Forgive Me

We are called to be examples of the presence of God within us - when we will miss the mark, we know that we have an Advocate who will forgive us, who stood in our place before Almighty God. 1st John chapter 2 contains these words:
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, according to the Bible.  That is why we need a Savior. And, when we have received Jesus as our Savior and been born again, we have a new capability to renounce sin and to not be bound by it.  But, we still have fleshly tendencies that must be brought under the submission of the indwelling Christ.  So, we have the powerful resource of confession that is available to us, in order that we might respond to the Spirit's conviction, bring sin into the light, reduce its power over us, and receive forgiveness.

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We have already been forgiven of our sins by the work of Jesus on the cross, but He calls us, according to 1st John 1:9, to confess our sins before Him. In Psalm 32, we can read:
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.
7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

When we believe that we have engaged in sinful behavior, Jesus calls us to confess our sins.  And, that may call for a public renouncement of words said or deeds committed in the past.  A well-known Christian author has engaged in such a public display of confession and repentance, and it is certainly a refreshing development.

Rosaria Butterfield is a former lesbian, who wrote a piece recently for a website called Reformation 21, in which she says:

In 1998, I became one of the first crop of so-called “tenured radicals” in American universities, proudly touting my lesbian street cred. In 1999, Christ called me to repentance and belief, and I became a despised defector of the LGBTQ+ movement. But progressive sanctification came slowly, and I have failed many times during these past decades.

Her essay for the website offers a confession of the use of transgender pronouns as sin. One of the reasons why she took part in this: "I wanted to meet everyone where they were and do nothing to provoke insult."  But, her position gradually changed, and the Obergefell decision was a catalyst.  Butterfield writes:

The codification of gay marriage and LGBTQ+ civil rights launched a collision course between LGBTQ+ and the Christian faith. The LGBTQ+ movement’s understanding of itself as ontological and morally good conflicts with the biblical account in Genesis 1:27. Which is it? Which side was I on?

In the article, she lays out nine different reasons why using these pronouns is a sinful act.  Among them:

Using transgendered pronouns is a sin against the ninth commandment and encourages people to sin against the tenth commandment.

Using transgendered pronouns is a sin against the creation ordinance.

Using transgendered pronouns is a sin against image-bearing.

Using transgendered pronouns discourages a believer’s progressive sanctification and falsifies the gospel.

Using transgendered pronouns cheapens redemption, and it tramples on the blood of Christ.

She also notes that the practices fail to "love my neighbor as myself," and "fails to offer genuine Christian hospitality."  And, she calls out by name, professing Christian practitioners who continue to perpetuate this heresy, what she calls an "Achan" in the Church, referring to the man whose sin caused Israel to lose a battle in the book of Joshua.  She writes:

Preston Sprinkle, Mark Yarhouse, David French, Revoice, Side B Christianity, and any parachurch ministry that elevates “being winsome” as the endgame provide useful examples to defy. They nod in the direction of traditional values but then swap biblical clarity for postmodern pluralism, thus burning to the ground any legitimate theological bridge to gospel grace.

She contrasts that point of view to that of Laura Perry Smalts, who had attempted to transition into a man. Butterfield writes: "Laura pumped testosterone and engaged in mutilating 'gender-affirming' surgeries. And God saved, redeemed, and transformed her into a beautiful trophy of his grace." An influential factor: not so-called "pronoun hospitality," but "Her church and parents had refused to use her preferred pronouns throughout all the years she lived in the false identity of transgenderism. Why did she return to them? Their refusal to lie compelled her trust."

That's why you have Christian school teachers who are refusing to use students' so-called "preferred pronouns" - to do so simply is not telling the truth!  We are called to speak truth, not pursue an agenda that is incompatible with Scripture.  Not accommodate sin.  The Church is to welcome all, but to point to the clear teachings of the Scriptures, so that their lives might conform with Him. 

Rosaria Butterfield has an amazing conversion story, but allowed, by her own admission, the conditioning of the LGTBQ+ movement to unduly influence her in the area of pronouns.  It is clear that we constantly have to renew our minds so that we can turn aside from unbiblical ideas and take those thoughts captive. 

And, there may be an occasion, directed by the Holy Spirit, for which public repentance is necessary. Since she is a public author and speaker, it only stands to reason that she would issue such an apology for her use of transgender pronouns.  We certainly confess our sins to God and receive forgiveness, but there may be times when we go to other people, either one-on-one or in a group and confess our sin, so that we make things right.  We should always be open to God's direction in exhibiting true repentance.