Page 514 … the Final Authority
You subsequently noted that “the Bible is the final authority on sin and its consequences”, and to this I say – Fair enough, my Friend. And yet if this is truly the case, then why are you yourself denying what the Bible itself says about sin and its consequences?
*Whatever happened to us reaping only what we sow (see Jeremiah 17:10, Luke 6:38, Galatians 6:7-8, Revelation 20:12-13)?
*And whatever happened to God being the embodiment of perfect LOVE (Matthew 5:48), & perfect LOVE having not even the slightest blemish of punishment (1 John 4:18)?
*And whatever happened to us being as merciful as the Father is merciful (Luke 6:36) and forgiving others endlessly, just as He forgives (Matthew 18:22)?
*And whatever happened to the arrogant (including you & yours) not being allowed entry into Jesus’ Kingdom (see Matthew 7:1-5 + Matthew 18:3-4)?
Whatever happened to those verses, my dear Friend? Why are they not important to you & yours when Leviticus 18:22 & Leviticus 20:13 & Jude 1:7 (et al) so clearly are?
Just as importantly – as both 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 & 1 Timothy 1:9-10 clearly show, we are all equal sinners in the eyes of the Lord, my Friend. Yes, some sins in the Bible are referred to as “abominations” (and as such can be reasonably said to carry more weight than others), and yet each & every one of us can be said to be a regular violator of these special sins as well … Indeed, Proverbs 6:16-19 lists quite a few “abominations” – among them being the arrogant judgment of others (“haughty eyes”), the consumption of animals (“hands that shed innocent blood”), those who justify war (“feet that make haste to run to evil”), those who gossip behind others’ backs (“a false witness who breathes out lies”) and those who publicly criticize the sins of fellow Christians (“one who sows discord among brothers”). Indeed, Proverbs 16:5 on its own notes that “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord” … As such, when all these verses are taken together, they mean that you & yours are just as guilty of committing “abominations” as any lustful gay man or woman might be!
And what are the implications of this Truth? What are the implications of you & yours calling out homosexuals for engaging in a form of sex that the Old Testament deems to be an “abomination”? Hypocrisy, my Friend! … Doing so makes you hypocritical – not innately, of course, and yet most certainly every time you openly condemn the sins of homosexuals.
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged … Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own? … You hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup [of others], but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence … First clean the inside of your own cup, so that the outside might then also become truly clean.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:1-3 + 23:25-26)
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