Comin’ Out Swingin’ in Three Parts: Part 2

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Agnosticism, Atheism, Avenged Sevenfold, Christianity, Church, Faith, Gay Rights, God, Homosexuality, Insiders, Jesus, Life, Non-Belief, Outsiders, Paul, Prayer, Religion, Religious, Society, Westboro Baptist Church, World

Let’s start with the second chapter of Romans to add to the previous post.

 Therefore, any one of you who judges is without excuse.For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. ² We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. ³ Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment?⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. ⁶ He will repay each one according to his works: ⁷ eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; ⁸ but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth but are obeying unrighteousness; ⁹ affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. ¹¹ There is no favoritism with God. ¹² All those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous. ¹⁴ So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them ¹⁶ on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.¹⁷ Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, boast in God, ¹⁸ know His will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, ¹⁹ and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression of knowledge and truth in the law— ²¹ you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal?²² You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. ²⁵ For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the law’s requirements, will his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision? ²⁷ A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. ²⁸ For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. ²⁹ On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

I think Paul would laugh in the face of those who protest and criticize the gay rights movement today. He starts off un-apologetically writing, if you’re judging them, you’re just stupid because you’re doing the same thing even if not explicitly. I especially think verse four is essential to focus on: “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” Forget those people for a second and look at yourselves, he could destroy them just as quickly as he could destroy you, but he doesn’t; the reason for it exceeds your paltry minds, but in your hatred, you want them dead yesterday; allowing their free will highlights the kindness, restraint and kindness. Westboro Baptist Church has made it their career you  might say to express and highlight this wrath and judgment while ignoring the second part. Paul in this part, verse 6, references an Old Testament passage Psalms 62:12 that reads “and faithful love belongs to You, Lord. For you repay each according to his works.” In the end, if you spend your entire life judging, one can only assume judgment is what you will receive at life’s end. Anyone who judges without showcasing patience, kindness and restraint can be described as the “hearers of the word” but not a doer of the words they claim to believe. The last two parts of the chapter are Paul talking to the Jews, using the practice of circumcision as a metaphor for how hearts should be circumcised in the beliefs to the fullest extent. The practice of circumcision was no longer necessary to claim to be one of God’s chosen people after Jesus came and opened up opportunities to Jews and Gentiles alike.

I feel a key part of the passage is what Paul says after referencing Psalms, “eternal life to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth, but are obeying unrighteousness; affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. There is no favoritism with God.” A gut reaction for me when I see groups like Westboro and others who proactively showcase their hatred for others is to hate back; but in this case, perhaps it would do me to good to be patient, kind and restraint.