Gold Tron said:
contrario said:
whiterock said:
yes, God loves alcoholics, but I rather suspect he expects them to come to church sober.
it's not that one has sin in one's life.
it's that one should not revel in one's sin.
come to church sober.
The church I know would want people to comes as they are, sins and flaws and all.
Would they not try to encourage and help you fight your addictions? If you come to Church repeatedly intoxicated, I think you might not be sincere.
Yes, God accepts us as we are - sins and flaws and all (as of course the church should as an earthly instrument of God) - but at the same time God also opposes sin and homosexuality (the lifestyle and the act) is clearly identified as sin in both the Old and New Testaments. It is no greater or lessor of a sin than any of the other things also clearly identified as sins (lying, stealing, coveting, adultery, fornication, murdering, gluttony, etc. as examples), but it is sin. I believe God definitely accepts us as we are, but also definitely doesn't want us to
stay as we are (hence, the repentance part of a salvation decision) and provides divine help
in that regard which becomes a work in progress for the rest of the believing Christian's life.