Dr. Edwards was recently fired by Cliff College in Sheffield, England, a Methodist institution, as a result of comments he made on Twitter (details here). The firestorm was triggered by his statement that, “Homosexuality is invading the Church. Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this b/c they’re busy apologising for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it’s true. This is a ‘Gospel issue,’ by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour [British spelling].”
Of course, the need for a Savior is based on the broad reality that our sin nature needs to be paid for in some way. However, in an attempt to refine his point, Edwards went on to state, “That is the conservative view. The acceptance of homosexuality as ‘not sinful’ is an invasion upon the Church, doctrinally. This is not controversial. The acceptance is controversial. Most of the global Church would agree. It is not homophobic to declare homosexuality sinful.”
Can a Biblical Christian ‘come out’ as acknowledging his belief that homosexuality is a sin and not be considered homophobic?
The answer is, it depends on who is defining homophobia.
Webster defines homophobia as, “irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or gay people”.
To anyone who sees the Bible as a document generated by man, the definition above would clearly apply to those who call homosexuality a sin. This is a very large group, and growing every day. It includes atheists, agnostics, and Christians who either reject, choose to ignore, or reinterpret the verses typically offered in support of this position.
To any Biblical Christians who believe the Bible was written by God (penned by man under Divine inspiration) and therefore without error, and are pragmatic in their willingness to interpret what God is saying at face value, Webster’s definition offers an escape clause.
A Biblical Christian can love the sinner and still acknowledge the sin. To do so is not homophobic.
“Irrational fear of, [or] aversion to” sinners of any stripe is not a position supported by the Bible. Neither is “discrimination”. When these attributes enter into the mind and/or actions of Biblical Christians, we are viewing our fellow man based on our sin of prejudice.
Matthew 7:5 – You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
We are all sinners and we all fall short (Rom. 3:23). No one has escaped that reality. Some sin is public and some is private, but, to the believer, all sin is known by God, and will be either judged based on our works (Judgment Seat of God – 2 Cor. 5:9*11), or totally and completely forgiven by the grace of our Lord (Eps. 2:8-9, Rom. 10:9). No behavior, regardless of its view in society, is above the love and grace of God for forgiveness. The only unforgivable sin is to reject the sacrifice Christ made on the cross, making Him less than our Lord and Savior.
Author – Jeff Hilles | BCWorldview.org
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
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