By Judy Osborn
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Matthew 3:13-15
So you judge me and say I hate because I disagree with a lifestyle choice that is sinful? I am insensitive if I choose not to create something or allow services that go against my convictions? Did I call anyone names? Did I throw sticks and stones at anyone? Was there any malice shown? I write this because my heart is broken for those who are being prosecuted for standing on their Faith and Obedience to God.
I am for the death penalty for cases of murder but I don’t hate the person nor do I celebrate the death of the person being executed. No, it’s a sad occasion. When the story speaks of the forgiveness the victim’s family offers or a message that the person repented and asked Jesus to forgive him and come into his heart then joy overwhelms me. It is good for that person because he will see Jesus and spend eternity in heaven.
I don’t hate the woman who kills her unborn child because of whatever reason she feels it was necessary. My heart grieves for the child that was murdered and for the mother’s decision to terminate her pregnancy. (I had a friend who terminated her pregnancy and I still loved her. Later she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy but the little guy survived SIDs at about 8 months old but never developed past being in 8 months in his three years of life. I was there to comfort my friend during her grief without ever considering the abortion she had previously. My friend was murdered a few years later by her husband leaving her oldest son without a mom). I am against abortion even though I shared compassion to my friend after her abortion. There is nothing that will change my mind on this issue. Abortion is murder but in our society it’s a justified murder no matter the reason. That is sad, too! I celebrate the birth of a brand new child given to a family longing for such a blessing. Children are very special gifts given to parents.
I have met only a couple of atheist and a couple of prostitutes. One particular atheist really touched my heart of compassion. He really wanted to be liked and accepted but continued on his rambles against God. He purposely confronted me with his non belief and scientific proof of God’s non existence. I was able to gently share how real God is in my life. I don’t know if he ever found God and became saved but I do know he responded in a positive manner to someone showing him love than to those who ignored him and wanted to argue. Same with the prostitute that came to our truck. I wasn’t mean when she knocked on our door and I answered. She apologized and left us alone the rest of the night. I felt so sorry for her. But neither act caused me to hate or show hate to these individuals.
I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way God ordained marriage. This is not a hate comment in any way! I don’t hate those lost souls who have chosen the homosexual lifestyle or any deviant lifestyle. In fact I am saddened that they try to justify their sinful behaviors to satisfy their flesh. There is nothing to celebrate as they join into a union of “marriage”. I disagree with their lifestyle knowing it is a sinful one and in this case it’s two souls choosing to stumble in sin without another to lift them up. I also don’t celebrate adultery, divorce, abuse, lying, stealing, etc nor do I hate individuals who commit such acts. I don’t know any one else who would celebrate such acts, either. I don’t hate atheists who mock my Lord and Savior. I feel saddened that they don’t know HE is real and that HE loves them so much!
If I came across a homosexual, prostitute, atheist, murderer, thief, abortionist, adulterer, divorcie, etc hungry or thirsty I would feed them and give them drink if I had it. (Proverbs 25:21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:…) If any of these are heartbroken and needed just a comforting word or even a hug I would freely give it to them. If they needed a coat I would give them one if I could, at least a blanket if I didn’t have a coat. So how can I be considered a person who hates or in need of sensitivity because I disagree with behaviors or will not celebrate behaviors that are not of God? To hate is not of God because 1 John 4:8 says, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
First, to love God we also must love our neighbors, that’s obedience! We do not have to accept their sinful lifestyles nor participate in them to love our neighbors. To love our neighbor doesn’t mean to go against God’s word to celebrate acts of sin. Jesus walked among us and didn’t agree with sinful acts or lifestyles but HE also showed love and compassion. HE forgave people of their sins and instructed them to go and sin no more! Second, it’s not hate to refuse to use the talents God gave a Christian to create that which goes against scripture. There are few Christians who would bake a nudist cake or take photographs of a nude wedding. There are few ministers who would perform a wedding in that situation as well. So why should a Christian be forced to do these services for a homosexual union? Very few Christians if any celebrate divorces, abortions, prostitution, murders, or any sinful behaviors. It’s just not something for a Christian to celebrate or accept. It has nothing to do with hating an individual or being insensitive to an individual’s desires. So why is it because a Christian will not participate, create, officiate, allow, or celebrate a homosexual lifestyle considered hate or insensitive? Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. Choosing to be a Christian is a lifestyle choice. Being a prostitute, murderer, thief, atheist, etc is also a lifestyle choice. So how much different is one lifestyle choice from another that one can be penalized for standing on their choices and another can cry out they’re being mistreated?Is it in the name of love or an act of sensitivity to sue a Christian for standing on their convictions to not participate in the lifestyle that goes against God? Is it in the name of love to call those who disagree with sinful lifestyles names, like ” homophobe”, “bigots”or “haters” to name a few because they prefer obedience to God over man’s desire! Is it in the name of love to entrap, force, and coerce a business to cater to another’s lifestyle choice that goes against their lifestyle choice? Is it out of love to steal their business, home, career, etc as punishment for not giving someone the service they want when there are others willing to do so? No! It’s vindictive and is an act of hate. A Christians’ refusal to participate in a ceremony they know is sinful did not cause the ceremony to be stopped, in fact those who are suing were “married” without a hitch. They had friends who celebrated their special occasion! They still found a cake decorator, photographer, florist, a place to hold their celebration, someone to officiate the union and anything else they wanted for their day. But still they wanted to cause harm to those who refused services in what they regarded as hate and insensitivity. And what about the man who refused to make T-shirts to celebrate gay pride? Shirts were made free of charge by another T-shirt shop but that didn’t stop him from being sued and called names! Let’s not forget the Pizzeria whose only crime was to state they were for traditional marriages, they were threatened just for making that statement. And now a pastor faces criminal charges for requesting a gay couple who owned a bakery to decorate a cake with a statement that went against their lifestyle choice! They of course denied services to the pastor but they aren’t being sued for their business, home, and livelihoods.
Sadly, the same rights homosexuals fought for are being taken away from Christians and our government is allowing it. So who is showing hate, insensitivity, intolerance?
No, I do not hate someone I disagree with nor will I participate in celebrating their sinful lifestyle choice. I can not force someone to love God and choose to live according to HIS will but I can and will love God and live according to HIS will. I will show kindness, gentleness, mercy, and love as Jesus did. I will call a sin a sin but I will not call a person names or throw sticks and stones. I will not show malice. I will not joy over the eternal death penalty someone chooses!
I will pray that their eyes are opened to their sinful lifestyle before its too late. This is love and Hopefully by doing this others can see the love God has for them and will turn from their sins. It was LOVE that saved us from eternal death, so showing love in obedience to The Lord may save others from eternal death as they see God’s love through us, repent, and sin no more.
For our brothers and sisters in Christ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. We who stand with you are also praying for you! Remember: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels….
One last note: last summer I was asked to use my photoshop to create a photo of a skull cake using multi-colored flowers. Blending two pictures together. I did! It bothered me because the person who asked didn’t say it was for a same sex couple but I sorta knew since the person who asked is friends with the couple. I asked God’s forgiveness about the skulls and the creation I made. I was truly heartbroken because I betrayed God. That won’t happen again! I will not betray God’s statutes to please man. Trying to justify my creation because I wasn’t told that it was for a gay couple was a bold face lie! I was overwhelmed with shame. Love is not the same as condoning or tolerating sinful actions, in fact if someone really thought about it condoning sinful actions is as sinful as committing those actions. And sinful actions come with eternal consequences! Our job as Christians is to gently point out the err in others so they may see their sinful ways and turn from them.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,…
Other scriptures:
1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Romans 6:12-16 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
1 Peter 2:11-12 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Matthew 5:11-12, 44-45 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Jude 1:17-20, 23, 23-25 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
References of some that are being persecuted and prosecuted for Standing on their Faith:
https://www.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/home/detail/8982
http://www.cc.org/blog/christians_sued_not_allowing_homosexual_ceremonies
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0I92GO20141020?irpc=932
http://mobile.wnd.com/2015/04/ask-gay-bakery-for-cake-get-charged-with-crime/
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