Knowledge and Responsibility
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."
- Acts 5:29
There is a movement afoot in our country to redefine marriage and family. Media and modern culture are pushing for same-sex marriage. The normalization of homosexuality is also gaining momentum, illustrated by television programs such as Modern Family and The New Normal.
With the emphasis on gay marriage and homosexuality in general, you would think a huge percentage of today's population must be gay. Some advocates say it is as high as 25 percent. Many accept the premise that it is at least 10 percent. But an extensive survey, the largest of its kind, was recently completed by the Gallup polling agency. The survey, which interviewed 120,000 Americans, revealed that 3.4 percent of the U.S. population is gay. That includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans. Even though it represents a small percentage of the population, it has become a major topic, and it has come right to the doorstep of the church.
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People like to portray Christians as gay bashers. But that is not the case at all. We don't see this as a worse sin, necessarily, than any other sin. I don't see the Bible distinguishing the sin of homosexuality as the greatest of all sins. In fact the Bible does talk about greater and lesser sins, but it would appear that the worst sin would be to sin against the light.
Let me illustrate. Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, a hardened, pagan, Roman man, "The one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin" (John 19:11). What would be a greater sin than sending Jesus to be executed after he had been scourged, as Pilate had done? A greater sin was committed by the high priest Caiaphas, who should have known better. He is the one who sent Jesus to Pilate. That was the greater sin.
Knowledge brings responsibility. And if the Bible says something is a sin, then it is a sin.
