This past weekend, I was returning from a conference in Chicago for my graduate classes in library and information science, and I happened to be traveling on the Metra on Sunday morning when a lot of the people who were traveling on the Metra were going to attend the Chicago Gay Pride Parade. That initially got me thinking about how God loves all of us and how I do not want anyone in the world to miss out on knowing God personally, on knowing how much God loves them, or to miss out on experiencing real, abundant life in Christ. As humans, we all desire love, but sometimes we look for it in ways that are not good for us, that cause us and others harm, that are much less than God's best for us, that are not as God intended (sin).
On the crowded train, I happened to overhear one young man questioning the Bible as a comprehensive guidebook for life - when it does not tell a person how to run a computer, etc. - and more to the heart of the matter,
how it could condemn a whole group of people?
My introverted brain does not often function in a way that allows for instantaneous responses in life - I tend to react slowly because I have to take time to internalize a statement, turn it over in my brain, and then consider what my response would be (and I certainly do not have all the answers to life's mysteries and questions).
In that case, something struck me as incongruous, and I greatly appreciated his statement because it got me thinking and reflecting... The Bible does not single out the gay community for condemnation - in actuality,
it condemns everyone.
Romans 3:23 NIV says:
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".
And likewise, the first part of Romans 6:23 NIV says:
"For the wages of sin is death"
We all sin and fall short of God's perfection and holiness and righteousness and goodness. Fortunately, for all of us, that condemnation does not have to be the end of the story! Yes, we are all condemned by our sins, but we can all be redeemed freely by God's grace because Christ died in our place. God came to earth as a human and walked among us and experienced what we did and then died and rose again from death to life; Christ conquered death to save us, to pay the penalty for our sins, to redeem us, to restore us, to transform us for the better. The verses of Romans 3:22-27 NLT say:
We
are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this
is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet
God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did
this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our
sins. For
God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right
with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his
blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back
and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for
he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this
present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he
himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his
sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that
we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal
is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.
Likewise, the full verse of Romans 6:23 NLT says:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I have mentioned before, I really liked how a friend put it that "we are all sick with the same disease (sin) - we just have different symptoms." We are all in the same boat. There is no room for pointing fingers or judging others or condemnation when we all sin. We all desperately need God to save us. We all need grace. We need God's help to be free of the enemy's grip on us, to live lives that are free of sin's power over us and lives that are transformed for the better. Galatians 5:16-26 says:
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The
sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the
Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of
what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting
each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy,
drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you
again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not
inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of
their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are redeemed once and for all - because of Christ's sacrifice, the ugliness of our sins (areas we stumble in past, present, and future) can be entirely covered over by God's righteousness. We just need to receive the gift of redeemed, eternal life in him. Our sin separates us from, God, but because of redemption in Christ, we are made righteous / right with God and can have a personal relationship with Him.
There is nothing better than being restored to a personal relationship with God (the Most Wonderful One of All who Loves us Truest and Best).
Once we receive salvation in Christ and surrender our lives to God's leading and desire to walk through life in a personal relationship with God, the Holy Spirit (God choosing to dwell in us) is present with us always, every moment, every day and begins the process of daily transforming our mind, heart, attitudes, actions, lives for the better. In accepting Christ's sacrifice, in knowing God's great Love and salvation, and in walking daily with God in relationship - Real, abundant life begins - the Great Adventure and Romance of knowing God personally and experiencing life together with Him.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
-Psalm 40:16-17 NIV
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