Love Is Not Proud
Nature of His Game
“Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game”
—
This is the chorus to one of the most infamous and notorious rock n’ roll songs of all time, “Sympathy For The Devil,” by The Rolling Stones. However, this article is by no means seeking any sympathy for the Devil. In fact, this piece intends to clarify the nature of “his game” and expose the Devil’s schemes that led to the piracy and counterfeiting of God’s covenant symbol and the month-long celebration of pride, the root of all sins.
“Pride Month,” the month-long LGBT celebration in June, has grown in prominence over the years, with many cities and organizations hosting LGBT parades and events throughout the nation. We have seen major corporations include “LGBT” themed apparel and products in their lineup. Social media (and the web, in general) has become filled with LGBT themed filters, profile picture frames, and search engine skins/animations (like Google). And films, television, books, etc. (including content targeted towards children) have included LGBT characters into their stories or “revealed” certain characters to be part of the LGBT community.
Many people view this as an act of equality and a “move in the right direction,” but the truth found in the Bible shows that a more sinister plot is occurring.
Echoes of “The Fall”
The Scriptures make no attempt to hide who the true enemy is and what his intentions are, as it states, the Devil “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” With that being said, it is no surprise that the rainbow (God’s pledge to never again flood the earth) is now the symbol of the greatest sin of all, pride.
C.S. Lewis, in his famous book, Mere Christianity, said, “The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility… According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all others are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
More importantly, Scripture has a great deal to say about the evils of pride. In Proverbs, many verses are dedicated to warning against it, one of which is Proverbs 16:8, which says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride was not only the cause for the fall of Satan, it was also the cause for the fall of man. Pride is treacherous and wreaks havoc on its host, as well as the surrounding environment. This very vice single-handedly brought sin and evil into the world.
But in addition to pride, the object of “Pride Month” is another perilous sin, sexual immorality.
Love is Not Proud
If one believes that Scripture is, in fact, the infallible and inerrant Word of God, it is impossible to argue that homosexuality, and for that matter, any sexual immorality, homo or hetero, (including but not limited to: adultery, premarital sex, and polygamy) is not a sin. The open practice and advocacy for such actions are an open rebellion to the very commands of our Creator. In both the Old and New Testament, it is clear where God stands on homosexuality, sexual immorality, and the whole argument for the LGBT movement.
In Romans 1:24-27 the apostle Paul says,
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
Among other verses in Scripture, we also find Paul’s loving warning to the church in Corinth that certain practices (sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, drunkenness, etc.) signify no true fellowship with God exists unless man leaves behind his sinful lifestyle and trust in Him:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
True love is not found in self-pride; it is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who brought about the forgiveness of sins through the shedding of His blood. However, with this months celebration of “pride,” many are using it as an opportune time to promote sinful sexual practices openly, and sadly, in direct exposure to children.
One recent example reported by The Christian Post is that the “Cartoon Network, a prominent television channel viewed by millions of children, promoted LGBT pride month by using one of its widely popular shows [Powerpuff Girls] to encourage fans to ‘stand proud.’ ” Despite what the world would have you think; this is not love. It is not loving to expose kids to this kind of sexuality at such an early age, and it is not loving to target children with this kind of message.
Love is simply not proud.
Resist, and He Will Flee
Jeff Johnston, from Focus on the Family, states in his article, Countering the Cultural Confusion: Your Questions Answered About Homosexuality, “All humans are created in the image of God and, therefore, they reflect something of God's infinite value and worth. Individuals are male or female, and those are important distinctions…LGB[T]-identified people are not a separate race or species created by God. They are men and women who suffer confusion and struggle with sin with regard to their identity, attractions and behavior. All this is the result of being born into a sinful world where everyone struggles.”
Johnston continues, “People should be treated with great respect and dignity. To do less is, in itself, a sin. Every individual is worthy of being loved, respected and protected. At the same time, loving someone does not mean we agree with them on every issue. So, while we reach out with love, we should also uphold the truth of God's design for marriage, sexuality and relationships.”
Therefore, we must, as Christians, living in an “inclusive” and “progressive” world where sin is being celebrated all around us, resist the Devil and not have sympathy for him or his cause. Even when faced with individuals who label us “evil bigots” (among other titles) for not endorsing sinful activities, we must remember to do as we have been commanded by our Lord, to be Christ-like at all times. We must love those who hate us and turn the other cheek. This is the best way to resist the true enemy, the mastermind of this evil and the father of all lies, Satan, and this, the showing of Christ-like love to all, will cause him to flee from our presence.
To those who are struggling with homosexuality and have come to the realization that an LGBT lifestyle does not offer the freedom that this world promises, know that there is hope.
This month, the Christian News Network reported that a young man named Derrick, who left the LGBT lifestyle, gave his life to Christ two years ago and recently tweeted an encouraging message to those who might be struggling with their identity:
“Jesus brought me out of homosexuality. There is no gay gene, and gays being born that way is only half true, as EVERYONE is born into sin and iniquity. Don’t let this world cheat you out of the free gift of salvation Christ died for. Jesus is the only love that’s true.”
If you still have breath in your lungs, then it is not too late. No sin or lifestyle is too immoral for God to forgive. You still have an opportunity to repent and believe in the work of Christ. He died on Calvary, taking on our sins, so that you and I may experience true freedom. Freedom from the constraining and suffocating hold of sin; freedom bestowing the ability to join in fellowship with our Almighty Heavenly Father.
So, let go of the self-pride that the world is peddling and put all your pride in the completed work of Jesus Christ, for there is nothing better to boast in.