Hello all, I have been visiting this board for a while now and have not been moved to speak until now. I cannot believe that people who say they are followers of the God of all creation, who gave to us the bible as a written revelation of His will for us, and who revealed Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ, would take such stands against the Word to replace them with the "vain imaginations" of men. These words of scripture immediately come to mind:
Matthew 18:15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Titus 3:9But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. 10A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; 11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Do we say to the drunkard, "since you have this feeling that you must drink, it is OK, it is not a sin"? Do we say to the pyromanic, "since you can't help yourself and you feel that you must set fires, it is OK, it is not a sin"? Do we say to the adulterer, fornicator, glutton, liar, boaster, gambler, "since you feel that what you are doing is not a sin, then for you it is not a sin"? Of course, we don't. Why, then, do we then say to the homosexual, "since you have these feelings, go ahead, it is not a sin"?
I believe what is happening is there are people who, wanting to be accepted of men, come preaching another gospel to soothe the itching ears of their congregations. Instead of kindly helping people remain in their sins, we must kindly help people see the sin that they are in and lovingly guide them to the Savior who will release them from their bondage. Contrary to the complaints that we who seek to do just that are only pushing people away from Christ, we are, in fact, the ones who are helping all who will come, to Christ. If the Baptist church does not stand on the Word of God alone, we will go the way of the Catholic church replacing scripture with the changable word of man. If you don't love your brother enough to help them, you don't love your brother. To whom much is given (your salvation), much is required (telling people the Gospel, letting the chips fall where they may, God is in control). I fear that time that I'll be standing before Jesus giving an account of my life to Him. What if He points over to that other place, across the wide gulf that nobody can cross, and He says to me, "your brother, whom I told you to witness to, and you didn't, is over there... tell me why..."
...John 15
