WHEN THE CHURCH ENABLES SIN

On March 1, 2019, The United Methodist Church made history when it voted against a plan that would have paved the way for gay “marriage” and clergy (LifeSiteNews). However, this has caused a rift within the UMC. A university church senior pastor John Elford claimed that:

·       “It creates a second-class citizen in the church. It’s like you’re not a full Christian, and you can’t do all the things that the rest of us can do. We think that’s wrong.”

Well, a refusal to repent of sin carries serious consequences, as Jesus had warned:

·       And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:2-5 (ESV)

If Jesus called sinners to repent, shouldn’t we! Isn’t that the most loving thing that we can do? It would seem that justifying their refusal to repent is the most heartless thing we could possibly do if we believe in Jesus and that the ultimate good is to be united with Him.

It’s not just about LGBTQ. It’s about refusing to repent of any sin. It’s to tell Jesus, “I know better than you how to run my life.” He certainly gives us this freedom, but love should warn about the great consequences: 

·       For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:26-27)

It seems that sexual sin carries a greater penalty than most. Elsewhere, Paul explained:

·       Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

Following Paul’s logic, we cannot glorify God if we refuse to repent of such sin. To take it a step further, a church that encourages such sin is particularly deserving God’s wrath. Their leadership should know better. To encourage sin is to be an enemy of God:

·       You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (James 4:4-5)

Even our silence in the face of church compromise is sin:

·       So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Therefore, Scripture instructs us to “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).