All You Need Is Love

The Beatles said “all you need is love” and now many denominations are taking on that stance in their assemblies. In recent years, there have been numerous press releases about ‘gay pastors’ being accepted, because in the world’s opinion it is ‘judgmental’ and ‘unloving’ not to open your arms to such practices. Even among the ‘Christian music’ industry, a female singer ‘came out’ for the world as a lesbian yet still claimed a strong relationship with God. In the church Christ established, I am not yet aware of any homosexual lifestyle being openly accepted or promoted in leadership. However, I have seen a trend among some members to become comfortable with the idea of it not being wrong and not taking any sort of stand against it. This is a slippery slope to false teaching. So let’s examine what the Scriptures have to say.

How does God feel about homosexuality? 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is clear: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” God does not accept homosexuality into His church and neither should we as His people.

 However, we should genuinely love the person just as God does and care for his or her soul. Romans 12:9 tells us the attitude that we are to display: “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” We must hate the sin, but love the sinner. Some of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever known choose to live a homosexual lifestyle. This is a very sad thing, for if not repented from, it will cost them their very soul. Yet it doesn’t mean I don’t continue to love them, while also being careful not to condone their behavior.

 This is where the world tends to get confused: loving someone is not synonymous with accepting their unrepented sinfulness. I had a friend in a church of Christ college who recently told me that two people who are living in the sin of homosexuality were fine because “they really are so happy together.” True loves expresses itself through caring so much for someone’s soul that you cannot accept their unrepented sin. God is our perfect example of this exact principle! Nails didn’t hold Jesus to the cross; love did!  His love is beyond our comprehension.

 Yet despite this perfect love and the acceptance of an imperfect sinner, He still did not accept unrepented sin! 2 Peter 4:4-10 makes this clear: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.”

Our attitude about every matter in life should be reflective of the one God displays through Scripture. We are to love all men and to do our best to bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ, but we can’t accept unrepented sin and say “God doesn’t mind if you keep living this way.” It is a lie and one that puts their soul in grave jeopardy. We must love what God loves and hate what God hates in order to be like Him and pleasing to Him. Though we should always be kind and loving in our approach, we cannot change the hard truths in order to appease anyone. Would you rather help spare someone’s feelings or their soul?

Practical Pointers

§  Think of kind and loving ways to approach a friend or family member who may be currently living in this sin. Find supporting Scriptures and ask them if they would be interested in  a honest discussion and study with you.

§  Read through the Scriptures and find examples of where Jesus repeatedly forgave men of their sin once they had repented. Think through your initial reaction to a convert who was formerly living a homosexual life. How would you react? Is it how you should?

§  Remember that you represent Christ. Using slurs and other unfit comments to berate people is not appropriate in helping to save their soul. Practice the genuine love we are to show to all men. Love the sinner! Hate the sin!

Mirror Time

1. Which is more of a personal struggle: loving homosexual people as Jesus did or not silently or verbally supporting their sinful lifestyle? Why do you think this is?

2.  Discuss instances of homosexuality that are recorded in the Bible. Why did God call these    

relations “unnatural” (Jude 1:7)? If homosexuality is unnatural, can people truly be born ‘gay’? Explain why not.

3.  How can you take a stand against the sin of homosexuality? Think of ways to stand strong in God’s truth on this subject in a nation that continues to legalize and promote homosexual unions as God-ordained marriages. What political bill can you vote against? What person of power in our country could you call or write to opposing this? 

 4. Since people are not born gay, discuss the reasons and social pressures that might make a man or woman choose this lifestyle. 

 The Savior's Love

He said, “My child, I love you. 

Trust me and bear this pain.”

I said, “Lord, I only love you 

in the sunshine, not the rain!”

He asked, “My love, please trust me. 

My will is best for you.”

I said, “Harsh pain and suffering? 

I have better things to do!”

He said, “You break my heart, 

but it is your choice to make.”

I said, “Just pour out blessings---

money, fame, now those I’ll take!”

He said, “Dear friend, I’ve given you, 

the best gift of your life.”

I said, “Lord, all I see from you 

is hurt, and pain, and strife.”

He asked, “Have you forsaken? 

The thorns, the nails, the cross?”

I said, “You’re nothing to me! 

Without you, there’s no loss!”

He said, “Dear one, I pray for you, 

each and every day.”

I said, “Just leave me to my life!

 Just please go far away!”

He said, “I’ll always be with you, 

though not you’ll take my hand.”

I said, “You are forgotten!”

Til the day I couldn’t stand

When the Father looked into me,

Tears within his heavenly eyes

Looking down upon me,

A sinner, lost in lies

I said, “Lord, please forgive me! 

That I may enter in!”

He said, “I love you, precious,

 but you’re crushed beneath your sin.”

So fast I fell into the flames,

Grasping, reaching for above

Only then to realize,

I’d refused the Savior’s love