In his blog post What should be the Attitude of the Church toward Homosexuals and Homosexuality, the author makes two points clear. First, Christians are called to flee homosexuality and its practices (see Romans 1:26,27; Deut. 23:17,18; Rev. 22:14,15). Such conduct should not be permitted in the body of Christ and must be dealt with swiftly if repentance does not happen. However, if a Christian does fall and repent, then full restoration should take place (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Second, the blogger makes a great point; though the church is to abstain from homosexuality, this does not mean non-Christian homosexuals should be shunned. Instead the fine line between loving the sinner and hating the sin must be walked.
I agree with this blogger: if one is going to name and name of Christ, then he or she must also be willing to be held accountable by the church body. The same must happen with other sins as well - like heterosexual sins, divorce, etc. Concerning non-Christians, however, we have done a pretty poor job of conveying Christ's love. We have fumbled to ball when it comes to disagreeing with yet loving those also made in the image of God. (My goal is not to beat up the church because she's horribly broken, but rather, to point out one of her weaknesses that needs to be worked on.) My point is simple; as the visible hands and feet of Christ we must learn how to reach out to those with whom we disagree and practice our Savior's compassion and love.
1 Peter 1:15 states, "but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." Like other sin, I believe homosexuality is completely wrong. It greatly concerns me if someone claims to be a Christian and freely practices homosexuality without any conviction because there is an obvious disconnect between what that person believes is moral and the truth. I think it is also important to recognize that some Christians will struggle with this sin. That is where we as the body of Christ must help restore that person. Instead of focusing on homosexuality in itself, I believe it is important for one to ask, "Am I seeking to be like Christ in ALL areas of my life?" "Am I running after purity and holiness?" Will some people fall? YES! As you have mentioned, the Bible does give instruction with how to deal with those situations. As the body of Christ, we should be eager to want to help a fallen brother or sister out in the restoration process if repentance occurs.
ReplyDelete