Homosexuality: Round 2

                   Husband: a woman’s partner in a marriage.

                Wife: a man’s partner in a marriage; a woman joined in marriage to a man.

                A little over a month ago I did a blog post about homosexuality. It’s one of this generation’s most controversial issues and is a topic that needs to be discussed. Recently, the Muppets cancelled their contract with Chick-Fil-A. Why? The Jim Henson Company, founder of the Muppets, will say that it is because of Chick-Fil-A’s opinion that gay marriage is not right. Chick-Fil-A will say it is because the toys that they were providing were unsafe. But here’s the thing: Chick-Fil-A never said that homosexuals were forbidden from their stores. Dan Cathy, president of Chick-Fil-A, publicly said that the company was guilty as charged for backing the biblical definition of a family, which involves man and woman. Are they supposed to support everyone’s moral views? Some say that as a Christian company, they need to be more tolerant. However, in reality, as a Christian company they do not need to be tolerant of same sex marriage. If they supported this, they would be judged for it because they are supporting the sins of another man. If you’re a Christian then you support the bible and the bible says homosexuality is wrong. As Christians we are to stand firm in the faith and be a light unto others.

“Although 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.”

-Romans 1:32

                God, in the beginning, intended marriage to be between a man and a woman. That’s how it should be to this day. Where in the bible does it say that a man can commit adultery with another man? It doesn’t. Homosexuality is warned against in both the Old and New Testament.

“Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning

the Creator made them male and female,

and said, ‘for this reason a man will leave

his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the

two will become one flesh.”

-Matthew 19:4-5

                Male and female. Man and woman. He and she. Husband and wife. Men were not meant to be with men and women were not meant to be with women. It says his wife, not her wife. Nowhere in the bible does it say her wife or his husband. Men do not have the reproductive organs to bear a child nor does a woman have the capability to form a child in herself.

“To the woman he said, ‘I will greatly increase your

pains in child bearing; with pain you

will give birth to children.”

-Genesis 3:16

                If Adam was a homosexual man then you would not be reading this right now! God had plans for us to reproduce on this earth. Imagine if every single person on this earth was not heterosexual. It would be the end of mankind. That is why God told Noah to bring a male and female of each creature so that after the flood they could reproduce.

“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 every living creature that moves on the ground.”

-Genesis 1:28

                Ephesians 5:33 says, “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” It doesn’t say his or her wife nor does it say her or his husband. Just his wife and her husband. So many people take out parts of the bible or say that there may have been misinterpretations from the translation from the original Hebrew to English. This isn’t the case though because they had scholars who were fluent and studied Hebrew. Yes, some Hebrew words have more than one meaning. However, the scholars were able to translate these words through the context they were in.

                There are several bible verses that give laws about homosexuality.

“A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear

women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.”

-Deuteronomy 22:5

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

-Leviticus 18:22

“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman,

both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death;

their blood will be on their own heads.”

-Leviticus 20:13

“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

nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers

nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

-1 Corinthians 6:9-10

                Homosexuals are not born homosexual. They choose that lifestyle if they don’t truly have God. They can say that they love God but in reality they are against him. God created everything perfect in his image. Being that the Bible clearly shows us that God hates homosexuality. Not the homosexual-the sin of homosexuality. Therefore, God would never create a homosexual. That would be Him condemning them from birth to have to suffer the second death. He doesn’t want to do that.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with

you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

-2 Peter 3:9

“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, slanderers,

God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful;”

-Romans 1:29-30

“So God created man in his own image, in the

image of God he created him;…”

-Genesis 1:27

                Christians DO NOT hate homosexuals. We truly care about their spirits and where they’re going to end up after death. That is why we are so persistent in standing firm in our faith of traditional family values. We want homosexuals to come to repentance and recognize their mistakes, just as we were led to recognize our own mistakes. We are all sinners and I’m not trying to point any fingers. I’m not here to condemn anyone. I just want to discuss an important topic that we need to be informed about.

“Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too?”

-Romans 3:29

                That’s the beauty of the cross and of grace. We are all welcome to his unlimited grace, the nailing of Jesus on the cross. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. He suffered the punishment that we should have bared ourselves. The first step to receiving this grace and everlasting life in Heaven is to take the conviction and recognize your fault. Recognize that you need Jesus as your Savior.

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”

-Proverbs 18:22

Here is another blog post about homosexuality: Is Homosexuality Really Wrong?

Renewal of the Spirit and of the Heart

                 The above drawing illustrates what the topic of this post is about. Renewal of the heart and welcoming of the Holy Spirit. Eggs often represent rebirth, as well as butterflies. That is why the butterfly is on the human heart: rebirth of the heart. And candles often represent the presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the heart welcomes the Holy Spirit.              

                 Some people misconstrue the fact that God loves everyone to mean that everyone will go to Heaven and God will not let harm come to us. They think that believing in God and Jesus, along with a bedtime prayer and reading the bible, automatically earns them a place in Heaven. But in believing this, they’ve removed many parts of the Bible like James 1:22, which says that you must not only read the Word but live it out.  John 3:3-7 clearly states that in order to be saved, you must be born again and have a renewal of your heart.

“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom

of God unless he is born again.’ Nicodemus asked, ‘How can a man be born when

he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’

Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless

he is born of water and of the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives

birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying ‘You must be born again.”

-John 3:3-7

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

-2 Peter 3:9

                You must be baptized in the water (…,having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22) and baptized in the Spirit. I’m going to sidetrack for a moment so that I can discuss what baptism of the Spirit is with you. Many Christians have debated over what exactly baptism of the Spirit is. We need to know first that all Christians receive the Spirit upon their conversion and in this sense all Christians have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.  This means that they are saved and that they have all they need at that time to be able to live godly and holy lives.  1 Corinthians 12:13 says, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” Some churches believe that the baptism of the Spirit is an experience different than initial salvation. They see it as a second experience that gives a person much greater spiritual power and boldness, and the ability to live a more victorious Christian life. We can conclude that when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit he has power bestowed upon him.  This power is for the purpose of the preaching of the gospel (Acts 4:31), living a purer life, and having a deeper devotion to God.  Some groups teach that the baptism is accompanied by such signs as speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongue, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.).

                The Bible does not actually use the term "baptism of the Spirit" very often. John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would come and baptize with the Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). In Acts 1:5, Jesus recalled John's words, and told His followers that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from then. While these passages make it clear that the believers in Acts 2 experienced a baptism of the Spirit, we do not find a clear explanation of what that baptism means. The clearest explanation of the baptism appears in I Corinthians 12:13. Paul is dealing with a situation where the Corinthian church was splitting into factions over the issue of spiritual gifts. Overemphasis on certain spectacular gifts had led to the attitude that some people had the most desirable gifts, while others were deficient. In response, Paul exclaims, "We're all one! Don't divide up into cliques!" And to prove his point, he explains, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:13).

                We must have a renewal of our heart where we give up all unrighteous things of our past (Ezekiel 18:21-2, Romans 6:11-14, Hebrews 10:22-29). Ezekiel 18:21-24 says that if a wicked man turns from all his sinful ways he will surely be saved but if a righteous man commits sin he will die.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to

put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires,

to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to

put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

-Ephesians 4:22-24

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the

Sovereign Lord, Rather am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

-Ezekiel 18:23

“Wash  your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

-James 4:8

                   If we turn back to God and give ourselves to His will and become His workers we will be blessed greatly and He will protect us. In this next verse He is talking about Israel but it can still be applied to our own lives, just like every other verse in the Scripture.

"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and

pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will 

hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

-2 Chronicles 7:14

  

Repentance and Humilty

           

                There is no such thing as a perfect person or a blemish free Christian. Many people outside of the Christian faith believe that Christians are not allowed to make mistakes. This is very far from the truth. We are not to seek sin or continue to live as we did before we knew God.  God understands that as humans we may stumble and fall. That’s why he sent his one and only son to die for us; so that we may be forgiven and have a way to the Father.

“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where

sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as

sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign though

righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

-Romans 5:20-21

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through

the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to

God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,

so that we may serve the living God.”

-Hebrews 9:14

                Just because we have accepted the Lord into our lives does not mean that we are automatically accepted into the kingdom of our Father in Heaven.

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’

will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does

the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”

Matthew 7:21

                The difference between a believer of Christ and someone who has not yet received Him as their savior is that we know the difference between right and wrong, sin and righteousness. We recognize this and the Holy Spirit convicts us when we do something wrong. Without our spirit committed to God, we cannot receive the Holy Spirit to grasp us when we start to slip away. When Jesus died for us, sin could no longer come after us but we could still seek sin. After we are saved by the grace of God and our faith in Jesus Christ, we are less likely to fall into sin but it still happens.

“Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his

sight by observing the law; rather, through the law

we become conscience of sin.”

-Romans 3:20

                But it doesn’t just take believing in Jesus to be saved from our sins. We must also have repentance and humility. When we ask for forgiveness of our sins, and mean it from our hearts, he will forget our sins.

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,

and remembers your sins no more.”

-Isaiah 43:25

                In Luke 18:9-14, a Pharisee and a tax collector went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed about himself and was not humble; he did not admit to any sin but rather raised himself up higher than everyone else. The tax collector however confessed that he was a sinner and begged for mercy. The tax collector was justified with God for he humbled himself. This is how we are to be. We should not exalt ourselves before God or before men.

“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now

that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

-John 9:41

                   This is a difficult passage to understand but let’s look at it logically, bearing in mind that Jesus was talking about spiritual blindness. Jesus is not saying that people who are physically blind are innocent of sin, as if God overlooks their sin because of their disability. The Bible teaches that everyone will be held accountable for their sin (Romans 3:9-19). Jesus was not speaking about sin in general but about the sin of spiritual pride. Those who were spiritually blind and did not claim to understand spiritual truth were not guilty of the sin of spiritual pride, but those who were spiritually blind and yet claimed to be spiritual leaders were guilty, and Jesus said that their guilt would remain.

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor,

but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31-32

                There are three Greek words used in the New Testament to denote repentance. The verb metamelomai is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas (Matt. 27:3). Metanoeo means to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This verb, with the cognate noun metanoia, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and heart and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. Evangelical repentance consists of a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness; an apprehension of God's mercy in Christ; an actual hatred of sin (Psalm 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Corinthians 7:10) and turning from it to God; and a persistent endeavor of a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments. The true penitent is conscious of guilt , of pollution, and of helplessness. Therefore, he apprehends himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares him to be. But repentance comprehends not only such a sense of sin, but also an apprehension of mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Psalm 51:1; 130:4). We must have a change of heart to have true repentance!

                As I said earlier, through Jesus’ blood we are saved; he was the sacrifice to the Lord and with him our sins were buried. We have been forgiven.

“If we have been united with him like this in his

death, we will certainly also be united with him in his

resurrection. For we know that our old self was

crucified with him so that the body of sin

might be done away with, that we should no longer

be slaves to sin-…”

-Romans 6:5-6

                However, not all men are forgiven just because of Jesus’ death for us sinners. You can pray and ask for forgiveness but do you have true repentance? Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Christ and your savior and changed your heart and life accordingly? If not, I urge you to do so today so that you can receive the full grace of God and have the joy of knowing that you will have everlasting life not full of gnashing teeth and fire but rather of the light of God in Heaven. Say a prayer like this and mean it from the bottom of your heart:

Father God in Heaven,

I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to you that I am

a sinner and I’m sorry for the life I’ve lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only Son Jesus Christ shed his precious blood on

the cross and died for my sins so I may have everlasting life in your

kingdom. Right now I confess Jesus as my Lord and savior. I believe

with my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. From this moment

on I live for you. Transform me so I may bring glory and honor to you

alone and not myself. Use me as you see fit. Thank you for your

unlimited grace that saved me from my sins. Amen.

Is Homosexuality Really Wrong?

                There are those who like to say that there is no place in the bible that says homosexuality is wrong. They say people are born as homosexuals and it's not their choice. But it is. In their own sin, without the Holy Spirit to convict them, they cannot see what is really wrong.The world often likes to change God’s words and meanings, and even remove parts of the bible, to conform to their own worldly desires to sin. However, the bible clearly states in multiple verses that homosexuality is a sin.

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

-Leviticus 18:22

“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman,

both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death;

their blood will be on their own heads.”

-Leviticus 20:13

“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

nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers

nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

-1 Corinthians 6:9-10

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their 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.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a

depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."

-Romans 1:26-28

                Homosexuality is clearly wrong and goes against the creation of God. But then again, God is so far out of our country. He created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve or Alexis and Eve. There is no other way that we would have been able to reproduce and be the world that we are today. Homosexuality has a severe judgment administered by God Himself. This judgment is simple:  they are given over to their passions.  That means that their hearts are allowed to be hardened by their sins (Romans 1:24).  As a result, they can no longer see the error of what they are doing, and then they go and promote it and condemn others who don't participate in their sin.  So, without an awareness of their sinfulness, there will be no repentance and trusting in Jesus.  Without Jesus, they will have no forgiveness.  Without forgiveness, there is no salvation. Without salvation, there is only damnation in eternal hell.

                We are not supposed to judge or condemn these men and women who give in to their temptations. No sin is greater than another. Lying is no better than homosexuality. All sin leads to death. Therefore, we are not to condemn or hate the person, we can only hate the sin that they are committing.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

-Luke 6:37

                We were all born sinners so we cannot condemn a homosexual any more than we would have been condemned, even if we were just a liar or a thief. They have the same chance at being saved as we did. God did not say he was sending Jesus to die for everyone but homosexuals or murderers. No, he sent Him for all to be redeemed.

“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 God.”

-1 Corinthians 6:11

                Homosexuality is a sin, and like any other sin it needs to be dealt with in the only way possible.  It needs to be laid at the cross and repented of. They need to be prayed for and they need to accept the conviction from the Holy Spirit. And, like all sinners, the person needs to be forgiven.  That can be found in Jesus.  He is the Lord, the Savior, and the risen King. If you want to love another man, love Jesus -- not in a homosexual attitudinal sense, but in one of respect and trust.  After all, Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1,14) and he died to save sinners.  We are all sinners and we are called to be the brides of Jesus.

                We should pray for the salvation of the homosexual, the same as we would for any other person in sin.  It is not an issue of arrogance or judgment.  It is a loving thing to do.  We don't want anyone to be lost due to their sin. Jesus came to save all people and we should not hide him from anyone.  The homosexual is still made in the image of God -- even though he is in grave sin.  Therefore, we should show homosexuals the same dignity, humility, and grace as anyone else with whom we come in contact. Show God’s love and his mercy so that he or she may be driven to accept Christ as their savior and give up their sin.  Don't injure them.  Don't hate them. You’ll only cause them to not want to be a follower of Christ. Plant a seed for them! However, this does not mean that you are to approve of their sin.  Don't compromise your witness for a socially acceptable opinion that is void of godliness and biblical truth.  Instead, stand firm in the word that God has revealed and patiently love him/her biblically, and pray for their salvation.

                After that, it is their choice. It is like the parable of the sower (Matthew 13: 1-23). When anyone hears the message about the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown. That’s the seed that was planted on the path. The seed that was planted on the rocks is the one who receives the message with joy. However, he lasts only a short while until persecution or suffering comes. The seed that fell among the thorns is the one who hears the word but the worries of life and wealth make it unfruitful. The seed that fell on the good soil is the one who receives the word and understands it and continues to live his life by the word.