Why do we expect others to have the same exact ideas of
morality as we do?
Why are we surprised when a person who believes something
different than us makes decisions that we don’t agree with?
If we believe that what we stand for is the best way to go through
life, what are we doing to try to convince others of this?
- Get
angry when their actions are different?
- Make
broad statements about their actions without addressing their belief
system?
- Sit
in our cozy holy huddle and thank God we are not like them?
- Love
them with the love of Jesus, never compromising truth, knowing that God, not
us, is the one what changes hearts and minds?
I vote for the last one and my guess would be that Phil
Robertson of Duck Dynasty would to. Mr. Robertson was recently fired by the A&E Network for stating his view that homosexuality is sin. Though his choice of words could have been better, his words, when taken
in context of the whole article, make two things very clear about his beliefs:
1. ALL
sin is wrong, whether it’s homosexuality, bestiality, or adultery.
2. All
people deserve to be loved and cared for and spoken to with honesty.
Here’s where a little biblical clarification needs to
happen. God does not equate sin
with someone who has homosexual leanings – temptation is not the same as
sin. Rather, just like any desire
that I might have to lie on my taxes or watch pornography, the desire to be
with someone of the same sex is not a sin until you act on it. Allow the Bible to explain this (from
James 1:13-15):
When tempted, no
one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor
does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by
their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
When desire turns to action, whether mental action or
physical action, we have crossed that line, said, “NO!” to God, and chosen to
go our own way, which leads to death.
If you don’t care how the Bible defines sin that is your right. At the same time, your belief doesn’t change
what God thinks of sin, plus your belief communicates who your authority
really is.
A&E had a perfectly legitimate case for doing what
they’re doing. If their authority
is public opinion and money, then they should act accordingly. Similarly, who or what our authority
is will drive what we do.
What we do DOES affect others, no matter how we’ve chosen to spin
it. How we’ve chosen to spin it reveals
where our loyalty lies.
Where is your loyalty?
Where do you get your right and wrong from? What is sin and is it a big deal? We need to each land somewhere. Phil Robertson has landed somewhere, even if he hasn’t
communicated it the way he could have.
The trick is using the whole of Scripture to guide our opinions on
issues as well as drive our compassion for people. This is why I’ll always stand for Jesus, because He did this
perfectly.
