This past week Congress past a $680 billion Defense Spending Bill that had a hate crimes measure attached to it. This law could have devastating effects on our right to free speech and our right to propagate the Gospel and to preach against sin. But this article is intended to explore one of the possible reasons such legislation has been passed. At least it gives something to think about.
Hate Crimes and Loving Christians
“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
Just this week, Congress passed a $680 billion Defense Spending Bill. Included in this bill is a “hate crimes” measure that broadens protection for lesbians, gays, and transgender individuals. Senator Boxer said that these individuals should not have to live in fear. This measure protects them from crimes committed against them based on their “sexual orientation.”
I agree that crimes should not be committed against these people simply because of their “sexual orientation.” However, this law would be completely unnecessary if the laws that are already in place were enforced properly. As one man pointed out, all crimes are hate crimes. No one steals from someone, kidnaps someone, or kills someone because he loves that person. No, all crime is motivated by hate.
There is also a great potential for abuse in this law. It could be used to attempt to silence Christians and pastors and minister in speaking their beliefs on this issue.
But this bill will not assure that lesbians, gays, and transgender individuals live without fear. They are living in direct disobedience to God, and God says that such people live in fear of death and because of this fear are all their lifetime subject to bondage. (See Hebrews 2:15)
But, why were these people driven to ask for such legislation? Are they in danger of “hate” crimes? What about Christians? Don’t Christians love them?
I think even in this case we are reaping what we have sown. One day I was researching a particular topic and came across a homosexual website. On this site a man told how his “Christian” acquaintances said he should be killed because he is a homosexual. His friends had the same experience. “Christians” had told them that they were worthy of death because of their lifestyle. None of these homosexuals said anything about these Christians showing them any love.
Under this homosexual’s blog entry were comments. Most of these comments were from “Christians.” And most of these comments were very unkind. Only one Christian wrote a comment and told this man about the love of Christ. One “Christian” even wrote, “You are the dirtiest, low-down scum that ever dragged its knuckles in the dirt.”
What did this "Christian" do? He just proved to this homosexual that his impressions of “Christians” were right - they hated homosexuals and thought they should be put to death.
Yes, homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism (by surgical operation or drug induced) is an abomination to God. Such people are worthy of death. And so is every other sinner in the world. “The wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23. Every sin has the reward of death. Wages are payment given in return for work. Wages are what the worker deserves for his efforts. For sin, the wages is death.
Remember what this "Christian" said, “You are the dirtiest, low-down scum that ever dragged its knuckles in the dirt.” What if Jesus had said that to the thief on the cross? to the Canaanite woman whose daughter was grievously vexed with a devil? to the woman taken in adultery? to the sinner woman who anointed his head with oil and washed his feet with tears and wiped them with her hair? What would we think of Jesus today if He had said such things to sinners? Why should Christians say them? Didn't Jesus die for this homosexual man too?
A man by the name of Mark Cahill has written a wonderful book on soulwinning. It is called, One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven. I disagree with him in some areas, such as separation; however, this is one of the best books I have ever read on soulwinning. In it, he describes an experience he had witnessing to homosexuals at a gay and lesbian festival. He said many gays and lesbians think about eternity because there is so much death among them.
Mr. Cahill told about a man whom he met in 1999. This man told him that 20 years before he had had his picture taken with 80 friends at a gay bar in Atlanta. Now, there were only 5 of those men left. Within 20 years, 75 of this gay man’s friends had died. The man even thanked Mr. Cahill for sharing the gospel with him and for his loving attitude while doing it.
Now, I’m not proposing we go down to a gay and lesbian festival to witness. They are places of great temptation. Any effort to go there to witness should be preceded by times of intense prayer and preparation in the Scriptures. And any trip made there should be with the express purpose of reaching people for Christ, with no other purpose in mind.
But I thought of the group who went to such a festival to protest. I don’t necessarily think they were doing anything wrong. I didn’t read anything about them hating these people or wanting to harm them. It took great courage for them to stand up for what they believed. But they stood outside the gay and lesbian festival with signs that protested their activity. After reading Mr. Cahill’s account, I wondered how much more impact this group might have had if they had just mingled with a few of these folk at the festival and lovingly shared Christ with them. They already know what we think of their lifestyle. Do they know there is any hope and freedom from it?
When we were in Florida, we were at a place that gives food out to those in need. A transgender individual walked in. The workers at this place were Christians and took this individual to a room for counseling. For some reason they did not allow him to shut the door. But I remember that the counselor took the word of God and very lovingly and with much compassion showed the individual his sin and showed him the Saviour.
Please do not get me wrong. I believe that Congress should not have passed this hate crimes legislation. But I wonder, are some of these things coming to pass in our country because we don’t have compassion on the sinner and because we really don’t care?
Homosexuality is a serious sin. But so is lack of compassion and our failure to share Christ with the lost. The homosexual and lesbians do not know Christ. They cannot do right without salvation. But there should be no excuse for those of us who do know Christ.
I know I often do not have compassion on the lost. I know I often do not share Christ with others because I am afraid of what they will think or do. But this is just as much a sin as homosexuality or lesbianism. I just watched a video online in which the woman commented, “The principle of the gospel is this, The Gospel always brings life to the receiver and death to the giver… If giving the Gospel meant death for Jesus Christ, should we expect that it means any less for us?” May God help me, and all of His children, to have compassion on the sinner and to show the sinner the Saviour.
As Mr. Cahill says, “The best lovers on earth should be Christians. Our Bible says that ‘God is love’ (I John 4:8), and we have a relationship with Him… Let the love of God shine through you.” (p. 80)