Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Love Doesn't Win #ButJesusDoes

My heart is heavy. The rain is falling without an end in sight. The fog looms over the Hudson River so thick that I can't see the mountains just on the other side. The Christmas tree candle is lit. And my heart is heavy.

Last night my friend Jill texted me about a Christian mom blogger who had recently come out about her relationship with another woman. This woman's past is seemingly tragic as she has dealt with bulimia, anxiety, and a repeatedly disloyal husband. Her article with US Weekly quotes an excerpt from a recent Facebook quote about the relationship: "And oh my God, she is so good to me. She loves me for all the things I've always wanted to be loved for. She's just my favorite."

This is why my heart is heavy:

We live in a world where the Christian community is slowly, and quickly at the same time, exchanging the Truth for a lie. It is one thing for unbelievers to walk in a path of opposition to the Almighty, but it is an entirely different thing for those who have professed to be followers of Christ to turn aside from His Word for their own self-seeking vices. Those who profess to be Christians must adhere to the Truth of Scripture - nothing added, nothing taken away. Our God clearly established the sanctity of marriage in Genesis 1 when He created man and woman to cohabit the garden. It was not man and man; it was not woman and woman. As believers we are called to uphold this sanctity of marriage first.. We do not condemn but we also do not overlook the sin.

I have been reading from John 8 for the past week and have been caught on Jesus' famous words -"you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free." What does that even mean when Hollywood has twisted it in so many ways? According to Piper, Christ is the only one who can set us free from the sin that enslaves us- Sin that enslaves us produces compelling desires within that are exalted above Christ.

The desire for marriage? A good thing but sinful when its a greater desire than God.
The desire for the pain to be removed? A good thing in moderation but sinful when pain medication becomes the addiction that numbs and inhibits worship of the Lord.
The desire for a child? A commission to be fruitful given by God but detrimental when it consumes more than a love for God.
The desire to be loved? A good thing but sinful when that loves comes at the expense of denying God's love and substituting the love from an extramarital affair, a hot pursuit of a man/woman, a homosexual relationship.

When I look at this Facebook post from the blogger, I see a woman who has been hurt in her past and desires to be loved the correct way. Her so choosing was to believe love could be found in fullest form when given by a woman. And the world applauded her for finding love because "she deserves it." I'm sorry but when did the Christian community start encouraging someone because "they deserved it". I believe the Lord has called me to be a mother, but it wouldn't be acceptable for me to go steal someone's child to meet that desire. Clearly at that point the desire is greater than my desire for the One who gives life. But no one would be applauding my stealing a child because "I deserved it".

The Truth that sets us free... The Truth that will continue to set us free.. is that Christ, not love, is the One we fix our eyes upon. He is the One who meets all of our needs - perfectly and completely. He is the One who frees us from the domination of sin and shows us a better way - HIM. Because this is what I've truly come to believe and I know it to be right, He is the only one who can satisfy. Though I don't perfectly have it all worked out, I know it to be right because His Word says so. No man, no woman, no child, no pain medication, no alcohol can satisfy like He does. What does that mean? It means that Jesus has met our greatest need of salvation by freeing us from the domination of sin and freeing us to life eternal with Him. When that becomes greater, all other desires are lesser. It means that He gives life to the full, when the world can only bring emptiness. It means when everyone else is chanting "Love Wins", He is the One who is saying "I've already won!"

Let us be a people who stand firm in the truths of God's Word-- not bending, now bowing out --- but standing on the Rock. We will not be tossed from side to side. We will not be moved. We will confess our sin and stand on His grace. We will cling to the glory that is set before us. We will chant #JesusWins.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect. Romans 12:2

10 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post! I have been thinking the same thing lately and have been so sad over how the church has started responding to this sin.

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  2. Amen!!! I too saw the same post and felt very saddened that the woman is exchanging God's love for a sinful love. I also read about the Christian author who said homosexual relationships can be "holy." It makes me sick how my husband and I have been accused of being homophobic for believing that God's word that only a man and woman should be married is truth.

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  6. I am confused about all of these comments about you "not loving" this woman. Did any of your blog post say that? Am I reading something different? God called us to be 'not of this world'. Last time I checked, homosexuality is wrong biblically. Period. Just like lying, stealing, coveting, etc., etc., etc. Many people (including me!!) are liars, thieves, covet their neighbor and guess what? I still LOVE them. I love them unconditionally. None of those actions make me love my husband and family any less. Just like having a homosexual friend or loved one would not make me love them any less! I disagree with the lifestyle because I believe the Bible to be true. Every. Single. Word. I am not 'judging' them but disagreeing with a lifestyle that is in opposition with what God's word says. Just like I am saddened when I see lies, stealing, covetousness, murder, etc. It makes me sad when I see those things in myself. I love people (all people!) because Christ commands us to do so. I can love them without accepting a lifestyle.

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    1. Thank you Jodi! I don't even know you.. but thank you!

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  7. If the Greek word arsenokoitai (translated "homosexuals" in most English bibles) literally means a male bedding another male, then the context of 1 Corinthians 6:9 clearly establishes this act, among many others, as sin and grounds for not inheriting the kingdom. Do we as Christians sin? Of course. If we said we didn't, we would be liars John said (1 John 1:8), but the theological emphasis of the rest of his epistle is that our lives as Christians should be marked by "walking in the light" (1:6-7) and that we should not make a "practice of sinning" (3:4-10). When we do sin, our lives are also marked by repentance, acknowledging that what we did was rebellion against the good and sovereign reign of God. We must allow Scripture to define love. The Father's love for his children is so deep that he wants us to be perfect, that we might enjoy and worship him freely forever. This requires discipline of the sort that kills sin in us (Romans 6). He does this through his Word, by the power of his Spirit, in a process called sanctification. This process takes place within the Christ-given authority of the Church. Paul says that while we are not to judge "outsiders" (i.e., unbelievers), we are to judge and practice discipline of those who are within the faith (1 Corinthians 5). Discipline in the church has the threefold purpose of (1) attempting to restore and reconcile a believer who is going astray; (2) keep the sin from spreading to others; and (3) protecting the purity of the Church and the honor of Christ (Grudem, Systematic Theology). I agree wholeheartedly with the author of this blog because she is my lovely wife, and I believe that her intention was just what I wrote above - to reach out to this hurt lady, love her enough to tell her the truth of Scripture, and make every attempt to restore her to the faith. This is love - that we as Christians love homosexuals and the beautiful truth of the Gospel more than homosexuals love homosexuality (Mohler, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ).

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