Gossip is Overrated, Other Sins are Underrated

Dear Subscribers: This devotion was published last Monday, but due to a problem with our subscriber service, it didn't go out. So we are sending it out today. We're sorry for the inconvenience of not having a devotion last Monday. ~ Michael and Gail Purath

If you want to hear “our job is to love, not to judge” or “that sin is no worse than other sins,” don’t bring up gossip, greed, drunkenness, or slander. 

But when you discuss God’s strong condemnation of homosexuality in passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, be prepared to hear lots of soft responses. You might also hear how gay people are mistreated by Christians even though you've never met a Christian who mistreated a gay person. 

If you’re in a group of Christians where someone mentions homosexuality and you begin hearing soft responses, why not bring up some other sin such as gossip and see if anyone says we should love gossips and not judge them. See if anyone talks about Christians mistreating gossips. 

We don’t call passages about slander, gossip, or greed “clobber passages.” But that’s the name many “Christians” give passages about homosexuality. 

This shows us that culture has influenced Christianity regarding LGBTQ lifestyles, making them “protected sins.” 

We need to understand this truth: When people insist on treating sexual sins softly, they are judging God because God does not treat them softly.

Let's not be taken in by this rhetoric. Let's call sin, sin. Let's admit that it's something we can overcome if we trust Christ. Let's quit sugar-coating sins to accommodate our ungodly culture. 

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Note: When you talk about sexual sins, people sometimes bring up John 8:1-11, using it to claim that God doesn't judge people who commit sexual sins and neither should we. To understand that error, see The Fake Jesus Changes the Meaning of John 8:1-11.  When we talk about sexual sins, it's also common for people to claim that all sins are the same in God's eyes. This devotion will help you answer that error: All Sins Are Not the Same.

 

 BLN