Hi all,
Okay, today's topic is a pretty big issue now in days but I've felt like there is a lot of confusion on the matter. What I'm talking about is whether it's okay to be homosexual. Some Christians think it is and some don't. Well, why the confusion? So I've decided to explore what the Bible has to say about it.
Let's begin at the start, Gensis 2:18-25 (and it's repeated in Mark 10:6) describes how Adam was given the job to name all the animals but he couldn't find a helper that was right for him so God took one of Adam's ribs and created woman. Then the verse goes on to say that because she was taken from man, part of him, is why a man must be joined to his wife. Thus, God have the basic defintion of marriage directly from the start- between man and woman. That's it. That's marriage. Period.
In Leviticus, God gives out a list of rules to the Israelites for time to live by that will keep them healthy and strong as a nation. He lists acceptable sexual practises. Chapter 18, verse 22 says: "Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." And the chapter goes on to say how the other nations in the land did that and the land became ruined as a result. Sin effects nature.
Moreover, Romans 1:26 says "...even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other." And it goes on to describe how men did the same sinful practises and both suffered because of it. But to make things even clearer, the Bible discusses the consequences of such actions. 1 Corinithians 6:9-10 states "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin...or practise homosexuality or are thieves, or greedy people, or dunkards...none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." That's intense. Homosexuality is a sin, like stealing, like being immoral, lying, cheating...You're not going to Heaven with those things in your life. But with repentance, comes forgiveness and acceptance into God's Kingdom.
Often Christians are accused of being judgemental/intolerant with this issue. "You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse...for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such thing" (Romans 2:1-2). God is forgiving, merciful, and we have to be as well. Sin is sin, we all do it and it's all the same to God- it's all wrong. It's pretty clear that God is against homosexuality, just as he is against guys and girls sleeping around, having sex with their boyfriends. It's all sin. And as mentioned in my previous post about purity, the Holy Spirit lives in us so we belong to God and our bodies are his temple- so they must remain pure. Christians who practise homosexuality are sinning- Bible says so. I believe in the truth of God's word. And non-Christians are no different, except that they have not turned their lives over to God and do not have the Holy Spirit living in them. That is why, as Bible believing Christians, we need to pray for the salvation of others, of our friends, who we know are living wrong. God will convict them and bring them to him- if they listen. Judging is not our role, sharing truth is though, but we cannot force others to make certain choices; we can just pray.
Lastly, my friend and I were discussing this very issue one day and she brought up how some people are just born gay. Maybe so. I don't know. But after centeries, millennia, of sin and evil in the world, our genetics could very well be corrupted. Sin corrupts nature by defiling the land (lack of healthy soil, produce, etc.). And when people allow evil into their lives by sinning, they also allow the devil and his cohorts to enter their lives, and it's obvious how messed up people become (we've seen it over and over), shells of the person God created them to be. And these choices just don't end when the person dies, just like parents pass on their genetic material to their children, they pass on their spiritual heritage too. This can be good or it can be bad. So ya, sure, people can be predisposed to certain negative behaviours because of their parents choices (alcoholism is a common one) but it is up to the individual whether or not they should act on those choices.
Society has intensely corrupted and ruined behaviour, so much so that it becomes a issue of whether or not your a good person if you don't believe in homosexual behaviour. You can disagree with the lifestyle and still befriend the person. Homosexuals should not be banned from jobs; we don't ban liars, but we do not need to praise and celebrate their sinful choices. Likewise, there is horrible pressure on young kids growing up. If guys or girls do not get crazy about each other from young on, people start to tell them that their gay. That is so wrong because it begins to corrupt their minds, making them start to think along sinful lines, believe lies. Rather, all kids mature at different rates. If I have a friend, or come across a girl who isn't attracted to boys, I'm not going to to tell her to check out the nearby female. No, I'd rather direct her mind to things of God; tell her that there is nothing wrong with her at all, she just hasn't met the boy God picked out for her yet.
Well this post is really long so I'll wrap things up. Let there be no confusion. Homosexuality is a sin. It's wrong, just like so many other bad behaviours. But, as always, God will forgive and he will deliver someone from their sins of homosexual behaviour. People do get delivered from sin when they repent and God changes their lives. I've heard stories of gay men, repenting, God restoring them and then going on to get married to women. The Bible is so clear on this issue. There really shouldn't be so much controversy in the church. Sin is sin- no matter which one we deal with- it's the sin we're against- not the person. God loves, always forgives and just waits for his children to return to him and say 'I'm sorry. I messed up big time. Take control of my life God. Change me.'
* All versues taken from New Living Translation
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