So i've been involved with a debate/argument with a couple friends of mine. 1 of which is a rather close friend. Our mutual friend is gay, and he supports his right to have equal rights. They both want me to vote for gay rights yet i stand firm with my 'God first' decisions. I was thinking about this earlier and wondered about 'taking one for the team' by striking a deal. If they both were to accept Christ (and I mean for real not just randomly say the words) then i would cast my next vote for him. My reasoning behind this is it could possibly be the only way I'd ever get them to do so, and i've tried many times. But once they did, then its up to God from that point on and I did my job..... but had to vote against what i believe in to do so. My question is, do you think I'm betraying God via a vote in order to save 2 souls? :unsure: I know you mean well in wanting to see your gay friend(s) saved ... but it is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right. For example if some poor person needs money ... would you go and rob a bank in order to give that money to them? The Bible clearly says the homosexual lifestyle is an abomination to God and He destroyed 2 cities as an example for a reason. So I don’t think the Lord would be pleased if you vote for gay rights in order to persuade your friends to get saved. They alone have to willing want to make that change themselves ... we can’t put conditions “if they will accept Jesus ... then we will do this for them”. I Cor 10:31 Deep down homosexuals know what they are doing is wrong because God has placed a conscience inside each one of us ... so homosexuals willfully have chosen their lifestyle. Romans 1 says “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened .....” I had a chance to witness to 2 gays back in 2014 - one worked in Sears as a cashier and the other worked at the Dollar Store. They both knew they were living in sin - all I said to both of them was ... Jesus loves you and He came to this earth to die on the cross for our sins. We need to confess our sins to Him and asked Him to be our Lord and Savior and then we will have assurance of heaven ... when we die. Both of them said their parents and family rejected them and they perked up when I said “Jesus loves them”. The way I see it ... if a homosexual gets saved ... then the Holy Spirit will convict them that their lifestyle is wrong and they will turn from it. I’ve heard a few youtube testimonies of former gay and lesbians ... once they got saved ... they no longer wanted to be in that lifestyle any longer. I Cor. 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. If you already shared the Gospel, then just continue to pray for them. Problem is, how can you know they are truly giving their heart and life to Christ!? This sounds like compulsory tithing! God wants our hearts freely! And our love even when it's not convenient! TR This seems to encapsulate and highlight why Grace is better than the law! But grace all the more highlights that faith, hope and love all abide and render their own reward. But uncompelled love is indeed the greatest of the three! TR I agree with all that, and that has been my mindset. was just thinking that altering course to save 2 souls would be understandable. because robbing a bank to feed someone still doesnt get them to God just a full belly. If i can get them to choose God (even with stipulations) then the Holy Spirit is still there and doing what He does in their hearts. And only God can work it out where he is no longer gay or my other friend sees it as wrong I guess you will have to pray about it. I personally could never vote for gay causes. I had to deal with a brazen lesbian when I worked at Nabisco. Her purpose was going from one Fortune 500 company to the next promoting the lifestyle and pushing for them to receive benefits. She got fired from American Express and then Nabisco eventually fired her. Her cubicle contained filthy signs “make sodomy legal”, etc. One time she sneakily wanted me to type up some papers for her ... I thought it was pension work instead as I was typing I realized it was gay party junk. I brought the papers back to her and dropped them on her desk and said sorry, I thought this was real work ... no way am I typing up your gay party/meeting agenda. Another time I was in a conference room on lunch break ... it was bad weather so I stay indoors and was working on a counted cross stitch picture. She comes into the room to bother me ... she wanted to know what I was making. Ironically I was working on this ... she back-pedaled so quickly out the room in fear ... she never bother me again. :whistle: altering course to save 2 souls would be understandable The problem here is that we do not save any souls. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our job is only to present Jesus and lead others to Him. There are no "deals" we can make that will replace the work of the Holy Spirit. Indeed! Well said Johanan! TR Our only "rights" come from God, not government. When people refer to gay "rights," they are really asking for preferential treatment for a protected class. God is no respecter of persons, and to bargain over salvation (which is of no value anyway) is to leave the impression God would be willing to bargain over sin. Hard as it is to navigate the situation, you should not leave open to door to compromise on right and wrong. Sin is still sin, and you are not the one to arbitrate. "Gay rights" don't exist in a vacuum. What is really going on is that the door is closing on the acceptance of Christianity in the public (or perhaps in private). This is a spiritual war, and you cannot negotiate with the devil. Preach on brother! No matter what is said, nor what perspective one might hold with regards to gay lifestyles, God our creator finds it all abominable! It makes Him want to puke! Enough said! TR
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Being obedient and keeping the law for the laws sake because the law compels us, is admirable.
