One thing I have learned recently is that we fear things we don’t understand, and we judge the things we fear.
When I heard that statement, it resonated with me.
Times are rapidly changing. The topic of homosexuality has caused great fear in the hearts and minds of many fundamental Christians. The fearful response has sinfully replaced the faithful response which otherwise says in
1Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
In my opinion, this delights the devil. Consequently, the church steadily drives many people away from Christ through die-hard judgement of issues like divorce and homosexuality.
The church can justify its judgment behind condemning scripture. There you have the definition of a Pharisee. A Pharisee is one who overlooks their own sin allowing the law to overrule Jesus’s own words.
Again, Jesus said, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Christians justify their judgment by pulling out specific verses in Romans and 1 Corinthians. Their judgment seems justified when cloaked with, “I’m not judging. God is judging. This is what the word of God says, not me.”
I believe a more truthful assessment of the situation is, “This scares the heck out of me. All I know to do is pick out the scripture that opposes it and justify my feelings which stem from my fear and my mental chaos.”
Meanwhile, these overarching Biblical messages:
- Love your neighbor as yourself
- Above all, faith, hope, and love are good things, but the greatest is love
go out by the wayside!
Let me bring this home.
Before I was a believer, I never read the Bible. I had no idea what it said about a lot of things. I did get the message of love. Eventually, the message got diluted as I began to learn and strive to follow other scripture.
I am like many believers who did not know the Lord personally for many years. I lived a life that was better than many, so I believed I was a “good” person. However, my moral code came from my heart, trends, and society. It was as solid of a foundation as hot, dry sand.
When Christ came into my heart, everything changed. My eyes opened. I was led to read the Bible. It made sense to me. I began to see how my heart and society were not what God preaches in His word. I began to shift the way I was living – drastically.
I saw many new things for the first time. I began to make radical changes in my life- much to the dismay of those who loved me but didn’t feel as passionate about the Word of God as I did. I could back up my radical behavior with scripture. The verse, “the greatest of these is love” got lost in my doctrinal informational intake. I began to submit to an abusive man. I read that it was God’s will to submit to your husband. Many leaders in my church confirmed this ideal. I stayed in an abusive marriage. I modeled for my four sons how to lose your mind for the sake of the Word of God. My submission demonstrated to these young men how to mistreat a woman who is sold out to God and His Word.
I began to see that if we all pursue what God has spelled out in His Word as His best plan for us, everything will be hunky dory. Love your neighbor went by the wayside even more as I became hell-bent on holding marriages together and not accepting the things people were doing that were not in agreement with what I was learning from the Word of God.
Can you see what I am saying?
The message of love got diluted. My judgment got justified as I saw for the first-time Scripture teaching me new ways of doing things.
My own life was so lawless before Christ. I was making radical changes. I believed if others understood what I was reading they would be better off too. On some level, I was modeling God’s word with my life publically while hiding my sin.
Acts 23:3 states, “Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?”
God has revealed to me personally my sin of judgment. He has forgiven me for acting so un-Christ-like. He has given me many opportunities to love those whom I would otherwise cast off in judgment. As I nurtured my sin of judgment, I acted un-Christ-like in the areas I felt justified to do so.
I hope that other Christians will be bold enough to stand up and say, “I refuse to hate my brother. I recognize that the log in my own eye is much bigger than the speck in yours.”
I hope that homosexuals will be loving enough to forgive those who judge them.
I hope they know that for the most part it is not from a place of hatred but a place of fear and desire to do what is right in all things.
I hope that we all can live out this verse from
Galatians 5:14, For the entire law, is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
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Charlotte, I know you mean well, but you are simply wrong about this. Perhaps there are people who are “fearful” of homosexuality. I’m not. But I know and believe what the Bible says about fornication — all sexual intercourse outside of marriage is wrong! — and that God created marriage for people to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Homosexual intercourse doesn’t do that — can’t do it.
It is most loving to encourage anyone / everyone to avoid sexual sin. All sins, really, but most sins aren’t being presented as a person’s identity, which we have to accept or else we don’t “love them,” or we “fear them.” I have family and friends who have same-sex attraction. I don’t judge that. But I wouldn’t encourage them to pursue those attractions. Just as I would encourage anyone to choose chastity — either celibacy or a godly marriage. Those are hard choices for everyone. Sanctification is hard, but should you encourage the alternative?
“Love your neighbor as yourself” — I am very glad that when I became Christian (and was unmarried for many years), people loved me enough to tell me that God wanted me to abstain from sexual activity. How would it be loving to encourage anyone to do otherwise?
There is much more that can be said, but probably won’t make a difference to you. I know you’ve been hurt in the church and are reacting to traditional teachings. However, for you to disrespect those who hold to traditional morality by telling us we’re judgmental, fearful, etc. — it isn’t true, and I’m concerned that you may lead others astray. There is enough in the culture telling people “If it feels good, do it”; you’re slandering Christians who understand that homosexual activity is harmful to the eternal souls of those who pursue it.
Kristi,
I am so sorry, I am just seeing this. I really value your opinion. I am working out my salvation. I see your point and the fear that I am leading people astray. I also believe God has made it clear to me that I have been judgmental, that I need to love and that I need to share this conviction publically. We are all members of one body, we all have different parts and we are all necessary to make the body function. I am glad you are strong in your convictions. Thank you for sharing and I apologize for the delayed response.