Sound Principles in an Age of Deviancy

In 1st Corinthians 15, we read this passage that can remind us of the victory we have in Christ:

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

We have a message of victory to share with the world - where there is sin, we can know the overcoming presence of the Lord.  For the person who rejects Christ, that person can know reconciliation with Him.  For the man or woman who is confused, God's Word can bring clarity and His Spirit can provide the way to peace.  God's way is a way of freedom, of order, of unconditional love, of experiencing the true love of a Savior who can provide us with the strength we need to navigate the challenges of this world, which would get us off track from a relationship with God.

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In the 1st chapter of the book of 1st Timothy, the apostle Paul elaborates on the purpose of the Law, which points out what is sinful and what is not, what pleases God and what does not. He writes:
(9) ...the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

In His Word, God identifies what does and doesn't please Him. And, Paul states in verses 15 and 16:
15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

Yvette Cormier was a member at a Planet Fitness location in Midland, Michigan.  She was in the locker room one day and a man walked in - a man apparently dressed as a woman!  You would think this would raise some concern by the gym management, but when Yvette complained, her membership was revoked.  After all, Planet Fitness has a "no judgement zone" policy.

Let's dig a bit deeper here.  A piece on Matt Barber's BarbWire.com website, written by Gina Miller, references a report by a local television station, WNEM in Saginaw:

It’s a business that sells itself on being non-judgmental, but Planet Fitness is losing members after it allegedly revoked the membership of a woman for complaining.

Yvette Cormier, a member at the Midland location, said she had no idea what that meant until a week ago.

“I was stunned and shocked. He looked like a man. He did not look like a woman,” Cormier said. Cormier is talking about a transgender woman who walked into the woman’s locker room while she was getting undressed. She said she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“This is very unprofessional. This is very scary,” Cormier said.

Not knowing why the person was in the women’s locker room, Cormier said she immediately complained to the front desk and eventually to corporate offices.

“They told me the same thing, that he was allowed in there because that’s the sex he wants to be,” Cormier said.

… Cormier lost her membership for violating the company’s no judgement [sic] zone policy.

Astounding! Miller goes on to write that:

The radical homosexual movement has shown that it will not stop its evil campaign to force on society the mainstream acceptance, and even celebration, of abominable sexual behavior. What began several decades ago as a not-so-humble effort to get homosexuals “out of the closet,” has turned into a full-blown crusade to viciously crush any opposition to all aspects of in-your-face displays of sexual degeneracy.

She points out that Planet Fitness is not alone in its acceptance of such deviancy, saying that, "Many, if not most, of the big companies have implemented policies of workplace acceptance of “out and proud” homosexuals and so-called 'transgenders,' people who are under the delusion that they are the opposite sex. At the expense of the rights of the vast majority of employees in these companies, men who dress like women are allowed to come to work in such grotesque costume and even use the women’s restroom, and employees are not permitted to object to this blatant lunacy."

We're seeing that municipalities are attempting to provide special rights for these individuals who want to thwart common decency and flaunt their so-called gender identity.  The city of Houston is currently in litigation because not only did its City Council pass an ordinance that would "protect" such individuals and allow them to use the bathroom of the gender that they think they are (or at least say they think they are), but city officials denied citizens the right to put a recall referendum on the ballot.  Recently, Charlotte, NC turned back such an insidious ordinance.

In a column on the USA Today website, talk show host Steve Deace points out that:

The "right side of history" evolves fast. Today's lunacy is tomorrow's new normal. That's because the debate over homosexuality and sexual morality has never really been about "tolerance." This is really about using whatever means necessary to compel people to believe and practice what you believe. In giving Cormier the boot, Planet Fitness is celebrated for the very acts for which Christians are attacked.

That's why there's no intellectually honest answer to the question how come Planet Fitness can decide whom it wants to do business with on moral grounds, but a Christian baker or florist cannot.

The hypocrisy here is breathtaking, but that's par for the course with political correctness.

What do you make of this?   Well, for one thing, and I think it's instructive for each of us, Jesus Christ came to save sinners.  I know that sounds simplistic, but it's so true for our society today - we are seeing a proliferation of deviant behavior that is being accepted, and the answer is for a changed heart, and a changed identity, through Jesus Christ.    Anne Paulk of the Restored Hope Network was a guest of mine from NRB 2015, and she related about how those who wish to accommodate their own sexual sin, even those who claim to be Christians, are missing out on an opportunity for redemption.   Jesus did not come to accommodate any sin, but to provide freedom from the sin that so easily entangles us, according to Hebrews 12.

In this age of tolerance, we recognize that that endgame for the Lord is not accommodation, helping people live with a misinformed gender identity, for instance, but for eradication - and I believe that applies to any sin.  When we recognize the identity that is offered to us through Jesus Christ, we acknowledge that He gives us the power to overcome ALL that is not pleasing to Him.

We have to be so careful in the church that in the name of being compassionate that we are refusing to tell people the truth - that's not to say that truth should not be shared in the context of relationship, but the most loving thing we can do is to tell someone that redemption and healing is possible by the power of the cross.