Today, I have decided to really give a kick start to
everyone's weekend and write about sin. I know it is everyone's favorite
thing to discuss. Joel Osteen has probably felt a disturbance in the
force and is shifting uncomfortably in his seat right now. This has been
on me since I opened my Bible this morning so do not say you were not
warned. Conviction abounds in my heart, we will see if it is contagious
Now I decided this morning to do some study in Romans.
Joel Gregory(not Osteen) calls Romans the crown jewel of Scripture, and perhaps
he is right. If I had to pick two books of the Bible to study in for the
rest of my life I would choose Romans and Hebrews because almost everything in
God's story is represented in one book or the other. Now the particular
passage of Romans that I got stuck on is Romans 1:28-32. It reads:
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what
ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness,
evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent,
haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish,
faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree
that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only
do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Now this passage of Scripture is often used with some
preceding verses to explain the Bible's views on homosexuality. That is
not my purpose with this post. You will notice the last verse is
highlighted. This verse, number 32, jumped all over me this
morning. Why? I would not consider myself to be full of murder,
strife, deceit, etc. I understand that I am capable of every sin, but
through the grace of God through His son Jesus and the Holy Spirit within me I
am able to withstand temptations. However, the last part of verse 32
tweaked my heart. Is it possible that I approve of these sinful
behaviors? I think they are horrible, but what really constitutes
approval? How many times have I listened to gossip? Maybe I did not
participate in it, but I also did nothing to halt it. That is passive
approval, and according to this verse, sinful. I would hope to never be
categorized as a hater of God, but how many movies and television shows have I
sat through that had less than positive things to say about God.
This is an important issue. What about in
business. Let's use an example. Say I want to get my car
fixed. There is one mechanic in town that is cheaper and does good work.
However, every time you enter his shop you are bound to hear filthy language
and probably someone ripping apart the name of Jesus with their speech.
The other guy in town does the same quality work, but may be a few dollars more
expensive depending on the job. When you go into his place you are
greeted with a friendly atmosphere. Perhaps he is Christian, perhaps
not. Where would you go? I would not want to give my passive
approval of someone being a God hater by giving them my money that God blessed
me with.
It is the same for the homosexual issue. I would not
actively engage in a business relationship with a homosexual if I had the
opportunity to receive the same relationship from someone else. Why? Some
would say that is bigoted. Call me what you will, but I will not hand off
money to someone who is going to go out and actively pursue, promote, and fund
politics that allow for a lifestyle that is sinful. This is the same with
drugs, alcohol abuse, or anything of a sinful nature. If you were a ran a
cleaning service would you clean an abortion clinic? Hope not. God
says our approval of such an act is as bad as performing the act itself.
Maybe you are feeling conviction. Maybe not.
Maybe you are feeling that I am a narrow minded idiot. That's fine
too. You are entitled to that opinion. I want to give a shout out
to the CEO of Chik-Fil-A. He spoke out and said that his company supports
the traditional family model. This could cost him millions of
dollars. Guess what? He does not care. They could also be open on
Sundays and make millions on the after church crowd. They don't do that
either. We will have to answer for what we give our approval to at judgment
time.
Please do not get me wrong with this post. I was, as
Paul states, "the chief of sinners". I do know, that we have to
guard ourselves because what becomes familiar today will be accepted
tomorrow. I want the opportunity to witness to everyone, but we must show
ourselves true to God's Word in our words and deeds.
I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.
Bro. Russell
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