1 Corinthians 13
The Excellence of Love
1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

9For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

13But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The challenge I believe for all of us, if we take upon the identity of Christian is this. Do we walk in in 1 Corinthians 13? No, we are not to condone sin. Nor are we called to preach at sin. We are called to minister to the sinner the truth of the Gospel with the love of God working through us. None of us, if we were to get really honest, does this regarding sin. Prudent truth is truth speaking for itself, but when we speak the truth in love, we are allowing God to work through us. We can quote thousands of scripture and appear to be all religious, but Christian means Christlike. God convicts us with His love and His truth. I think the problem is that we are to quick to envoke God's law against people instead of speaking the truth in love. I believe the best way we can ever reach someone to lead them to Christ is to share our testimony as to what Christ did for us, from His death on the cross out of His love for us, to the transformation by the renewing of our minds that led to our turning away from sin. Once we have reached out to those with God's love and truth we place them in His hands and leave them to their choice as to which direction they want to turn. It is at this point based on their decision to accept or reject God's truth. It is out of our hands. Never ever are we to compromise God's truth, but we do not have to be arrogant if the offer of salvation is rejected. We just back off and continue on in the journey Christ has for us and walk in 1 Corinthians 13.

I have enjoyed reading each of your comments. This is an issue of great importance in these troubled times. The UCC church has a slogan in it's PR campaign "Welcoming and Affirming." I have really struggled with this as I believe we are called to welcome (love) without judgement and condemnation. The affirmation part is tough because I feel we must once they are in the Body of Christ (church) turn away from sin. Many of these Gay churches are completely rewriting scripture and effectively mocking the Christ who bought them. So many of these movements spend MUCH effort in gospels and ministries other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Certainly socal justice and enviornmental concerns are valid yet these pale in comparison to spreading the Word of God and sharing our Savior with others. I have studied many of these churches and what I have found deeply disturbes me as it should. I pray for these folk and I know that each day I ask for Gods grace for my life and I ask the Holy Spirit to make me aware of my sin and areas of my life which need attention. I Truly love these Gay brothers and feel I would be negligent if I did not speak the Truth, the Way and the Life. Praise be to God our Father for this site and a healthy discussion on how we minister and love one another. The time draws near and we all have a choice laid before us: To Revere (Fear the Lord) or to Reject (continue unrepentant sin). Grace and Peace

I agree.
I made the analogy that it takes the same amount of forgiveness for God to forgive murder as it does for God to forgive lying. Pilot didn't get that point. That means that if it takes the same amount of forgiveness, then one is no worse than the other in His eyes. The man who commits murder, is repentant, and asks forgiveness is forgiven of God as easily as the one who repents of l ying. Unfortunately, there are more repentant murderers out there than repentant liars. People think that lying is not such a big sin, and therefore true repentance isn't needed. How wrong they are. The Word of God says that if we offend in even one point of the law, we have broken the entire law.

prespilot68 - Jeuss told his disciples that to hate their fellow brethren in their hearts was equal to murder. Under the law a person was gulity of murder if they acutally committed the physical harm unto death. In the New Testament Jesus amplifies this meaning when he says, "but I say unto you if you hate your brotheren in heart ye also commit murder.

God does not distinguish from varying degrees of sin. Sorry. We are not like Him, most of us have no idea of Who He is; and anyone who assumes so, can go ahead and do it for as long as he lives; but it's not going to change the nature of God. He forgives everyone equally, He died for everyone equally and he doesn't play favorites even in the sin department. IT'S ALL THE SAME TO HIM.

pilot,
I never said you said anything about denying God's forgiveness.

Prophet - I never said anything about denying God's forgiveness. Your trying to make a straw man argument here! I am talking about his justice. If you have FAITH - then justice for your sins has been set aside. I am speaking about those who do not have faith and God's righteous justice. God will judge ACCORDINGLY to the persons sinfulness. Will God judge Hitler different than say a common sinner? I think so - read Revelation and you'll get the sense that God judges righteously. Besides - I think you also left something out of your statement - Repentance. Without it God would be unloving to just forgive or pardon someone unless they have repented of their sins.

Calling someone to repent of sin IS the most loving thing you can do. To do other wise is condemn the sinner to a life of slavery to their sin. Just ask those whom have repented and found deliverence from this perverted and licencious lifestyle.

prespilot,
Jesus died for ALL sins. It takes no more effort for God to forgive a person of rape, than it does for God to forgive someone of lying. To say otherwise, is to say that Jesus' death was not enough.
What the problem here is, OUR ability to forgive certain sins. Would you agree that murder is worse than lying? Most likely. Then let's review what Jesus said as he was being murdered....."Father, forgive them....." Here is a man who was being wrongly executed (murder), and yet His one last thought was to forgive. Maybe we could all learn something from that.

Cheala34life - you said "Sin is still sin. Me hating my christian brother is just as sinful as someone living a homosexual lifestyle." REALLY??! So when someone murders and sodomizes a two year old little boy this is the same as someone telling a lie?? God doesn't distinguish the difference? What a misrepresentation of God's character. How then do you harmonize a verse such as John 19:11 or Matt 23:14 then? Clearly the justice of God is impugn when you say such things. God does distinguish between verying degrees of sin - its in the Word of God. Sin regardless is horrible and we must obstain from all sin.

Lets be realistic. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. We all needed forgiveness of and justification from sin. God is the only person who can do that. Even if we did love the homosexual in a way that is palatable to them, they still have a problem with God. As believers we offer the extension of love as a means to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The twenty first century church in my opinion is backpeddling on the issue. Because there are so many church scandals, sin is allowed or thinking is "how can you as the church tell me to live right when you have dirt in your house?' There is some validity to that. However, that does not change the Rightesouness and Holiness of God. Humans are fallible God is not. Sin is still sin. Me hating my christian brother is just as sinful as someone living a homosexual lifestyle. What has happened is that the church has lost it moral power because we do not hold ourselves accountable for the sin we committ. Pastors and layleaders alike know too much about the bible to asks for forgiveness at times. If someone living the homosexual lifestyle wants to come into your church let them come. Share the gospel with them. Its their choice whether to accept it or not. At the same time live righteously before them and watch the power of God work on that person. Now we as the church should not be afraid to say this lifestyle is wrong no more than we say adultry is wrong. Their are also people who live adulterous lives in the pews, but you do not see a coalition of adulterers saying they are looking for love from the church.

Correction:

Homosexuals will not repent until we get our doctrines straightened up. Most churches these days provided such a hypocritical doctrines that it is no wonder sinners are NOT being saved! For example, I would guess that almost every person who left a post on this article believes in at least the two points of Calvinism - Original Sin and Total Depravity. This doctrine is defined as man is "born" with a genetic inability to do ANYTHING good or righteous. In other words man is unable to choose that which is right, but is predisposed to do only evil. However, most on this post would probably rail against homosexuals who state they are born "gay" or homosexual. But yet doesn't this support the theory or doctrine of original sin/total depreavity??? That men and women are just "born" evil or sinful? But yet our conscience tells us something completely different - and that is this sick perverted doctrine of Total Depravity or Original sin is NOT true - but is false. If it were true then we as Christians would accept the homosexuals excuses that they are just "born" this way - but yet we don't (See the hypocrisy??). Homosexuals, just like all sinners CHOOSE to rebel against God and are not inclined one way or the other - we sin because we choose to do so. We all have been equipped with a conscience or natural law and we violate that law every time we sin. We sin not out of necessity - but out of freedom of the will!

Homosexuals will not repent until we get our doctrines straightened up. Most churches these days provided such a hypocritical doctrines that it is no wonder sinners are being saved! For example, I would guess that almost every person who left a post on this article believes in at least the two points of Calvinism - Original Sin and Total Depravity. This doctrine is defined as man is "born" with a genetic inability to do ANYTHING good or righteous. In other words man is unable to choose that which is right, but is predisposed to do only evil. However, most on this post would probably rail against homosexuals who state they are born "gay" or homosexual. But yet doesn't this support the theory or doctrine of original sin/total depreavity??? That men and women are just "born" evil or sinful? But yet our conscience tells us something completely different - and that is this sick perverted doctrine of Total Depravity or Original sin is NOT true - but is false. If it were true then we as Christians would accept the homosexuals excuses that they are just "born" this way - but yet we don't (See the hypocrisy??). Homosexuals, just like all sinners CHOOSE to rebel against God and are not inclined one way or the other - we sin because we choose to do so. We all have been equipped with a conscience or natural law and we violate that law every time we sin. We sin not out of necessity - but out of freedom of the will!

smbga,
If a homosexual/lesbian wants to attend church, having the knowledge that they are sinners, with the desire to change who they are, understanding that God is a God who changes people,...then let them come. I am a sinner too. I have habits that are not pleasing to God. But I confess that I'm a sinner, and that I need God to change me.
But if a homosexual/lesbian wants to attend church, with the purpose of perverting the truth and proclaiming a sinful lifestyle as something that is acceptable to God, then they need to be removed.
There are plenty of "churches" out there preaching doctines of demons. Let the unrepentant go there for acceptance.

Did you know there is an alcoholic gene that predisposes some people to alcholism? See below:
Researchers Identify Alcoholism Gene Alcohol Addiction, High Anxiety Linked to Same Gene
By Jeanie L. Davis WebMD Medical NewsMay 26, 2004 -- A new study links a gene to alcohol addiction -- backing up a long-recognized pattern showing that alcoholism runs in families.

The point is that even though some people feel inborn with gay tendencies, they can and should resist succumbing to the behavior. The person with the alcoholic gene must not be resigned to become a drunk - though tempted to drink. Being tempted is not a sin. It does not mean there have failed at living heterosexual lives. It means they will forever be in recovery.

Yet another example of compromising Christianity. Can we please define the terms here? 1) Sin, of any kind shape or size will be judged by a holy and just God. To deny this is to deny Christianity and the very Word of God and to call God a liar. 2) Loving those trapped in homosexuality does NOT mean that we turn a blind eye to their sin no more than we should turn a blind eye to the adulterer or the murderer. Sin is sin. There are no gray areas. You've either surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, and died to the old man/self or you're still living in sin and are thus in rebellion against God. A person MUST make a choice - be dead to sin or be dead to Christ.

Rom 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Rom 6:6-7 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Let's rid ourselves once and for all from this cultural cancer that has invaded the church. Remember, Jesus said, "Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours."

He also said: "And this is the judgment: that light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."

So much for the "Precious Moments" Jesus everyone so loves...

Cheala,
Amen! God's idea of love, and man's finite, and corrupt, idea of love are totally different. God's love is selfless. Man's love is selfish.

The Bible clearly defines homosexuality as a sin. A homosexual person is in need of salvation in Jesus Christ just as every other sinner. We preach the truth in love, it is the same message that we preach to every man - (Romans 5:9, 10) 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

The article title is a little misleading, evangelicals do not love the "gay community", we love lost sinners, including gays or straight, by sharing with them God's love in word and in deed. The "gay community" is a social and political organization that exists to defend and support a specific sexual lifestyle.

There are real ways to share God's love with sinners and reach into "communities". Sharing the gospel and calling sinners to repent of their sin does not appear akin to "love" in the eyes of the world.

Question: When you love someone you tell them the truth correct? or at least you should. When you love someone you tell them the truth because you really want the best for that person. Love does not mean you will not be corrected. Usually love and correction go hand in hand. Teh problem is the homosexuals idea of love is "accept me the way I am and don't tell me how to live" Well, the first we can do. Jesus died us just as we were. The bible say while we were yet sinners he died for us, but the problem come in when Jesus tells you "go and sin no more" As believers in Christ we would be derelict to our duty if we did not point out to homosexuals the error of their way. The bigger issus is this is not about a Christian perspective to rid the world of homosexualilty. That is unrealistic. As believers should we treat homosexuals rudely or call them names? No! But at the same should we say to them live any way you want on your terms in the church? By no means. The church is teh body of Christ. God is Holy and we have treat his church that way becaus we love him. Lastly, the homosexual community does not need our commendation they need the Lords. When this is all said and it is God who they have to stand before not the Christian whom they looked for for love.