As everyone knows, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled gay marriage is a constitutionally protected right.

Christians around the country have already lost jobs and businesses because they believe in traditional, one-man one-woman marriage, and many fear that this ruling will lead to more persecution.

That may be so. But even if that does happen, it won’t be the worst result of our country’s acceptance of gay marriage.

The worst outcome of our country’s acceptance of gay marriage will be the loss of souls to hell.

Homosexual acts are gravely sinful. The approval of homosexual acts is gravely sinful. This court decision further entrenches and encourages both in our culture. And any serious sin, when left unrepented from and unwashed with the grace of Jesus, is exactly what sends a person to hell. The momentary persecutions any Christians might face is nothing in comparison to the eternal punishments people can suffer for their sins.

This is not to say that persecution can’t be extremely hard. But the cultural acceptance of sin shouldn’t make us turn inward, worrying about our own survival. We shouldn’t become angry, bitter, or despairing. We must maintain an eternal perspective. We should have an ever greater urgency in sharing the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us. It should spur us on to love our neighbors even more, spiritually fighting for their salvation. Because eternity is hanging in the balance.

Please remember that those who support gay marriage – even those who wish to stamp out all opposition – are not our enemies. Satan is our enemy. Rather, those deceived by him are our neighbors, fellow travelers on this short spiritual journey of life, and are in desperate need of the grace of Jesus for conversion and salvation. The ones who oppose us the most are the ones we should be trying to save the most.

And don’t forget that the battle for souls includes your own. We are all weak and sinful and in desperate need of Christ’s grace for daily conversion. So you don’t support gay marriage? The cultural acceptance of homosexual acts is just the latest development in a much larger cultural movement that includes the acceptance and practice of a wide variety of sexual perversions, including pornography, masturbation, fornication, contraception, adultery, divorce, etc. Sure you’re completely clean? And that’s just sins when it comes to sex, not to mention sins of all other areas of life.

A humble, serious acknowledgement of our own sinfulness – coupled with confession, penance, and prayer – and of the “amazing grace… that saved a wretch like me” should lead all of us to be that much more loving and merciful to those around us – as well as zealous to lead them to the same grace.

Persecution is hard. But it is a “light and momentary trouble” (2 Cor 4.17) in the perspective of eternity, whether that’s spent in heaven or hell – and it will be one of them.

[See also: 7 Old-Fashioned Sins that Can Still Send You to Hell]

[See also: Afraid to Share the Gospel? This Powerful Comic Shows the Urgency We Need]

[See also: The Gospel Rapped in 4 Minutes. I Got Chills at 1:18…]