Friends

[Pittzburghkid]

This question boils down to the idea that we (me) generally treat homosexual sin as worse than other sexual sin and is that biblical. I have a good friend at work who is a Christian that has befriended our boss who is an unapologetic lesbian that claims Christianity. My boss has card games and parties that I have refused to attend basically because she is a homosexual. My friends contention is that it is no different than hanging out with someone you know is fornicating. I contend that the difference is you can talk with the fornicator about God's will for all sex to come within the covenant of one man and one woman in marriage. With our boss you cannot at she believes she is a Christian complete with fish tattoo. I know this is all over the place I am just looking for some insight.

 

[Pergamum]

Is your question whether you should attend these card games or parties, or whether homosexual sin is more deviant than other forms of sexual sin?

 

[smhbbag]

With our boss you cannot at she believes she is a Christian complete with fish tattoo. I know this is all over the place I am just looking for some insight.

I thought you were probably wrong until this last line.

I Cor 5:9-13

9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

 

[Pittzburghkid]

There is no particular question I need answered. I was simply looking for people that may have had a similar experience or that had some insight on these issues.

 

[Jack K]

I don't believe you're required to disassociate with her just because she openly and unrepentantly engages in sin despite claiming to be a Christian. You'd have to disassociate with half of Pittsburgh. Lots of people in our culture claim to be Christians these days while attending churches, if they attend at all, that practice no discipline. And lots of these people engage in open and unrepentant sin. We're past the point of bringing shame on the name of Christ by attending parties with such people. Everyone in our culture already knows that lots of people who call themselves Christians aren't necessarily living as followers of Christ.

If she were a member of your church, under discipline for refusing to repent of sin, then you need to disassociate. But it isn't your job to take the role of her elders and put her under your personal discipline.

That said, you still have the responsibility to (1) show her kindness, (2) keep yourself far from evil and (3) avoid any appearance of evil on your part that might bring shame on the name of Christ. You might have good cause to stay away if you think doing so might help bring her to repentance (more than socializing with her might), or if the parties she throws celebrate a sinful lifestyle or appear to do so in a way that will be scandalous. I don't think card games, per se, do any of that. But you have to consider the entire tone of the gathering (much like having a beer isn't sinful in itself, but we all know that the tone of a typical frat praty celebrates sin and is scandalous).

Is homosexual sin worse than other sexual sin? I'd say it compounds sin in particularly perverse ways that some other sexual sin doesn't. And the way it tends to be unacknowledged and unrepentant sin is certainly something to be wary of. But if we condemn it and those who practice it while failing to condemn the even more rampant heterosexual sin in our communities, then we may indeed be guilty of selective judgment that comes close to being the "bigotry" we're often accused of.

If she were my boss, I'd probably go to one of her parties and check it out. She is not going to be a suitable person to become your "friend." Her unrepentant lifestyle just won't fit with your life in Christ. But you may still act "friendly." That's a basic kindness and grace we extend, where possible, to all people—without first judging whether the sin they're trapped in is of the really-bad or not-as-bad sort. It's all bad. But casual and occasional socializing (assuming the tone of the gathering is appropriate) with practicing homosexuals is, in itself, no worse than doing so with those who unrepentantly practice other sin.

 

[au5t1n]

This question boils down to the idea that we (me) generally treat homosexual sin as worse than other sexual sin and is that biblical.

I don't know about your work situation, but to answer the initial question, sodomy is definitely singled out as a particularly wicked sin in the Bible. In Romans 1 it is used to illustrate the depths to which depravity can go. In the OT it is one of few sins called an "abomination", and it was punishable by death.

 

[Miss Marple]

Yes, while I acknowledge that fornication and serial adultery and so forth are terrible sins, I don't make them equivalent with the sin of homosexuality, because I don't think the Bible holds them equivalent. Homosexuality is even worse.

 

[Pittzburghkid]

I appreciate all the responses there is a lot of wisdom there. Just trying to figure out how we as Christians deal with unrepentant homosexuality in the current climate when forced to deal with it on a personal level.
I once talked with her about it and showed her the various bible verses condemning it when she asked me to. She came back the next day and showed me an article written by a female pastor that defends it by stating that Jesus did not deal with it directly only Paul did. She did not see the error in that logic. Now with everyone putting equal signs in their Facebook status I am dealing with having to talk about this issue every day. Also she showed me a post that is circulating on Facebook of a hallmark card couple with their two kids holding a sign that states "We are Christians and we support marriage equality". What to do?

 

[Miss Marple]

I guess give her some good arguments for biblical inerrancy, rather than accepting the idea that Paul and Jesus are at odds.

 

[AlexanderHenderson1647]

She came back the next day and showed me an article written by a female pastor that defends it by stating that Jesus did not deal with it directly only Paul did.

Jesus also never condemned torching cats alive for sport or punching elderly women in the face for fun but we have no liberty to assume that He therefore approved. You may share with her this, if you haven't, in terms of Jesus confirming the Old Testament:

Matthew 21:42
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Mark 12:10
And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

Mark 12:24
And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Matthew 5:17-18
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

And yes, you are very right to treat her as excommunicated from a Biblically ordained assembly just as if she were (though she clearly is not) a member of such. The Scripture doesn't say that you are to disassociate with someone only if they are excommunicated nor does it say to do so only if are excommunicated from your church. (1 Cor. 5.)