Dear Friends
The Delhi High Court has struck down the provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalized consensual sexual acts of adults in private, holding that it violated the fundamental right of life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed in the Constitution.
Gays and lesbians will no longer be judged and penalized under the above section. Indian Government, the collective conscience of this nation, has now decided that it will not prosecute them. Laws have hardly changed human nature for the better. The real issue is not about who should be punished and who should not be but who should be loved.
Such an task does not sit well with the governments but squarely belongs to all peoples and especially the church. The teaching of the church is clear:
- According to Genesis 19:1-11; Romans 1:26, 27, homosexuality and lesbianism is not from God and it reflects the depravity of man.
- According to John 3:16 the offer of love is to everyone, including a homosexual and a lesbian.
- God hates the sin in a sinner and loves the human being in a sinner.
As counselors, let us be careful. Let us be rooted and grounded in the Spirit of Christ and love everyone without any discrimination. At the same time let us not be carried away by the changes in the law of the land risking a compromise on the law of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Samson Gandhi
