A Friend of Sinners

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’" Luke 7:34 

Is it a sin to befriend a gay person?  This was the question someone was seeking an answer to online recently. To support their question they wrote, "one thing that bothers me is how many Christians attacks [sic] people for being gay. You can say something is a sin but to make someone feel less than loved is not good way [sic]. Trying to make them less than feeling loved by God is wrong. I try to go with the path Jesus takes and befriend others. Not attack ..." I understand what this individual is trying to convey. Christians are to interact with others in love. However, the question must be asked, "What do they mean by Christians attacking people for being gay?" This is a subjective use of language. An attack could be anything from physical harm to simply saying that homosexuality is a sin. Often times it is the so-called victim of the "attack" that is the one who is allowed to define the terms. But, I digress. Is it a sin to befriend a gay person? The short answer is, "No." To befriend someone means to offer help or support. Depending on what you are offering help and support for, this is not a problem. Of course, you want to be careful that you are not encouraging or endorsing their sinful behavior. One way to think about the question is to look at it in context of other sins people commit. Let us rephrase the question. How about if we ask the question like this: "Is it a sin to befriend a jealous person, a murderer, an angry person, a deceitful person, an evil person, a gossiper, a slanderer, an atheist, a rude person, an arrogant person, inventors of evil, people who disobey their parents, the ignorant, the unfaithful, the loveless, and merciless?" This question paraphrases Romans 1:29-31 which reads, "They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy." It is Romans 1 where the Apostle Paul makes firm and absolute statements regarding homosexuality. He goes so far as to say, "God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another (Romans 1:24)." However, Christians oftentimes seem to stop at homosexuality as if it is the only sin a person commits worth separating over. I can understand this given the way the sin is flaunted by those enslaved to it and used by politicians to force acceptance of it on the masses. However, with that said, if we were to ban the befriending of people trapped in sin, you could argue we would all be alone.

Like with anything you have to use discernment with those you keep company with but always keeping in mind that these people are those who Jesus died and rose for like He did for us. There are not too many of us who weren't befriended by someone who knew the Lord when we were trapped in our sins and needed them to share the love of God with us. For example, shortly before I came to Jesus, I was reunited with an old friend. From what I recall, she prayed for me and talked with me on numerous occasions. She, for all tense and purposes, "befriended" a sinner. My problem wasn't homosexuality, but drunkenness, fornication, and a list too long to write are what had a grip on my life. Most of our interaction took place over the phone and it wasn't long before she was again out of my life. I haven't spoken to her since, but will always be thankful for God using her, or putting her in my life, at a time I needed it the most. Anybody we befriend is a ________ person. We are all dealing with sin in our life to one extent or the other. It is just that most of us don't identify ourselves by it like others do. It is our "little secret." However, we all need someone we can confide in and who will listen to us; slowly guiding us to the Lord. Imagine the "tax collectors and sinners" that Jesus Christ was criticized for associating with during His ministry. How would He answer the question, "Is it a sin to befriend a gay person?" Jesus gave the answer to this question Himself. "When the scribes who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:16-17).” Sin is sin. Before coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ we are all sick sinners in need of being made well. Those who were alive during the ministry of Jesus Christ had the privilege of having Him personally befriend them and receive His loving kindness.  Until His return Jesus uses Christians to befriend sinners and be His eyes He sees with, hands He touches with, voice He speaks with, and legs He walks with. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Romans 10:14-15)!" Christians are the only ones in the world with the beautiful feet that bring the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those most in need of hearing it. Befriend a sinner. Reap a saint!

If You Only Knew

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them (Romans 1:28-32).” So, I am talking with another Christian the other day and the topic of homosexuality comes up. It seems like that is the only topic anybody can talk about these days, but it has to be addressed. The individual I was talking to was of the opinion that homosexuality was something we should embrace. After I disagreed with their belief they asked me, “Do you know anybody who is gay?” I said, “Yes, I do,” and they didn’t press the issue. I didn’t say this at the time because I didn’t want to get into an argument, but I thought to myself, “Were they thinking that I had come to my conclusions because I didn’t know a homosexual and that if I did know one I would think differently?” Is this how people determine what is sin and what is not these days? Romans 1 is one of the foundational Bible chapters when it comes to what God thinks about homosexuality. However, I often wonder if Christians not only read the Bible, but do they read all of it? While there is no question in my mind that God believes homosexuality is a sin, there are some other things listed right along with that sin that people seem to overlook or simply gloss over.

The individual I was speaking with is a parent. I wonder what they would have said if I had asked them, “Is it wrong for your children to disobey you?” No doubt they would have answered, “Yes, it is.” Yet, we see right there in Romans 1 that being “disobedient to parents” is listed right along with a host of other sinful acts described as originating from a “depraved mind.” Furthermore, the Bible says that according to God’s law those who practice these things are “worthy of death.” Yes, according to the law of God, a disobedient child is subject to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). But, according to the person I was speaking with a disobedient child is something that should be embraced and accepted as okay because they know their child. By their logic the child is not sinning when they are being disobedient. If you take their belief to its logical conclusion you can eventually get to the point where nothing is sin, especially if you know the sinner.  Therefore, things like envy, murder, gossip, slander, hating God, being arrogant, inventing evil, being deceitful, wicked and greedy should be okay as long as we know the person or people practicing these things. Yet, according to the Bible, it is the people who know those who are practicing sin and heartily approve of it that are at fault! Thankfully, because of the death of Jesus Christ, God is not counting the sins of man against us. However, for those practicing sin and perhaps even for those who are approving of their behavior there is a fate worse than death awaiting them; being eternally separated from God in hell. The reason people are practicing the sins mentioned in Romans 1 and other sins is because they do not know God through faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps the individual I was speaking with doesn’t truly know Him either despite their claims; at best they don’t know the truth of the scriptures. Regardless, we have to build our thinking from the Bible not from our own flawed understanding of the world based off our personal relationships and experiences.  

Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah

“And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) (Genesis 14:1-2).” I have never given it much thought, but it struck me that in this list of kings mentioned in Genesis 14, that Sodom and Gomorrah had kings. How often, for obvious reasons, do we jump right to God’s judgment of these two cities for their sins and never once consider that they were led by kings? What this says to me is that the actions of the people of these cities was either promoted by the king or permitted by him. Regardless of which one it was the king was okay with the actions of his people. This got me to thinking about the world we live in today and specifically the United States. A king is someone who generally inherits their position by right of birth. Whereas the President of the United States is voted into office by the people of the country. In both instances the way the people behave is either a reflection of what their leader believes or the leader is a representation of what the people believe. We know that the Lord would eventually destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because, “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave… (Genesis 18:20)” We don’t know everything that was going on within these cities, but we do know that the sexual immorality was so bad that from God’s perspective there were less than ten righteous people in the city of Sodom alone. That included the king.

Fast forward to today. What do we see in our country, but the rise, promotion and endorsement of sexual immorality and everything it touches?  I have talked before about sins like abortion which has taken the lives of nearly 60 million unborn children in the US alone in my lifetime. Many of these unborn children were the byproduct of promiscuous sexual activity which once used to be taboo, but now is mainstream. And now one of the first declarations of God that a “man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (Genesis 2:24)” has now been changed to include any two consenting adults regardless of gender. Only God knows what’s next? There have been eight Presidents in my lifetime and none of them have really attempted to stem the tide of all this sexual immorality. In fact, some of them have been embroiled in their own sex scandals and emerged with little or no damage to their reputations. Other Presidents have pledged their allegiance to those who fight for the “right” to kill their unborn children or call their godless relationships marriage. But, what is worse is that many of these Presidents, if not all of them, have claimed to be or have been thought to be Christians. Plus, they have been voted into office by the people of this country where over 80% claim to be Christians themselves. It gives new meaning to what the Bible says about the End Times; men will be “lovers of themselves” and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Thankfully, while I don’t believe God will destroy us like He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, there is nothing stopping Him from allowing us to destroy ourselves. We need to look no further than our kings and Presidents to realize they are only a reflection of what we believe and what we desire. Our only hope is not in our leaders, but in our God and Savior Jesus Christ. May we come to the end of ourselves and fall into His loving hands before it is too late. 

Born That Way?

How often do you hear proponents of homosexuality defend the sinful act by saying that gays were born that way? When debating a heterosexual they will ask, “When did you become heterosexual?” They do this because they think it is the trump card that wins the argument because they are expecting the heterosexual to say, “I was born this way.” Therefore, if they can’t tell you when they “chose” to be heterosexual, then the heterosexual can’t say that homosexual behavior is the result of choice, but a natural consequence of being born gay. However, if I was ever asked the question, “When did you become heterosexual?” I would simply say, “The natural use of the human body is for a man and a woman. But, to answer your question, the moment I chose to be heterosexual was the moment I decided to engage in sexual relations with a woman.” Thus, a person becomes homosexual or lesbian the moment they choose to have sex with the same gender. But, I say all of that not to focus on homosexuality, but to prove a point about thoughts and actions in relation to sin. We could use the “born that way” excuse to justify any action and remove ourselves from having any personal responsibility. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he (KJV).” Along those same lines, Jesus later said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders (Matthew 15:9).” 

If a person said they were born a murderer, an adulterer, a fornicator, a thief, a false witness or a slanderer in order to justify their actions, we would laugh at them. Why would we laugh? We would laugh because we know that people choose to do all these things based on a desire that originated in their heart. And when we remove personal choice, we remove the personal accountability we all have for our actions. Plus, the consequences of our actions will still affect the victims. Ultimately, when we remove choice and personal responsibility, we are placing the responsibility on God. God becomes the author of sin, evil and chaos. Therefore, people can just dismiss a God like that. Quite frankly, that is what I believe these people want in the end. They want the freedom to live any way they desire, regardless of how sinful or destructive it may be, and not have to be accountable for their actions to a just God. By removing choice, responsibility, accountability and God from their lives allows them to be their own gods; making the rules that best serve their fleshly desires without any hindrance. Proverbs 21:2 says, “Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.” Regardless of what man says they have no choice in doing, God knows the heart behind their actions and will judge them according to what they chose to do with His Son, Jesus Christ.