The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum How do you think the homosexual movement

1. Was that sarcasm at the end of what you wrote above?

2. First you say that you are not going to explain what you mean by "loving mercy" in the context of bringing the gospel to others, but rather you are just going to do it. However, then you admit, and rightly so that you cannot put something into practice unless it is understood correctly. Don't you see a problem in taking that position?

3. I agree, a right understanding of any text in Scripture must precede any attempt to put it into practice. The word "mercy" in Micah 3:8 is probably better translated, "kindness", which is a more general term than mercy which most often connotes the withholding of warranted punishment for something deserving of it, e.g., a crime committed against you, the state, a sin committed against you, God, etc. The CONTEXT of the passage is God's indictment against the people of Israel for their blatant hypocrisy in that they were meticulous in adhering to the outward ceremonial laws in regard to God's worship but they ignored and constantly violated the moral law of God as it should have been practiced before God and to other men. In summary, God required the adherence to the moral law; the Ten commandments which was summarized as "Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself."

4. So, now with that understanding how is one to practice showing kindness (mercy) to those who are enemies of God and Christ in regard to the specific subject of bringing the Gospel to them? Do you believe it is wrong to bring up specific sins which someone is guilty of practicing/committing and show how God views that sin, e.g., homosexuality is an abomination and that no one shall inherit the kingdom of God who is guilty of that sin (1Cor 6:9,10)? Would it be in error to show that homosexuality is a result of God's punishment upon all idolaters whereby God has withheld His providential restraint and allowed some to do that which their depraved nature is want to do?

5. My position is that showing kindness and speaking the truth in love to a sinner is to do that very thing... reveal to them the inexorable holiness of God and their own corruption of nature and then pointing them to Christ; the love of God exhibited in His sacrifice for sinners. You can read in more detail what I have written on what the true Gospel is HERE. When the Lord Christ dealt with the "rich young ruler", He spoke of the necessity of keeping the moral law to which the young man ignorantly and arrogantly claimed he had kept perfectly from his youngest days. In response, Jesus knowing that this man never once kept the law as God requires specifically mentioned the 10th commandment, knowing that this man's life was in total violation of it more than the others, at least in an outward way. In short, this sinful young man loved money and things more than anything else and Jesus told him that he needed to sell all that he had and give the proceeds to the poor. What was the result of that counsel? Perhaps by today's standards of gospel preaching, Jesus Christ would be considered a total failure, because this man walked away and he was 'exceedingly sorrowful'.

The rest of the pericope (Lk 18:18-30) is even more revealing because what the Lord Christ did was make it vividly clear that NO ONE can attain eternal life by works for all are 'rich' in their own eyes and love this world and the things of this world and themselves most, all of which are sin. The only thing that has merit is Christ Himself and thus one must forsake their sinful worldly 'love' and love God and follow after Christ.

It is the responsibility and the necessity of those who would speak of the Gospel to sinners to remove any vestige of self-righteousness and self-reliance and point to Christ. ONLY THEN will anyone truly seek salvation in Christ. We are to speak the TRUTH about God and His perfect holiness, about man's fallen condition, his total hopelessness and helplessness, and the perfect righteousness of Christ, without which no man shall see God except as Judge with the end being eternal damnation and punishment. We must have that compulsion to speak of those things for the honor of God and for the sake of that multitude of poor needy sinners who are on the road to eternal hell. We must not be ashamed of the Gospel, for IT is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.