Right and Wrong, Twice Over

I want to thank Amy for her teaching on Saturday night, where she addressed the matter of judgment as the Bible lays it out. I was especially intrigued by her "re-presentation" of some of the Sermon on the Mount in phrasing that fleshed it out both for deeper understanding and attachment to our 21st Century brains.

There was a bit of confusion at one point in Amy's message, where she seemed to state that our approach to sexuality may not be completely settled. I was contacted by one person who was concerned that this meant that we as a fellowship were not settled on these matters.

First of all, I must say that in our present window of time in California, in these several months leading up to the November election and the amendment regarding marriage in our state, the term sexuality causes a nearly instant mental leap to homosexuality. The arena of sexuality is actually far bigger than that in the Bible. In the gospels, it includes the matter of men using their socially dominant position to readily dismiss their wives over trivialities (and we might recall that John the Baptist was beheaded for his confrontation with Herod's wife over the couple's infidelity). In 1 Corinthians, it includes a matter of a man sleeping with his father's wife, as well as whether single Christians should stay single or get married. In 1 Timothy, it includes men as the established teachers in fellowship gatherings. So there are a number of issues that could be up for interpretation.

Now let me assure you, as I did for this inquirer the other night, that we are not at TFH confused about where we stand with regard to all premarital and extramarital sex, including homosexuality. We most definitely adhere to the traditional and conservative interpretation: sex outside of marriage is sin.

Now to what Amy was saying, which was not that we have to consider where we stand on matters of sexuality. Rather, she was saying that we have to consider how we respond to, how we make judgment about, churches that now take a liberal approach to these matters. This is a tough call, as thoughtfully considered in Mark Roberts' blog recently when considering the line of split that is building in the Presbyterian church (PCUSA) over the matter of homosexuality and homosexual ordination.

In other words, while there is a right and wrong way to live, there is also a right and wrong way to respond to the way people live. And there is a difference in how we respond to believers who are openly living in sin and those who are of the world and doing so (be sure to see 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 in this regard).

And there may be two rights. In the matter of homosexuality, for instance, some churches may choose (or be called) to go down the road of political statements and action against "the homosexual agenda." Other churches may choose (or be called) to engage homosexuals through hospitality and conversation, hoping to lead them toward Christ and the new life that only He can bring. However, it would be very difficult for one church to use both of these approaches. And thus, again, it is so important to stay close to God and gain His heart for our individual lives and for our fellowship.