Thursday, June 29, 2023

Pendulum Swing?

We can rejoice that our Savior came to free us from the power of sin - Romans 6 tells us that the result of sin is death, but that we have been given eternal life. Romans chapter 8 contains these verses:
1 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.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Later in the chapter, we can read:
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Through the gospel, we recognize that Jesus came to save sinners - that's each of us, and the apostle Paul described with great clarity the struggle that all of us have with the power of sin. He identifies sinful behavior - the works of the flesh - and encourages believers to walk in the overcoming power of the Holy Spirit.  We now have new hearts and powerful resources in Christ, giving us the power to overcome sin and live according to God's ways.

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Through our knowledge of the Scriptures, we can recognize what God loves and identify the sin he hates, realizing that He does not hate the sinner; He loves each of us so much that He sent His son to defeat the power of sin in our lives. Hebrews chapter 2 states:
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Today and tomorrow on The Meeting House, there is content that will enable us to wrap up our coverage of so-called "Pride Month," when the stunning breadth of the LGBTQ agenda is on display.  My three-part series of conversations with individuals who have experienced freedom from homosexuality through Jesus Christ continues with Cari Gintz, a former lesbian who has seen Christ expressed through her as she has surrendered to Him.  And, tomorrow, Arielle Del Turco of Family Research Council explores how the U.S. Government is spreading and funding LGBT ideology to multiple countries around the world.

The news service of Family Research Council, The Washington Stand, has recently covered the results of recent polls which examine Americans' views toward the "T" in LGBT: transgenderism. The article, published just over two weeks ago, opens up in this way:

The American public is increasingly rejecting the LGBTQ agenda, as a series of new polls show a growing majority of Americans agree that attempting to change your gender is “morally wrong,” that only two genders exist, and that women should not be forced to compete against men in sports.

A total of 55% of Americans believe “changing one’s gender” is immoral — up four points from 2021, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. 
And, citing Gallup, the article relates that "more than two out of three Americans (69%) now believe athletes should not have to compete against members of the opposite sex who identify as transgender, up seven points in two years."

The Washington Stand article also related information from yet another poll, this time from the left-leaning Public Religion Research Institute.  The story says:
Americans are also more willing to declare that the human race consists of only two sexes, male and female. About two out of three Americans (65%) believe there are only two genders, a 6% rise, while those who believe in a gender spectrum decreased six points (to 34%), found a separate poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
That poll indicated that, according to the article: "Even among the most liberal generation in U.S. history, 57% majority of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2010) now believes in the gender binary — increasing 14 points in two years."

David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, said that the Gallup survey “contains encouraging news for those who believe in an objective moral order and common sense..."  He added, "The overreach of the Left in areas related to women’s sports and policies that allow children to be legally pumped with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones is resulting in a predictable backlash..." 
 
The article also stated:
“The more the public sees it, the more it opposes gender ideology,” wrote Jay Richards, a senior research fellow in religious liberty and civil society at The Heritage Foundation — even when pollsters substitute the confusing term “birth gender” for “sex.

Well, it's certainly not time to spike the football, but this polling data reflects what you have seen culturally over the past few weeks - the astonishing backlash to the promotion of the gay agenda by certain corporations, and the willingness of people to stand up and say "enough is enough" is certainly encouraging.  Those who promote debauchery have certainly overplayed their hand, but that doesn't mean that their quest to further their agenda and the attempt to make the LGBTQ lifestyle more acceptable is waning.  In fact, these setbacks are quite likely, I would think, to cause them to double down.   

But, we should never get comfortable with sin around us - nor in us.  The body of Christ is in the position of demonstrating a true sense of morality that brings peace with God and peace within. In an age in which there is much confusion and frustration, we can radiate the love and peace of God.  And, when we are discouraged or feel we've lost our way, we can go to the Lord, surrender to Him, and allow Him to express His power through us - the power that raised Jesus from the dead, the power that has defeated sin and death, power to change and power to walk in His triumph over the forces that would attempt to deceive and defeat us!

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