Many years ago, part of my job in ministry was to hire chaplains as evangelists in the workplace all across America. Applicants were typically seminary-trained pastors who desired to share the gospel, build relationships, and care for company employees, rather than attend church committee meetings and dealing with home-grown deacons.

I was the first screener and, after numerous other hurdles, often the last before offering full time employment. My focus was to determine if these “chaplicants” had the right heart for the work. Of all the probing questions I asked, one of the most interesting was …

“Can a practicing homosexual go to Heaven?”

The percentage of those who said “no” to this question was quite high and perhaps you would say no as well … For those who answered yes, I asked for clarification and moved on. For those who answered no, I would then ask …

“Do you know a pastor or born-again believer you look up to spiritually, who is overweight?”

Taken somewhat off guard, “yes,” was the immediate answer, especially given the state of American health. I then reminded the chaplicant that our bodies are a temple to the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and so gluttony (in most circumstances avoidable) is a continuing, (often unrepentant) sin. Next question …

“So, are your overweight spiritual superstars going to Hell as well?”

Proverbs 23:20-21 - Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

Proverbs 28:7 - The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

Philippians 3:19 - Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

The obvious final question was…

“Why does a practicing homosexuality go to Hell for his/her sins, yet the continuing sin of gluttony does not?”

James 2:10 - For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

To be clear, I had many reasons to travel down this road with those who desired to become chaplains. I wanted to put them under stress in a one-on-one situation, given what they will be walking into in the secular workplace. Further, it was important to see how willing they were to consider new ways of looking at their preconceived notions of theology and, most importantly, how legalistic they were. Beating the lost over the head with the Bible is not the way to build relationships, while walking the floors of a manufacturing or insurance company. The environment of corporate America is very different than the protected church cocoon where pastors are the stars of the show.

A Comment from a Reader

Much more recently I received a similar statement from a Medium.com reader related to a post on the LGBT community …

“Anyone who lives openly in Unrepentant sin is not a Christian and should be excommunicated from a Biblical church.”

He continued by quoting (in KJV) 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 which makes clear that homosexuality is a sin, punishable by “destruction of the flesh.” Interestingly however, verse five reads …

1 Corinthians 5:5 - To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

This verse opens up Pandora’s Box on many levels but, for this post, my comments are limited to the last half which actually offers a solution to the reader’s belief that unrepentant sin automatically means “not a Christian.” God offers an escape route for all sin (sometimes even unsuccessful efforts by Satan himself) through acceptance of a personal relationship with Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Conclusion

If we start from the premise that “all have sinned and fallen short,” (Romans 3:23) and add Paul’s lament that he desires to lead a pure life in his mind but his body often refuses to follow that path (Romans 7:22-24), and then add the fact that as a born-again Christian, we can and do grieve the Holy Spirit but are sealed until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30), the truth is that God no longer sees the believer’s sins, which are as far as east is from west (Psalm 103:12). From that perspective, we get a sense of the extent of His grace and mercy (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is NOT to say that our sin, whether homosexuality, gluttony, or a thousand other behaviors, should not create a check in the heart of a believer. It is, however, to offer the hope and love of the Father who sees us as His children, constantly making mistakes as our kids do, but still loving us unconditionally.