Societies Acceptance of Homosexuality.

Our society has its own standards and we can see the depths that’s its moral decline has had in society. It is in deep trouble. The larger culture is now bombarded with messages and images designed to portray homosexuality as a normal lifestyle. It is promoted and encouraged and condoned by the media and those who watch TV, movies, listen to plays or chat shows. We are no longer shocked by the behavior of homosexuality and even find it entertaining and funny at times. There are often gay characters in cartoon movies and diversity now appear in programming for children. Children are taught diversity and choice on sexual orientation in schools. The “Gay Culture” is popular and those who do not tolerate it are depicted as a narrow-minded bigot and described as “homophobic.” This is the “spirit of the age.” This world rationalizes lust.

Confusion Among Christians regarding Homosexuality.

We are concerned here not with what people outside of the Evangelical Church believes but what professing Christians believe. Leaders in churches such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren have affirmed homosexuality. Tony Campolo does not condemn it. This is based mostly upon feelings and emotions and not Biblical standards It is also the Emergent Churches view, including Campolo’s on the Red Letter Bible, that is, the words Jesus said in red letters are more inspired than others scriptures. There are also those who believe wrongly that “the scriptural texts in the Old and New Testaments condemning homosexual practice are neither inspired by God nor otherwise of enduring Christian value. These are totally wrong as “All scripture is inspired…” (2 Tim. 3:16). Then there are others who say it is a genetic component in sexual orientation and not a fault, and this is not your fault it is a biological or genetic thing. There is absolutely no proof for this. The case for a biological cause is not proven particularly with identical twins.  Homosexuality is like any other sin, it is a choice. Sometimes the choice is made because of certain factors but it is never the less a personal choice.  It is not a genetic problem but a sinful one, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).

A growing number of religious leaders are teaching false doctrines, telling homosexuals and lesbians that their behaviour is acceptable in God’s sight, because He created them to inevitably be what they are. They do not warn them that God will judge all who live in sexual morality. They are leading people astray.

The Bible is Our sole authority on homosexuality.

Biblical Christianity is the final wall of resistance to the homosexual agenda. If they can undermine the Bible or manipulate so-called Christian leaders so as to endorse their position they have won the battle and the lie has superseded the truth. This is a call for all Bible believing Christians to “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.” We are to defend the body of doctrine delivered to us by the apostles and the prophets. They know that the normalization of homosexuality is necessary in order for them to fulfil their evil agenda. They seek to influence people away from clear teaching of the Bible and have them believe that all forms of  homosexual behaviour is normal.

The Bible is the Word of God in written form, inerrant and infallible, inspired by the Holy Spirit and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Rejecting the authority of Scripture will cause people to capitulate eventually succumb to the world culture, its ideas, philosophies, thoughts and pinions including their view of homosexuality. It will absorb people into the “spirit of the age.” Those churches that affirm, confess, and acknowledge the full authority of the Bible have no choice in this matter — we must speak a word of compassionate truth. And that compassionate truth is this: Homosexual acts are expressly and unconditionally forbidden by God through His Word, and such acts are an abomination to the Lord by His own declaration. These are strong words, but they are the Bible’s words.

Jesus believed the Old Testament and accepted it as the Word of God and quoted it often. He came to fulfil the law. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets.” (Matthew 5). He didn’t come to change God’s law, to destroy God’s law, “But to fulfil it.” Paul said the law was his school master that taught him what sin was.

Homosexuality is neither promoted or condoned in scripture and neither is any other kind of sexual immorality outside of marriage. We are not homophobic but are against all sexual immorality.

True Christians have their standards taken from the Word of God, the Bible. So we are interested in what God has to say on the subject and should be prepared to give a Biblical answer to those who ask what He says about homosexuality.

Leaders in churches such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren have affirmed homosexuality. Tony Campolo does not condemn it. This is based mostly upon feelings and emotions and not Biblical standards. A growing number of religious leaders are giving false teaching, telling homosexuals and lesbians that their behaviour is acceptable in God’s sight, because He created them to inevitably be what they are. They do not warn them that God will judge all who live in sexual morality. They are leading people astray.

Paul condemned an incestuous relationship between two consenting as being wrong and he was concerned that the Church would not tolerate it and told them they but should seek repentance but if they don’t repent then to ex communicate them (1 Corinthians 5:1-6:20.)  He went so far as to say, in the name of Jesus Christ, to “deliver this man to Satan”. He wanted the church to take action not debate it or tolerate it. Paul continues by saying that the members of the congregation were not to even eat with this man. If we accept this as Gods word we should then seek the repentance of those who are behaving in a sexually immoral way and that includes homosexuals and lesbians. We are not to condone what they do. Paul after giving a list of sinful practices in Romans 1 goes on to conclude that “…unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” How can the Church, how can Christian leaders, how can true believers ignore such warning and approve such activity? They are not obeying God, if they approve. They not only do it, they approve it. How can you and I approve of people who do such things? (Romans 1:32).

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18). However because it is a current issue in the Church we should  look at our guide-book for directions.

God has never changed His mind about any of His moral commands.

1. Genesis 18:20-19:25

Sodom and Gomorrah were completely destroyed because of their open practice of homosexuality. This occurred hundreds of years prior to God’s Law. Jude, verse 7, self-evidently links the sin of Sodom with sexual perversion and immorality, stating that “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

This verse is sufficient to indicate the severity of the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22 speaks of male homosexuality as an “abomination”–the strongest word used of God’s judgment against an act.

2. Leviticus 20:13

“If a man lies with a male as if he were a women, both men have committed an abomination (offense).” That means something unnatural and perverse. God also issued this command against homosexuality in Leviticus 18:22, again referring to this practice as an “abomination”. In chapters 18 and 20, God uses this word, “abomination” five times in connection with His prohibitions against the various sexual sins.

The entire chapter of Leviticus 18 governs the practice of various types of sexual sin. God concludes His warnings in 18:24-29, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for in all these things the …land is defiled; therefore, I visit the iniquity of it upon it, and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants…Who ever commits any of these abominations shall be cut off (killed) from his people.”

3. Deuteronomy 23:17

God forbids cult prostitution, either male or female.

4. Romans 1:22-27

This passage gives the most extensive argument against homosexuality. “”… For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions; for the women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

Paul makes absolutely clear, homosexuality is fundamentally an act of unbelief. He says, the wrath of God is revealed against all those “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Men are without excuse.

Homosexual acts and homosexual desire, are contrary to God’s sovereign intention in creation and a gross perversion of God’s good and perfect plan for His created order. Homosexuality is a sign of rebellion against God and His intention in creation. Men and women have let Gods order of heterosexual marriage and have turned to members of their own sex, burning with an illicit desire which is in itself both degrading and dishonourable.

God intended for a man and woman to marry no two of the same-sex or sex with some other animal or thing. (Genesis 1:27). The divine design is, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

The Genesis narratives demonstrate that this distinction of genders is no accident.

Paul links homosexuality directly to idolatry, for it is on the basis of their idolatry that God gave them up to their own lusts. Their hearts were committed to impurity, and they were degrading their own bodies by their illicit lusts.

Their idolatry–exchanging the truth of God for a lie, and worshipping the creature rather than the Creator–led God to give them over to their degrading passions. Those given over to their degraded passions exchanged the natural use of sexual intercourse for that which God declared to be unnatural. Paul explicitly deals with female homosexuality or lesbianism. It included men and women homosexuals who have given up natural intercourse with women and have been consumed with passion for other men. The acts they commit, they commit without shame.

The result. “They have received within their own bodies the penalty of their error.

Beyond this, God has given them up to their own depraved minds, and they do those things which are not proper.

5. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

“Do not be deceived, neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality…shall inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.” Paul indicates that homosexuals–along with those who persist in other sins–will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:10 is arsenokoites, was taken by Paul directly from Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, and its meaning is homosexuality itself.

6. 1 Timothy 1:8-11

Paul lists all the sins which are properly controlled by the Old Testament Law. One of the sins so mentioned is “those who abuse themselves with men”.

7. Revelation 21:8, 27

Jesus tells us that certain people will be cast eternally into “the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone.” He includes those who are “depraved and defiled with abominations…” Jesus used the same words, “defiled” and “abominations” here that He used in Leviticus 18 and 20 to refer to homosexual acts!

Our response to persons involved in homosexuality must to speak he truth in love. We must be clear to tell them that is not the only sin we are taking about and therefore we are not homophobic. We must share the gospel with them. We should have a genuine compassion.