Homosexuality from God's Perspective
First, let me say, this isn't the topic I like to talk about. In fact there are hundreds of things I'd rather talk about. We're talking about this topic only because it's relevant. Real People with Real Problems Need Real Answers… That's what we always say. And that's why we are onto this topic.
Homosexuality is a hot topic in the news, politics, schools, entertainment and certainly within the Church.
The Traditional View of the Church is being challenged. The only way to answer this question is to go to the source, the Bible. Cutlure changes, but the eternal Word of God does not. Does the Bible answer the question of God's view on homosexuality?
Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Does Paul feel that homosexuality is able to mingle with Christianity? No. Are there any exceptions? Does the entire Bible agree on this? In this article I would like to show that the Biblical record is consistant from Genesis through the pre-law period, in the law, in the history of Israel, in Jesus time and certainly in Paul's. If God's perpective on homosexuality is not based on seasons, cultures or trends but on His eternal will then the only question left is how will we deal with this fact? Will we align with it or kick against it.
6 Arguments from Scripture:
1. CREATION.
Genesis 1: 26-28
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Design: Male and Female (Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve)
Purpose: Fruitful and increase in number
Homosexual relationships cannot fulfill the purpose and design that God had in mind when He created the world and humanity in perfection.
2. PRE-LAW.
Genesis 18: 20-21
20 Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.
Genesis 19:1-11
1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5 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." 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." 9 "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.
Homosexuality is grievous sin that brings death.
3. LAW.
Leviticus 18:21-24
21 "'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 22 "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. 23 "'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. 24 "'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
Context: Great Sin - Homosexuality placed between child sacrifice and bestiality.
4. HISTORY OF ISRAEL.
Judges 19:30
30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"
Same story as in Sodom. Here the story is even worse. I will not even read it this morning. But I will tell you this. The men of Gibeah were exceedingly wicked. When the rest of Israel found out about what they had done, they almost destroyed the entire tribe of Benjamin.
Homosexuality is grievous sin, punished by death.
5. JESUS.
John 16:12-14
12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
Argument often used against Paul's writings: Don’t quote Paul, he’s only human. Jesus makes no statement about homosexuality.
Problem: Jesus did not speak on child sacrifice or bestiality either. Does that mean he was o.k. with these too? An argument from silence is hardly an endorsement. Jesus did not need to speak out on homosexuality because that was common understanding in the context in which Jesus taught and preached. Israel had the law and it was clear on God’s view of homosexuality.
Jesus tells us that Paul’s writings are His own thoughts in John 16:2-4. That's clear enough. Remember, Jesus Himself said, "I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it."
6. PAUL.
Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Paul is clear. Homosexuality is the bottom rung of a downward spiral that is a result of men hardening their hearts against Him.
Recap: Creation, Pre-Law, Law, History of Israel, Jesus, Paul. Homosexuality is always condemned in Scripture.
So, why is this issue such a big deal?
1. Pressure/Agenda
2. Tolerance – Doesn’t hurt anyone – Live and let live (smoking)
3. Biological – Orientation = permission. What about alcohol or pedophilia?
4. Higher Criticism – Lower = What does Bible say? Higher = Is the Bible trustworthy?
Bottom Line: Do you believe that the Bible is truth from God? If you do, Homosexuality is wrong. It always has been and always will be. If you do not, then you have no savior, no answer for sin, no hope of salvation.
Hope Lives
1 Corinthians 9:6-11
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Homosexuality is sin. So is drinking too much. So is slander. So is idolatry and all forms of immorality. But Paul says here that his readers were sinners who did these things and yet they responded by repenting, turning and believing. Jesus came not so that sin could be indulged but so that sinners could be set free from their sins.
“Grace doesn’t let you do what you want, it gives you the opportunity to do what you aught.”
Homosexuality is a hot topic in the news, politics, schools, entertainment and certainly within the Church.
The Traditional View of the Church is being challenged. The only way to answer this question is to go to the source, the Bible. Cutlure changes, but the eternal Word of God does not. Does the Bible answer the question of God's view on homosexuality?
Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Does Paul feel that homosexuality is able to mingle with Christianity? No. Are there any exceptions? Does the entire Bible agree on this? In this article I would like to show that the Biblical record is consistant from Genesis through the pre-law period, in the law, in the history of Israel, in Jesus time and certainly in Paul's. If God's perpective on homosexuality is not based on seasons, cultures or trends but on His eternal will then the only question left is how will we deal with this fact? Will we align with it or kick against it.
6 Arguments from Scripture:
1. CREATION.
Genesis 1: 26-28
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Design: Male and Female (Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve)
Purpose: Fruitful and increase in number
Homosexual relationships cannot fulfill the purpose and design that God had in mind when He created the world and humanity in perfection.
2. PRE-LAW.
Genesis 18: 20-21
20 Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.
Genesis 19:1-11
1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5 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." 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." 9 "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.
Homosexuality is grievous sin that brings death.
3. LAW.
Leviticus 18:21-24
21 "'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 22 "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. 23 "'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. 24 "'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
Context: Great Sin - Homosexuality placed between child sacrifice and bestiality.
4. HISTORY OF ISRAEL.
Judges 19:30
30 Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"
Same story as in Sodom. Here the story is even worse. I will not even read it this morning. But I will tell you this. The men of Gibeah were exceedingly wicked. When the rest of Israel found out about what they had done, they almost destroyed the entire tribe of Benjamin.
Homosexuality is grievous sin, punished by death.
5. JESUS.
John 16:12-14
12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
Argument often used against Paul's writings: Don’t quote Paul, he’s only human. Jesus makes no statement about homosexuality.
Problem: Jesus did not speak on child sacrifice or bestiality either. Does that mean he was o.k. with these too? An argument from silence is hardly an endorsement. Jesus did not need to speak out on homosexuality because that was common understanding in the context in which Jesus taught and preached. Israel had the law and it was clear on God’s view of homosexuality.
Jesus tells us that Paul’s writings are His own thoughts in John 16:2-4. That's clear enough. Remember, Jesus Himself said, "I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it."
6. PAUL.
Romans 1:24-27
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Paul is clear. Homosexuality is the bottom rung of a downward spiral that is a result of men hardening their hearts against Him.
Recap: Creation, Pre-Law, Law, History of Israel, Jesus, Paul. Homosexuality is always condemned in Scripture.
So, why is this issue such a big deal?
1. Pressure/Agenda
2. Tolerance – Doesn’t hurt anyone – Live and let live (smoking)
3. Biological – Orientation = permission. What about alcohol or pedophilia?
4. Higher Criticism – Lower = What does Bible say? Higher = Is the Bible trustworthy?
Bottom Line: Do you believe that the Bible is truth from God? If you do, Homosexuality is wrong. It always has been and always will be. If you do not, then you have no savior, no answer for sin, no hope of salvation.
Hope Lives
1 Corinthians 9:6-11
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Homosexuality is sin. So is drinking too much. So is slander. So is idolatry and all forms of immorality. But Paul says here that his readers were sinners who did these things and yet they responded by repenting, turning and believing. Jesus came not so that sin could be indulged but so that sinners could be set free from their sins.
“Grace doesn’t let you do what you want, it gives you the opportunity to do what you aught.”
posted by pastordan at 9:23 AM
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