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The "Gay Rights" advocates had a hay day with the Supreme Court ruling this week. But, the laws of the land are still the same. There are still 38 states that outright ban same sex marriages with constitutions defining marriage between one man and one woman. The judicial courts do not make laws, and in California, a district court cannot negate a law voted on by the people. So the debate rages on...

I read one of the best discussions on the public debate that homosexuality is a sin argument.

Of course we Christians know it is a sin, but we are all sinners. That is where Trevin Wax says the debate is lost by Christians. He points out that in the Larry King show discussion Jennifer Knapp asked the question (loosely paraphrased here) So we are all sinners, then why are you judging me and I'm not judging you?

He says that we should go back to basics and focus on repentance instead of the sin. All I can say is WOW! Isn't this what we've been taught since Primary in Sunday School? All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. Which is the ultimate reason we should repent and turn to Him for only He has made the one perfect sacrifice. Thank you, God! Thank you.

Trevin Wax also points out that we should not allow ourselves to be defined by our sexuality. This is what I've been preaching for years and years. The main thing I hate that homosexuals do is that they stick out their hand and say, "Hi I'm _____, and I'm gay."

"So?" I want to reply. "I do not want to know what you do behind a closed bedroom door! But, since you bring it up... I'm celibate because God declared certain things concerning Man and Woman and one of those things is that sexual intimacy is between a man and his wife and no others. There is the blessing, and it is sin otherwise. Since we all sin, we all must repent. Being celibate is not who I am, nor am I defined by my singleness, or that I am female, yet all of those things are part of me." I am sick to death of this being rammed down my throat.

What truly aggravates me is that these people (both those who have loved ones who are homosexual and those who practice homosexuality), are in my face flaunting it and calling me judgmental when they exhibit a huge intolerance for literal Scripture and those of Christian faith even attacking people such as Greg Laurie, Rick Warren, and Joel Olsteen. The so-called Christian homosexual declares that everyone since Moses has misunderstood the Bible and the Biblical principle dealing with same gender sex. The arrogance of this is distressing to me. It distresses me because I know that they have bought into Satan's lies, and have become Satan's slaves.

Satan has deceived them for one reason which is to deflate and putrefy the Christian witness. When someone is struggling with same gender attraction, it is a sign of something much deeper than sex. It is a sign of misdirected esteem, a lack of deep Biblical roots, and a desperate searching for acceptance and love. That cuts me to the heart. I weep for them because they do not understand just how much God loves them, and because His Son accepts them just where they are. Just as I am without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me. How incredibly wonderful that is.

The sad part is, suneudkeō. Those .3% of the population (look it up on the 2010 Census) not only wallow in sin, but they are defending it, and justifying it, and encouraging others to do it. Paul sharply warns against this kind of behavior which exacerbates the sin in Romans 1:18-32. To be pleased with and by other’s sins is basically to love sin for sin’s sake. This is joining in Satan’s work and his kingdom and working for his interest. I am not saying homosexuals are beyond God’s grace, but the Bible does say “And just as they did not see fit [to recognize God], God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things that are not proper...” Romans 1:28.

Our own sin is exacerbated by our complacency and concurrence with sin in others, and when we are so rigid in unforgiveness in the face of repentance. But, we don't obliterate the sin in others. Jesus covers the sin through faith and repentance. We are to be the arms and hands of love, guiding and directing -- not browbeating or pointing fingers. The key here is that just as a tiny flame dispels darkness, so does Truth dispel deceit. We are to be that flame in this dark world.

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful! 37 "And do not judge, and you will never be judged. And do not condemn, and you will never be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned.

We would do well to put a muzzle on judgment and focus on repentance...

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

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