25 Jan UNCONDITIONAL LOVE VS UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE by Alan Hickman
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE VS UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE
The Confession of a Broken-Hearted Christian
Pastor Alan Hickman
The recent Supreme Court ruling has set off a firestorm of debate and outrage among people on both sides of the issue. As I have watched, it has truly been one of the most heart-breaking things I have ever witnessed. I felt compelled to respond to the brokenness that I hear coming from those on both sides of the issue. Much of the confusion and debate stems from a failure to distinguish between unconditional love and unconditional acceptance.
First, let’s look at unconditional love. The Bible teaches that God loves people unconditionally. This means that He loves every individual without condition. Paul writes, “…in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God absolutely loves the person who is gay. God cannot say “unconditional” and then we as Christians put conditions on it, for who would then get to decide who is loved and who is not? He wants all men to be saved.
I have been broken to watch the hateful words come out of the mouth of some Christians. There is no place or excuse for mean behavior (in any debate). We are to give people the dignity, respect, and honor that God gives people. He honored and valued people enough to die for them while also respecting them enough to give them the right to reject Him. God has been patient with you and therefore, as a Christian, you must extend that same patience toward others.
In 1 Corinthians 13, God describes unconditional love with words like, “patient, kind, does not behave rudely.” IF we are going to be like Christ (which is our goal), we must show this same kind of love to those that disagree with us and this includes homosexuals.
I now want to address the idea of unconditional acceptance. Again, the Bible is our fixed point of reference. It has equally broken my heart as I have witnessed the number of Christians that have celebrated this decision and put rainbows on their Facebook page. At this too I have wept.
Nowhere in the Bible does God give unconditional acceptance. God does not accept sin. He loves the sinner but hates the sin. There are conditions set forth in God’s Word. For example, you cannot get into Heaven unless you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a clear condition of acceptance entry into Heaven. Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). We must have a fixed point of reference and the Bible is that for the Christian. God likes and accepts certain things and He doesn’t like and accept other things.
If you love homosexuals you should never rejoice in their sin. 1 Corinthians 13:6 states that love “does not rejoice in iniquity.” God calls sin bondage. Why would I rejoice in someone else’s bondage? We need to be able to say in a loving way, “This is wrong! This is not my opinion but God’s opinion. He loves you but hates what you are doing.” As a Christian, I cannot say that homosexuality or homosexual marriage is okay. If I believe that I can, I am dismissing the Bible. If I can dismiss that part of the Bible then what other parts can I dismiss for no other reason than I don’t like it or because the world and the media disagree? If you start picking and choosing, no standard remains.
I have interacted and prayed with many gay people. I love them and treat them with kindness, respect, and allow them to share their opinion. What I have noticed is that they do not want to discuss, hear, or allow any other opinion than theirs to be heard. We see this all of the time in the media and in protests on college campuses because they want acceptance. They want you to say that their lifestyle is okay when deep down, every time they look in the mirror they know that the gay lifestyle is not natural. For this reason, they are angry and screaming out for acceptance.
To those who struggle most having a family member or friend that is gay, the Bible calls you to love that individual unconditionally. However, this same Bible states that you as a Christian can never accept their lifestyle.
I believe God’s love can pull anybody out of any situation. I want to say to the Christian, “Be kind, respectful, and love without condition.”
And I want to say to the homosexual, “My choice has been made. I love you but I will never accept that lifestyle.”
Alan Hickman
Resurrection Life Church
Picayune, Mississippi
www.rlministry.org