A Royal Birth

The media frenzy surrounding the pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge came to a height on Monday with the news that she had been taken to St Mary's Hospital in labour. The press reporters who had been encamped outside the hospital for the last week were finally rewarded with the news that the Duchess had delivered a baby boy at 16:24pm. Understandably the nation's, and indeed the world's attention has been focused on this happy occasion and we would also congratulate the royal couple at this time, but it also causes our thoughts to turn to another birth spoken of in the Bible; that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Archbishop's dose of the measles

An article carried in The Telegraph newspaper this week of an interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has highlighted the gross apostasy at the very heart of the Church of England. In that interview he makes the shocking statement about his conversion that 'I was desperately embarrassed that this had happened to me, it was like getting the measles'! The content of the Archbishop's interview make it abundantly clear that he has never had the experience of the new birth, and that he has no true understanding of the gospel. That this can be said of the pre-eminent church leader in England is a sad state of affairs, indeed the spiritual darkness in England should be no surprise where men like this proclaim to be teachers of God's word. When we take into account the fact that Justin Welby is described as being on the evangelical wing of the Church of England it is evident to all just how far that denomination has fallen.

The alternative to 'Gay Pride'

Tomorrow Belfast's annual Gay Pride parade will once again take place on the streets of Belfast. The hundreds, if not thousands, of participants will display their pride in their homosexuality during the parade around the city. Some small groups of faithful Christians will make a stand against this display of sin, not as many would claim, out of hatred for homosexuals, but out of love for their souls. Sadly other churches will join with those who delight in their sin, with St Georges Church in Belfast's High Street having held regular services this week in association with 'Faith and Pride'. That group describes itself as 'an organisation with one simple point: you can be Christian and Gay'.

The Bible however holds a different view, not that you can be 'Christian and Gay' but that homosexuality is wrong. Yet there is a deliverance from all manner of sin for the following words are found in 1st Corinthians 6:9-11:

'Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God'.

Paul here speaks to men and women in the church who had previously been involved in all manner of sin, including homosexuality, yet they had been redeemed and were now part of the church. They had left their sin behind them and turned to Christ. They had no pride in their sin such as many tomorrow will exhibit, nor did they describe themselves as Christian and gay, but they were now sanctified by the Holy Spirit, new creatures in Christ.

This is the alternative to Gay Pride; humble repentance. It is a far better alternative, one that does not delight and take pride in sin, nor to try and make it an acceptable part of the Christian life. It is an alternative which brings everlasting life and delivers us from the curse and penalty of sin. 'Repent and believe the gospel' for 'Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.'