In an editorial published in USA Today
on November 19, Oliver “Buzz” Thomas poses the question what would
happen if religion were to lose its credibility. According to Thomas,
“Religion’s only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop.”
Thomas writes this piece over the subject of homosexuality. In
speaking against homosexuality as a sin (and it is a sin), he writes
that we’re almost shooting ourselves in our foot. Homosexuality is
forbidden in Leviticus 18 (“You shall not lie with a man as with a
woman; it is an abomination.”) However, if you accept the Bible as the
inspired Word of God (as The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod does),
then you would have to accept ALL of the Levitical laws, such
as food laws, death penalties for certain actions and the like.
However, we do not punish people for breaking every Levitical law that
there is. So one can make the argument: Who are you to judge me when
you don’t even follow everything that the Bible says.
Scripture is very clear that homosexuality is a sin. It is so great a
sin, that entire cities were wiped out because of their homosexual
practices. According to Thomas,
“A better reading of Scripture starts with the book of Genesis and the grand pronouncement about the world God created and all those who dwelled in it. “And, the Lord saw that it was good.” If God created us and if everything he created is good, how can a gay person be guilty of being anything more than what God created him or her to be?”
Ask yourself this question: Would God voluntarily make you a sinner?
If God made you to be homosexual, then you are made a sinner. Why
would God arbitrarily make some people sinners while some are not
sinners? God did not make anyone to be homosexual because
homosexuality is a sin. God made us all in His image, sinless.
However, when our first parents, Adam and Eve, ate from the tree in the
Garden of Eden, we became sinners. We lost the image of God and there
was nothing that we could do to regain that image of God. The only way
that we could regain the image of God was through the sacrificial death
of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who died so that we might have life
again in His name.
Are we sinners? Yes, we are sinners.
Did God make us to be sinners? No. How do we get rid of sin? We
can’t get rid of sin. Jesus Christ has clothed us in His holiness
through His body and blood, shed on the cross for all of mankind. For
that, we say Amen!
Our biggest problem in the church is we are always fighting sin by ranking it. Culture and society is always trying to make sin “less sinful” by making what is sinful OK. And sadly, we in the church fall into the pattern of fighting the “sin of the day” rather than the entirety of sin that effects all of humanity.
Homosexuality, beating the snot out of your spouse, cursing at the driver going too slow in front of you, etc. … we are always ranking sin as a culture believing that God hates certain sins less than the others (outside of the unforgiveable sin, rejection of the Holy Spirit). “Oh, I may have said a bad word about the slow poke in front of me, but at least I don’t beat my wife. God won’t be mad at me for that.”
When we try to argue the sin debate in public, we have to be clear — actions against God is sin. Period. Whether a person believes it or not, we can’t waver and can’t wimp out by making sin ‘less sinful’ just to make people feel good. I would rather have people hate me than to become a linguine spined pastor who wimps out at every chance I get to preach Christ crucified.
Sin is sin. Sin is bad. Thank God for Christ for taking our sins away.