re: “So that means on with the bacon, sausage, pork chops, shrimp, and oysters?”
Basically, Yes. The Apostle Paul spent quite of bit of time discussing this issue of following the Mosaic Law to attain “righteousness” or accepting the “righteousness of God” imparted to us by our belief in Jesus - who bore our sin on our behalf as a perfect, sinless, sacrifice.
In other words, Paul’s point is that attempting to become “righteous” enough to enter God’s Heaven by following the Law was impossible - we couldn’t do it. We all sin. The only righteousness available to us is through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Paul teaches that if you are attempting to attain your own righteousness through following the Mosaic laws, then you have to do it all - not only the moral law, but the dietary laws, the medical laws, the Sabbath laws, all the festival laws, etc. And, you have to do it perfectly in your actions and in all your motives. The problem is no one can do that, and no one ever has (except for Christ) and disobeying the law produces physical and spiritual death. Faith in Christ alone produces the righteousness that comes from God. Faith in what Christ did - not what we did.
But, just because Paul says we cannot become righteous on our own by following the Law, that does not mean that he advocated that God’s moral Law is to be ignored. Paul never advocated such a thing - we are still to follow God’s moral law - not for the purpose of getting “righteous” enough to be “saved” (because we cannot do it) - no, we are to follow it as best we can out of love and respect for God.
All CAN be saved no matter what our background was - all of us are sinners. But, God does not save us to allow us to continue to live the immoral, sinful life we did before coming to Him.
From what is in the article, I am confused as to excatly what Rick Warren believes in regard to homosexuality. It sounds like he says it is sin, but then it also sounds like he might mean that it is possible to be a homosexual Christian.
A Christian, who was once a practicing homosexual or a lesbian, but repented of that, is Biblically possible.
But, a practicing homosexual, lesbian, adulterer, murderer, thief, liar, rapist, etc. who claims to be a Christian, and continues in the same sinful life - THAT is not possible.
They are NOT Christians. Not because I said so, but because the Bible teaches that “faith” or “repentance” without change in direction of one’s life is dead/fake - hypocritical. It is not real.
I do think that a person can fall back into old traps.
Look at an alcoholic as an example. I know quite a few alcoholics that are Christian, but they still stumble from time to time.
I’m glad I don’t have to be perfect. I know of my sins, and I repeatedly stumble. I covet so many things it’s ridiculous. I know it’s wrong, but I still do it.