There are certain things that the Bible is specific about. Jesus is God. Fully man, Fully God. Jesus is the [only] way to the Father (Sorry, Oprah, "arrogant" or not, it's true.) There are areas that are a little more gray, e.g. alcohol-to drink or not to drink, masturbation, whether or not to get a tattoo. Those gray areas are where a Christian who knows the Lord and follows the Bible, can rely on the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Caleb likes to drink beer; he makes his own at home, and it is not a stumbling block for him because he doe not suffer from alcoholism. Thus far, he has not been convicted regarding drinking. I have 3 tattoos...and where some people find this defiling of my "body as a temple," it completely negates that Jesus himself is described in Revelation with a tattoo on his thigh. I feel no pressing desire to remove, or regret having tattoos. The gray area can be somewhat revealed through prayer and fasting.
But the black and white areas, well, that's exactly what they are. Whether you're a humanitarian or not, you can love people and respect their lives without encouraging or enabling them to live a certain way.
I believe the Bible to be true. From beginning to end. Not as a "road map to life," but as a prophetic, incredible account of Jesus' life. Every word is "God breathed and profitable," and it seems hypocritical to pick and choose areas of the Bible to go along with if you love God-Father, Spirit, Son. Therefore, I must admit, I will not support or advocate any group that clearly goes against the Living, Breathing WORD of God.
I like people. I really do. I don't care how they choose to live, but at the end of the day, I want to stand firm in what I believe,
and that might be offensive. There are popular cultural movements that people just can't deal with due to the immense level of confrontation involved. So they buckle, and say: "we need to just love everyone, and not judge people, etc, etc." which is true, but it's ALSO okay to remain true to who you say and think you are.
I don't condemn anyone, because that's not my place. I have friends who are gay. Friends who are constantly partying. Friends who are fornicators. I've lived a bleak life in years passed, and by God's grace been redeemed from that. And I would be the last person to hate or not be friends with someone who doesn't live by the Bible. But, when they ask me, "what do you think?" or "is this an okay thing to do?" I would candidly share that every other path that doesn't point to Jesus Christ causes pain, destruction, and goes against the design that God intended.
"Christians" who picket gay funerals, or kill abortion doctors "in the name of God" don't make matters any better. They clearly don't understand what Jesus meant by love your neighbor. Ultimately,
only the Lord can change people, so if you're out there with a megaphone hating gays, lesbians or unmarried partners, you're an idiot. STOP.
Dear Jesus, I pray that my heart could be soft and filled with your truth. That I would not grow frustrated with people in my life, or with myself. I hope to be in Heaven with you some day and be free from the bondage of sin and depravity.
*KBA*
