Death is the Sentence

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:20-23).

The Washington Times reported onMonday, June 13, 2016 that an Islamic Scholar who recently spoke at a mosque inOrlando has previously said homosexuals should be killed, according to Islamiclaw, “out of compassion.” The imam, Sheik Fanokh Sekaleshfar, gave the speech in question in 2013, also in Orlando. The Times quotes him as follows:

Death is the sentence. We know. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about this. Death is the sentence…We have to have compassion for people. With homosexuals it’s the same. Out of compassion, let’s get rid of them now.

I don’t know if this imam’s speech or teachings directly lead to the shooting at the Pulse night club on Sunday, June 12, 2016 (though I have my suspicions). I certainly don’t share this man’s idea of compassion and think the idea of “getting rid” of any group of people is disgusting. He is right about one thing though: The sentence is death.

The sentence for the sin of homosexuality is death. The sentence for the sin of adultery is death. The sentence for murder is death. The sentence for lying, stealing, coveting, slander, despising parents, and despising God and his word is death. God has told us that the wages of sin is death.

Moreover, we are all owed these wages, because we are all sinners. Since the Fall we humans are conceived and born in sin. We are full of evil lusts and inclinations from the womb. We are unable, by nature, to have true fear and love of God. In a manner of speaking, we have received our wages already, as we are, prior to our conversion, because of this total corruption of our human nature which we inherited from Adam through our parents, spiritually dead. We enter this world spiritually blind, dead, and enemies of God. Scripture says:

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me…There is none righteous, no, not one (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10).

Yes, death is the sentence. The imams, however, may keep their “compassion.” We have one who is willing to assume responsibility for our work of sin. Out of compassion, and his obedience to God the Father, Christ suffered death for us. On the cross Jesus has received the wages for our sin, paid to him in full. Through Baptism we are baptized into Christ’s death, and because we share in his death, we will also share in his resurrection. There is forgiveness in the wounds of Christ; Even though temporal and eternal death is the sentence for our sin, we have life through his word.