Pastor S. Henry
I do not believe a person who is a practicing homosexual or who practices some other sin is a true Christian. The operative word is practice. Practicing means they abide in that sin, remain in that sin, continue daily in that sin without a change of mind (repentance), which would produce a progressive change of behavior. In other words, those who practice sin continue in an unbroken lifestyle pattern of sinful practices because their sinful desires remain unchanged. James wrote, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:13-15).
Many who “profess” to be Christians show no contrition over their sin and therefore they show no true repentance, which means there is no true change of heart, no regeneration, they are not born again by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 8:34, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” The English word “commits” is from the Greek word “poieo”, which means “to make or to do”, and it is present tense in the Greek, which means a continual, perpetual action. So the slave of sin is one in the condition of continually practicing a particular vice. However, when a person is delivered from homosexuality, drunkenness, lying, theft, murder, etc. the person is no longer viewed by Scripture as one who practices such sins. He struggles, yes, but he no longer lives in an unbroken lifestyle pattern of sinful behavior.
At redemption, sin’s rule is broken in the believer’s life and therefore sin no longer controls or enslaves the Christian. Yes, sin (lawlessness) still remains in the Christian, but it no longer reigns in the Christian. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). The believer is washed in the blood of Christ, is in union with Christ, has a new identity in Christ, is forgiven in Christ, is granted a new nature in Christ, and is being progressively and continually sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ.
However, this doesn’t mean there will no longer be struggles against sinful thoughts, words, and actions. On the contrary, the Christian struggle and battle with sin still remains all this life long. The Heidelberg Catechism teaches, Question 113: “What does the tenth commandment require of us? Answer: That even the smallest inclination or thought contrary to any of God’s commandments never rise in our hearts; but that at all times we hate all sin with our whole heart, and delight in all righteousness.” Question 114: “But can those who are converted to God perfectly keep these commandments? Answer: No, but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with a sincere resolution they begin to live, not only according to some, but all the commandments of God.” What is new in the believer’s life is the desire and resolution for holiness and obedience to the commandments of God. The unbeliever does not have this desire in the slightest.
However, the redeemed individual may, and often does, struggle against the temptation to particular sins the rest of their life in this fallen world. (Just think about King David’s struggles.) That’s what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-25, Gal. 5:16-18, Eph. 4:22-24, and Romans 13:11-14. Nowhere does the Scripture teach that the redeemed no longer sin or no longer have to struggle against sinful desires. John tells us this in 1 John 1:8-10, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” The fact that an individual struggles and fights against sin is evidence of new life in the individual. The struggle against sinful desires and actions evidences the Holy Spirit at work in the soul of the believer. The unbeliever has no struggle against sin. They are slaves of Satan and sin (2 Tim. 2:26) and therefore live according to the lust of the eyes, the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). As the Apostle Paul wrote in Eph. 4:19, “who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” And Jude tells us that the sinners in “Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude vs. 7). The phrase “having given themselves over to sexual immorality” is from the Greek “ekporneuo”, which means “to be utterly unchaste or to go whoring.” Simply stated, they were slaves of Satan and all kinds of sexual sins.
The believer, on the other hand, hates sin, struggles, fights, and resists sin, and although there are times of weakness when we give in and sin, yet we will never be condemned because Christ was condemned in our place. And we will never become slaves of Satan and sin ever again, and we will never be comfortable when we sin. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Christ is our confidence as we limp along in this fallen world. And so the writer to the Hebrews calls believers to focus not on our sin or our sinful desires, but upon Jesus. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2-3). And the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” And the Hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, got it right when she wrote, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”
So, Christian, when you sin, when you fall short of honoring Christ, when sinful desires flare up, when you give in to moments of weakness, run to Jesus! He is our Great Shepherd who cares for, nourishes, feeds, comforts, strengthens, and assures the sheep of His pasture that nothing will ever separate us from His love. As it is written, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Let Christ alone be your joy in trials, comfort in temptation, and assurance of forgiveness when you fall flat on your face since we have complete redemption in Him!