I've Thought Long And Hard

I have thought long and hard about some of the articles that have appeared in The Courier these past weeks, the ones written by Virgil Vaupel, Susan Watterson, Bonnie Davidson and Joann Beard. I feel there is more that should be said because there is a terrible sadness in my heart over many who are being mislead by those who do not know the word of God. They are telling sinners it is alright to do things that the Bible clearly says not to do.

We are all sinners. The Bible states this very clearly in Romans 3:23, where it says, “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” (NAS) In 1 Cor. 6: 9 & 10, Gal. 5: 19 & 21, as well as many other places in the Bible, it names many sins that we are allowing in our lives because we don't think they are all that bad. How about gossip? I'm sure there are very few of us who can say we have never committed this sin.

Lying or stealing is just as bad. If you have ever taken a paper clip, or a pen from work, and haven't asked if you could have it, you are stealing. If we have a 15-minute coffee break and we take 17 minutes, we have just stolen two minutes from our boss. According to the Bible, these are sins worthy of death. When the Bible talks about a sin being worthy of death, it means we are worthy of ending up in the burning fires of Hell (separation from God), rather than the peaceful rest of Heaven.

Now let's get to the gay and lesbian situation, which started all these letters. In Romans chapter 1, starting with verse 18-32, verse 18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Verse 33 says, “Professing to be wise, they became fools.”

Because people have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, in verses 26-27, “God gave them over to degrading passions: for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men, committing indecent acts and receiving in their own person the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.” Verse 32 says, “Although they know the ordnance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” This tells me that pastors and Christians, who are telling others it is alright to be gay, or it is alright to be an abortionist, are just as worthy of death as the ones who are doing the act.

Again, we are all sinners. The Bible says in 1 John, chapter 1, verse 8-10, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him (God) a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Now, I know there are probably some of you out there who have been struggling with some kind of sin in your life. God's word says that if we confess our sin, He will forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Isn't that wonderful? I know people who can help you if you truly want to be helped, and they won't sugarcoat or lie to you about what the Bible says about sin. If this is you, give me a call. I want to see all of you in Heaven.

Karen Bender is from Glasgow.