THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD

It seems to me that sometimes we pound the pulpit on one subject and say nothing about another closely related one. For a long time now I have had this on my heart but haven't said anything. I am taking this opportunity to speak my mind.

We are, as Christians, opposed to homosexuality...and rightly so. We are opposed to "gay" marriages...and rightly so. Our banners on these two issues is held high...and rightly so.

Yet, from the lips of Christians who speak for us...preachers, heads of organizations, radio and television people... I never hear any words equal in strength against adultery and sexual activity before marriage. To be sure, homosexuality is clearly fingered in the Bible as being abominable to our great God, and it gets an extra denunciation in Romans 1.

But look closely at the passages in the Bible about adultery. It, too, is an abomination to the Lord, Old Testament and New Testament. Adultery was punishable by death at least all the way up through the time of Jesus. God's judgment fell upon Israel partly due to their marital unfaithfulness. Listen.

"How can I pardon you?   Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" Jeremiah 5:7-9

God will judge our nation for homosexuality, but He will, by the same stroke, judge adultery and all the other forms of disobedience in the area of sexuality. Why are we so verbal about same-sex issues and so silent of unfaithfulness? I think it is because homosexuality is "out there" and easier to address than the sin that is "in house" and in our pews.

Listen, I feel guilty. I think that if we watch movies that portray adulterous situations, and actually, movies that portray any sexual content, we are part of the problem. Hollywood actors, in depicting such scenes, not only portray the evil but partake by the very acting that needs to take place. If we love reading magazines about the immoral lifestyles of Hollywood and other famous people, we are taking part in what will bring out country down...and our own personal life. If we love watching the weekly programs on TV that contain words, scenes, and inuendoes that are contrary to the Word of God, and even further, must tape them so as not to miss them, we are part of the big picture that includes homosexuality. It is wrong for married people to flirt at work or in the church office. It is sin for teenagers to "mess around" before marriage. We speak about pornography, most often a problem of men, and say nothing about indecent and provocative clothing on women. All of this is part of a very large picture!

Oh, how we need spokepeople who cry out with the full story! It would not be easy. Prophets who cried out with the full message of God often ended up being killed, and quite possibly, in today's society, such a person would meet death of one sort or another. But, it is not right to shout from the mountaintops the error of homosexuality and whisper in quiet circles how awful adultery is. Proclaim the truth, the whole truth!