June 27, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On Friday
the Supreme Court of the United
States ruled by a 5-4 majority that same-sex
marriage is a legal right in all fifty states of our nation. Given this momentous shift in legal and
social policy, it is good for us to reflect on scripture as we consider how to
respond to these changes in a way that is both faithful to God, while also
loving to our neighbor. I would like to
remind us of a few truths from God’s word that would be helpful to keep in mind
in the days and weeks ahead.
While
society’s opinions shift considering the acceptability of things, God’s word is
consistent in its definition of sin.
This is true not only of the practice of homosexuality, but also greed,
lust, fornication, and all others things the Bible condemns. While we seek to stand firm on the word of
God in this matter, we must be sure to condemn ALL sin.
“…for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God…” – Romans 3:23
It is helpful to remember when speaking against sin that
each and every one of us has sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. We struggle and sin in different ways, but we
all stand condemned as sinners, forgiven only because of the blood of
Christ. While this should not prevent us
from speaking against sin, it should impact the way in which we speak against
it. Ask yourself this question, “If
someone were going to confront me over sin in my life, how would I want them to
do so?” No doubt we could all be
confronted over some sin in our life, and so we should approach others in a
loving and compassionate way, just as we ourselves we want to be
approached.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this
present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
– Ephesians 6:12
Satan would like nothing better than for us to see other
human beings as our enemy in this matter, and for our discourse to be filled
with rancor, hatred, and divisiveness.
However, we must remember that as Christians we are called to love
people, even as we struggle against the “cosmic powers over this present
darkness.” For many of us, this issue
hits home as it affects our family, friends, and other loved ones. With that in mind, let us always speak with
love and respect, modeling for the world around us how Christians can disagree
with others compassionately and lovingly.
While seeing the world shift further and further away from
the truth of God’s word can be a frightening thing, I am also reminded of this
simple truth: the early Christians accomplished wonderful things for Christ, in
a world aligned against them. Let us
commit ourselves to loving God and our neighbor as they did, and to glorifying
Christ in word and in deed.
Yours
in Christ,
Justin
