Some Christians would argue that it is a sin and therefore we should avoid contact with them at all costs. Other Christians would argue that even though it is a sin we should "love the sinner; hate the sin". A smaller group of Christians would say that they don't believe it is a sin at all... gasp.
What do I think?
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
I think if we are still spending our time trying to determine what we believe about the sinfulness of someone else's life then we have missed the point of Christianity entirely.
As Christians we should be less concerned with labeling things as sin and more concerned with following Christ. Whether something is sin or not is not the point. The point is that sin or not the Christians response should be the same. And that response is love.
Let's put an end to the debate over how God feels about gays and lesbians. It is irrelevant to our calling. Jesus calls his followers to love God with their heart, mind and soul; and to love others as he has loved us. It's that simple.
Let's not forget, church, when the religious Pharisees dragged out a women caught in the act of adultery and threw her before Jesus and the crowd. They wanted to stone her to death for her sin and according to the law they were clearly within their rights to do so. So why did they bring her before Jesus if they didn't need His permission? I believe they wanted to discredit the ministry and authority of Jesus Christ. They wanted to prove that the law was what saved and not faith. They were attempting to create a "damned if you do; damned if you don't" situation. But, Jesus, being God in the flesh saw their hearts and was not tripped up for a moment. He calmly bent down next to the woman and drew a line in the sand. Without saying a word in response he stayed kneeled down next to the woman. When the Pharisees pressed him for an answer he stood and simply replied, "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." Once again he kneeled down next to the woman as, one by one, her accusers left. When none were left Jesus asks the woman if anyone condemned her. She looks around and sees that no one did. He then tells the woman that he does not condemn her either.
Jesus draws a line in the sand and stands on the side of the sinner.
I am not stating that being gay is a sin because I honestly do not know if it is or not. What I am trying to point out is that it really really really REALLY does not matter if it is or not.
I choose to believe that Jesus meant it when he said that love fulfills the law. I choose to believe that Jesus does not condemn us. I choose to believe that it is not my job to judge the world.
I am drawing my line in the sand and standing on the side of love.
Which side of the line will you stand on?
As Christians we should be less concerned with labeling things as sin and more concerned with following Christ. Whether something is sin or not is not the point. The point is that sin or not the Christians response should be the same. And that response is love.
Let's put an end to the debate over how God feels about gays and lesbians. It is irrelevant to our calling. Jesus calls his followers to love God with their heart, mind and soul; and to love others as he has loved us. It's that simple.
Let's not forget, church, when the religious Pharisees dragged out a women caught in the act of adultery and threw her before Jesus and the crowd. They wanted to stone her to death for her sin and according to the law they were clearly within their rights to do so. So why did they bring her before Jesus if they didn't need His permission? I believe they wanted to discredit the ministry and authority of Jesus Christ. They wanted to prove that the law was what saved and not faith. They were attempting to create a "damned if you do; damned if you don't" situation. But, Jesus, being God in the flesh saw their hearts and was not tripped up for a moment. He calmly bent down next to the woman and drew a line in the sand. Without saying a word in response he stayed kneeled down next to the woman. When the Pharisees pressed him for an answer he stood and simply replied, "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." Once again he kneeled down next to the woman as, one by one, her accusers left. When none were left Jesus asks the woman if anyone condemned her. She looks around and sees that no one did. He then tells the woman that he does not condemn her either.
Jesus draws a line in the sand and stands on the side of the sinner.
I am not stating that being gay is a sin because I honestly do not know if it is or not. What I am trying to point out is that it really really really REALLY does not matter if it is or not.
I choose to believe that Jesus meant it when he said that love fulfills the law. I choose to believe that Jesus does not condemn us. I choose to believe that it is not my job to judge the world.
I am drawing my line in the sand and standing on the side of love.
Which side of the line will you stand on?
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