From: adams@spss.com (Steve Adams)
Subject: Re: Homosexuality and Christianity
Date: 10 Apr 92 15:59:27 GMT
Organization: SPSS Inc.

hudson@athena.cs.uga.edu (Paul Hudson Jr) writes:

>In article <adams.702824507@spssig> adams@spss.com (Steve Adams) writes:
>>muehlhau@en.ecn.purdue.edu (John Muehlhausen) writes:

>>There are no grades of sin (expcet for blasphemy against the Spirit, ie
>>denying God's saving grace), and as such all sins are equal.

>Where do you get this?  All sin is evil, because it is disobedience to
>God.  But there are some sins that are "worthy of death" for example,
>homosexuality, murder, covenant-breaking, and disobedience to parents.
>There are some sins that are abominations.  All sins harm a relationship
>with God, but I would like to see where people get that all sins are
>equal from Scritpure.  

A combination of verses leads to this conclusion.  Mark 3:28-29 says that
all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven, except those who blaspheme
against the spirt will not be forgiven.  Same with Matthew 12:30-32.
Denying the power of the Spirt is the unforgivable sin.  The power of the
Spirit is in sustaining and guiding us and helping us be better witnesses
to the Risen Christ.  As such, by attributing things to Satan instead of
the Spirit, we are denying the Sprit's sustaining and saving power.

Consider also Romans 6:20-23.  Additionally, Christ seemed to equate all
sins as requiring the same action: repentance.  He did not speak of any
unforgivable sin, except the one above.  As such, how can any sin be worse
in the eyes of God?

Sin is what takes us away from God.  Anything that takes us away from God
can lead to eternal damnation, whether or not it is sexual or not.  By
setting 'levels' of sin, you can say "I do not sin as badly as he,' which
leads right into the error of the Pharisees:

[Matthew 23, NIV]

   "(Jesus says)(13)Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
    hypocrites!  You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces.  (14)You
    yourselves do not enterm nor will you let those who enter who are
    trying to."

You are a 'blind guide' if you hold that your sins are any less offensive
to God than mine are.  I am a sinner.  I work with God to resolve these
problems in my life.  My sins are no greater or lesser than any others.
Do not be a 'blind guide' and lead people astray.

>>Do heterosexuals have a choice of being "heterosexual"?  I didn't one day
>>decide to be heterosexual.  I just am.  Of course, I'm mostly right-handed,
>>but only because the nuns in the Catholic School wouldn't let me write left
>>handed.

>Most of us have what could be called a natural "urge" to fornicate.  Does
>this mean that we are to fornicate because we have this urge?  No.
>We are not even to lust.  

Yes, that's true.  But heterosexuals have a nice out called 'marriage' to
keep them in grace.  Paul said this himself.  It was better to marry and
indulge in sex than stay unmarried and sin.

>>I used to take your position.  Then I read the Gospels and prayed.  I spoke
>>with my Pastor and others.  Mostly, the Gospels are about love and
>>sacrifice.  God so loved us that he gave his only begotten son.  Jesus only
>>asks that we love God and each other unconditonally.  Paul does the same in
>>I Corinthians 13.

>Unconditional love does not equal tolerance of sin.  If a brother stumbles,
>we are to go to him in a (S)spirit of love to restore him.  We are not
>to sit idly by and watch him follow the path to destruction.  We are
>to convert the brother who errs from the truth.  It is not love to stand
>quietly while someone sins.  
But the teaching in Matthew 18 says that you should confront someone who
sins against you.  As such, you may point out the error of his ways, and if
he changes, you must forgive him, else you be damned.  [cf Matthew 6:14-15]

If someone sins against God, it is for God to handle.  [cf Matthew 7:1-5,
Matthew 13:37-43, John 12:47-50, etc.]

>Look at another example from the same book that you mentioned (I Cor.) that
>shows how we can exercise love.  Look what the church was to do to the 
>sexually immoral mn who was among them.  They were to cut off fellowship
>with him that he soul may be saved.  Also, this keep s unnecessarily
>reproach off the name of Christ, and keeps others from following the
>path of sexual immorality to destruction.
I don't see how cutting off fellowship is going to help a person come to
God.  More likely, it will drive them from the Church of God, which they
will see as hypocritical.  Emphasizing certain sins over others is
hypocritical, and makes one a 'blind guide'.  Read the seven woes in
Matthew 23.

 -Steve
--
 The opinions expressed above are those of the author and not SPSS, Inc.
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     adams@spss.com                           Phone: (312) 329-3522
     Steve Adams                              Fax:   (312) 329-3558
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc