Letter to the Editor: Where there’s a will, there’s a way

To the Editor:

I took special note of the story of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing (The Standard, March 14, 2018), which adopted a new welcome and belief statement to include all people, especially those in the LGBTQ community.

To this church’s credit, they want to include all, and to show Christ’s love to all segments of society. Too often, even within church walls, many can feel left out.

However, in regard to the church’s response to those with a homosexual lifestyle and those in the LGBTQ community, I believe the truths in the Bible must also be proclaimed.

There are certain verses in the Bible (specifically, Leviticus 20:13 in the Old Testament and Romans 1:26, 27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 in the New Testament) which condemn homosexual practices in no uncertain terms. Is it right for our churches to not mention these parts of Scripture, but instead just celebrate “the wonderful differences in all God’s people”?

I do appreciate the wonderful uniqueness each of us has, but I also recognize the presence of sin in each of our lives. To get up close and personal about it, in my young adult years my moral passions as a heterosexual male were spiraling out of control. Was I born that way? Did God create me that way? Perhaps.

But, regardless of that, I had a choice to make. Would I follow my own fallen tendencies and temptations, or follow the Word of God, where it says in 2 Timothy 2:22 to “flee youthful lusts”? By God’s grace and supernatural power, I was able to make the right choice and choose the high road, but it was not easy. The homosexual individual can make that same choice.

The saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I say, where there is a true willingness to please God and to do what He says in His holy word, there is a supernatural power that exists to help us make it happen. We all need that power; we cannot do it on our own.

If I know someone at my place of employment who is a homosexual individual, I will go out of my way to show the love of Christ to him, to treat him with respect, and treat him like the special, unique person that he is. However, at the first appropriate opportunity, I will also lovingly share with him the truths of the Bible regarding homosexual lifestyle. Should not the Christian church do the same?

Arthur Clocksin
Waukon