Reading:
Romans 1:18–2:4
This
weekend the annual Gay Pride Parade occurs here in St. Petersburg,
the home of the largest pride festival in Florida. In an effort to
help believers be effective witnesses of the Gospel, I want to take
another look at Romans 1 – 2 and examine how the Scriptures answer
these questions: Why
is homosexual practice increasing? How do we respond to our gay and
lesbian friends, family, or co-workers? Why does America increasingly
celebrate homosexual practice?
Why
is homosexual practice increasing?
Whether
homosexuality is increasing or that this perception is the result of
greater openness to it, I can't prove one way or the other. However,
we can say that this greater openness has provided more opportunity,
more pursuit, and therefore increased practice of homosexuality in
our nation over the last three decades. Biblically, we should know
why this is happening. Romans 1:26-27 speaks to this issue:
26Because
of this,
God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged
natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In
the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and
were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts
with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their
perversion.
The
first three words (NIV) are, “Because of this...”; in the ESV,
“For this reason...”. Although every sinful behavior will bear
bad fruit, or have consequences, the point here is that this behavior
is the consequence of something else. The reason women and men
exchange or abandon their natural relations and take up unnatural
ones is because God has given them over to it. And
God gave them over to it because of something —
something described in the previous verses.
Romans
1:18-32 states the cause or reason for this four times. First,
because people suppress the truth about God as Creator (Romans
1:18-19). Then, because people refuse to glorify God and give Him
thanks (Romans 1:21).
Third,
because people exchanged the glory of God for the lower glory of
created things, worshiping them (Romans 1:23). Finally, it is
restated in verse 28:
Furthermore,
just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of
God [ESV: did not see fit to acknowledge God], so God gave them over
to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
(Romans
1:28)
The
cultural slide into immorality culminating in people exchanging
natural sexual relations for unnatural sexual relations is not the
cause of our cultural deterioration, it was caused by a larger
cultural deterioration. The
root cause is that our culture has exchanged natural worship (meaning
the worship we were created for)
for unnatural worship (worshiping
that which is not God).
How
do we respond to gay and lesbian friends, family, or co-workers?
The
way many Christians speak about our cultural decay, one might detect
fear—fear that God is going to punish our nation because of this
immorality. This fear often leads to a sense of panic and even anger.
One of the most important implications of what we see in Romans 1
above for the believer is that rather than fearing that God's wrath
will come on our nation as a result of homosexuality,
we should realize that those practicing homosexuality do so because
God has given our culture over to these things already as a result of
our rejection of Him at large. This
ought to move the heart of any Christian to mercy toward the
homosexual, knowing that we too deserve God's judgment. To be a
Christian is to be an undeserving object of God's mercy.
Before
Christ, we were all given over to disobedience in order that God
might have mercy on us in Christ (Romans 11:32).
The world stands under God's judgment and is condemned already. But
that is not the final word on God's wrath. There is another word
available to mankind through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-19).
Therefore, we ought first and foremost to live as ambassadors for our
King with
the message of reconciliation.
17Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone,
the new is here! 18All
this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting
people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message
of reconciliation. 20We
are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled
to God.
(2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
The
disobedience of the homosexual is not the only disobedience which
people in this God-rejecting culture are given over to. We read of
other ways this “being given over” is manifest:
29They
were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, 30slanderers,
haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil,
disobedient to parents, 31foolish,
faithless, heartless, ruthless.
(Romans 1:29-31 ESV)
We
were all a part of the disobedient culture because we were all
idolaters before coming to Christ and therefore objects of wrath
(Ephesians
1:1-3).
By God's mercy and mercy alone have we escaped from the perverse
generation of which we were actively a part (Acts 2:40).
The
list of things a god-rejecting culture is given over to also includes
heterosexual immorality. According to v. 24, “God
gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the
dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.” This
kind of impurity and dishonoring is rampant in the heterosexual
community. Most of us are born with a natural inclination toward this
kind of impurity, and it is only the grace of God that teaches us to
say “no” to this ungodliness (Titus 2:12). Just like the
heterosexual, the homosexual may often be born with a natural
inclination toward impurity and lust that expresses itself with
unnatural relations. But the grace of God can transform us all (1
Corinthians 6:9-11).
In
Romans 2:1-4, Paul draws a conclusion from what he writes in Romans
1:18-32. This conclusion instructs us how to interact with all
sinners who still live under the wrath of God.
1You,
therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for
at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself,
because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now
we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based
on truth. 3So
when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same
things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or
do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and
patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward
repentance? (Romans
2:1-4)
Paul
declares that those who pass judgment on another condemn themselves.
How
could this be? Because we were all given over to disobedience and
under God's wrath.
When we view other sinners as less deserving of God's mercy, we show
contempt
or disregard the kindness, tolerance, and patience of God.
Given
the cultural meaning of the word “tolerance” today, I think the
NIV's “tolerance”
is not the best translation. Today most people think of tolerance in
the sense that we must not view anything someone else does as
actually being wrong. But that is not what is meant here at all. It
may best be translated as the ESV translates is, “forbearance”.
It
means a
holding back or
a
self-restraint.
God
is holding back His judgment, giving opportunity for repentance. Why?
Because God has made provision for our sin in Jesus Christ.
All of us would have suffered the wrath of God if this were not so.
So we live in the hope that God will lead others toward this same
repentance; we even participate in the process.
Why
does America increasingly celebrate homosexual practice?
The
Gay Pride festival and parade confirm another truth in Romans 1.
Although
they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things
deserve death, they
not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those
who practice them.
(Romans 1:32)
Our
culture is in a massive mudslide toward approval of what is blatantly
wrong. Approval of adultery, fornication, and homosexuality. Why?
Because we are attempting to cover up our greater sin. We are trying
to justify our rejection of God. If we keep calling it “progress”
(which makes the assumption that it is good), then we think we can
hide the fact that we have exchanged the glory of God for a lie; that
though we claim to be wise, we have become fools; that we are
returning to paganism and superstition.
Intolerance
isn't the only alternative to celebrating homosexuality.
I realize that some will believe what I have written is intolerant.
But nothing could be further from the truth. I am not interested in
threatening, harming, or punishing those who practice these things. I
am interested in praying for, befriending, sharing the Gospel with,
and treating them like I want to be treated.
Those
who object to my writing that these behaviors are wrong also believe
I am wrong for saying so. And they too will often say so. They are
not being intolerant of me. It is only intolerant when they want to
threaten, harm, or punish me for saying so. I hope those who think I
am wrong will tolerate (forbear with) me. And yes, I hope to persuade
them. But tolerating me doesn't mean you have to agree with me. The
essence of tolerating something presumes disagreement from the start.
You don't tolerate what you agree with.
As
we think of the Gay Pride Festival this weekend, or of any other
encounter with
the homosexual community, let's pray for those who participate; let's
grieve over all the sins of our nation (including our own) which
contributed to deserving God's wrath, and let's reach out in mercy to
those who are caught up in such sin, hoping
for the gift of faith and repentance to be given by the abundant
mercy of God.
Love
the Gospel, Live the Gospel, Advance the Gospel,
Jerry
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