mtnlady....
"mlsoft - are you implying that a homosexual cannot be a Christian and a Christian cannot be a homosexual? If so, there are problems with such a notion."
No - you will find nothing in anything I have written that suggests that. You are absolutely correct that faith in Jesus is the only requirement to be saved, thus being a Christian.
"Does a homosexual have to convert to heterosexuality or celibacy to remain a Christian? No. Spiritual maturity (or immaturity) has nothing to do with ones sexual orientation. What God is calling for us to do is to live out His royal commandment of love (Matthew 22:37-40 and Galatians 5:14) while maturing into the “fullness of Him” (Christ)."
If I understand what you are saying, we disagree. Yes, the Lord calls us to "live out His royal commandment of love", but that is not all He calls us to do. Homosexual behavior is a sin, and we are told to abstain from sin. While a practicing homosexual's salvation certainly would not be in question, his lifestyle would certainly be displeasing to God just as a practicing adulterer or thief would be. A Christian would indeed be expected to do everything he could to avoid engaging in homosexual activity just as he would be expected to abstain from robbing a bank or engaging in adultery. If he continued to practice homosexuality, the local church would be expected to come to him and admonish him to cease the practice and if that did no work they are instructed to have nothing to do with him as a means of chastisement, to make him see the error of his ways - exactly as they should do if a member was engaging in adultery.
Homosexuality is a sin and an abomination before God and should not be tolerated by the church. The person practicing such behavior should want to give up that (or any other) sinful lifestyle in order to please His Lord and obey His commandments not in order to be saved, but because he is saved.
mlsoft
