It’s Not about Love; It’s about the Truth – Profession of a Homosexual Sinner on the BJS Site, by Pr. Rossow

Our BJS website is very blessed to have a truthful, revealing and Scriptural profession of a man who struggles with the sin of homosexuality. His words are instructive for all of us as to what homosexuality is and how it is to be addressed.

His name is Andrew and he has become a regular commenter on the site. The specific comment I am referring to was made on a post from August 15th. It is actually two comments. They were given in response to two telling liberal comments in defense of the ELCA’s position on sexuality. Before getting to Andrew’s comments let’s consider the liberal battle slogans to which he responded.

They both came from a commenter by the name of Sig Arneson. Here is his first sloganized attempt to defend the unbiblical position of the ELCA.

“new occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth.” So wrote Jas. Russell Lowell 1819-1891) Scriptures have been utilized by reactionaries to seek to promote or deny slavery, women’s full participation, hair styles, jewelry, round earth,food restrictions,miscegnation,right of kings, and many more matters now seen as totally dated and irrelevant. What lasts is “let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry. Micah 5:24) Three cheers for the ELCA that has sought to do just that! (comment #21)

This is the liberal slogan of “peace and justice.” In this approach the Scriptures are reduced to mere moralism. Here is how this works. Because the forgiveness of sins through the blood atonement of Christ is considered an obsolete and unenlightened idea by the liberals, they are left with little more than the moralism that says we are to be good people, and in the case of “peace and justice,” to be especially good to the poor and those discriminated against.

Here is Andrew’s response to this call to let peace and justice flow…

Um, no thanks. Justice would send me to hell. I would rather have forgiveness, if you don’t mind. Praise God for the LCMS which is one of the few denominations where forgiveness through Christ in the Means of Grace is still the central message. (comment #23)

Another sloganized approach in support of the unscriptural ELCA approach to sexuality is the hundred year old theology of “Gospel reductionism.” Sig Arneson put it this way:

Well, I thought that ”Love your neighbor as yourself” took a pretty high place on the theological pecking order and was not the “road to hell” as Andrew suggests. Jesus made loving neighbor a very direct litmus test of how we should conduct ourselves in God’s world, not deny women the right to proclaim the Word or castigate gays for who they are or any of the many of the other adiaphoral issues. (comment #32)

This approach reduces God’s word of law and Gospel to the Gospel only. The law is seen as antiquated, culturally generated, harsh and obtrusive. God is love and so anything done in the name of love is acceptable, including homosexual love. This approach rejects the notion that all of God’s word is inerrant. It is only words of Gospel, love and forgiveness that are considered truly from God.

Here is Andrew’s response to the Gospel reduction approach.

I said justice is the road to hell. God’s justice proclaims us all sinners deserving of condemnation.

And homosexuality is hardly an adiaphoral issue for me. As I have posted on this blog before, I am homosexual.

But God’s Word says that homosexual intercourse is wrong. I have looked at all the pro-gay interpretation of the relevant Scripture passages and, frankly, they violate just about every rule of scriptural interpretation and common sense.

Therefore, a person who truly loves me will tell me that homosexual sex is a sin, call me to repentance should I happen to fall, offer me the forgiveness of Christ and give me their fellowship. And, for the record, I have never met a single LCMS pastor who did not do these things for me in a very loving and forgiving manner. I have been very pleased with all the LCMS pastors to whom I have confessed and with whom I have spoken.

A person who does not do this does not love me. (comment #33)

Andrew bases his notion of sexuality on all of God’s word. He recognizes that there is sin, that it must be confessed and that God’s forgiveness of confessed sin results in power to overcome the temptation. Andrew’s approach is simple, Godly and Scriptural and we thank him for his courage and for his knowledge.

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