At this point you may be asking where love and acceptance fit into all of this. Actually you're probably asking where I've been I haven't finished this series in about six months. The answer to the latter is a combination of laziness and busyness. But that is not important.
In the first part of this series, I described how sin is, at its core, a rebellion against the sovereignty of Yahveh, the Almighty Creator and God of the universe. We are born in this state of rebellion and it is only through the sacrifice of Christ and swearing allegiance to him that we can switch sides back to God. In a metaphorical sense, Christ's death on the Cross puts us back in the Garden where we have the same choice as Adam and Eve between the two trees.
The second part of the series dealt specifically with the question of homosexuality and how it relates to the way of the Kingdom of Heaven. According to what the Bible says, the homosexual lifestyle (key word: "lifestyle") is not compatible with the Kingdom of Heaven.
This brings us back to the question posed at the beginning: where does the love and acceptance of Christ fit into all of this? How do we, as Christians deal, with the question of homosexuality?
Admittedly it is a bit of a sticky question. On the one hand, people remind me that Jesus hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes and that I am called to love people like Christ did. But on the other hand I know that homosexuality is not an acceptable lifestyle for the members of the Kingdom of Heaven. So how can these be reconciled?
I think the root of the issue is a misunderstanding about the difference between "acceptance" and "tolerance." Often, as with like and love, we think of acceptance and tolerance as the same thing. They are not. So what then is the difference?
Acceptance is what we allow to come in. Think of it like university acceptance standards for admissions. Some have very high acceptance standards where to get in you need good recommendations, high grades, excellent test scores, and a long list of other things for admissions, Harvard for example. Others will take you if you have a pulse, like most community colleges.
Tolerance is what we allow to stay in. Continuing the university example, most universities have an academic standard that must be maintained. If you don't maintain that standard, you're out. Again some are stricter than others but even community colleges aren't particularly pleased with poor grades. And, no matter what school you attend, if you fail your core classes, you cannot receive your degree.
Christianity is a very accepting religion. As said in the last post, salvation is no respecter of persons. All are welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven, regardless of past or history. In the last post, I quoted Paul from 1st Corinthians giving a long list of sins that will exclude people from being saved. Then Paul immediately points out the Corinthians all did these things but Christ had sanctified them. John 3:16 reminds us that Christ died for the whole world. Jesus spent much of his time seeking out sinners and the lowest of the low because, as he put it, "It is the sick that need a doctor, not the healthy." A thief was promised salvation as he was dying on the cross next to Jesus. Paul writes in Romans that the gift of eternal life is free to all who accept it. Reading the New Testament from beginning to end, it is perfectly clear that there is no standard one must have lived up to be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven; no "you must be at least this high to ride." All are welcome.
However, while Christianity is a very accepting religion, it is a very intolerant religion. If you choose to follow Christ, that means you accept his lordship over you (Romans 10:9), which in turn means that you accept to live by his rules. Jesus does not make any accommodations for anyone. When he said in his Sermon on the Mount "Be perfect therefore, as your Father in Heaven is perfect," he wasn't kidding.
There is a story that illustrates this perfectly in Matthew 19. Most people know it as the story of the Rich Young Man or Rich Young Ruler. The gist of the story is that this young man who is quite wealthy comes up to Christ, asking what he needs to do to obtain eternal life. At first Jesus tells the man that he needs to keep the commandments, to which the young man replies that he had. Though his claim is suspicious, Jesus accepts this and adds that the young man needs to sell everything has, give the proceeds to the poor and follow him.
At this, the man balks because, as Matthew writes, "he had great wealth" (verse 19). What does Jesus? Nothing. He just lets him go. No compromising, no "hold on, let's talk about this." Christ was willing to let this guy walk away from eternal life rather than compromise. That is textbook intolerance. And you know what? I'm okay with that.
That is because Christianity is about going somewhere. We aren't just a club to sit around sipping drinks and discussing politics. If it was, then intolerance would make no sense. But we aren't a club; we're a movement. We are moving toward building the world that Christ will one day recreate and rule his way. This world will be the world as it should have been with no pain, no sickness, no death, and no sin period.
This is the world that we as Christians are working towards which means eliminating character traits, habits, thoughts, lifestyles and such that will have no place in the New Earth. One of those, one of many, is homosexuality. As Christians, we are to be focused solely on following Yahveh and emulating him to the best of our ability, as we were created to do in the beginning. Those who want to join us are more than welcome, regardless of background or past or anything. And those who don't, don't have to; just as Christ didn't force the Rich Young Ruler to follow him, neither do we force anyone to follow Christ.
If you're still confused, think of Christianity like a bus and the people on the bus as Christians. We are all going to a specific destination on a very specific route, say New York on I-80. Anyone who is going where we're going the way we're going is welcome, no matter how gross he or she might be. We'll take kings and beggars equally. That is the accepting part of Christianity.
But what if someone comes along that wants to get on, but instead of going to New York decides he wants to go to LA? Or wants to go along I-10? That person, no matter how good or bad, is frankly not welcome. It has nothing to do with them personally; it is simply that they are not going where we're going and the bus driver (Christ) is not going to change for him or her. He or she must be willing to change for the bus driver.
Someone who wants to be a Christian but wants to keep living their life their own way is like that person. They are not going to the same destination or the same way that Christ is and such are not welcomed.
This is true for so much more than just homosexuality. This is true for anything that is sin, which is why there are so many lists of what is not in the Kingdom of Heaven in the New Testament. Sin is ultimately setting yourself up as your own God and dictator of your own reality. That rebellion against the sovereignty of Yahveh is what started this whole mess in the first place and it will ultimately be wiped out.
As members of the Christian movement, we are obligated to accept with open arms all those who are serious about following Christ as their lord and savior, no matter how sordid their past might be. But equally so we are obligated to not bend or compromise the way of Christ for anyone, no matter how appealing they might be. The Rich Young Ruler was just that, rich, young, and influential. I am sure there were many disciples who were furious that Christ let him walk away rather than compromise. But that is not his way. And that is what this is all really about: living life Christ's way. It is not easy and demands sacrifice of all of us. After all, Jesus himself said that the way is narrow there are few that find it.
Now this does not mean that those who slip up are automatically kicked off the bus. Hardly because we are still heading in the same direction. But those who try to change the bus's directions or want to go a different route are. Christ had infinite patience for those who truly desired to follow him, but none for those who did not. The same is true with us. Those who truly are seeking Christ are accepted unilaterally and with no hesitation. But those who want to live their own way as Christians we are to have no tolerance towards.
