Christian Living

A Letter to Christians

by Dalton Nugent
06/16/15
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As Christians, we often hear the term “Gay marriage” or “Marriage Equality,” and our first response is one of disgust, or worse, judgement. We mightn’t always admit it, but it is definitely there. In this conflict within our global society around the issues of Marriage, and what defines a relationship, we often find ourselves drawing lines between ‘heterosexuals’ and ‘homosexuals.’ Between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Despite God calling us to love all people, regardless of ethnicity, gender, spirituality or other distinction. Despite any sin they may have committed, we are called to love them all as God loves them. Does God distinguish ‘sin’ from ‘sin?’ Are we called to love only those who haven’t murdered, or those who haven’t committed what we consider a ‘serious’ crime? Now don’t take me as saying that these are not serious offences, by all means they still are, but should we label the people who commit them as somehow ‘worse’ than the rest of us? Are we not all tainted by sin?

I would like to draw your attention to the battle lines being drawn around us as we speak. There are many issues with which I could speak, but for this I’ll focus on the one of “Marriage Equality.” But not as a call to oppose it. Yes, oppose the legislation and petition the government, write letters and whatever else you are compelled to do, but I would call you to take a step back and focus on yourself for a moment. In the rush to counter this movement, and the huge uprising against it, I too often see Christians responding with repugnance, or condemnation. Our automatic response is to class those who practice this sort of sin as below us, and to act accordingly. Society labels us ‘Bigots,’ ‘hateful,’ or ‘discriminatory,’ and unfortunately I can sometimes see where they’re coming from. As Christians, we are called to love all people, but too often I see comments labelling homosexuality as somehow ‘worse’ than other sins or labelling homosexuals as ‘lost’ or for some reason needing more change than the rest of us. Might I remind you that we are all sinners, all driven by the desire to oppose God and commit atrocities, whether they be labelled great or small by society.

Gay marriage has become a big issue. There is no denying it. The gospel calls us to oppose it, as any other sinful design of the world. It calls us to oppose it in love. “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” This is as true now as it ever was. “Homosexual” and “Heterosexual” are labels, classifying people into different categories according to the works they do. It is sad to see that this has become a major classification these days. What happened to simply ‘people?’ People who are loved just as much as you are by God? People who, just like you, have been born into sin, raised in sin, and are now committing sin. People who need to experience God’s love for them, not people who need to be constantly rebuked and pressured and insulted for what type of sin they’ve committed.

I am not exempt from this. I will openly admit that I have fallen prey to this. In fact I still do. And whilst I strive to, in God, eliminate this response, I’m sure that I’ll still react in sin some of the time. And ultimately that is what it is. Sin. As we counter the growing anti-marriage movement, as called to by the gospel, we need to remember that it is the move to change legislation we are countering, and that it is no different than if an attempt was made to change the legislation regarding murder, or adultery, or even religious rights. We need to remember that on the other end of these comments, petitions and letters, or whatever else crops up, are real, loved-by-God, people. Humans who, just like us, have fallen prey to sin. Reacting in judgement, condemnation, oppression, is also sin. Answering in anything other than love for and from God, and love for the other person, is sin, and will more likely hurt the person than point them towards the cross. I have seen people driven away from God because we, myself included, have made their sin the focus, rather than their forgiveness, and it is something I never want to have to witness again. Christians driving people away from Christ. Is this the Gospel? Is this what Jesus calls us to do?

We need to oppose gay marriage through the gospel. We need to love the people on the other side of this debate as we love God, and as God has loved us. Change comes through God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, not through angry words or discrimination against. The only way to see lasting change is to oppose this issue with everlasting truth. People will sin. I will sin. You will sin. It does not matter what the sin is, God loves everyone and will forgive it, if we turn to him. As Christians, this is the fundamental truth upon which our lives should be built. This includes how we counter the growing gay marriage movement. We need to take the focus off stopping the sin as a whole, and put it back on the gospel. God is the one who can change people’s heart, not us. But we can stand for the truth. And we can show God’s love to those on the other side of that truth. God can work through us, we cannot work on our own.

God loves us. God loves everyone else. And so we should love everyone else, through our love for God. This is the truth laid down in the gospel. And I urge you to live it.