I've been thinking a lot lately about the issue of homosexuality that our culture has raised to be such a hot-button issue recently. I am currently sorting through what the gospel says about homosexuality and what it says about our response to it. This post is some of that "sorting". I by no means think I have this all figured out!! Forgive my inadequacies to fully see this in light of Scripture as I desire to. Please comment on this post because I so desire for us to help each other seek Christ as we engage this culture with His gospel!
Unfortunately, we as Christians have done a poor job of engaging our culture regarding this issue. We have bought into the Pharisaical lie that some sins are greater than others. Because of that, we have raised homosexuality to some kind of "greater sin" than other sins. That is wrong and contrary to the gospel. Of course, we all like to see ourselves as better than other people, and I think we as Christians living in the Western world have often fallen into this same trap that the Pharisees of Jesus' day did.
This morning, I read John 8, and was amazed to see this issue that we are facing today so plainly addressed in Scripture. John 8 begins with the account of the woman caught in adultery being brought to Jesus by the Pharisees for Him to either align with Moses' law and condemn her or to oppose Moses' law and set her free.
Obviously, the Pharisees had raised adultery to be a "higher" or "greater" sin than others, much like we have raised homosexuality to be that sin. How did Jesus respond?
Although we don't know what Jesus wrote on the ground, I wonder if he started writing some of the sins committed by the Pharisees who were standing there to condemn her. Regardless of what He wrote, Jesus leveled the playing field. The Pharisees had broken Moses' law (God's law) just the same as this woman had. He made it clear that all sin is equal before a holy God.
Another thing I noticed in this passage is that Jesus alone has power to condemn. I have been guilty of judging and condemning others for their sin because quite frankly, I like to see myself as better than other people. That reveals a confidence in my own self-righteousness, just like the Pharisees had. Romans 8 says that Jesus has justified us before God, so who can condemn us? Clearly, Jesus alone can justify, and Jesus alone can condemn. So, why do I think I can justify myself before God, often by condemning others and in so doing, exalting myself? My sin is the same as anyone else's-- it separates me from God and shows my need for God's grace, ultimately in a Savior.
Since we are all on the same playing field-- sinners in desperate need of Christ-- and since we have no power or authority to either justify or condemn-- what should our response be to those who struggle with same sex attraction or those who identify themselves as homosexuals?
Homosexuality is just like any other sin, and when someone is living in any kind of unrepentant sin, the most loving thing to do is point them to Christ, the Savior who can heal, free, forgive, make new. I would hope that my brothers and sisters would call me out on any unrepentant sin that they see in my life, whether that's self-righteousness or gossiping or lying or a reliance on myself instead of on God. Those sins are equal with homosexuality before God. Those who struggle with same sex attraction and me, who struggles with a host of other things, have equal footing at the cross. In Christ, we stand side by side before the throne of God, both wearing His righteousness as we repent and believe in Him as the only One who can justify us before a holy God.
Let's be faithful to call each other to repentance in how we are responding to homosexuality in our culture. And let's love all sinners, faithfully acting as beggars who have found Bread and want to show other beggars how to find it.
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