User:Pastahwhocare
Christianity and Homosexuality - What Scripture Has to Say About It
Homosexuality is seen everywhere and widely accepted by many in society; nevertheless, God's Word is clear on its points concerning the act of homosexual behavior. God had His own plans for the human race as He spoke everything in existence. Those plans came with operational instructions for the human race. God knew just how He wanted things to operate taking a look at the word sin, which defines homosexuality. Sin means to "miss the mark," and missing the mark isn’t always done intentionally, but if man deliberately does that which is wrong, that is sin. Every sin needs to be atoned for, confessed, and irradiated from one’ life in order to be pleasing to God. To do things un-intentionally that aren’t right is transgression, which means we have committed an action that goes beyond or overstepped God’s boundary.
When God created man and woman He created them to become one flesh, which is consummated in the act of marital sex (Genesis 1 & 2). Everything God created prior to man was good to Him, but when He pointed out the fact that man was alone, that was not good. At that time, God had the opportunity to put man with whom ever He chose to and He chose to put man with woman. At the point the man and woman became a standard blue print for humanity. Now Satan on the other hand has always had an opposite agenda to every thing that God does this is where homosexuality come in (Genesis. 2:18). God created man and woman so that they could communion together, consummate, and reproduce children to replenish the earth. Man and woman were created to complement one another. This is not possible in homosexual relationships.
The marital act of lovemaking must be done between a man and a woman, not a man acting like or taking on the role of a woman. Christ referring to God's divine plan for man and woman in Matthew said a husband and wife become one flesh, which reflects God's union for unity with humanity through the Church. Homosexual unions pervert this divine truth of God’s love for and union with the human race (Matthew. 19:6). According to Scripture, homosexuality perverts God’s covenant with humanity and to prove it the Lord rained fire and brimstone down on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These were cities filled with the sin of homosexuality. The punishment at that time for homosexual behavior was death (Genesis 19:24-28). It doesn’t matter what argument homosexuals develop, the Word of God will always discredit them because it was not God's plan to have man cohabitating with man and visa versa.
Some homosexuals will argue that the sin in Genesis 19 was the “inhospitality” not homosexuality, but the verses connected to the argument shows that the Sodomites were evil and wicked people before the alleged sin of in-hospitality (Genesis 13:13; 18:20). The Sodomites sin of homosexuality was daily and persistent (II Peter 2:6-8). It is clear in the Bible that the Sodomites sin is homosexuality. Out of their intense lust for the same sex, they mistook the two angels for men and surrounded Lot’s home with the intent on having perverted sex with them (Genesis 19:5). The Hebrew word for “to know” is yadah and means having sexual relations (Genesis 19:5). This same word refers to the sexual relationship between Adam and Eve, which is ordained by God for marriage (Genesis 4:25).
Peter said God condemned the homosexuals for “licentiousness” and “lust of defiling passion,” which is where we get the title “Sodomite” for homosexual men (II Peter 2:6-10). Jude says they “indulged in un-natural lust” (Greek, ekporneusasai) and went after “strange flesh” (Greek, sarkos heteras) in reference to their homosexual sins (Jude 7). Peter reveals that Sodomites are suffering in Hell for their sins by comparing the Sodomites’ punishment to the eternal punishment of the evil angels (II Peter 2:4-6). Just as God did not spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into Hell, so He did the same with the Sodomites when He “condemned them to extinction and made them examples to those who were to be ungodly.” Jude says just as the evil angels were condemned to Hell, the Sodomites “likewise” (Greek, hos) acted immorally and is undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. “Undergoing” (Greek, upechousai) is a present participle that means their suffering is ongoing (Jude 5-7).
Scripture continues to say, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination" (Leviticus 20:13). God commands a man never to lie with a male as with a female, or he will be cut off (Leviticus 18:22, 29). Cut off refers to supernatural death, which is eternal separation from a loving God. Although the New Testament has replaced the Old Testament Laws with Paul’s writings and Born-Again Christians today adopt the moral principles in the Apostle Paul's epistles for daily living. The moral prohibitions on homosexuality of Old Testament times still apply for today. From the very beginning, God has revealed that homosexual acts are intrinsically dis-ordered. In God's view these acts are un-healthy, and morally sinful. The Bible even says cross-dressing is an abomination before God (Deuteronomy 22:5).
Homosexuality is not only a man thing in Scripture; Scripture also speak to the woman saying, when a woman lies with another women (lesbianism) this is un-natural and a perversion (Romans 1:26). God wants His children to be pure and holy as He is Holy. The Bible tells its readers that if any man or woman is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away and behold, all things become new. Paul condemns all homosexual acts in his writings even fornication; it does not matter whether men or women commit these acts, they are all sin in God's sight when done out of His order. Paul calls the practice of homosexuality shameless, un-natural and a perversity because it is contrary to the natural law ordained by God. These acts of defiance remove what God intended to be good from the life-giving aspect of human sexuality. Reducing it to a selfish, self satisfying, pleasured-seeking end (Romans 1:27).
Paul teaches that Sodomites will not enter into the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9). The Greek word for “sodomite” (arsenokoites) literally means “male copulation” or “male sexual relations.” The Greek “arsen” means “male” and “koites” means “coitus” or “sexual relations.” Paul uses the same word in I Timothy 1:10. Sodomites are called un-godly, sinners, un-holy, profane, lawless and disobedient (I Timothy 1:10). In these last days, God is calling all homosexuals to repentance. Homosexuality is not a sin unto death; there is hope for those people stuck in confusion. Homosexual attractions and inclinations are not by themselves sinful per se; it is the acting out on homosexual attractions that are sinful. Those with homosexual desires can still live a life worthy of Christ by abstaining from acting out on their sexual desires. One can surrender homosexuality to God and He will do the work that cause change in that individual. We as created beings are powerless to change ourselves, but God can do anything but fail. He is the Author and the Finisher of one’ faith. He started he faith process in every believer and He will see faith completed to His pleasing. As long as the desire for change is forefront in the heart and mind of any homosexual, trust in God can ignite and completely transform that believer.
We know that Satan has his filthy hands in homosexuality because homosexual prostitution was practiced in conjunction with the idol worship of Baal. Male homosexual intercourse is the focus in many of the Biblical Scriptures. Scripture says; "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination" (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable (Leviticus 18:22) 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 (I Corinthians 6:9-10). All of these workers of iniquity will be separated from the Creator permanently at some point after this life, because they lived their lives here on earth in sin and disobedience which kept them temporarily separated from God.
The Bible describes how the homosexuals called to Lot asking, "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" (Genesis 19:5-7). Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for un-natural ones (Romans 1:26). In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another (Romans 1:27). Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion (Romans 1:27).
Isaiah the Prophet said, "The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves" (Isaiah 3:9). Nothing is hidden from God, man does not need to "Come Out," "For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and He examines all his paths" (Proverbs 5:21). No one who is in Christ and lives in Him will keep sinning. It is not possible, if you are truly washed in the Blood of Christ. The Bible says that no one continuing to sin has either seen or knows Christ (I John 3:6). Although homosexuality has in these last days become more and more acceptable to society, it is nonetheless still evil and wicked in the sight of God. When God created man and woman He intended for there to remain a mutual respect amongst His people for the distinction that He placed between the two sexes (Deuteronomy 22:5).
Homosexuality was common during the first century Church (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Scripture indicates that, in the end times, the homosexual way of life would become openly practiced and generally accepted by society as a whole (II Timothy 3:1-5). As stated earlier, under the Law the act of homosexuality was considered "worthy of death" (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:27, 32). Scripture clearly says those who are guilty of this sin and transgression is un-fit to inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9; I Timothy 1:10). This sin is self-defiling and is an abomination to God (Leviticus 18:22, 24). Homosexuality is un-natural (Romans 1:27, 31; II Timothy 3:3), and to accept or encourage this way of life is "contrary to “Sound Doctrine” (I Timothy 1:10). Believers are expected to "put aside" such evil practices of their former way of life (I Corinthians 6:9, 11), and when they won't or refuse to abandon their wicked ways "God gives them up". They became reprobates (Romans 1:24, 26-32; Ephesians 4:17-19).
God abhors homosexuality and believers ought to feel the same way (Leviticus 20:13, 23). It is possible to be set free from the bondage of this offense while breath is still in one' body. The sin is not unforgivable (I Corinthians 6:11, 9-10). Homosexuality is, and will continue to be one of the most debated issues among people today. The topic of homosexuality should not be debated among True Born-Again Christians because the Word of God defends it self. There are no questions; they are all answered in the Bible for Believer's. I like my Father condemn homosexual behavior but pray that homosexuals will come into the knowledge of the Truth and stop believing Satan' lies.
The Old Testament focused on rules and consequences of breaking them and the New Testament offers a message of hope, a message of Gods love towards ever man. There are some Christian homosexuals who lavish the lifestyle; and there are those that desire deliverance from the grips of homosexuality. I choose not to pass judgment on homosexuals. I love all people homosexuals included. I truly offer my sincere prayers to those who are struggling with homosexuality while sharing with them this truth that only their trust, faith and confidence in Christ Jesus can make him or her free.