slideshow

While having breakfast with a group of men last Saturday, one of those men stepped out and gave me an answer for a question I hadn’t asked anyone but myself and God.

“Sinners sin because they like what they are doing. But as Christians, while we should not accept the sin, we should continue to love the sinner.”

As North Carolina went through the question of an amendment defining marriage as only that between one man and one woman, and as this country has reacted to the Boy Scouts of America deciding to stand firm with a policy that does not allow homosexuals within its ranks, and as many have wrestled with the recent decision by the Chik-Fil-A company to stick to its biblical values and oppose same-sex unions — it’s been an easy decision to make sure I had a seat on those bandwagons.

Easy, because I wasn’t deciding between what I thought was right or wrong … it was a decision between God’s word and human sin.

While there have been some accolades given for my beliefs, the reaction by the opposition has not been kind. And that’s not only in my small corner of the world, but also aimed at others who believe the same.

Let me tell you something that might be obvious to some: When sinners are confronted by God’s word, they will immediately recoil and point a blasphemous finger — and then start calling names. That’s because they have nothing of value to fall back on. God’s word offers them no credibility, only a path back to salvation.

Instead, they will be quick to call us homophobes and spewers of hate and bullies. But Christians are none of those things.

We have no phobia, or fear, of the gay lifestyle. We simply know it for what it truly is: A perverted, deviant sin that God abhors.

We are not spewing hate when we speak out against the homosexual lifestyle, we are letting people know that the choice of homosexuality is wrong — in God’s eyes.

We are not bullying anyone when we stand up against the gay lifestyle, we are doing what He would want us to do — believe in our faith, share God’s word and offer salvation away from the sin of Satan.

What those who attack us fail to understand is that we do not hate the person — we are expected to love all people. But we will not accept the sin. And if there are those out there, Christians included, who say they have friends, acquaintences and even family members who are actively pursuing the gay lifestyle and are accepting of it — then they are doing their friend, acquaintence and family member a tremendous disservice.

Love and accept the person, but not the sin.

Because I can count myself as a born-again Christian, attacks on my belief that are aimed at what I may write here will never impale the hedge of protection that God has surrounded me with. And there is peaceful solace in that.

But what will always hurt me is knowing that those who assail my words will forever be condemned and bound for eternity in the lake of fire — unless they find a way to turn things around.

We are called upon, as Christians, to be salt and light — and sometimes, when confronted by sin, we have to rub a little salt in someone’s feelings before we can shed some light on them. That’s not an easy thing to do. But if we are to do God’s will, then we know there is a way.

The man who spoke on Saturday followed up his answer to my unspoken question with these words of wisdom: “Those who are saved, born again, are the only ones who can call God their Father. For all the others, He is their creator — but He is our Father.”

Those who accept the sinful lifestyle of being a homosexual and lesbian often see, hear and feel the sadness they have brought upon their own parents and/or grandparents. But that sadness is nothing compared to the ache that it gives God. He wants what is best for each of us. He wants each of us to be saved. We are all His children — and though we will use our human minds to make decisions that are sinful, He will always have His arms open to us and offer forgiveness. We have only to ask.

But when sinners spend their time creating their own human justification for what they do, their spiritual Father can only weep, wait and hope. There is no biblical validation for the lifestyle they have fallen into, nor is there any path to eternal life.

So the next time anyone who thinks the gay lifestyle should be accepted by Christians, and tosses around names like homophobe or hate-spewer or bully, ask yourself this one question: Can you call God by those same names?

I know that I know that I know … you can’t.

— W. Curt Vincent is the general manager and editor of the Bladen Journal. He can be reached by calling 910-862-4163 or by email at cvincent@heartlandpublications.com.