(Warning: Read at your own risk… The following thoughts/observations/opinions/ convictions/questions spring from a desire to better understand what scriptures says on certain issues and how to discuss the truths of scripture with lost people.)
So I was talking to a friend the other day and she was having an interesting discussion with a co-worker on gay rights, the Bible & US law on the same subject. The thought occurred to me that I, and others like me, do not know how to witness to or converse with a person who is entrenched in a worldview opposite to scripture. Many “gay Christians” believe that God loves them and accepts them the way they are. This is true but only in part. Paul goes into great detail in Romans about the fallacy of this belief. God loves us but not our sin. He accepts us as we are at the point of salvation but to remain in sin thereafter is to deny the power of Christ’s death on the cross. So how to do you express this to someone who is convinced they are right and you are wrong? This is a perplexing question and I don’t know that I have the answer. Scripture is a strongest and truest weapon but what if they don’t believe scripture? Do we give those people up for lost and choose to not even try to reach them? Or do we persist? These are the questions that trouble my mind. Persistance is the best way but is there a way to persist without being redundant? Any thoughts, comments, rebuttals?
We are supposed to share the gospel with them and show them that they are lost without Christ. you can't be gay and still be following God because that's contradictory to His Word.
ReplyDelete1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says,
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
We're also supposed to share the law of God to them because then they can see that according to His law they are without righteousness before God. if they are not righteous before Him, He can't accept them into heaven.
1 Timothy 1:8-11 says,
But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
Once you have addressed the root problem (them being unsaved/following God's word), then you can address them thinking they are "gay".
So you don't believe a Christian can be enslaved into homosexuality? You don't believe that Christians, legitimate, Bible-believing, raised in Church, saved believers can fall into this sin? I know some people who know Christ and yet have been homosexuals. They have since been convicted of the sin and have undergone counseling and accountability to resist the temptation for this sin. Obviously the spiritual state of their souls I cannot be assured but I am reasonably certain of their salvation. So how do you present them with truth? What about love? Truth given without love is seen as hateful and legalistic. Love given without truth has no foundation. So we are in a quandary, reconciling opposite ideas into a balanced presentation of Scripture. You have presented one side, but where is the love in this presentation? We must be careful not toss it aside because lost souls are acutely aware of lack of love. They are not likely to listen if they believe you do not have their personal well-being and benefit at heart. Scripture says "a man's ways are always right in his own eyes." (Provers 12:15, 16:2, 21:2, 30:12)It is very difficult to convince a person who believes he is right that he is wrong, especially if you use, as your basis a tool that he does not respect. So we must each ask ourselves this question: Can you say that you do honestly love those people as God loves them or do you find them undesirable because of what they stand for? (Matt 19:19, Mark 12:31, Matt 5:46, Luke 6:31-33, 1 Cor 13, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 4:8)
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