The Church of Jesus Christ has come under attack again. Indeed these are perilous times.
Of late, we have seen so much that saddens and sickens. The Pope has referred to non-Catholic churches as “defective” and lesser than the true church.1 A local assembly in Kuala Lumpur has got its members focusing on their “shapes” instead of “spirituality”. And just as we thought that things couldn’t get worse, they did - a self-professed homosexual wanted to start a “gay church” in our country, and it attracted much publicity in our local newspapers.
We need to get back to basics. What is a church? A group of people gathering together for a meeting with Bibles in hand, listening to a preacher does not automatically constitute a church. A group for practicing homosexuals, led by practicing homosexuals – I definitely would not call it a “church”. A “homosexual church” is a theological oxymoron.
The apostle Peter clearly teaches (1 Pet. 2:9) that the Church of Jesus Christ is a living temple, a h-o-l-y nation. Holiness is an essential attribute.
The call to holiness includes leaving behind all lifestyles involving sex outside of marriage. Normalizing homosexuality redefines the notion and theology of sin and makes a mockery of Christ’s atoning death for sinners. It renders meaningless the biblical doctrines of repentance, holiness and sanctification. It makes a farce of the church as salt and light to the sinful world.
I would not dignify a homosexual setup by calling it a “c________”. I think there will be less agitation if the community of churches do likewise.
Let us be simple concerning evil. Churches have been unanimous for nearly 2,000 years, and Judaism before that, as well as the overwhelming majority of churches today, that God’s context for sex is the publicly-pledged lifelong union of a man and a woman, i.e. marriage. The Church has not been wrong in this. Homosexuality is sin. This is the Church’s historical scriptural position. God clearly condemns men who burn with passion with men (Rom. 1:27).
The prophet Isaiah reminds us, “Woe to those who call evil good…” (Isa. 5:20) So often people bend backwards to be polite. But we need to make a strong stand against those who try to reinterpret Scripture to support homosexuality. We must not bow to pressure of accusations of exclusivity, narrowmindedness
or supposed infringement of human rights, but instead be clear and hold firm to Scripture’s teaching.
The Church of Jesus Christ consists of all persons who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and made new creatures in Christ. It comprises sinners drawn by the grace of God who are able to testify, “that is what I was; but I have been washed…” Anything less is not a church. |
