The following is a response from John Lomacang to the accusation that teaching the biblical view of sexuality "isn't preaching love." Used by permission:
It is undisputed that we must always express and reflect the love of God. But I must add that you overlooked the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. The vengeance of God was not limited to the descriptions of Ezekiel. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is described in Jude.
(Jude 1:7 NKJV) “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
The judgments of God were metered out on Sodom for the sin that is now known as Sodomy, "Strange Flesh."
Jude summarizes the carnal passions that were prevalent in that city.
Here is the actual account of Sodom:
(Genesis 19:1 NKJV) “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.”
(Genesis 19:4–5 NKJV) “(4) Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. (5) And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
What is highly esteemed among men is a reproach to God. We cannot vacillate over sin of any kind, including the sin of "strange flesh" and "sexual immorality."
(Romans 1:24–27 NKJV) “(24) Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, (25) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
(26) For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. (27) Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
When we use "love" to overlook sin, we leave men and women that are captives of sin hopelessly bound. Many pastors no longer preach a message of deliverance from sin but a message of tolerance for sin. They sympathize with sin rather than pointing sinners to the Savior. What happened with preaching deliverance? Once Congress passed the tolerance of immorality, which by the way is 50 years too late, many ministers have abandoned and modified their commission to preach deliverance.
To suggest that my initial comment does not take love into consideration is to miss the very fact that I begin and end on the love of God.
To really express the LOVE OF GOD is to preach:
(John 3:16 NKJV) “(16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17)”
How can we honestly say that we love others and see them on the path to destruction and fail to love them enough to point them to Jesus?
(1 Timothy 4:1 NKJV) “(1) Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”
As a minister of the full Gospel, let us not meander in the maze of mediocracy, nor ponder at the pool of popularity, nor negotiate [at] the table of the enemy.
(2 Timothy 4:2–4 NKJV) “(2) Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; (4) and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
It is time to abandon the weakness of embracing fables and get back to preaching deliverance from all sin through the Love of Christ. Don't just preach about His love, show that His love is a delivering love.
John is pastor of the Thompsonville, Illinois church and 3ABN’s director of World Evangelism. He has shared the gospel in 31 countries, sung with the Heritage Singers, and been a vocalist for 3ABN, Amazing Facts, It Is Written, and Voice of Prophecy. John is happily married to Angela, and they enjoy traveling and ministering.