What a question! We are all sinners. You are a sinner; I am a sinner, homosexuals are sinners, Nobel Peace Prize winners are sinners, saints are sinners, everyone (Rom 3:23; Gal 3:11). Sin taints everything we do. Even our best deeds, our charitable works, our loving relationships, whether homosexual or heterosexual, are tainted by sin. Even things we do that we think of as morally neutral are sins. For example, breathing uses God’s resources to maintain our sinful life.
Someone might say that the question is not whether homosexuals are sinners but whether homosexuality is a sin. If a person is born with a same sex bias, can we hold them responsible? It is not an ethical decision. But many in the church demand that homosexuals do not “practice” their homosexuality, that is, they should not love a person of the same gender or physically express that love. They say this because their interpretation of Scripture is that such expressions are sinful. But even if they are right, and a half of Christendom thinks otherwise, is it their responsibility to call out sin in others?
Christians are very defensive about their own sin or the sin of others in the church. This was the reason for the cover-ups of child sexual abuse in the church. But some are simply unaware of their sin. I once had a conversation with a Christian at work about sin. He informed me he had not sinned in months. I could not bring myself to inform him that he was unpopular with his workmates because of his pride and arrogance, which they saw daily.
Now, should Christians spend their time judging other people of sin? Or should we be proclaiming the good news that Jesus came to save us from sin? The alternative of refraining from saying anything will result in some Christians attacking you. This happened to me in 2016 when I wrote in an ecumenical prayer newsletter that due to the diversity of opinions amongst Christians about the same-sex marriage plebiscite in Australia, I would not be calling for prayer in support of any particular view on the issue in that newsletter. This blog, however, is mine and is a place where I can express my own opinions.
So, my answer to the question is that homosexuality is a description of a person’s sexual orientation, not a sin. All sin is an abomination to God. Everyone, including homosexuals, will have to repent of their own sins, but they will have to get behind me because I’m already in line. It is not the place of Christians to criticise people Jesus called us to love. The law of the land is not a tool for Christians to use to save anyone from destruction. Neither does the law of Moses save anyone (Gal 3:10). God gave it because of transgressions (Gal 3:19). Are Christians really concerned about homosexuals when they tell them that God does not approve of their behaviour? Everyone is a sinner and needs to hear that God loves them and wants to save them from their sins.
