conclusion that Christians support homosexuality? I don't see it that way. None of these "LDS groups" are sanctioned by the LDS Church.
I know some fellow Mormons who support the Kansas City Royals. Does this mean that the LDS Church in turn supports the Kansas City Royals as well? No, this means that there are Mormons who have individual likes and dislikes. Each individual Mormon is free to choose what they believe. Whether or not what they believe is true or not, God knows.
2)You came to a strong conclusion here--based on what premises? Could you share those?
3)Most sociologists today agree that there are a little over 100 Mormon splinter groups (groups who have come forward with a new name and claimed leadership). A far cry from "thousands." Yet, these are semantics.
I'm sure you know by now that these splinter groups are not associated with the Mormon Church. People who have left the Church to form their own have that choice. Yet the difference between this and what we call "The Great Apostasy" is the fact that apostolic/prophetic revelation has not been taken from the earth. These are people who have left because they believe something different than what the Church has taught. The Mormon Church has not swayed in the slightest in its stance on homosexuality.
Therefore, I don't know what your statement is trying to prove.
4)I've finally come to realize that I don't care if you consider me a Christian or not. I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. That belief is part of who I am as a person. If you don't consider me a Christian, so what? What you label my relationship with God to be, does not matter to me.
5)I'm not trying to be contentious, I just think it's healthy to hear at least the other side of the issue when you speak about Mormons. A lot of what I read on here is one-sided.
Thanks
I'm not trying to be contentious, I just think it's healthy to hear at least the other side of the issue when you speak about Mormons. A lot of what I read on here is one-sided.Hey Cody - I'm glad that you want to give a Mormon perspective. I invite you to weigh in on and address some of the substantial claims made here about Mormonism. In fact, it was I who emailed you and invited you to come check out the blog. I invited several LDS friends and aquaintances. That was not a mistake on my part. So far you've contributed by pointing out an error I made and then adding, "I'm surprised nobody else caught this glaring error. Yet, it doesn't surprise me because it seems that most folks who read and write on this blog take everything they read as true, no questions asked. And the LDS are blind????" and "I find it interesting that your #2 is "Become like God." You attack the Mormons for using such a phrase. Be consistent."As far as your comments above, the Christian church is a body of believers and yes, some have rejected the biblical understanding that homosexuality is a sin as do some Mormons. I find it interesting that you so easily disassociate these gay and splinter groups from the LDS church based on their beliefs and yet that is the VERY REASON that Mormons are not part of the Christian church.
You said, "People who have left the Church to form their own have that choice." This is exactly what Joseph Smith did. There is quote after quote from ealy LDS church leaders that ridiculed and set themselves apart from the Christian church.
So in the same way that if a homosexual or FLDS might say to you, "I've finally come to realize that I don't care if you consider me a Mormon or not. I believe that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was a true prophet. That belief is part of who I am as a person. If you don't consider me a Latter-Day Saint, so what? What you label my relationship with God to be, does not matter to me." You might respond that is not your intent to put them down but simply that there are certain required beliefs to be LDS.
The difference is that you and I believe in a different God, Savior and gospel where as the gay and FLDS believe in the same Mormon God, Savior and gospel as you but do not meet the same obedience requirements.
2)You came to a strong conclusion here--based on what premises? Could you share those?I base this on the fact that it has happened before. I will only mention one. The prophet Brigham Young worshipped the god Adam and taught that he was God and should be followed based on Young’s personal beliefs and contrary to LDS doctrine.
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