THE TRUTH ON HOMOSEXUALITY
WHAT EVERYONE MUST KNOW
BY KANKAKA EDWARD NELSON
“Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”
“I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my clear conscience” John Bunyan
“It is wrong to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.”
Okay. Enough of the uninformed talk- let’s face the reality of these debates. In this debate, two things must first be put to the light.
· God does not sin, and neither does he make mistakes
· God never tempts people. It is their wicked desires, Satan, and the fleeting pleasures of the world that lead people to sin.
1. God’s wrath and verdict on sinful humanity, Homosexuals and Lesbians
Romans 1:18-32
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
- Gay people are also made by God. Tolerate them?
The origin of humankind: Of all the theories relating to origin of man, only the theory of special creation did not receive any sounding criticism. It holds authority beyond doubt.
Gen 1:27 “So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it….”
Gen 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…”
True, all people were made by God, and he loved all he had made.
What happened when they sinned?
Gen 3:23-24 “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove them out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Despite the absolute love of God towards mankind, God broke the law of “tolerance.” He passed judgment on them and banished them from his holy garden. He even went on to place security to guard the way to the tree of life.
- Can God kill someone-How severe can God be?
On Earth, we can classify sins as minor offence, criminal, capital offence, felony, and so on. We assign different weights of justice to them, such as forgiveness, mob justice, imprisonment (sometimes for life), death sentence…
What about God? What’s his view of the weighing of sin?
Rom 11:22 “Here we see how kind and how severe God is. He is severe toward those who have fallen, but kind to you---if you continue in his kindness. But if you do not, you too will be broken off.”
God is a God of Justice. From the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Justice is the assignment of merited rewards or punishment! Therefore, in his uncompromisable justice, our loving God does not fail to give punishment where it deserves, unless there is Repentance. From Merriam Webster, Repentance is to turn from sin out of penitence for past wrongdoings, abandon sinful or unworthy purposes and values, and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life.
The examples below show that our loving God can be both gracious and severe. It is dangerous not to know how severe God can be.
Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death is death, but the gift of God is eternal life”
And so, what examples do we have of sin that leads to death?
Sodom and Gomorrah
Gen 13:13 “But the men of Sodom were sinners and wicked before the LORD exceedingly” KJV
Gen 18:20-21 “Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
Gen 19:4-6 “Before they had gone to Sodom, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom- both young and old- surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.”
Gen 19:13 … we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
Gen 19:25-27 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.
Korah, Dathan and Abiram who rebelled against God, and taught others to do the same
Genesis 16:31-35 “As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!” And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira’s attempt to lie and cheat God
Acts 5:3-6 “Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.”
Those who cause innocent/weak people to sin
Mark 9:42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
- What about God’s grace and love through Jesus who came for and died for sinners?
God came for sinners and we are all sinners until we confess unto salvation in the son of God
Jesus frequently went to sinners, and dinned with them, so he could pull them out of their sins.
When he forgave the prostitute, he said:
John 8:7-11 “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, a where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
1John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us”
Luke 19:10 “For the son of God came to seek and save that which was lost”
How far does this grace stretch?
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
Romans 5:20 “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased the more so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may increase? By no means!”
Who is the law for, and is it necessary?
1 Timothy 1:8-11 “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers. And it is for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.”
Does faith or religion have a right and role to play in Politics, law and way of life?
Consider these instances.
- When politicians are being sworn into Power, they always hold a Holy book. They also invite religious leaders to pray for them.
- The Bible tells us that all leadership comes from God, and commands us to pray for the state, and the peace of the land we dwell in.
Should, therefore, the issues of the state be separate from faith in God, who gives leadership? No! Leaders need the assistance of God in how they must lead. Thus, it is dangerous for believers to distance themselves from the issues of the state.
Christians have AN ABSOLUTE RIGHT, EVEN A MORAL AND GOD-GIVEN DUTY to enforce the laws of their God by using God’s commands to make laws that apply to their land. God does not allow us to conceal or ignore sin and evil, but to point it out clear and condemn it. That is why “he sent the Holy Spirit to convince the world of its sin, of God’s righteousness, and warn it of the coming judgment.”
What do we do with Christians who are perpetual sinners?
For the sin that does not end in death (explained above): 1 John 5:16-17
1 John 5:16-17 “If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-5
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the sinful nature so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 5:11 “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with any who claim to be fellow believers but are sexually immoral or greedy, idolaters or slanderers, drunkards or swindlers. With such persons do not even eat.”
1 Corinthians 5:33 “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.”
- Should we love or hate Enemies?
We are nothing if we have no love
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body in hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Now, what is love?
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails…”
Enemies; which ones must we love and which ones are we to hate?
For God’s enemies:
Psalm 139:20-24 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
(As you hate God’s enemies, ask God to)
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
For your own enemies:
Mat 5:43-48 43“You have heard that it was said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Hate the sin, love the sinner?
The only time the sin is separated from the sinner is when there is Repentance, irrespective of who the sinner is.
You cannot say you love someone if you keep quiet about the evil they are involved in. You must warn them of their wickedness. Otherwise, God will hold you responsible if you don’t and they perish. IT IS A DUTY FOR A BELIEVER TO SPEAK BOLDLY OF GOD’S WARNING AND JUDGMENT OF SIN.
Warning the wicked:
Ezekiel 3: 16-20 “At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their lives, those wicked people will die for their sins, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sins; but you will have saved yourself.”
Warning the righteous:
Ezekiel 3:20-21 “Again, when the righteous turn from their righteousness and do evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sins. The righteous things they did will not be remembered and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
Any more Questions or feedback?
Ken1edd@gmail.com
nice piece ken.
ReplyDeleteabove all, its based on the Word wich is clear and to the point and relevant to this day and age.
while many people may write it off and others misunderstand it, it will always be the compass that guides many.
God is clear about His stand on homosexuality.
we need to be sure about our stand.
at the end of the day, the one on the right side wins.
the one on the wrong side loses.
Appealing to the justice of GOD when we are condemning others, and then appealing to His mercy when we are justifying ourselves reveals a double standard in us. If you are advocating for the death penalty for homosexuals, you need to also advocate it for the other sins which are mentioned in the portion of Romans which you cite above. Rom1:29-32"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
ReplyDelete30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
To follow that line would also mean that a bill should be presented in the parliament which declares that all gossips, disobedient teenagers, all who do not attend church (the irreligious) etc should be put to death.
If that were the case, I wonder who would be left to actually carry out the sentence, as we would all be guilty and sentenced to death!
In the story about the prostitute whom Jesus forgave you refer to above, notice that Jesus says to her, "I do not condemn you, go and sin no more" The "I do not condemn you" comes before the "go and sin no more."
In all this we need to ask, what is the HEART of GOD. It is revealed in 1Tim 2:4 "For it is GOD's will for all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the TRUTH." and again in 2Peter3:9 "... He is not willing that any should PERISH but that all should come to repentance."
The conclusion to this matter is actually spoken of by JESUS in the scene above involving the prostitute. He said to those who wanted to stone her to death (you see, under their nation's law, adultery was punishable by death) "he who has no sin, let him cast the first stone." And I believe Jesus is saying the same to those among us who want to "stone" homosexuals to death. He who has no sin, let him cast the first stone. What this means is that we, because we are inherently sinners, and the righteousness we have is not our own, but a gift bestowed upon is by Christ's mercy, have NO MORAL AUTHORITY to seek death sentences against others whom GOD loves just as much as He loves us.
You may also want to read 2 Cor 5:19-21 "That God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM..." If people do not accept GOD's free gift, they will certainly perish, but let us leave the JUDGEMENT TO GOD, who alone has the MORAL AUTHORITY to pass JUDGEMENTS. Our role is shown in 2Cor5:20 "Now we are ambassadors of Christ, as though GOD was making HIS appeal to you through us: we beseech you to be reconciled to GOD."
Our role is not pushing for laws in our country that will condemn all sinners to death. Our role is to Preach the GOSPEL of Christ, and save as many as possible from destruction. And remember, it is the GOODNESS OF GOD WHICH DRAWS MEN TO REPENTANCE. ABIDE IN HIS LOVE.