For more information related to this topic,
check out Bob Yandian’s series, “Did Jesus Ever Meet a Homosexual?”

I don't believe it is necessary to have great controversy over what the Bible teaches versus the equal rights promised by the Constitution of the United States, since our Constitution acknowledges God. Our Constitution allows us rights, except when our rights violate the rights of another. The laws set forth in our Constitution are based upon Judeo-Christian beliefs.

As a Christian I have a right to believe there is only one way to salvation, but I have not been given the liberty to violate the right of another American citizen to believe as they choose. The Bible says “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). As a Christian, I am given a mandate from God to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel…” I can preach, but it is up to the person hearing the preaching to either accept or reject the message. Again, I have the right to believe Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and not Islam or some other religion, but I cannot violate another person’s right to choose to worship according to their faith.

I also believe we should to take God's side and call sin “sin,” but we should not be selective about judging one sin as being greater than another. How does the sin of homosexuality compare to the sins of living together, fornication, or adultery? What about lying, stealing, and gossiping? Since all sins are handled similarly by scripture, I believe we should do like wise.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 we read, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor coveteous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Some people have coined the phrase, “Love the sinner and/or saint and hate the sin.” God does not call sin an identity and neither should we. I am NOT my behavior rather my behavior is governed by what I believe. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

This country was founded on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. It is the Holy Spirit and God's Word that bring conviction, not you or me. I am to be a witness and show God's love for all mankind, but you and I can do that without putting down someone else's religion. Our greatest responsibility and witness as a Christian is to display God’s love. If people want what I have, I have the right to help them receive what God has to offer them, but I don’t have the right to force them to accept my beliefs. This not only applies in the area of sexuality, it also applies in the area of religion. God has given us a free will. He will not force us to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and He will not force us to live by the precepts and guidelines found in His Word. In 1 Corinthians 11:31 we are told, “…if we examine ourselves, we will not be examined by God.”

Chuck McConkey
Director of Biblical Counseling