In a Fox Hole With A Gay ?

We cannot know for certain what will happen but I certainly have this concern and for the general state of our society as well. It seems we're on a deliberate path to endorse all things evil and shun all things good.

 

Seems I heard somewhere that there really aren't "degrees" of sin...I personally believe homosexuality is no different than fornication or adultery.

 

1Jn 5:16 –1Jn 5:17 NKJV
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

...dunno~guess maybe there are different degrees of sin..

 

Adam's sin was rebellion against God. He ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge that God had specifically told him not to eat. Eve listened to Satan's argument that started with a seed of doubt "did God really say" and ended with a lie "surely you will not die". God had told Adam what would happen and it did happen. Today people ask why the entire human race is condemned in sin just because Adam ate a fruit he wasn't suppose to have. That desperately want this sentence to be ruled unfair and unjust in the court of public opinion. But God was serious, He demanded obedience, He gave man a choice, and man was not obedient. So God punished man and gave him the penalty of death for sin - any and all sin - and eternal separation from Him just as He said He would. In this respect all sin has the same end result and we all are under the same judgment.

The degree of sin is another matter altogether. Surely there are different temporal consequences for different sins. Cheating on high school examination - a sin - is not the same as raping and murdering someone - also a sin. Adultery, incest, sodomy, homosexual relations, etc. are all sins. They are different sins with different consequences. None of them are good - all of them are bad. Some have different consequences among men than others.

At this point Satan - the father of lies - enters the picture and plants the doubt "did God really say" homosexuality is a sin? Man then begins to apply his rationalization logic to justify why this sin is not really a sin. One approach is to bring up other sins - perhaps one closer to home for some than others - as means to take away attention for the sin in the spotlight. Next comes the argument that "surely you will not die" which is, of course, a bald faced lie with the intent to get the sinner thinking they can avoid the consequences of their behavior. The thought is to move the light away from the subject thereby giving it some cover of darkness. Sin flourishes in darkness!

The story really hasn't changed since the beginning. Man is still trying to play the same game with God and will still loose every single time no matter how eloquent or convincing their argument might seem among other men. Man may even contrive law to cover this sin compounding his evil by using the very institution God ordained to restrain sin as a means to propagate it. How shameful we can be. Calvin was right regarding our total depravity.

All we have to do is read the Bible and we can easily discern that homosexuality - its state of being and its manifestation - is a gross sin. When it comes up it should be condemned for exactly what it is. Nothing should be offered as an excuse or a diversion. Likewise with any sin when it takes the spotlight - each in its own time and place.

Christians should boldly resist the onslaught of change in our culture that seeks to make homosexuality acceptable. It will never be acceptable to God and, therefore, should not be to His followers.

 

I don't find the homosexual sin acceptable. I don't find my obese baptist pastor's sinful eating habits acceptable. I don't accept my racism sin acceptable. What's the point?

 

What was your point?

 

...as opposed to onslaught of change in our culture that has given us acceptance of obesity in our clergy?:tongue3: Nothin' says spiritual discipline like a thick baptist preacher..but since that war is lost we'll make the stand against the gays---probably be about as successful.

Wake up~~homosexuality is already acceptable...just like fat pastors and rampant materialism and women preachers and blind nationalism and abortion...accepted as ok in this world. The question becomes more how we deal with it~how to be in the world but not of it~~how we live in the cesspool of this present age and raise our family and evangelize and disciple others.

Culture wars are fun to battle in, because we can focus on the other guy's sinful behavior instead of our own.

 

So is your point that we should give up on fighting against homosexuality because we have "fat pastors, rampant materialism, women preachers, blind nationalism, and abortion"? If so, then I disagree.

It seems silly to me to compare homosexuality to obesity in a joking manner.

My point is that we should stand strongly against homosexuality because it is wrong. My point is not that we should not also stand strongly against other sins. In both cases our example to others matters. If we are soft on homosexuality - and a lot of Christians are doing just that - then we yield to Satan's lies as we also do with many other sins.

Absolutely we should evangelize and disciple others for Christ keeping always in mind our own retched state. We should also work to keep our civil government - an institution ordained by God - working to restrain sin in our society because Satan is certainly busy working to turn that institution towards his purposes.

 

sin is sin I'm told..mayhaps but a rumor..

 

Any sin and all sin condemns us to death and eternal separation from God. It's not a rumor - the Bible says that's the case and we're all guilty. I don't think we have a difference on that issue so there's not point to argue that is there?

Please explain, however, why whenever the sin of homosexuality is the subject then the immediate response from so many Christians is to bring up all other possible sins and thereby divert attention from dealing with the one on the table. Why is that the case?

So let's not give homosexuality a break just because it is not the only sin. The Bible devotes a good deal of attention to the gross sin of homosexuality and doesn't shy away from it. It is very clear about the sinfulness of that conduct and, therefore, we should also be in our discussions about it.

Sometimes I get the sense that some people don't regard homosexuality to be a sin at all and so, rather than admit that it is, they quickly point to other sins instead hoping to silence all condemnation because of the obvious guilt everyone has in their own particular sins.

 

Maybe it's because it is a favorite hobby horse of many eager to point out another's sin in making it more evil than another...just a thought. Folks can do the same with abortion or slavery..

 

In ever era there are popular sins, those that are ignored, and unpopular sins, those that are condemned ... and both change from era to ear.

 

Yes and did you know communion would be withheld in some churches if you had a radio in your living room where all could see it?

Sunday movies were considered a sin also.

 

Over a period of 50 years in business, most of in a management position I remember 2 homosexuals workng for me and the thing that stands out is that they were excellant employees who performed far above the average person. They both knew that I did not approve of their life styles but this did not interfere with their performance. We never had any social activities that we participated in.They were extrremely loyal to both me and the organizatiion that we worked for.

 

I think it's because it's a very serious sin that is rapidly growing in general acceptance as being something other than the sin that it is.

 

Lots of people can be effective at jobs in this world and be totally immersed in sinful behavior outside that job. Does this mean that a homosexual person can perform a given job as well as a heterosexual person? Or does this mean that homosexuality isn't all that bad because we know some homosexuals who perform jobs well?

I'll bet Sodom and Gomorrah were teaming with lots of "good" workers going about their daily business. Yet when some non-homosexuals appeared in their town they pressed them to engage in their homosexuality. God was so angry over this sinfulness that He destroyed the town.

Was God riding His "hobby horse" or was He letting us know just how bad this sin is? Do we want to let things get like they were in Sodom and Gomorrah? Have we lost our fear of the Lord's wrath? Do we care what trials and tribulations are put upon our children and grandchildren because of our active or passive support of the homosexual agenda?

 

Is this to point out some silly things that were considered "sinful" outside the written word of God or is this to rationalize that what is clearly defined in scripture as being sinful is somehow not so bad?

 

Ezekiel 16:48-50 (New International Version)

As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Their sin went beyond homosexuality..just sayin'..

As far as their "agenda"~I have a bigger issue with the porn agenda and abortion agenda, but it seems we've lost those battles. Maybe if we backtracked on some of these lost battles and regrouped and figured how to win those...or perhaps, in some Sovereign sense, they are happening because we are going about it the wrong way.