HOMOSEXUALITY: The Really Bad, Nasty Sin
Are there classes of sin? For example, is gluttony an okay sin since so many Christians—as evidenced by our waistlines—partake of it? Is gossiping a mild sin? After all, almost all of us do it at one time or another. Then there is the famous “little white lie.” Who hasn’t used that one? Has anyone ever taken a tablet of sticky notes from work? Just a little moderate thievery never hurt anyone, right? A bit too much eggnog at your Christmas party? Drunkenness once a year or so, isn’t one of the really bad sins, is it?
I once knew a Christian whose son was living a homosexual lifestyle. A Christian sister, whose own unmarried son was living with a woman, expressed shock, judgment and pity. “How can you stand to have your son like that?” she asked. The message was clear: your son is doing a really bad sin. My son’s sin is…normal, acceptable.
How did it happen that homosexuality has become the big, bad nasty sin of all time? I do not deny that it is a sin, I just wonder how it became a special class of sin, sin worthy of a level of contempt and hatred toward the sinner unmatched by that of any other sinful lifestyle.
Consider 1 Corinthians 6: 9 –10:
“9Do 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 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
In this scripture, homosexuality is listed along with greed and heterosexual immorality. These sins are not rated according to their level of wickedness. Think about it: homosexuality and greed (When was the last time YOU worked overtime so you could buy more material goods?). Both are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Are they equal in your eyes?
1 Corinthians 6 goes on to say:
“11And 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.”
According to that scripture, some of the early church had been homosexuals. It’s not the unforgivable sin. It’s not a sin that merits Christians holding signs condemning homosexuals to hell. It’s not a special class of sin. It’s a sin like any other. Let’s remember that and temper our behavior accordingly, showing the grace and mercy toward sinners that Jesus shows, remembering always that “such were some of you.”
I once knew a Christian whose son was living a homosexual lifestyle. A Christian sister, whose own unmarried son was living with a woman, expressed shock, judgment and pity. “How can you stand to have your son like that?” she asked. The message was clear: your son is doing a really bad sin. My son’s sin is…normal, acceptable.
How did it happen that homosexuality has become the big, bad nasty sin of all time? I do not deny that it is a sin, I just wonder how it became a special class of sin, sin worthy of a level of contempt and hatred toward the sinner unmatched by that of any other sinful lifestyle.
Consider 1 Corinthians 6: 9 –10:
“9Do 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 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
In this scripture, homosexuality is listed along with greed and heterosexual immorality. These sins are not rated according to their level of wickedness. Think about it: homosexuality and greed (When was the last time YOU worked overtime so you could buy more material goods?). Both are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Are they equal in your eyes?
1 Corinthians 6 goes on to say:
“11And 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.”
According to that scripture, some of the early church had been homosexuals. It’s not the unforgivable sin. It’s not a sin that merits Christians holding signs condemning homosexuals to hell. It’s not a special class of sin. It’s a sin like any other. Let’s remember that and temper our behavior accordingly, showing the grace and mercy toward sinners that Jesus shows, remembering always that “such were some of you.”
posted by Cynthia Wilson | 5:23 PM
2 Comments:
Dante certainly tried to rank sins in Inferno!
I couldn't agree more. The older I get the more I have come to believe that, at their core, all of our sins are rooted in woundings that we have not taken to the right healer. ALL of us are guilty of that. We have different woundings so our sins manifest in different ways. Once one realizes that, it should be really hard to be judgmental.
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