BRIAN ROBINSON
Pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church in Pickering, Ontario, Canada
I am certain that every evangelical Christian was stunned to wake up in Ontario
and learn that the Supreme Court of Ontario ruled in favour of same sex
marriages - immediately. This was a seismic tremor of ten on the Richter scale
that has shaken our nation to the core of its existence, and brought every
value we ever held in trust into question. The ruling spells the death knell for
a Christian society founded on the rule of God through Biblical values, and the
triumph of a secular society ruled by an elite cadre of humanist and atheistic
judges whose sole delight is to tear down years of proven safeguards that
buttress individuals and family from the elite and powerful.
The decision is so shocking because it tears away any hope we may have had in
stemming the tide of the secular juggernaught. We who believe that,
'Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people' (Prov. 15:34),
find ourselves on the defensive if not in full retreat. The Church has not
only failed to stem the tide, but our democracy lies in the dust, bleeding red.
Upon hearing that the Supreme Court ordered our parliament (the elected voice
of Canadians) to bring the laws governing marriage into line with the ruling,
our supine Prime Minister immediately stated that the government of the day
would fit a bill in accordance with the dictatorial demands of the Court - a
demand that makes Canada's ruling unique in the world as even Holland and
Belgium have restrictions concerning same sex marriages.
As a result, three people and two percent of the population hold the majority
of Canadians ransom, so that, even to speak out or oppose this legislation
could bring one into Court and under judicial prosecution - or is it
persecution? A Supreme Court Justice, Justice McLaughlin, rushed to defend the
lower court's ruling by stating, 'the majority must not be allowed to suppress
the minority.' An interesting statement in and of itself when one thinks that
the majority does suppress the minority all the time. We suppress thieves, as
an example, for the well being of society as a whole. Further, what happens
when a minority suppresses the majority? In fact, human history is full of such
examples of minority oppression as is the case of Saddam Hussein and numerous
communist regimes.
The real question is, 'What will happen when a few unelected people become the
arbitrators of what values Canadian will uphold and what values they will
suppress?' The real problem is, 'that Law, having cut the umbilical cord with
the transcendent, has no basis for its decisions except brute force and the
dictatorial power of judicial activism.' Carl F. Henry writes in, ‘Twilight
of a Great Civilization’, these words of warning: 'Our generation is lost
to the truth of God, to the reality of divine revelation, to the concept of
God's will, to the power of his redemption, and to the authority of his Word.
For this loss it is paying dearly in a swift relapse to paganism. The savages
are stirring again, you can hear them rumbling and rustling in the tempo of the
times.' (p.15)
WHAT IS AT STAKE?
What is the struggle all about? Is it really a tempest in a teapot and, as we
are told, 'when we realize the sky is not falling, life will go on as normal?'
I am reminded of Malcolm Muggeridge's two volume work of his life entitled Green
Tree (when he was young) and Dry Tree (when he was old). As a
newspaper man, he had seen numerous changes in his life, and he poked some fun
at the small '1' liberals of his day. He likened these social reformers to
people on a train with a destination in mind. Once they reached their
destination, they wanted the train to stop, but it never did, and no matter how
much they shouted, the train kept rolling along. The homosexual train will also
keep rolling along because it is a deviancy, and, as a deviancy, it corrupts
and corrupts absolutely. Today homosexual marriages, then adoption, followed by
education of the young contrary to parents' protestations, officials elected on
the basis of their approval of homosexual agenda, affirmative action for
homosexuals in teaching positions, the firing of those who refuse to support
this deviancy and jail for those who oppose or protest. As Paul writes in
Romans 1:32, 'Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such
things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also
approve of those who practice them.'
As one who belongs to the majority I want to make it clear that I do not have
the right to bully, harass or oppress in any way those who have chosen a
homosexual lifestyle. My Lord and Saviour has taught me to love all men even
those who hate me and spitefully use me. Homosexuals are to be treated with
respect and courtesy and, as God's fallen image bearers (as we all are), to be
treated as human beings. Further, the criminal code of Canada gives to
homosexuals the same protection as any other citizen of Canada. In that sense,
they are equal to those whose sexuality conforms to God's Word. The point is
that while homosexuals are entitled to the same legal protection as any
other citizen so long as they keep their proclivities to themselves, they
should never have the same privileges. The war that is now being waged
in the bosom of our nation is not about basic human rights and legal
protection, but a homosexual lobby that insists upon full acceptance and the
blessing of all citizens upon their deviant lifestyle. Further, they are
clearly determined to have it even if it means that those who oppose this
lifestyle and view it as detrimental to the well being of individuals and
society, must be punished and even incarcerated.
Clearly, we cannot accept the Supreme Court ruling, and we will not bow the knee
to Caesar in this regard. How can we, and still be loyal to Christ our King? We
are told by those who promote the gay agenda that Christ never condemned
homosexual behaviour. But this is specious reasoning and deliberate twisting of
the facts concerning Christ's teaching on the subject of human sexuality. The
whole Bible is Christ's mind and will for His church, and not just the letters
in red. Christ never condemned incest, or bestiality, or polygamy in so many
words, but his teaching on marriage and his appeal to Genesis 2 as the template
for what God intended marriage to be, makes it clear that Jesus saw marriage as
a heterosexual union, one man and one woman, for life. Any sexual activity
apart from this heterosexual pattern, whether before or outside of the marriage
bed, is defiled and condemned by our Lord (Heb.13:4). David Feddes, the
designated preacher on 'The Back to God Hour' gives the direction the
church must take in these difficult issues. 'The church' he teaches, 'must have
the courage and clarity to say no on at least three levels: no to homosexual
acts, no to homosexual marriage and rituals that bless same-sex unions, and no
to church leadership for people who practice or promote homosexual conduct'
(June, 2003).
THE GADARENE SLIDE
The amazing thing about the court's decision is you do not even have to be a
resident of Ontario to receive a marriage license issued at Toronto City Hall.
So we have become the Las Vegas of the North and homosexuals are flocking to
Toronto to get the Court's approval of their sinful lifestyle. As of this
writing, over one hundred and fifty marriage licenses have been issued and many
more are likely by the time 'Gay Pride' week hits the streets of Sodom and
Gomorrah. Homosexuals have come in such numbers because, as they put it, 'if
scores of us get married, how do they put the horse back in the barn?' Canada
has become a painted hussy offering her wares to any passer by. The words of
the prophet Ezekiel 16:32-34 have become applicable to our nation
'You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband. Every
prostitute receives a fee, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them
to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favours. So in your
prostitution you are opposite of others; for you give payment and none is given
to you.' And in the words of the prophet Hosea, 'A spirit of prostitution is in
their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord' (Hos.5:4).
Who indeed can close the barn door? The tragedy is the barn holds more than
one denizen of the deep. If marriage has no more meaning than a wax nose, to be
twisted to one's liking, who can protest bestial marriages, incestuous
marriages, polygamous or polyandrous marriages, and even men loving boys
marriages? One may accuse me of scare mongering, but the decisions of our
courts make it clear that what was once unthinkable has first become thinkable
and now is 'do-able.' Once the train gets rolling, who can stop it? Who, but
God, can prevent our nation's Gaderene slide into the abyss? Recently, SARS
(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) invaded our shores and claimed many
victims. In order to protect 'normal' society, we forced those so infected to
be quarantined. Was this fair? Yes, in the interests of the nation as a whole,
even though some would suffer confinement for the safety of the majority. In
like manner, as William Gairdner points out in his book The War Against the
Family, the question is not what is fair and unfair, but what of all the
unfair systems is best since no society can be fair to all. He concludes, 'it
is better to be unfair to homosexuals in the name of its own social health,
than to be unfair to the entire society in the name of fairness to homosexuals
[or any other pressure group]' (p.364).
Several years ago, under duress of the homosexual lobby, the American
Psychiatric Association (1973) voted to remove homosexuality from the list of
mental diseases (of course, it never was a mental disease; it is a heart
disease as is all sin). Recently, the same Society narrowly voted to keep
pedophilia (adults having sex with minors) on the list of mental diseases. The
train keeps rolling on, travelling, passing station after station. While
homosexuals constantly portray themselves as victims of intolerance and so
called 'gay bashing,' they have no trouble trashing marriage as an
institution, and heterosexuals marriages as a form of bondage and slavery. In
homosexual newspapers, comments like this are a dime a dozen: 'The heterosexual
family unit - spawning ground of lies, betrayals, mediocrity, hypocrisy and
violence - shall be abolished' (Gairdner p.361). Their aim goes beyond trashing
marriage, for they openly admit they want all laws governing the age of sexual
consent abolished, thus enabling adults to have sex with consenting children of
any age or either sex. Of course, as we know, children are vulnerable and can
often be talked into things that they are not yet experienced enough to refuse.
The answer to marriage bashing by gays is an easy one. No one would deny that
marriage has taken a beating, and that government and society as a whole no
longer see it as an ideal for the nation. Clearly, many marriages have been
crushing in their brutality and wickedness. But we live in a fallen, sinful
world in which sin invades family units as it does all other aspects of
society. The point still remains that while the traditional understanding of
marriage has its pitfalls (and we must continue to strive for improvement in
this regard), traditional marriages are, by far, above anything else the world
has to offer. Every other permutation and combination has proved a colossal
failure, and the beginning of the end of any nation that harbours deviancy on a
wide scale. In a fallen world, heterosexual marriage is the institution that
most protects women, children, and the individual from the rapacious outsider
and designs of the omni-present State.
Disturbingly, in heterosexual unions the sexual abuse of children does go on,
but such abuse percentage wise is much less than amongst other forms of unions
whether communal or same sex unions. The homosexual lobby loves to point to
statistics claiming that heterosexual offenses against their own offspring is
widespread, but the truth is, while only one or two percent of the population,
homosexuals offend more often and in greater percentages. As Gairdner reveals,
'Although homosexuals represent only between 1 and 4 percent of the entire
population (up to 2 percent exclusively homosexual; and 2 percent casual
bisexuals), studies based on ample U.S. data tell us that they perpetrate
between one-third and one-half of all child molestations (Los Angeles Times
survey, August 26, 1985), and that homosexual teachers commit between 25 and 80
per cent of all pupil molestations' (388). In other words, a deviancy is not
self-contained but seeps into society like a cancer corrupting the innocent and
abusing the helpless.
TOLERANCE THE ONLY MORAL VIRTUE OF OUR TIME
But what about tolerance? Is not accepting others on their terms a good thing?
Should we not be tolerant of those who have a different lifestyle than our own?
Think back in time when people were intolerant towards blacks, or other races,
or even women. They acted towards them in ways that were detrimental and
dehumanizing. One only has to go back a few years to Nazi Germany and see the
results of people acting in an intolerant fashion and the horrors associated
with it. Why should we not tolerate homosexual behaviour and simply regard it
as a lifestyle that is different from the majority of citizens amongst whom
they live? Certainly, the homosexual lobby has used the 'tolerance card'
skillfully, for, as we know, the only sin left in the Western world is
intolerance.
But since when has tolerance become a supreme virtue? For example, my body will
not tolerate poison and seeks to expel it. The body politic cannot tolerate
certain types of behaviour and survive. The truth is, tolerance has been
reduced to acceptance, and anyone who is unaccepting is accused of being
intolerant. But such 'doublespeak' is deceiving and mischievous. Here is why:
tolerance is necessary in a pluralistic society: we agree on that. I want my
Jewish neighbour to tolerate me just as I should tolerate him. That way we can
live side by side in peace and harmony. But tolerance does not demand that I
accept his view of God and the world as the correct one. Nor does it mean that
I should not try and convert him to my Lord and my Christ. In fact, in a truly
tolerant society, the heart of freedom is the exchange of ideas and the right
to convert others to one's cause or one's religion. Many people 'froth at the
mouth' when they hear about attempts to convert others from one faith to
another. They fail to recognize, that in a secular society humanistic values
are foisted on the unsuspecting every day, and attempts to convert the populace
to these values are constant and pervasive. Yes, we need to be tolerant of
others, and as believers in our Lord Jesus we have been in the forefront of
maintaining freedom of conscience where we disagree and disagree strongly.
Nevertheless we must be clear on what we mean by tolerance, and how much any
society can tolerate before it collapses under the weight of iniquity. What is
the difference between tolerating those of a different skin colour than
ourselves and a homosexual lifestyle? As Christians do we simply tolerate those
who belong to different human families or certain genetic differences? Not at
all! We are not only to tolerate them, but we are to accept and embrace them.
Why? Because they belong to the same human race as ourselves, and have the same
father and mother as ourselves, namely, Adam and Eve. When it comes to race
issues or gender issues, tolerance is the wrong word, and only total acceptance
will do.
But when it comes to homosexual behaviour, tolerance is the right word if we
use the word to mean what our English forefathers meant it to mean, and that
is, I will grant you the right to live in peace and without persecution, but
that does not mean I will accept or embrace your lifestyle as anything but a
deviancy from that which is the norm. That means I will treat the homosexual as
I would any other person made in the image of God, but who, like myself is a
fallen son of Adam. I will embrace such a one in the love of Jesus, but I will
not embrace his life style or deceive the homosexual into thinking that his
lifestyle is anything but rebellion against the most High God. Further, by
God's grace, I will seek to convert him to the life changing experience of
salvation that can alone be found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nevertheless,
society as a whole has a deeper concern in this matter. Society, in the
interest of the health of the nation, must seek to contain behaviour that is
clearly detrimental to the health (spiritual, moral and physical) of the body politic.
Further, as we are forced to accept the unacceptable, we see growing
intolerance to those who resist and, for Biblical reasons, oppose homosexual
practices. We will soon discover that our Bibles are to be taken from us and
the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-1 0: 'Do you not know that the wicked
will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually
immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanders nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God,' will no longer be allowed to be read in
public. Those who cry the most for tolerance of their position are usually
those most intolerant of those who disagree with them.
Even now our Parliament is promoting a Bill by the well known homosexual MP
Svend Robinson, called Bill C-250, which would make it a hate crime to speak
against homosexual immorality publicly. We are assured by the drafters of this
Bill that it will not interfere with our right to publish and read Scripture
passages that clearly condemn homosexual passages. But the assurances come as
cold comfort given the recent judicial statutes which have time and again
struck down the rights of practicing Christians in favour of the rights of those
on the fringes of society. The question is will we ever hear from the pulpit
again such verses as Revelation 22:14,15: 'Blessed are those who wash their
robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the
gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practise magic arts, the
sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who lives and
practises a lie'? Tolerance in a secular society has come to mean we will
tolerate every deviancy and corruption, but will force anyone who opposes on
Biblical ground to remain silent or be prosecuted by Big Brother and Big
Brother's judicial hammer, the Supreme Court of Canada.
THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA
The Homosexual Agenda - is there one? Most people are unaware how thoroughly compromised
our judiciary and our parliament is by the homosexual lobby and homosexuals in
key positions of government and authority. It is not simple equality that they
want but control of the state apparatus to promote their own far reaching
goals. Some homosexuals, who wish to remain anonymous, would protest this
portrayal of their aims, but the train will not stop at their station either.
The homosexual agenda seeks to undermine heterosexual commitment which includes
the protection of children within the family unit. It teaches that
heterosexuals are the real queers, and that male headship is a brutal form of
domination and violence towards those whom they are pledged to protect and
love. Dr. Henry McCaw writes that public schools virtually break the ice for
gays. Twelve year olds are introduced to oral and anal sex. Phyliss Bennett,
president of the Ontario Elementary Teacher's Association, said, 'The Union is
trying to promote a more positive homosexual environment in schools.' In
British Columbia a school board has twice turned down homosexual material for
kindergartners despite a court ruling to the contrary.
Gairdner shares this from the so-called ‘Project 10 ‘course (meaning ten
percent gay) used is some California High Schools: 'A video of homosexuals in
explicit copulation is shown to thirteen year olds. It is shown again and again
until the class is desensitized and thoroughly brain washed' (384). Charles
Colson in his book The Burden of Proof relates the following story. The
chapter is entitled 'Innocence Lost' and tells of how a group of lesbians stood
inside the doorway of an elementary school on Valentine's Day and handed out
heart shaped candy with pamphlets stating 'Lesbians everywhere!. . . Girls who
love girls and women who love women are OK! Happy Valentines.' Many parents
were outraged. One little girl said to her mother, 'Nora is my best friend, and
I love her. Does that make me bad?' The mother had to explain the difference
between homosexuality and heterosexuality to a child too young to be burdened
with such details.
As one mother put it: 'It is not fair to rob our children of their innocence.'
In 1986, the International Lesbian and Gay Association adopted a position
supporting what is called 'the right of young people to sexual and social-determination
regardless of age.' 'Today,' Colson adds, 'we hear much about children's
rights. But what does it mean? It really means 'Lets get young people out from
under the protection of their parents so they can be approached by gay and
other adults.'
The Lesbian avengers on that Valentine's Day made it very clear as to their
intent - they wore a T-shirt emblazoned with this slogan: 'We recruit.' In
Canada, a refusal to print that T-shirt would bring you to the Human Rights
Commission and include heavy fines if not jail.
WHERE ARE THE CHURCHES IN ALL OF THIS?
Perhaps, the saddest part of all of this is so many churches have swallowed the
lie and are now amongst the greatest boosters of so called 'gay rights.'
Denominations opposed (whether Lutheran, Baptist or Catholic) have gay rights
boosters in their camps. The Presbyterians are saddled with a group called 'More
Light' (not necessarily all homosexuals) who wrote: 'We believe the time
has come to stand for those denied full participation in our churches: lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transsexual Presbyterians whom God has called to the
ministry. We have no choice. We do this because it is right.' The irony of it
all is by what standard? To do this because it is 'right' means that somewhere
there is an absolute right. And the only absolute right is the Word of God
which denies their basic premise that homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle.
Of course, if there is no God, then there is no absolute right, and they are no
more right in promoting homosexual ministry than I am wrong in opposing it! Let
us be clear about this: we are not opposed to sexual perversion because it is a
health problem - and it is: nor because it threatens the well being of marriage
and our children - and it does; but because it is contrary to God's will as
clearly stated in Leviticus 18:22: 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a
woman; that is detestable.' In June of 2002, the Synod of the Diocese of New
Westminster authorized its Bishop to produce a service for the blessing of
same-sex unions. They wanted a ritual to use in each congregation enabling the
homosexual couple to seal their relationship with the church's authority and
blessing. The majority of delegates favoured the move but some walked out. One
who walked out was the esteemed Dr. J. I. Packer who stated the following
reason for his protest: 'Because this decision falsifies the gospel of Christ,
abandons the authority of Scriptures, jeopardizes the salvation of fellow human
beings, and betrays the church in its God-appointed role as the bastion and
bulwark of divine truth.' It was then interesting to see that those who walked
out claimed to still be in fellowship with the wider communion of Anglican
churches, only to learn that Dr. Rowan Williams the new Archbishop of
Canterbury saw no reason why homosexuals had to remain celibate, and then
ordained a priest who had a homosexual partner. In turn, the African arm of the
Anglican church made strong protest against the Archbishop's action revealing
that darkened Africa has become enlightened while enlightened England has
become darkened.
DID GOD MAKE HOMOSEXUALS THAT WAY?
What if God makes homosexuals that way? How can they help it if they were born
with a nature that desires the same sex? The truth is God did not make
homosexuals that way. All sexual perversion, homosexual or otherwise, is a
result of Adam's disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Only, Jesus Christ, our
Lord and Saviour was sexually pure for 'All have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God' (Rom. 3:23). To blame God for one's homosexual proclivities is to
blame God for every other sin man commits. The adulterer has just as much right
to say God made me that way as does the murderer or thief. We are all
predisposed to sin and certain experiences may give us a predilection in one
direction or another, but we were not created by God to live contrary to his
revealed will in these matters, nor is anyone genetically predetermined as the
University of Toronto Professor of Psychiatry Joseph Berger writes: 'I have
never come across anyone with innate homosexuality" (Gairdner 366).
Further, to insist that homosexuals are born that way traps them into a
lifestyle that many desperately want to be delivered from. The myth of the
happy gay is just that - a myth. Gairdner encourages us to use the word
'homosexual' and not 'gay' when speaking of these things. He points out that
homosexuals are anything but gay: 'Twenty-five percent of homosexuals
themselves say they have an emotional disorder, one-quarter to one-third are
alcoholic, very high percentages are in fact physically sick much of the time
from sexually transmitted diseases, and when asked sincerely by a young person
about pursuing the gay lifestyle, they counsel against it, four to one'
(p.377). Not only so, but same sex marriages, once the celebration dies down,
are bound to fail and they will fail because homosexuality is flawed in a way
heterosexuality is not. Promiscuity amongst practising homosexuals is notorious
if not part of the outcome of such deviancy. Gairdner points out, 'That the
average [homosexual] had 300 to 500 partners in a lifetime. 'Cruising' for sex
with total strangers was the preferred pastime' (p.391). The mass media gives
the impression that all homosexuals want is a lifestyle like heterosexuals,
marriage to one partner and a family. But nothing could be further from the
truth, and time will show that the vast majority of homosexuals want nothing to
do with marriage vows that commit them to one partner for life.
A former lesbian converted by the grace of God, Anne Paulk, said of her
experience, 'As a lesbian I found hurt people just [looking for] love. As a
Christian I found loving people just wanting to heal my hurt' (Colson 260).
Packer is right when he insists that churches who accept the gay agenda
jeopardize the salvation of fellow human beings.' The gospel promises
deliverance as well as strength to overcome our sinful lifestyles. All of us
are trapped in the web of sin and deceit that we are born into. Only in God's
grace can we find true liberation to live lives fully blessed in him. Work
amongst homosexuals has proven that the above statement is true: 'According to
Bill Consigho, director of Hope Ministries, 40 percent of homosexuals who seek
change 'move into full heterosexuality, with many entering marriage and
parenthood.' An additional 40 percent are able to commit themselves to living
as celibate Christian singles' (Colson, p.260). We owe as a debt and obligation
to our homosexual neighbour to introduce him to the Christ who delivered us
from our sins and sexual impurities, and can do the same for him.
A MATTER OF JUSTICE?
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Surely, it is a simple matter of justice? That is how Bishop Tutu sees it,
'Now,' he tells us, 'that slaves, woman and blacks have been liberated, gay
liberation is long overdue. What civil rights activists were in the 1950's and
60's, gay rights activists are today. We should support them in their cause and
join them in their struggle (Feddes, June-2003)' In saying these things, Bishop
Tutu really demeans the struggle for true freedom and liberation in regard to
race and gender. As one black civil rights leader put it, 'The freedom bus that
went to Selma, was never intended to go to Sodom.' The Bishop, nevertheless,
presses all the right 'word buttons' such as struggle, liberation, and justice.
It all sounds so noble, so right, so in, so with it. Who is not for justice
unless it is a matter of abortion? Who is not for freedom and liberty unless
you refuse to print gay literature? Who is not for tolerance unless you believe
the Bible and want to live by what the Bible says? Who is not for freedom to do
as you please unless you mention responsibility and accountability?
God never ordained slavery (although the Bible moderated slavery until the full
light of the Gospel came), God never ordained discrimination due to the colour
of one's skin, but God did ordain marriage - heterosexual marriage, and any
other form violates God's intended purpose for his creatures. There is no
injustice done when evil is proscribed and righteousness is encouraged. As John
R. Stott writes in Same-Sex Partnerships: 'If on the other hand, the
'wrong' or 'injustice' complained of is society's refusal [no longer so] to
recognize homosexual partnerships as a legitimate alternative to heterosexual
marriages, then talk of 'justice' is inappropriate, since human beings may not
claim as a right what God has not given them' (57). The fact is, true
liberation (as Bishop Tutu seems unaware of) is found in God's revealed
purposes for His creatures and their obedience to that revealed purpose.
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE
What is our attitude towards homosexuals to be? We must tell them the truth of
their lifestyle and the end of such a lifestyle. We must be faithful to God's
Word which teaches that the soul that sins will surely die. We cannot, if we
wish to be Christ's disciples, compromise on this point. The truth, as taught
in God's Word, will not be well received by the world and never is. Homosexuals
will label it hate propaganda and hate literature. But salvation does not take
place in a vacuum. A sinner does not come to Christ unless his or her eyes are
opened to their transgressions. Does God not accept us as we are? Absolutely,
but not to leave us as we are. 'God welcomes us in order to redeem and
transform us, not to leave us alone in our sins. No acceptance, either by God
or by the church, is promised to us if we harden our hearts against God's Word
and will. Only judgment' (Stott 59).
But we must speak the truth in love. That is by action and word we must show
ourselves both friendly and kind. We do not embrace the sin, but, by God's
help, we embrace the sinner. We must show in our speech coupled with our
actions, that although we too are sinners lost and undone, God delivered us
from the swamp of our iniquity and can do the same for them.
In Corinth, when Paul was speaking to the church, he mentions a list of sinful
behaviours and says 'and that is what some of you were' (I Cor. 6:11), yet the
list does not simply include homosexual sinners, but sinners of every stripe.
Then Paul goes on, 'But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God'
(v.11). This is what God has done and is doing in our world today, and if he has
done it for you and I, he can do it for those who are his elect in the
community of gays. In fact, in a strange way, God has brought homosexuals out
of the closet, so we can now target them with our love, and direct them to
organizations and those who have experienced God's forgiveness and help for
their sin.
Truly, our nation has taken a turn for the worse from one viewpoint, but God
has given us a glorious opportunity to let our light shine in the night of our
travail. We as a people of the Bible must stop relying on government to
safeguard our Christian faith and look to the Father of light and all goodness
to make us instruments of reconciliation in a fallen world.
With permission from the author who edits the Sovereign Grace Journal, Volume
6, Issue 3, September 2003.
www.sgfcanada.com
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