Whether you agree with the lifestyle or not- you have to admire a persons strength and honor in their convictions. Well maybe you don't, maybe you would rather write them off completely based on what you see as a weakness or sin... instead of looking deep inside of you to see why you feel that way. What are you overlooking in your self or ignoring because it's too much trouble to bring it out and deal with it head on?
The simple fact is that no one has this life thing figured out, but the ones that are diving into it head on aren't afraid of looking in the mirror. Jesus hung out with all kinds of people because everyone needs Him, He hung on the cross because He loved them all the same.
Love,
me
You know, my homosexual friends are just like me. They laugh like I do, feel pain as I do, and are consistently put out into the limelight for their choices. But, honestly, what makes their choices any less or more sinful than my own? We are all loved unconditionally by God. Cast the first stone....if you have no sin (John 8:7) Thanks Crys for the reminder
ReplyDeleteHomosexuality is a sin like all others. The difference however, is how they choose to respond to their sin. Let's take gluttony for example. A glutton, when they realize their sin will admit it and try to overcome it. They will not say "I'm fat, I'm proud, so deal with it". They will not try to convince others that gluttony is not a sin and in fact its perfectly normal and even healthy to be fat. Yet that is exactly what homosexuals have continue to do. I have no problem loving homosexuals but I will not love their sin nor will I embrace their lifestyle that is completely entrenched in said sin. Apply it to any other sin and I will say the same. I love my brother for example but I will not embrace his promiscuous lifestyle or affirm it as good or natural.
ReplyDeleteEveryone may freely share their thoughts, convictions, personal theology, etc. If you look closely I make no reference as to homosexuality as sin or not. My admonishment is to those who have chosen not to hide themselves because that takes courage. I stand up and share I struggle because in my weakness His grace is made perfect. It doesn't mean I'm proud to be a bipolar, overeating, prideful, sinner. It means I'm tired of hiding and the truth really does set you free. This particular days blog was to encourage everyone to be a little more honest with themselves and others about who they are period, because in the end all will be known and until then it doesn't do anyone any good to mask it.
ReplyDeleteYou did make reference to whether it was sin or not.
ReplyDelete"Whether you agree with the lifestyle or not- you have to admire a persons strength and honor in their convictions. Well maybe you don't, maybe you would rather write them off completely based on what you see as a weakness or sin..."
What I gather from that statement is homosexuality is an admiral conviction to you but to those of us who just "write them off" it is "weakness or sin".
I understand where you are coming from in regards to being honest about who you are and admitting your weaknesses or sins and I fully agree. However, admitting to your sins publicly only to glory in them is shameful. And I can't see standing true to a conviction (ie. homosexuality) that God calls an abomination as honorable. If someone wants to admit that they struggle with this sin and seek help I'm all for it but to continue to live the lifestyle and deny its sinfulness is not something any Christian should support. Let's insert another sin and see if it makes any sense. The few adulterers I know have something in common, self-acknowledgment. I mean you have to respect someone that knows they can't possibly be faithful to one person forever and is not afraid to stand up for that conviction. It just doesn't make sense for adultery or homosexuality.
A sin is a sin. Regardless of popular PC mantra or status quo we have to stick to scripture. Yes, Jesus died for the unlovables. I am not afraid to say that he saved a WRETCH like me. But he also said to the woman, "go and sin no more". God is love but He's also Holy and He wants us "to be Holy as He is Holy". None of us will arrive in this life, we are all far from perfect, but everyday we need to be striving to be a little more like Jesus. Which means being transparent but also willing to forsake our sin and follow Him even when it goes against what the world may think.
First of all, I love homosexuals. They taste like chicken. And that will be the last of the humor I will add.
ReplyDeleteSecond, Crystal does write,
"Whether you agree with the lifestyle or not- you have to admire a persons strength and honor in their convictions. Well maybe you don't, maybe you would rather write them off completely based on what you see as a weakness or sin..."
There is no doubt that homosexuality is a sin. However, and I think Crystal would agree, the problem is how often homosexuals are written off because of their type of sin. To be honest, when was the last time any of walked away from an abusive friend (to their spouse) or an alcoholic or "insert any addction here?"
Dave, you write,
"Homosexuality is a sin like all others. The difference however, is how they choose to respond to their sin. Let's take gluttony for example. A glutton, when they realize their sin will admit it and try to overcome it. They will not say "I'm fat, I'm proud, so deal with it". They will not try to convince others that gluttony is not a sin and in fact its perfectly normal and even healthy to be fat."
I find fault with a few parts of your statements. First, you lump all homosexuals into this category of, 'this is how God made me, this is how I live.' I have known too many homosexuals who have given up on sex completely to follow the word of the Lord. I have friends who have committed themselves to a partner of the opposite so that they can follow the Lord. And let me clear about this....GLUTTONS OF ALL KINDS PARADE THEIR SINS. Gluttons will talk about their sin, food, alcohol, sex, whatever. Just as many seek help as do homosexuals. Do the research. Gluttons are famous for parading their sins. They brag about not being able to give anything up. They brag about how much liquor they could hold, could eat, could smoke.
Finally, and this goes to anyone who is reading this. God has no use for anyone who sits around and decides who is and is not good enough for God. He has it covered. He knows a homosexuals heart. He knows their sin. Heck, he knows it a lot better than we could ever know. We are so quick to say how we cannot love the sin...no kidding. But, and here is the challenge I put out there to all...go 48 hours with out thinking about anyone else's sins but your own. Think outside your body. What is it about you that would keep you from entering the house of the Lord? I bet a lot mroe results would come of that!
@ Angela
ReplyDeleteYou said "I find fault with a few parts of your statements. First, you lump all homosexuals into this category of, 'this is how God made me, this is how I live.''
You need to reread my posts then because I specifically said "If someone wants to admit that they struggle with this sin and seek help I'm all for it"
You also said..
"To be honest, when was the last time any of walked away from an abusive friend (to their spouse) or an alcoholic or "insert any addction here?""
Again I reiterate. I do not support any sinful lifestyle, even if it were someone from my own family. I have broken fellowship with an unrepentant believer in the past and would do so again if necessary. Of course this is a process and a worst case scenario but the point is sin isn't something we should take lightly. (1 Cor. 5:13, 11 Thess. 3:14). I also want to state that there is a big difference between the occasional sins that we ALL commit and the lifestyle of sin. For example, if someone decides to commit adultery yet continues to be unrepentant and even decides to build a life with their new fling rather than reconcile to their spouse, that's a lifestyle sin. It affects every area of their life, they enjoy the sin, and will not repent of it and worse yet they glory in it and expects others to condone it.
Finally, I face my sin everyday and I'm painfully aware of how far I have fallen even today. It's wonderful to self examine and its definitely something that we need to do more often. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't speak out against sin and fail to take a stand for righteousness. On the contrary, the more wretched we realize we are the more we will see how Holy God is and we will see sin as He sees it.
My whole beef with this post was the glorifying of homosexuals as a group of people that should be admired for their "strength and honor in their convictions". That's flat out wrong. Their "conviction" is an abomination not to me but in the eyes of GOD and we should never admire an unrepentant sinner. So loving them in the biblical sense of the word is one thing but admiring them? Absolutely not!
Thanks all for your input. God bless!
ReplyDeleteLove,
me
for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.......Romans 3:23........Lord, have mercy on us all.
ReplyDelete