Sin in Disgusting

This weekend I biked 65 miles (doing it in less than 4 hours is also worth mentioning) in and around the city of Seattle.  It was a great ride.  I particularly love these long rides by myself because it gives me a few hours to just think, pray & reflect.  Often my thoughts are spurred on by something I see along my ride.

Given Seattle's 12.9% homosexual population (source) it was only a matter of time until I ran into one (or two) in public.  My first reaction was surprise...I can't say that I've ever seen two grown men walking down the street holding hands.  But as I continued to ride and pray about what I had just witnessed something clicked.

I grew up in a hard-working blue-collar town just south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  I am certain that if you picked this pair of men and moved them to Pittsburgh (or any blue-collar town) they would get all sorts of strange looks and comments.  If you asked many of these residents why they don't approve of the actions of these two men, many people would say "it's gross", "it's wrong", "the round peg doesn't fit in the round peg", etc.

To cut to the chase, the Bible speaks of many sinful lifestyles.  1 Corinthians 6:9 says:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality"

Maybe 1 Timothy 1:9-10 makes my point more impactful:

"Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted."

Many of the wonderful citizens of not only Pittsburgh but Seattle alike, would be disgusted by a petophile (sexually immoral), or a murderer (does the Casey Anthony murder trial ring a bell?), slave drivers, liars, etc.  Because of our sinful nature, many seem to want the sin of homosexuality to slip by as being "okay" because it's "progressive" (all the way back to the stone-age right?).

My point is that when people, particularly non-believers are grossed out by two grown men holding hands I think it is ultimately a disgust of sin.  Like the Gentiles in Romans 2:15, they "show that the work of the law is written on their hearts".  God is disgusted by sin.  We are His image bearers.  Thus, we (many of us) are disgusted by sin, as we should.  Because homosexuality is a sin, we should be disgusted by homosexuality.  We do, however, need to be careful to not single it out as the only sin prevalent in our culture (and cultures dating back thousands of years).

Ultimately, we are all un-deserving of God's kindness and free gift of grace.  Sin is sin, it is just that we all have our choice of flavor.  Just as much as an axe murderer, a pedophile, US politician or a homosexual, I need to ask for God's forgiveness and turn from my sin.  And it is only through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God's sinless son, dying in my place, and rising again, that I have forgiveness and freedom.