I have avoided this thread, because it is touching on some very important topics... as you always do. The issue above all issues with this pastor is that they are void of scriptural knowledge.
The law of Moses places us all in specific need of Jesus' D-B-R. I do believe I may get a fat lip for saying this... but James is still profitable for doctrine and Paul did say "All Scripture", even after he specifically explained that he understood the Diaspora Dispensation and the Gentile Dispensation... so... James 2:10 comes in here and binds to the very verbiage of Romans 2:1 .
This is kind of messed up... but if we are guilty of the entire Law by infracting one point... it becomes obvious that every saved sinner, sainted by the propitiation of Christ Alone and the imputed righteousness is equally guilty and equally forgiven.
I will now go a step further and cite two sources that are unexpected.
I have a friend that is full out Gay. He is a kind man and full of sincere compassion. I was venting to him about 7 years ago... that many gospel teachers are approaching homosexuality wrong and thus blaspheming the effectiveness of the gospel.
I pointed out that we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God and are thus afforded to approach all "sinners" as the "future forgiven".
He listened to me rant on for about 10 minutes and stopped me. What he said was unexpected. He told me that the bible clearly condemns homosexuality as sin of the flesh and that there was a militant group of Gays and non-Gays that were throwing their lifestyle in everyone's faces. He explained that the Gays and Gay Supporters that are trying to regulate peoples religious views and morals were no better then the people that tried to use their moral and religious views to regulate peoples sexuality.
In this current decade... we are finding out that liberal agenda with the LGBT community and all other "discrimination" concepts that are bathed in liberal tears... are... well... ACTUALLY harming "minority groups" and the "LGBT" community.
Why am I bringing this up? There are indeed saved homosexuals. There are actual Conservative Gay Christians that would have dragged this preacher off the stage. I have had the privilege of meeting a few of them and they are enormously outspoken and they acknowledge that people have the right to morally condensed upon any individual they choose. They also acknowledge that homosexuality is a sin by the law of Moses. The issue? Their sin makes them more visible...
On this note... I would say... this pastor is an idiot... If he was concerned about how his flock treated others... He should have read from the book of James...
James 2
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.”[c] Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
This is pretty clear... and it binds to Paul's teaching here...
Romans 2
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
We are hidden in Jesus... and the bottom line is that if we peak out of our SHELTER to point out the SINNER or the People THAT POINT OUT THE SINNER... we become visible before God of our own iniquity.
What does this mean? It means that this pastor was as guilty as the people he was angry at and scripturally ignorant to boot!
We are all bathed in mercy and rendered silent to point out anthers sins of the flesh. This is the most offensive part of the GOSPEL to many.
editing in... I have rarely met a gay or lesbian that was happy with the way their life is going. They are usually ripped apart by a revolving door of relationship failure. They all tend to open up to the gospel if simply respected as people and listened to patiently. I know one couple that is Gay that have been together longer than a lot of straight marriages... but... they are an anomaly. Homosexuality has become the go to example of the Reprobated Sinner, due to a misunderstanding of what Paul was speaking of in Romans 1. This means the church has to get up to speed and wait for the gay or lesbian individual to express their need for Jesus and dissatisfaction with their lifestyle. Sin has its' way of driving people to God, or things that they try to replace God with...
The Gay Man, The Thief, The Murderer, The Glutton, The Wife Beater, The Proud, The Boastful.. All of them are equally in need of salvation by the condemnation of the LAW and equally SAVED by JESUS.
All respect,
- EE
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I will put this one other way... either Jesus atoned for all sin cited in "THE LAW"... or He did not.
It's one or the other.
All human sin... or "some" human sin.
Either the DBR is far reaching... or it is "some reaching". I'm probably unpopular for saying this... but to pick and choose "who" Jesus died for and then claim He did die for ALL MEN... While they were yet sinners... is an instant disqualification of salvation by faith.
My point... Augustine Original Sin has ruined GRACE and it causes people that claim to be gritty TRUTH representatives to betray their very own teachings. Either we are ALL guilty of Willful Sin... or we were "made to sin".
