I fear there is a deep misunderstanding of the gospel in the church today. It seems that many Christians have twisted the meaning of the gospel which in turn, twists its purpose. The gospel does not preach love and acceptance to everyone. It calls us to repentance. The very nature of the gospel is that Christ came to die in place of our sins.
“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” Romans 3:22-26
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Romans 5:6-9
“For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:7-23
According to these scriptures, we gain the understanding that we are all sinners and enslaved to our sin. Satan literally has us held captives as slaves to sin. We are bound to the consequences of living a human life. However, we read that when we follow Christ’s example and put to death our old selves, and repent of our sins, we are freed from that bondage because Christ paid our bail. So we no longer are bound to sin. What does that mean though? It means, before Christ was an influence in our lives, we had no reason not to do wrong. But now we know that salvation comes through believing and as a result we strive to follow Christ’s example in our lives and turn away from sinful actions.
There are some Christians who misunderstand the true intention of the gospel. Being a Christian is not just simply believing in God and Christ, the Bible says even the demons believe in God.
“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. James 2:19”
But the key factor is acknowledging our sin and turning away from it;
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
I hear all the time that Jesus preached a gospel of love, and that even He ate with sinners so we should follow His example and love and accept everyone. This is stemming from a misunderstanding of the purpose of Jesus’ presence here on earth. He did not come to just love on everyone, no, not at all, rather He came to offend and convict. He came to open our eyes to the sin around us. He came to call us to repentance and the only way He could grant us forgiveness was by taking on the consequences of our actions for us. Do you really think Jesus died because he was spreading love and acceptance?? Nope! He died because He was offending the religious leaders and challenging their ideology. Let’s look at a couple of examples of Jesus “accepting” the sinners…
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13
“Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!” Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.” Matthew 15:21-28
“Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”” John 4:7-26
“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”” Luke 7:36-50
“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” ———-” John 8:1-11
“When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.” John 9:35-41
In every single one of these passages Jesus tells the person he is forgiving that they are a fallen sinner in need of grace. He calls them sinners and guilty. He calls out their sin. Never once does he say their sin is good, or acceptable. He came to call the sinners to repentance. Repentance does not mean saying “I’m sorry” and continuing to sin.
““But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:14-16
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
Because confessing your sins but not turning away from them is completely pointless. In these passages are just two out of several scriptures that say you will not have eternal life if you continue to sin. Therefore claiming to be a Christian and continuing in sin is by definition not a Christian. Likewise being a Christian and justifying someone else’s sin and accepting it as good and right, is absolutely wrong.
Once upon a time there was a teacher and her student of about 10 years old. One day the teacher caught the boy cheating on his homework. She called him out and he said he was sorry so she forgave him. Yet he continued to cheat, repeatedly, every time he cheated, he would come to her and confess that he cheated again and she would forgive him. Would you consider this boy to be truly repentant of his wrongdoing, or just taking advantage of the grace of the teacher? At what point would it be acceptable for the teacher to inflict punishment? Is there any point to punishment, because the student repented every time, clearly he knew it was wrong. Should the teacher continue to forgive him? Most of us would say that the teacher should not tolerate this type of behavior because clearly the boy is not sorry otherwise he would change his ways, right?
Let’s see what Paul has to say about this type of behavior:
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:1-4
Alright so now that we’ve cleared up that confusion, I’ll just summarize what we’ve discussed so far. Christians are to repent of their sin and turn away from wrongdoing. We are to live a life that is free from the power of sin. That means we can’t continue to willfully live in sin while claiming to be a Christian. Because claiming to be a Christian means you are striving to live a blameless life. Does that mean we will never make a mistake, no, it means we are repentant when we mess up and we “strive” to do what is right. We are not perfect because we are human.
Sin is Sin
So I recognize that the majority of Christianity knows this but I have noticed this misunderstanding becoming more common lately, more especially in the conversation of homosexuality and gender dysphoria. Many Christians either do not see them as sin (which you can refer to my post labeled “I kissed a girl and I liked it” to see what the bible says about that subject) or believe that it would be wrong to address such sins in anyone. I would like to clear up the water and provide some scriptures that can hopefully help you come to a decision on this.
First, the bible clearly defines homosexuality to be a sin. There are a vast number of passages clearly spelling out the act of homosexuality as a sin, plain and simple. Many argue away different points such as the modern translations being biased and arguments that the original text meant something else. To which I would point out that the Greek root word used in most of the passages refer to men bedding men. And gender dysphoria is rooted in a lost identity that should be found in Christ, but because we are all sinful and live in a fallen world, some do not identify themselves in Christ, and therefore their identity is confused by the world. All that aside, the reason I bring up sexual sin specifically is because in the passage I will use, Paul specifically mentions sexual sin and this is the biggest one I see justified in today’s society.
Second, as Christians, we should have a base knowledge that sin is wrong and that we should no longer sin once we identify as a Christian (as previously discussed), however, the world is not held to those standards and while they should not sin, they have no reason not to. This is based on the previous passages of scripture where we read that we are bound by sin until we are set free by Christ. Therefore non-believers are still bound to sin and obligated to continue in sin.
Side note: I want to clearly define what living in sin means as it will be very important in future discussion. Do you remember our story of the little boy and his teacher? That little boy would be considered to be living in sin. It simply means continuing to do wrong when you know it is wrong but choose it anyway. Like someone who continuously steals things or chronically lies.
“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31
So we finally come to my point in all of this, should we “judge” people for their sin? The answer is both simple and complicated. Some say yes, some say no but I cannot simply say just yes or no. The reason being that there are different answers based on different circumstances. With that being said, let’s break this down a little using scripture to help.
I would like to take a side note and dive into the word “judge” for a moment.
judge
judged; judging
1: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises
2: to form an estimate or evaluation of:
trying to judge the amount of time required
especially : to form a negative opinion about:
shouldn’t judge him because of his accent
3: to hold as an opinion : GUESS, THINK
I judge she knew what she was doing
4: to sit in judgment on : TRY
judge a case
5: to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judge
So we can see that there are several different connotations to the word judge, some have negative implications and some have righteous implications. This is the biggest reason why we are confused about the concept of judging others.
Judging Believers
Should Christians “judge” other Christians for living in sin? The answer is yes.
“When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Now wait a second, this passage says very clearly to judge fellow believers who willingly choose to live in sin, it also says to not associate with them. This is pretty harsh but who am I to argue with God’s divine word… I must only search to know the truth, and I really don’t think there is much to search about in this one, it’s pretty plain written. I believe this is because, if someone has professed to be a Christian then they have the Holy Spirit living within them as a guide and the Spirit leads them to conviction when necessary. Living in continual sin is a heart problem and we as humans cannot make anyone change their heart. However we can call them out and make them seek repentance. Because if they have access to God and the Spirit is convicting them and they choose to turn away from what they know to be right, they need a wake up call. What better way to give them a wake up call than cutting them off from influencing you. Does this mean they are not welcome inside the church, I don’t know, anyone is welcome inside the church, so long as they are seeking repentance and forgiveness. If someone is not willing to repent and they are a Christian then they need to be woken up to the cold hard truth that is the consequence of sin.
Take this for example: There’s a man attending your church, has been for years, his name is Tom and he has a wife and two teenage kids. Only problem is that Tom is a raging alcoholic, who has been known to lash out in anger towards his wife and kids. Rumor has it, he even cheated on his wife one night while drunk. Now Tom is a faithful pew warmer and comes every week. In this situation, the proper thing to do would be to have an elder speak in private with Tom. And If he continues in his behavior or refuses to repent then it needs to be brought up before the whole leadership.
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” ‘ Matthew 18:15-20”
Now this does not mean you are to be rude and “judgy” toward them, rather we are to gently correct them and bring to light the recognition of their sin, ultimately it is up to them to repent.
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” Galatians 6:1-3
No one is too good or better than anyone else and the point of being here on earth as Christians is to further the cause of Christ and treat others with kindness.
If the person does repent and turn from their ways, then we are to welcome them back and forgive them and show them love
“I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. ‘ 2 Corinthians 2:5-11”
So there you have it, it is our job as fellow Christians to correct and guide each other when another sins. So yes, Christians should judge other Christians.
Judging Non Believers
Sweet, we’ve cleared up how to handle fellow Christians who live in continual sin, but what about non believers? How are we to treat them and their sin? First let’s address the fact that they are not Christians so therefore they do not have the influence of Christ in them nor do they have the Spirit to convict them. They are therefore under no obligation to do what is right, to them there is no moral basis for right and wrong. We must then begin with forming a friendship with these people to allow them the opportunity to see Christ living within you. If you are living as a Christian should live, you should be visibly different from the world.
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 1 John 2:15”
”You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” James 4:4-6,8
“I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:14-19”
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2”
These verses talk about being set apart from the world, and not following the sinful desires and passions of the flesh. If we as Christians allow ourselves to be conformed to the sinfulness of the world, how can we expect the world to see us as any different. We have to make an effort to stand out from the crowd and hold on to biblical truths and proclaim them. Not in a judgmental and condescending way, because we are all sinners and are in need of grace, one sin deserves judgment just as much as the other. Therefore it is not our job to condemn the world, only to show them the truth and be a light in a world filled with darkness. They are held captive by sin, and it is our job to show them the beauty of freedom through Christ.
Once you have built trust with non believers, then you can show them the truth in a loving and gentle, guiding manner. Hellfire and brimstone is not the best way to go, at all, instead we need love and forgiveness then repentance. People need to see why they need to change before they can be told they need to change or else they by eternal fire. Which are two very different perspectives with very different outcomes.
As a silly example, let’s say your sister walks in the room one day shortly after you have moved out of your parents house and you are visiting, and she starts hurling insults saying mom told her to tell you, stuff like “You good for nothing, lazy, kid” “You never do anything right” “You clean these dishes now, or else” Naturally your first instinct is to become angry and confused, because you are being insulted and told to do something that you’ve never been told to do before and as far as your concerned does not apply to you. You don’t even live in your parent’s house, why is your mom telling you that you need to abide by her rules? It is her job to be your parent, but you are not under her authority any more. You are angry at your sister for yelling at you and you start to resent her. Let’s flip this, God is the parent, your sister is a Christian, and you are a non believer. Sounds kinda familiar doesn’t it? This world belongs to God and Christians have the responsibility to follow God’s laws, but non-believers are not bound to God’s law, for they are not committed to Him, rather they are bound to Satan and are living under his rule and authority. So when a Christian starts telling you your evil for living your life the only way you know how, it makes no sense and is really quite unfair. But we as Christians know it is God’s desire that everyone seek Him and follow His law. So it is very much so our job to spread the truth, just not in a rude and demanding way. But we do need to address sin and call it what it is.
False Gospel
Please hear my heart on this, as I am trying my best to explain this in simple terms. But I am saddened by the amount of Christians who have become conformed by the world, and are accepting sin as being right. I know that I will not be able to change anyone’s minds or cause them to change their ways, but I can at least encourage everyone to be open to listening to the Holy Spirit. When you are devoted to prayer and reading the scriptures, really open your spirit to receive what the Lord has for you, search for the truth. Please do not just believe what everyone tells you to believe. Really look for an answer for yourself. If you choose to believe contrary to what the bible says, you best better have a really good explanation because God is not forgiving at all for blatant ignorance.
What do I mean by believing contrary to what the bible says? I mean specifically in the context of today’s Christian tolerance and acceptance of sexual sin. It confuses me how Christians can justify this as being okay. I really cannot understand it. It looks pretty on the outside, it sounds good. So I understand how non-believers fall for the lie that sexual sin is acceptable, but Christians who have access to a Bible and read it have no excuse for blatantly ignoring scripture, in my mind. How can someone read a passage like Romans 1:26-27 and not see through the world’s lies?
‘That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. ‘
We aren’t the only one’s stumbling on this false gospel. Paul evidently had to deal with the Galatians getting fooled by a fluffy feel good gospel too. Let’s see what he has to say:
Galatians 1 There Is Only One Good News
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is quite literally this: Jesus came to earth, died on a cross, was buried and rose again. That is the gospel but why? He did this to remove the consequences of our sins. In order for him to cover our sins, we have to believe in Him and repent of our sins.
‘Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ‘ Acts of the Apostles 2:38
‘But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. ‘ 1 John 1:9
Guys, I highly encourage you to read the book of Romans. This book is essential to any Christian, it contains so much about stuff we are dealing with today. If I didn’t know better I would think someone wrote it this year. I was just trying to find one single verse and couldn’t pick, I could use the entire first chapter to talk about the gospel. But I picked out some of the key verses.
‘The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.’ Romans 1:3-4,17-19,24-26,32
If that doesn’t just sum up my talk in a nutshell I don’t know what does.
I hope you all are following me and understanding what I’m trying to get at. As Christians we cannot allow the world to influence our thoughts. We cannot allow the fluffy feel good gospel to take root in our minds. The gospel is not a feel good message at all. In fact it is the exact opposite. The gospel message is inherently calling us to change our ways and go against the grain of society. If that isn’t calling sin what it is and not allowing society’s lies to infiltrate your beliefs then I don’t know what your definition of sin is. Maybe that’s the bigger topic, maybe we should talk about what God calls sin. I think we all know the Ten Commandments but let’s look at this pretty little list of sins that come about from conforming to the world and living like the rest of society:
‘When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. ‘ Galatians 5:19-21
So let us not follow this list, but rather look to see how we as Christians are to live:
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:17-32
I can’t be any more clear than I already have, sin is sin and if you believe the lie that sin is okay, then you are no longer staying true to the gospel and have conformed to this world. Jesus did not come to love everybody. He came to bring us to redemption. Your sin is not okay to continue once you have repented and received forgiveness. That means, it is not okay to be gay and continue to live in sin like nothing is wrong. Does that mean if you are gay then you cannot be a Christian? That’s not what I said, I said you must repent. You must turn from your sin. All Christians start out as sinners because every human being is a sinner and someone who has fallen into the trap of sexual sin is absolutely no different than anyone else, they deserve to experience Christ’s forgiveness just the same as me, and I want that for everyone. But you cannot call yourself a Christian and continue to deliberately live in sin and overlook it or ignore it, or justify it. If I were to be a perpetual liar then I would be in the same situation.
As a Christian we have to stop sinning. This is simply a non negotiable as a term in our contract. If you don’t believe sexual sin such as LGBTQ+ is a sin, then read your bible. If passages like the ones I’ve included aren’t sin then maybe there is no such thing as sin. Because how on earth is one thing in a whole long list of sins not a sin but the others are? And you can’t use the excuse of translation because I’ve researched it in every translation and they are all pretty clear, even down to the original Greek. So stop using excuses to make the Gospel feel good and not offensive, the gospel is offensive.
Deep Thoughts With Nakia 