Paul’s Pride In The Gospel

Paul’s Pride in the Gospel

Christians are called to love everyone – even those with whom we might disagree or who have a different worldview than our own. Some might ask, “Even sinners?” Well, those are the only kind of people who exist.

There are three kinds of sinners – non-accountable sinners (children and those with diminished mental (moral) capacity), forgiven sinners (those who are committed to Christ Jesus), and  non-repentant sinners (those who have not yet committed to Christ or those who are not faithful to that commitment). That’s it. We’re all sinners in need of Christ; Christ followers are called to love all three.

There is no room in our faith to hate, belittle, ridicule, ostracize, or otherwise mistreat anyone. Our commitment is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ. This applies to those in the LGBTQ+ movement – whether radicalized or those just struggling with their perception of self. We love, because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Having said this, God has never asked his children, in the name of love, to affirm what God himself has condemned as wrong and sinful. Jesus again, is our example with the woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus offered her mercy and, I believe, forgiveness. However, his command to her was to “go and sin no more.” In the same way, we can accept, love, and forgive people, without affirming their sin.

My lesson Sunday is entitled, Paul’s Pride in the Gospel; it is taken from Romans 1.

Romans 1:16-18 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven  against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

I’m sure it has not been lost on any of us that June is celebrated by many as LGBTQ+ pride month. There will be parades, marketing campaigns, social media posts, and other “virtue-signaling”  affirmations to celebrate what God has unambiguously called sin. Those who do not share such “pride” – faithful children of God for one – are called homophobes, hate-mongers, and otherwise  made to feel “shame” over their lack of affirming attitudes and behavior. (This, by the way, was a part of a blueprint written by Marshal Kirk and Hunter Madsen in 1989, After the Ball: How  America will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the ‘90s; I think the book itself is out of print but there are plenty of references to it if you just google it).

Paul, however, declares that his pride is in the Gospel of Christ because it reveals the declared righteous of God upon believers while at the same time revealing the wrath of God upon all  unrighteousness. It should not surprise us that Paul gives as his paradigmatic examples of people rejecting God, the very homosexual behaviors celebrated in today’s LGBTQ+ Pride events. These  pride events celebrate what the Scripture says should cause shame.

Children of God should share Paul’s pride in the gospel and not participate, support, or affirm those things that God says are shameful.

I’ll say more in my lesson.

— Joey