Loving People, Condemning Sin

By:  Dale Weckbacher

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

NKJV

John 3:16 is no doubt the most popular Bible verse.  Most everyone that has had any exposure to Christianity can remember it.  However, I believe John 3:17 holds equal importance for it reminds us that not only does God love us but also that He did not send his son to condemn us but to save us.  The only requirement for salvation and escaping the condemnation of God is for us to profess our belief in Jesus Christ.  However, even though Jesus did not come to condemn people, He is God and as such condemns sin for the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). 

Unfortunately, as we discussed in last Wednesday’s posting, people, including Christians, are not perfect, and therefore can fall into the trap of condemning people.  This imperfection in some of Christians causes many to believe Christianity is all about fire, brimstone, and condemning sinners to hell.  It is therefore understandable that some people in the gay community may believe a Christian refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay wedding is condemning them when in reality they are only exercising their first amendment right to a religious belief that condemns the gay lifestyle but does not condemn gay people.  (1)  A Christian baker refusing to bake a gay wedding cake is no different from a Jewish or Muslim chef refusing to cook pork.  We must ask ourselves then, why the uproar over a gay wedding cake.  

The answer is that gay marriage has become a political issue with those supporting it bashing Christianity as a means of advancing their agenda.  With a Presidential election year approaching, the issue of gay marriage has once again reared its ugly head.  This time the uproar is over legislation introduced in Indiana, designed to protect religious freedom, something already protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and not the legalizing the discrimination of gays, as the media would want us to believe.  Those with a gay political agenda are not about to allow the Constitution or some piece of legislation from a Midwestern state, a state with a governor that potentially may run for President stop them.  They therefore must marginalize anyone not favoring gay marriage by shutting down their business or marginalize potential candidates not supporting gay marriage so they cannot run for President.  (2)  The advancement of a political agenda now trumps the religious rights of Christians, Jews, and Muslims all of whose religious beliefs condemn gay marriage. 

However, as evangelical Christians we must be careful not to condemn gays but instead focus on condemning the gay lifestyle, a lifestyle that,

1)      Poses health risks – These risks are the result of increased levels of promiscuity, exposure to STD’s and physical injuries because of activities associated with gay sexual practices.  This is backed up by documented evidence of increased rates of psychiatric illnesses including depression, drug abuse and suicide attempts.  Gay men also lose up to 20 years of life expectancy.  (3)

2)      Is incompatible with happiness and fidelity in human relations – This is not my opinion but that of homosexual BBC journalist Simon Fanschawe.  (4)  A documentary produced by Mr. Fanschawe, called “The Trouble With Gay Men” shows graphic stories about group sexual encounters in a bathhouse.  Mr. Fanschawe goes on to say, “We are just swimming around in a sewer which we are sort of saying is normal.”  (4)  It is this sewer of promiscuity that God condemned with his destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  However, God would have spared the city had He found 10 righteous men living there.  Even in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we see God extending his hand of grace while also demonstrating his abhorrence of the deviant behavior of homosexuality. 

3)      Is not an atmosphere conducive for raising children – Numerous studies have been conducted touting that children raised in gay and lesbian households fare no worse than those reared in traditional families.  However, according to a study conducted by Timothy J. Dailey PhD, these studies contain serious flaws.  (5)  Among these flaws are

a.       Inadequate Sample Size

b.      Lack of Random Sampling

c.       Lack of Anonymity of Research Participants

d.      Self-presentation Bias

e.      Evidence from Marmoset Monkeys (5)

Dr. Dailey goes on to remind us of the deviant and promiscuous lifestyle of gays and lesbians and how that lifestyle, which is dangerous for gays and lesbians, is equally dangerous for children raised in this atmosphere.  (5)

The reason I as a Christian am taking a stand against gay marriage and the gay lifestyle is not to condemn gays but to warn them of the dangers posed by their lifestyle.  My condemnation is directed at the gay lifestyle, a dangerous lifestyle that I believe the government has no business condoning by legalizing gay marriage.  

I would like to extend an invitation for anyone in the gay community to come to any evangelical Christian church.  In most of these churches, you are welcome as long as you do not engage in homosexual activity while attending services or attempt to advance a gay agenda.  After all, even heterosexual couples are forbidden from engaging in sexual activity or advancing any political agenda while attending services.  I challenge you to attend services and when you do, you will most likely encounter people full of the love of Christ who are interested you experiencing the love of Christ as they do.  The question is, are you up to the challenge?

1. Starnes, Todd. Christian bakers face government wrath for refusing to make cake for gay wedding. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, February 3, 2015. [Cited: March 31, 2015.] http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/02/03/christian-bakers-face-government-wrath-for-refusing-to-make-cake-for-gay/.

2. Perez-Pena, Campbell Robertson and Richard. Bills on ‘Religious Freedom’ Upset Capitols in Arkansas and Indiana. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, March 31, 2015. [Cited: March 31, 2015.] http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/us/religious-freedom-restoration-act-arkansas-indiana.html?_r=0.

3. Facts about Youth. Health Risks of the Homosexual Lifestyle. factsaboutyouth.com. [Online] Facts About Youth. [Cited: March 31, 2015.] http://factsaboutyouth.com/posts/health-risks-of-the-homosexual-lifestyle/.

4. Chick Publications. Homosexual Journalist Admits, ‘Gay Lifestyle is a Sewer’ . www.chick.com. [Online] Chick Publications, November/December 2008. [Cited: March 31, 2015.] http://www.chick.com/bc/2008/lifestyle.asp.

5. PhD., Timothy J. Dailey. Homosexual Parenting: Placing children at risk. www.orthodoxytoday.org. [Online] OrthodoxyToday.org. [Cited: March 31, 2015.] http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles/DaileyGayAdopt.php.