As God’s elect, the human content of His earthly body, we have a great responsibility here. As a body of wounded and unworthy sinners, we are called to extend Christ’s hands to others like ourselves. As His representatives, we are called to follow His example. And we are all aware of Christ’s attitude toward “sinners and tax-collectors.” Who are we to deny the communion of the body to anyone? We are called (in Romans) to pass just and discerning judgement on those who are already in the church, but we are forbidden to do so with those outside of God’s committed family.
What we need to look at here, I think, is the term ‘rights’. In God’s family, we have to accept (in one sense) that we have no rights. God owes us nothing. We are to die to ourselves. The demand of Christians for their rights is a dangerous thing. We are told by Paul again and again that we will be persecuted, assaulted, killed. Did he campaign for his rights? He counted it joy to be oppressed and prayed with more dependance on His Father. I have no right to hang on to anything of my old life when entering the new. I have no right to hang on to anything but Him.
As those who have read my article (Rumours of the Askani) will know, I am called to the service of God as regards my deliverance from homosexuality. Included in this call is the need to repeat God’s plan and purposes for full heterosexual relating. Homosexuality is a distortion of God’s creation, but no more so than any of our multitudinous other neuroses.
This in no way legitimizes violence or discrimination against those who identiify themselves as gay! I join with the Spirit in crying over and out at such behaviour (hate crimes, slander, prejudicial treatment, etc.). It is an abomination to the holy name of God.
Our call goes beyond the act of “loving the sinner and hating the sin” as this is usually understood. The truth of this idiom requires that we relearn the word ‘love’. We cannot and are not asked to change the behaviour of those who do not dwell in God. Such a change will not help their soul one wit. (If they are endangering others, this is obviously different.) We are called to accept them and love them As They Are. There will come a time in their walk (should they enter into Life in the Spirit) when they will be convicted of and/or held to account for their sins. Until then, we are the eyes and arms of Jesus and not His sword. Any change of our lives should spring from an intense desire to serve God more fully through our buring love of His holiness and person. No legalism can bring about this love, and no repentance is real without it.
I recognize that this response odes not come at the issue of gay rights from a political standpoint, but that is not its intent. Above and benath any politcal action must lie this basis of love and truth through the Triune God.
-Brett Dewing
ehud
Nov 19 2004
10:21 am
As God’s elect, the human content of His earthly body, we have a great responsibility here. As a body of wounded and unworthy sinners, we are called to extend Christ’s hands to others like ourselves. As His representatives, we are called to follow His example. And we are all aware of Christ’s attitude toward “sinners and tax-collectors.” Who are we to deny the communion of the body to anyone? We are called (in Romans) to pass just and discerning judgement on those who are already in the church, but we are forbidden to do so with those outside of God’s committed family.
What we need to look at here, I think, is the term ‘rights’. In God’s family, we have to accept (in one sense) that we have no rights. God owes us nothing. We are to die to ourselves. The demand of Christians for their rights is a dangerous thing. We are told by Paul again and again that we will be persecuted, assaulted, killed. Did he campaign for his rights? He counted it joy to be oppressed and prayed with more dependance on His Father. I have no right to hang on to anything of my old life when entering the new. I have no right to hang on to anything but Him.
As those who have read my article (Rumours of the Askani) will know, I am called to the service of God as regards my deliverance from homosexuality. Included in this call is the need to repeat God’s plan and purposes for full heterosexual relating. Homosexuality is a distortion of God’s creation, but no more so than any of our multitudinous other neuroses.
This in no way legitimizes violence or discrimination against those who identiify themselves as gay! I join with the Spirit in crying over and out at such behaviour (hate crimes, slander, prejudicial treatment, etc.). It is an abomination to the holy name of God.
Our call goes beyond the act of “loving the sinner and hating the sin” as this is usually understood. The truth of this idiom requires that we relearn the word ‘love’. We cannot and are not asked to change the behaviour of those who do not dwell in God. Such a change will not help their soul one wit. (If they are endangering others, this is obviously different.) We are called to accept them and love them As They Are. There will come a time in their walk (should they enter into Life in the Spirit) when they will be convicted of and/or held to account for their sins. Until then, we are the eyes and arms of Jesus and not His sword. Any change of our lives should spring from an intense desire to serve God more fully through our buring love of His holiness and person. No legalism can bring about this love, and no repentance is real without it.
I recognize that this response odes not come at the issue of gay rights from a political standpoint, but that is not its intent. Above and benath any politcal action must lie this basis of love and truth through the Triune God.
-Brett Dewing