Actually Posted by PhilNo, it’s not my sermon, but one that was preached at an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregation in a neighboring town. A couple has started coming to my church because of the ELCA’s recent decision to allow practicing homosexuals to be pastors. Their pastor preached this sermon and they gave me a copy of it, since they were bothered by it. I thought it was interesting how this ELCA pastor made his arguments. I have excerpted his sermon and provided a critique. Here is a taste:
But what if, somewhere in the turbulence of puberty, the child discovers that he or she is gay or lesbian? Do we send them away? Maybe it is as simple as: Do your believe or do you not believe in Jesus Christ?
- What if a child discovers he likes to get drunk, steal, and kill others’ pets? Shall we send him away? No, we tell him he cannot do those sins and must stop. He is not forgiven as long as he continues in those sins.
- All sin can be forgiven, but by accepting sin and willfully living in sin, that one drives out the Holy Spirit and faith. The Holy God does not abide with those who consciously chose to sin (I Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:21). “We died to sin: how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:2) To wallow in sin and call it good is to nullify Christ’s sacrifice for sin.
- Faith is not a generic feeling or statement of God’s existence, but a confidence in God’s mercy—that we are forgiven because of Christ for our sin. Those who sin and refuse to call it sin, by definition, do not believe in Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
Download the whole file Here
