Walking in the Light

One of the greatest debates in our churches today is the morality of homosexuality and how the church should treat sexual deviancy.  Unfortunately, for all the arguments the advocacies of acceptance put forward, scripture is clear that homosexuality is a sin:

“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 the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  That is what some of you were.  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.”

-          1 corinthians 6.9-11

There can be no question about something stated so clearly.  Homosexuality is just like any other sin – it seems to be overwhelming and is so enjoyable at the moment, that we look for ways to justify it.  There is no denying that sin is instantaneously satisfying; why else would we do it?

Scripture is also abundantly clear that Christians do not deny their sin.  This is why I cautiously (cautious because it must be down in love, not hate) applaud those churches that condemn those who claim to be homosexual Christians.  There is no such thing as a Christian prostitute, or a Christian drunkard.  If we are in Christ we desire to change!

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

-          1 john 1.5 – 10

If we do not recognize our sins as sins, then we are not Christians.  We cannot make excuses, trying to tailor scriptures to meet our idols.  Those who claim to be homosexual and Christian are missing the point.  It is understandable to struggle with homosexual desires, just as every Christian struggles with adultery, greed and lying but to excuse it and make it a primary part of one’s identity is sinful and is outside of the Christ.    To claim that both the perfection of our God and any sort of sexual deviance can and do coincide is blasphemous.

That said, those who struggle with homosexuality are just like every other Christian.  We all struggle with sin, and those who struggle with those desires are no different than myself.  I struggle with my own pride, hate, lust and laziness.  If I ever insist that I can live with those things, celebrating them as part of my identity and the way God made me, then I am making our God out to be a liar as well.