“I Wonder If Jesus Died for Them, Too.”
By Wayne Harmon
Homosexuality has been the big “news” topic in the mainstream media these past few days. I’m not going to rehash the subject, but I do want to point out a couple of things that relate to my previous post of “Don’t Take the Bait.”
First of all, Phil Robertson of Duck Commander did NOT take the bait from the GQ interviewer. He saw an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus. What most people think they know about that interview is what has been spoon fed them by a God-hating media.
In his comments this past Sunday Mr. Robertson said something very profound. To me his statement reflects the heart of Jesus. Referring to the harm sin brings into life he said, “If you give them the bad news, they’ll start kicking and screaming. But you love them more than you fear them, so you tell them.”
That brings me to my second point. When it comes to “sinners”, especially those involved in activities we personally find odious, do we “love them more than we fear them?”
About 25 years ago I worked in a retail setting. Two of our customers were a homosexual couple. Most of the guys who worked with me were very conservative “churchians”. I remember that some of them were snickering and making very crude comments to each other as I was thanking the customers and helping them out with their purchases.
As I came back inside, and they continued their juvenile giggling, I pondered aloud, “I wonder if Jesus died for them, too.” I wasn’t even aware I had said it out loud until they glared at me and left the sales floor, but that thought has stuck with me ever since.
“Churchians” are big on the old “love the sinner but hate the sin” cliché, but all they talk about is the “sin”. They quote John 3:16, but do they believe it? Do they really believe that “God so loved the WORLD”?
The Greek translated “world” is “cosmos”. God loves His entire creation, and especially that part of it that was fashioned with His hands in His own image. How it must break His heart that sin has so devastated His creation. And since God loved the world so much He sent His Son to make a means of reconciliation, so should I.
The message of the Gospel is NOT “you’re going to Hell”. That’s devil talk. The Gospel means “the Good News”. “You’re going to Hell” isn’t good news.
The Good News is that God isn’t mad at us anymore, and it’s safe to come Home. And that’s it. That’s what people need to hear about God and the Gospel.
So, did Jesus die for “them”, too?
Absolutely!!
Copyright 2013: Wayne Harmon