In January of 2020, Dr. Ed Litton, pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama and the newly elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention, preached a sermon on Romans 1 and made this statement: “Homosexuality does not send people to hell. How do I know that? Because heterosexuality doesn’t send people to heaven.”
J. D. Greear made this same statement in a sermon he preached on Romans 1, and we called him out on it at the time. We must do the same thing now with Ed Litton. Here is what we said about what Greear said in his sermon.
The Roads to Heaven and Hell
Greear goes wrong—very wrong—when, quoting social justice advocate Tim Keller, he says, “Homosexuality does not send you to hell. I know that because being heterosexual doesn’t send you to heaven.”
Here is the statement in context.
Let me say something very clearly: Homosexuality does not send you to hell. I know that because being heterosexual doesn’t send you to heaven. What sends you to hell is refusing to allow Jesus to be the Lord and center of your life, regardless of how that manifests—whether it’s in your refusal to let Jesus be Lord over your sexual life or in your refusal to obey him with your money or your right to control your career.
Taken together, the first two sentences are blatantly unbiblical! No one ever can know any particular trait, quality, or action will not send a person to hell “because” — J. D.’s term — its opposite doesn’t make a person qualified to enter heaven! This is dangerous! It is treading on razor thin spiritual ice! Can’t you see how hearing such a statement would effectively relieve concern in a homosexual person’s mind? Hey! That’s right! Heterosexuality can’t get anyone into heaven—so my homosexuality certainly won’t condemn me to hell! Whew!
Don’t be surprised when homosexuals and same-sex attracted people who “hear” Greear’s full statement don’t really hear the last part of it—that “[w]hat sends you to hell is refusing to allow Jesus to be the Lord and center of your life, regardless of how that manifests—whether it’s in your refusal to let Jesus be Lord over your sexual life or in your refusal to obey him with your money or your right to control your career.” Why won’t they hear it? Because the statements made immediately before effectively give homosexuals and those dealing with same-sex attraction a “feel-good pass.”
God is faithful to His Word, however, and will judge unrepentant sinners—for their sins! (See 1 For. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7; Col. 3:5-6; Jude 5-8; Rev. 21:8,27; 22:14-15.)
Here is Dr. Litton’s sermon in its entirety.
Copyright © 2021 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.