Pride: The First of the Seven Deadly Sins (2024 Edition)
The month of June is difficult for believers…
Note to readers: I usually write a new article to publish every two days, but given that today is June 1, 2024 and last year’s post for this day is the most-read article of over 850 on Heaven On Wheels, I decided I’d update it a little bit and republish.
Don’t want to read the entire thing? In a nutshell, I do not hate or fear gays, in fact I love them so much I want them to repent and be able to enjoy eternal life!
It’s June. We’re going to be inundated for the next 30 days with rainbow-infused articles and pictures like the one above touting Pride Month. As Christians, we all pretty much understand two things that chip away at the foundations of this “celebration”.
First, we are to be humble, not proud. This is repeatedly hammered home to us in both the Old and New Testaments:
“When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.”
Proverbs 11:2 NASB1995
“Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.”
Proverbs 16:5 NASB1995
“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.”
Psalms 40:4 NASB1995
“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””
James 4:6 NASB1995
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
1 John 2:16-17 NASB1995
“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,”
Romans 1:28 NASB1995
I’m not going to explain humility in this post; as you have probably noticed by this point, I’m emphasizing the use of the term “pride” during this month.
The second thing? It’s what Paul alludes to in Romans 1:28 above. Sexual immorality, in all of its various forms. Much of the New Testament was written during a time that is much like what we see today — homosexuality and other sexual immorality was rampant in those times.
I am not happy to tell you that Barb and I were guilty of sexual immorality in that we lived together before marriage. Other types of sexual immorality are out there — pornography and adultery to name a few. It’s not all about sexual immorality, those other seven deadly sins include greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. I have to admit that our vacations in the past have pushed us into the gluttony and sloth categories quite often…
Here are a few other places in the Word of God where the rules are pretty darned clear:
“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”
Romans 1:26-27 NASB1995
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,”
1 Corinthians 6:9 NASB1995
Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking — “Hey, Steve - you’re a Christian. Aren’t you supposed to love everybody?”. That’s right, although nowhere in Scripture does it say that I’m supposed to embrace or celebrate sin! I do love all humans, but I despise their sinful ways.
I used to be one of those people who actually felt it was “OK” for others to have alternative sexual lifestyles. It was an “alternative lifestyle” and it wasn’t being pushed down my throat. Then, as those of us of a certain age will remember, we started seeing “Pride Month”, we watched “Gay Marriage” become the law of the land, and now school kids are being regularly exposed to “LGBTQ+ positive” propaganda in school rooms and libraries. Since when is it acceptable to have drag queen story hour ANYWHERE children are present?
As I told a lifelong friend of mine (who is gay) a few years back when he chastised me for being a “homophobe1”, when it became necessary for the ungodly to force their immorality down my throat and actually demand that we throw away our beliefs, is when I decided enough was enough. This probably won’t be my last post on this topic during the month of June, so if you are angry with what I’m saying, it won’t offend me in the least for you to unsubscribe.
I pray for my friend during my intercessory prayers, hoping that he’ll come to his senses and realize that his eternal life — guaranteed by a faith in Jesus Christ — is much more important than living a depraved “proud” lie. And I also pray for those churches (United Methodists, ELCA Lutheran, Episcopalians, and others) who think nothing of espousing the LGBTQ+ speaking points in weekly sermons under the rainbow flag of “everyone is welcome in God’s house”.
In fact, on May 16, 2024 the Episcopal Church (link to their press release on this travesty) adopted this new version of its traditional shield symbol:
The Word of God says many times what those sinners who come into His house must do:
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 NASB1995
So, I am asking readers of Heaven On Wheels to do one very loving thing for friends or relatives who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and whatever else they may choose to call themselves. Explain the Gospel to them. Let them know that they are loved by God, eternally. They need to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and repent — in other words, STOP sinning. If that means giving up that government-approved gay marriage, they should do it. Eternity without God is going to be horrible for them otherwise. And definitely pray for them and for the churches that are misleading their flocks.
Sometimes, love can be difficult.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven,
For all those who identify as “rainbow people” in the LGBTQ+ world or who are struggling with their sexual identity, I pray that they would find the freedom and joy that comes from following you as Lord and Savior. I pray that their hears are opened to see their sin for what it is, and that they realize that the joy of your salvation is greater.
All of us need to pray for conviction of our own sin and the freedoms that comes with repentance. I pray that our primary focus in life is always the magnification of Christ. Our identities should not be base on our work, sexuality, or even our families, but that we would follow Paul’s words that “to live is Christ”. May our identities, security, and salvation be fixed to you, and I pray that we make that first in our hears and words. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
I’m not sure why the “rainbow people” think that the word “homophobe” is going to upset Christians. We’re not afraid of homosexuality — what “homophobe” means — but we are afraid of spending eternity apart from God.