A weekly paper in Newburyport, MA wrote a front page article on an apostate congregational church in Newburyport that voted to perform unions of men with men and women with women. The following is the letter I wrote in response that was published by the paper the following Friday.
Dear Editor,
It is with a great sense of heaviness that I write in response to your front page article “Central Church to hold gay marriages”. That a group that professes to be a church of the LORD Jesus Christ would so twist the words of Christ and deny the clear, infallible, and inerrant teaching of the written Word of God, the Holy Bible, regarding the abomination and sin of homosexuality, is a testimony to the depravity of the human heart. Saying that the message of Jesus is “to love one another” requires one to ask, “How is this accomplished?” The Bible is clear on how love is shown both towards the Lord and our fellow man: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3) “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments...” (2 John 1:6) Therefore it is impossible to be showing the love Jesus teaches when you agree to participate in and endorse something that is a breaking of the law of God. Homosexuality is a clear manifestation of sexual disobedience, not obedience, to the law of God regarding sexual relationships. Therefore it is impossible for the Central “Church’s” decision to be a manifestation of love towards either God or another person. It is actually a manifestation of hatred. It is also a grievous misuse of language to call an immoral and sinful union of a man with a man or a woman with a woman, a marriage. The Bible is clear as to what constitutes a true marriage. It is the covenant union, made in the presence of witnesses, of one man and one woman until physical death separates them. But, the glorious message of the Bible is that the LORD, in His free and sovereign mercy and grace through His saving gospel, is able to save and deliver those who are in bondage to sexual sin: “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.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) This is the message of love and hope that all sinners, including homosexuals and lesbians, need to hear from the church. It is a message that they will not hear from the Central “Church” which has decided that speaking the truth in love is something they do not want to do.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson, Pastor
Grace Reformed Baptist Church
Amesbury, MA
978-388-9475 |
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