My Best Friend Just "Came Out" and I Don't Know What to Do

[Doctor Strangelove]

You keep on saying things like that Strange Doc, and you will be accused of being a Lutheran in Anglican clothing!

One funny thing - I always thought I was a little eccentric, then I met some "English" folks...

 

[PacersRock44]

Deut 7: This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

By your reasoning we should put all non-Christian places of worship to the torch, and probably slaughter the worshippers if you want to get technical.

Thankfully, we have been freed from such requirements of the law by Christ who fulfilled all the requirements of the law on our behalf, including the requirement to personally inform every individual of every infraction of God's perfect law.

Perhaps we should now spend our time protecting and providing for our neighbor's welfare and leave preaching the law to those ordained for that purpose.

I disagree with you. I think that the spirit tells you what still applies. Just like in the bible it tells you that the law is fulfilled, that does not mean you don't follow the 10 commandments anymore. Also, if I wanted to burn a muslim mosque with noone in it, I think God would be pretty proud if it wasn't illegal. Also, I always have the urge to destroy bhudda statues but I know the only reason it would be wrong is because God tells us to obey our government/leadership.

 

[HereIstand.Todd]

Well put!

 

[VDMA]

Your friend's sexual orientation is not the issue at hand. His unbelief and denial of Christ is. Don't make a big deal out of it (homosexuality), leave it alone. Work on presenting the Gospel message and address the sin issue when you are both working on the same page, as it were. Until he recognizes and accepts the concept he is a sinner, you are going to be unable to address his sin. However, when he finally sees the truth in Biblical Law, it will convict him and he will seek the refuge the Gospel presents in Christ.

Humility is crucial in delivering this kind of message. Prayer is essential.

I'd like to thank everyone for their responses to this post. The quote above really helped me in dealing with this situation.

I ended up being honest, and after being directly advised to just "shut up and love" I told him my honest opinions.

His answer was typical:

"You know I don't believe in that stuff, so why is it important?"

If faith and salvation were based only on belief, surely we would all be damned.

I've tried my best, but I've decided just to let it go. We haven't been that close of friends for a while now, about when this post was started, and I don't really see it anymore.

Neither of our reactions has to do with his coming out or staunch denial of the Gospel, but rather because neither of us is quite the same as we used to be.

I pray for him though, and suppose I will for a long time yet to come.

Now on a completely different subject:

Some of you, I don't know if you're ELCA or what, but you seem to have gotten into serious arguments over the whole Law vs. Gospel part of Lutheranism.

It's really funny to sit back here and read some of the posts. Y'all need to read some Walther.

If we all followed the law literally, we'd never be able to get a haircut (Leviticus 19:27), if you're blind or have a flat nose you can't go into a church (Leviticus 21:17-18), the next time you stub your toe and yell "Jesus Christ" the community gets to stone you (Leviticus 24:14-16), and many other insane things.

But Christ fulfilled the law. Sure if we break it we have sinned, but that is washed away with the waters of Baptism, which to all the Baptists out there IS necessary for salvation (1 Peter 3:21), and crucified with Christ through contrition and repentance.

We, as Lutherans, don't have testimonies about exact periods in our life when we were saved, as we all know, or should at least, that we were saved 2000 years ago on the cross, and not when we stopped doing heroin or whatnot.

ALL SIN (Romans 3:23). I never said my friends transgressions were any worse than any of our own.

An abomination is an abomination.

Don't mark me down, however, as rooting for Gay Marriage, for I don't mean to encourage any of that kind of behavior.

Thank you for your responses.

Pax Christi,

VDMA

 

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