"It Gets Better" But Does It Really?

Tonight, my family and I were watching "The Biggest Loser" together on NBC. We were all kinda doing our own thing while watching it. I was playing with my puppy, Rodge was on his laptop, my mom and dad had gone to tuck Grayson and Gavin into bed, and this commercial came on...

I was astounded. I know that NBC is friendly to the pro-homosexual agenda, but I have NEVER seen it so blatantly displayed on a commercial. On a television show, it's a little different. You're choosing to watch that show, know the contents. It doesn't make it any more "right." I'm not saying that at all. But a commercial? The show we were watching is generally a good show (in seasons in the past we have had to flip the channel, but I don't remember having that problem this season) and wasn't pushing that "agenda."

Should we treat homosexual people badly? No! Honestly, Christians should be treating them kindly, because we are Christians! What kind of picture of Christ would we be presenting if we acted harshly towards homosexual people? Am I saying that we should condone their lifestyle? No! But think about it for a second. When a parent disciplines a child, is that parent being loving or hateful? The parent is being loving! Even though it might not seem loving on the "outside" the parent is doing the best thing for that child.

But what I think doesn't really matter. What really matters is what God says in the Bible...

Romans 1:18-31

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
 ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
 ²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
 ²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
 ²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

I Corinthians 6: 9-11

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men^{[a] 10} nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

John 8:1-11

¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.    ² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
   ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was  left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
   ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.
   “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Notice the last verse of this passage. Read it again and think about it for a moment. First Jesus did the loving thing; He didn't condemn her. He didn't say, "Woman, you're not even fit to be called a woman! You're a filthy pig! They caught you in the act of your sin! You aren't fit to be in My presence! I am sinless and don't want to be tainted by you. Leave now!!!!" No! He was loving, and kind. Like a loving father would be to a child who has disobeyed. He hated the sin but loved the sinner.

I Peter 3:15

¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

It's obvious from these verses that God views sexual immorality as sin. It is also obvious that no one is without sin. Does that mean that we should let sin slide right in front of us, without saying anything to the friend who is sinning? No! That would be the most unloving thing that we could do! Because, if the sin isn't repented of, that person will not inherit the kingdom of God. It's that simple. And honestly, that's the most unloving thing that we could do for that person.

One more thing to think about. We are all sinners. Christ died for all of us. No sin is too big for Him to erase. We as Christians, need to examine ourselves. Is there an on going sin that we need to get rid of? If someone comes to you and points out an area of sin, or an area where we could use growth, are we thankful for that being pointed out?

I am not a perfect person. I need to work on being kind and having a kind attitude towards people who are "open" about sexual sin. Just wanted to share what I was thinking about tonight...

From what I know from scripture, I'm convinced that if we live a life of continual sin (no matter what the sin is), it doesn't get better.
PS. Here are a few more verses pertaining to sexual immorality
Leviticus 20:10
Matthew 5:32
Matthew 15:19
Matthew 19:9
Mark 7:21
John 8:41
Acts 15:20
Acts 21:25
Romans 13:3
I Corinthians 5
I Corinthians 6:9-20
I Corinthians 7:1-3
I Corinthians 10:8
I Corinthians 5:19-21
Ephesians 5:3
Colossians 3:5