Is it wrong for a person to condemn another person because they are a sinner? Of course it is. The very act of condemning, or judging, someone is left to God alone. What if that person is a homosexual? Ah, now it gets tricky.
There is a lot of talk from all over the political and theological spectrum on how to deal with the issue that is homosexuality. No one is really sure what to do with it. Are we supposed to accept them even if they are homosexual? No.
This answer may surprise you, but let me be clear: the very act of accepting someone means that we have formerly condemned them. What did I say about condemnation? I don’t want to be put in the position where I am forced to accept anybody.
I would like to present a different idea to the table now. Instead of accepting someone, respect them. Non-homosexual christians feel that homosexuals are a broken people. In reality, we are all broken. How dare we think that just because we like the opposite sex that we are better than them.
You may want to throw the paper across the room now and say something to the effect of “Now wait a minute, doesn’t the Bible condemn homosexuals?” This is where many of us stray off the path. John McLendon of the GodWhy church makes a significant distinction between a homosexual orientation and homosexual behavior.
“Being homosexual is a state or an orientation; a person who has a homosexual orientation might not ever express that orientation in actions… A person could engage in homosexual acts even if he has a heterosexual orientation,” said McLendon.
The Bible condemns homosexual actions, not the person who is oriented in that way. Leviticus 18:22 reads, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” Of course, along with all the other prohibitions in the old testament, many people have grown to ignore them. We eat all kinds of foods, including those that used to be considered unclean, so what is the big deal with homosexual behavior?
What we must keep in mind is that while that was indeed in the Old Testament, Jesus reaffirms this stance by stating in Mark chapter 10:6-8, “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh.” Get it?
Back to the main issue: respect. Respecting people is hard to do at times. They might do something stupid, go drinking, or have different views than you do. Does that mean that we are called to condemn them? Of course not. The next time you start thinking about how much better you are than somebody else, just remember this: God doesn’t care how little your sins are. Be a respectful Christian.