Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | How to accept a gay relative | 1 Cor 6:9 | BMyers | 201658 | ||
The first thing I recommend is you prayfuly turning this matter over to the Lord. The popular saying is "what would Jesus do"? If we look at what Jesus did with sinners that serves us as a good guide. Jesus loved every sinner regardless of the sin, yet He never loved the sin. Does that mean we condone your cousin’s lifestyle? No. The Bible clearly teaches us that homosexuality is wrong. Yet walking up and smacking your cousin with a 2x4 and telling him he is going to hell, may not accomplish the goal that you are seeking, which is the salvation of his soul. Showing the love that Christ has for him will get you much further and keep the door open to further discussion. I use to be one of those well meaning Christians that would beat you into salvation. I closed more doors than I opened. I had to learn to let the Holy Spirit do his job and for me to do mine. JN 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; I was amazed how much more effective of a witness I became for Christ when I started showing the love of Christ vs the damnation of sin. You may fill a little overwhelmed and ill-equipped to deal with your cousin and his lifestyle, but remember you have Helper on your side. RO 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; Brad |
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2 | How to accept a gay relative | 1 Cor 6:9 | DocTrinsograce | 201664 | ||
Dear Brad, Just a quick note here. First of all, you used the phrase "effective of a witness." Pragmatism is something deeply entrenched in American thinking, but it isn't a biblical philosophy. As believers we are not interested in what works, we are interested in obeying the Lord, regardless of the outcome. There are examples of great prophets for the Lord who had not a single a convert. God will judge us for our lives, but He will not do so based on the effectiveness of our witness. After all, who of us wants an effective witness? Instead, we want God to work in the lives of others, transforming them through the power of the Holy Spirit alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in the atonement of Christ alone. True, the gospel is expressed in our words, but it is far more effectively expressed in our lives. Second, we must never disconnect the gospel from the law. The good news is that God freely extends salvation. The good news isn't even good news unless men understand their perilous condition before a holy God who must and will judge every descendant of Adam. Tell people, "Jesus loves you!" The average American will smile and say, "Sure. What's not to love?" Remember, the law must do its work before the gospel remedy may be applied. This is how Jesus and the apostles did evangelism. Third, be careful not to overemphasize one characteristic of God over another. It is very truth that He is a God of love. However, it is equally true that He is a God of wrath. Yet nowhere does it say He is love, love, love. Nor does it say He is wrath, wrath, wrath. Yet it does say that He is holy, holy, holy. God's attributes are in perfect harmony with one another. Nothing is conflicted. He is perfect, complete, and beautiful. I wish I could develop these ideas for you more. Unfortunately I'm quite pressed for time right now. I hope that it will help you to find an appropriate biblical balance. In Him, Doc "Many of today's church leaders have bought into the subtlety of pragmatism without recognizing the dangers it poses. Instead of attacking orthodoxy head on, evangelical pragmatism gives lip service to the truth while quietly undermining the foundations of doctrine. Instead of exalting God, it effectively denigrates the things that are precious to Him." --John MacArthur |
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3 | How to accept a gay relative | 1 Cor 6:9 | BMyers | 201665 | ||
Doc, I agree we can never compromise the truth of God's Word. Yet, there was a generation that was raised that believed in preaching the 'fire and brimstone' and very little of the love of Christ. Looking at the teaching of Christ, He dealt most severely with those who claim to be and should have had knowledge of the Word (in their time frame). Yet when dealing with sinners, Christ dealt with love for the person, never compromising on the guilt of sin. Maybe you look at the term 'witness' differently than I. Witness as defined by Webster: 1: attestation of a fact or event : testimony 2: one that gives evidence; specifically : one who testifies in a cause or before a judicial tribunal 3: one asked to be present at a transaction so as to be able to testify to its having taken place 4: one who has personal knowledge of something 5 a: something serving as evidence or proof : Yes, I want my life to be a witness for Christ. AC 22:15 ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Converting people to Christ is not the same as a witness for Christ. I prayer that I have planted many more seeds than I have sown. I wish I had reaped more, but that is the human side of me. I know there was time in my walk with Christ that I would spend more time trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit and convict people of their sin than showing the love of Christ. I’m not sure why you would think that I feel God is anything less than Holy and perfect? I don’t believe that I’m over emphasizing the love. 1CO 13:13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. MK 12:29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; MK 12:30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ MK 12:31 “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” LK 10:27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” LK 10:28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” Please understand I don’t believe that we should walk around throwing flowers everywhere and stick our head in the sand concerning sin. Unfortunately, I feel that many of churches today have compromised the Gospel to make it more appealing to the masses. I agree that there is no need to compromise the Gospel in any way, shape, or form. Just knowing Jesus loves you is the first step, understanding the importance, the cost, and the ramafication of Jesus love brings you into the full light of the Gospel. When you read how Jesus dealt with the sinners, He dealt with them in love and He did not compromise His message. Speaking from my own experience, I was real good at getting the message out there, but without the love, it was hollow words. Are there times you have to ‘overturn the tables’? Yes! I also feel there are times that we have to eat with the ‘tax collectors and sinners’. Both lead to the Gospel being preached, but just in different manners. If my terminology offended you, I apologize. I feel that we are most likely trying to say the same thing, yet like I have said many times, I’m just a common man. I wish I had the time and the money to seek a theological training, but that isn’t the path that the good Lord has sent me down (yet at least). Brad |
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4 | How to accept a gay relative | 1 Cor 6:9 | DocTrinsograce | 201666 | ||
Hi, Brad... The abuse of truth by one generation never warrants the abuse of truth by another. We seek to align ourselves with the plumb line of the Word, not the predictably aberrant behavior and false doctrines of fallen men. There is no offense... nothing emotional here. There is simply the truth of the Word. We honor a Lord of truth and holiness. Let's worry about honoring God as good stewards of the Word, not about whether we are being properly amicable or not. We love one another because we are brothers, bought with the shed blood of Christ. That love is expressed by a deep concern for the gospel being lived out in one another's lives. If our primary concern is avoiding some kind of personal imposition, we reveal that we do not love one another at all. Let's do the iron sharpening iron thing. We're common men with an incredible treasure. We can get it right. In Him, Doc |
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5 | How to accept a gay relative | 1 Cor 6:9 | BMyers | 201668 | ||
Amen Brad |
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