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What Should A Christian Believe About Homosexuality?
A Call to the Church
Our country has recently been through a significant, weighty transition.
I don't know when I've had more interest, more people asking me what I think, more questions about a public event, than this one.
Since that day, lawsuits have been filed about polygamist marriage, a man who wants to have two wives. (Know what he said? "It's about marriage equality.")
What is a Christian to say?
What is there to say for a Christ-follower on a day where, in a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court of our land has approved the change of a definition of marriage? This definition is measured not in decades or centuries, but in millenia.
What to say on a day when my WordPress blog editor has a rainbow banner across the top… when Ben & Jerry’s has a new Ice Cream flavor to celebrate… when American Airlines, Youtube and Google (& dozens of other companies) join in celebration?
What to say on a day when some Christians are angry, others are despairing, and others are resigned?
In the past few days, the Oklahoma State Supreme Court has ruled that we must remove the 10 Commandments Monument.
I don't know if I need to tell you how far our country has moved from when our founding fathers wrote such profound defenses of liberty from a standpoint of the Bible.
* When one of the first acts of a Continental Congress was to approve the import of Bibles, because there was a shortage caused by the Revolutionary War.
* When by far the most quoted source in the writings of all the founding Fathers was the Bible.
Homosexuality is no different from any other sin.
True, but the culture is responding to it in a different way. They are not only excusing it, they are celebrating it.
No one is having "liars pride parades." No one is being celebrated for being a person who comes out as a thief or an addict or an adulterer.
HuffPost’s Gay Voices editor (yes, they have one of those) said this:
“We can pass all of the laws we want and talk about public policy until we run out of air, but until our society stops thinking of queer people as deviant or corrupt or sinful or in any way less than non-queer people, nothing is going to change… It’s only after we’ve challenged and changed the most basic and fundamental viewpoints about who we are that we can really begin to think about true liberation and true equality.”
Did you catch it? True freedom for the LGBT community can only be found when Christians stop thinking they are sinful. Their fight only stops then. This is what insightful Christians have understood: that this was never the “final” battle — it was the first one.
As a Christian, here are the things you need to remember today:
1. The Gospel is still powerful.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
2. God is still God.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
3. People are still sinners.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
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.
4. Homosexual behavior is still a sin.
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.
I am being careful here to clarify something. Homosexual temptation is not a sin. Homosexual tendency is not a sin.
It is not a sin to have a tendency toward lying. It is a sin to lie.
It is not a sin to have a tendency toward stealing. It is a sin to steal.
It is not a sin to have an attraction to the same sex. There are many things that can cause it, including an absent or bad relationship with a father, negative relationships with brothers, physical or sexual abuse, early exposure to sexual content, and more.
Homosexual behavior is a sin. Acting on that tendency is wrong and sinful and God will judge it.
I am (outside of God's grace) an addict of pornography.
Within God's grace, I am free to be pure in eyes and mind.
Outside of God's grace, you may be a drug addict or a thief or an adulterer. Within God's grace, you are free to be holy.
Henry Nouwen was a man who influential writer and preacher Ravi Zacharias called "one of the greatest saints of the past century."
Nouwen toward the end of his life
So how can we respond?
1. Love, love, love.
Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Here is ... a friend of tax collectors and sinners."
Let me say this with clarity:
Westboro Baptist Church is horrific and evil. They are as far as I can imagine from the spirit of the Man who was called " a friend of sinners."
2. Deep, humble repentance.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
29 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,
30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 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 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
We have devalued marriage as a society… and as a Church. The divorce rates within our walls have been higher than they should. Guidance on married sexuality has not been clear and holistic, and has not adequately helped people of faith cope with the results of the Sexual Revolution. We have not provided the tools of conversation, the authoritative teaching about the glories of sexuality in God’s intended boundaries.
Pornography use is rampant within the church, and few are really addressing it. Some man (or woman) in your church is trapped by pornography, and has wrestled with the private pain and guilt for years, not knowing whom they could tell. Another has found pornography on their spouse’s phone or laptop and has no idea how to respond, and is suffering in silence. When was the last time you heard a sermon which frankly, lovingly dealt with this issue and offered guidance, grace and hope?
We have failed to adequately deal with abuse and molestation with grace and truth. We have failed to face up to and help heal the brokenness that occurs to the victim. We have failed to have the conversations necessary to lovingly & justly deal with the perpetrators.
We are not qualified to deal with homosexuality with a “thou shalt not” unless we are willing to also face the myriad sexual dysfunction and fallout of all kinds of sexual brokenness that is wreaking havoc in our culture.
We owe a time of heart-searching prayer and repentance to the God who created sexuality and ordained it for the joy and pleasure of mankind.
3. Simple, humble disobedience.
Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!"
“One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.” Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”
4. Recapture biblical marriage.
Marriage did not start as a regulated, state-officiated institution. It started as a spiritual, God-regulated covenant. For 8-10 years, I’ve been saying that the church needs to get out of the civil marriage business.
Then, I would humbly suggest that the Church (not one denomination, but a consortium of the 20-30 largest Christian denominations in the USA) convene a super-conference. I think this conference should consider these things:
That churches will no longer marry individuals in the civil sense.
That churches will only administer “covenant marriage,” which is a union before God & witnesses, which only the Church can administer.
How “covenant marriage” is regulated and administered by the included churches.
Requirements for “covenant marriage” before it will be administered, in keeping with our high view of its lifelong nature. (Premarital counseling? Marriage mentoring? Discipleship?)
How to deal with couples that come to faith while in civil marriage only.
How divorces in these kind of unions would be dealt with.
If people want civil marriage for the tax deduction that it brings, fine. They may do that at the local courthouse. If they want to be married in the eyes of God and His Church, however, they will need to participate in “covenant marriage.”
This might be unrealistic, and unenforceable. But I think it makes more sense than anything else I’m hearing.
To me, it is the recapturing of the purity and glory of a sacrament that should be (and should have always been) a great opportunity for teaching about the “profound mystery… about Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32)
5. Preach & live the Gospel in your marriage and your life.
JENNY PATES TESTIMONY
I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed that article on Gay Marriage. I appreciate your loving outlook on this matter. Don't ever give up on the gays. This July 20th, I will have been back to the Savior 1 year. I once live in this life with my partner for 8 years, she left and then I had an adulterous relationship with Cris for 1 year. Prior to all that, I lived a life of adulterous affairs from the time I was 15 years old. It was last year July 1st that my ex-husband was killed in a tragic truck accident. My first thought was, "I'm free, I can get back to God because now I won't have to go back to the ex." My twin prayed hard for me. She prayed that I would lose my desire for the relationships I was in and God heard her. When I went down to that funeral and saw all them Christian Nation Church people (my old crowd:0) there, my heart melted. Darrell, there was not ONE day that went by in the whole 10 plus years that I was backslid, that the Holy Spirit did not chase me down. The minute I got out of bed in the morning and even when I was asleep and He woke me up, HE WAS THERE! I had panic attacks ALL the time (I was afraid of death and hell) Darkness filled my soul and home. When we got home from that funeral, I told my girls, "Im getting back to God, I miss him." It was fear of hell and missing Him that got me. I would sit out on my porch in the middle of the night and cry to Him, "Please help me get out of this mess." I was so depressed everyday and everyday I feared death. I stayed drunk to drown out reality and God but He was there:0) He NEVER left me alone! Never give up on them. Yes, they are mean and their thoughts are way off but they are depressed, unhappy, lonely and all that! I have two brothers that are homos too and they are the most miserable boys ever! I had to stand in between one that was gay and one that was straight last week because they were fighting and my heart was so broken for Gene (the gay one) The anger in his eyes was scary but my concern was more for him because I did not want to see him get hit. I love him even though I think he hates Pen and I at times because we are Christians now. God loves us and He wants everyone just to love Him back. He loved me even though I ran from him and spit in His face and said terrible things to Him. His mercy is so amazing to me! Becky (my ex)came to me once and told me she was scared of going to hell and that she was scared if the Lord came back. Now this girl has been gay since she was a little girl she says and she claimed that God is not going to punish her because of who she loves. She is a deep lesbian. I would show her what the Bible said about Homosexuality and she couldn't argue that (they all would laugh at me because I was a les and telling them what the Bible said) But for her to be afraid, I would have never thought that EVER in her. I know God turns them over and im not sure what all that means but I know ones that have been deep into it for years and they give a glimmer of hope in what they say from time to time. I came back. I saw Him with His arms open wide and I came running! Gene called mom crying last week because of what happened and he was saying God's name. He claims to be atheist. There is hope for them, don't give up on them! I thank God over and over that He literally chased me down, day after day after day! Regina and Sheryll Lynn would come to see me and they were so nice. They prayed for me and they were my friend no matter how I was living. Even now, sometimes I think women don't want to be around me because of my past but your mom and sister are constantly hugging me and they don't care or think im dirty. The minute I gave my heart to Jesus July 20th 1014 at that alter at your dad's church, I meant business with God. Cris had to move out of my home (we were not married), I had a wonderful bon fire in 90 degree weather to rid my home of Halloween, witch, magic junk! The wardrobe changed, the cigarettes went in the trash before I even left the house to go to church. The drinking stopped, drugs stopped, cussing stopped and now I am getting ready to cry. I get blessed when I think about what He has done for me!!! I never want to forget what he brought me from! I could be dead and in hell were it not for His mercy!!! I became a new creation because I obeyed and I meant and still mean business! He loved you and me and I just want more than anything to love Him intimately and to love what He loves and that is humans. He created us for his pleasure and that is so beautiful! If they will just get a TASTE of Him, oh boy they would NEVER go back! Get old fashioned holiness. Let Him live in you and walk with Him everyday. WOW, to have that is beyond my thinking. For Him to live inside of me HA!!! Hallelujah! He is so good! Pray for my ex, Becky, my brothers Gene and Tim and there are others that are gay that I know. On my street alone there are 6 and I hear more but not for sure. They are not out with it I suppose. My oldest daughter April is in a homosexual relationship and she knows the holiness way. She is a backslider so pray for her. Her daughter had leukemia and her dad died in that wreck so I don't know what it will take to wake her up but I am praying whatever it takes! Kevin's death is what woke me up and brought me back. I am seeking a great awakening for my America! God bless you and your ministry. You and Liz are so precious to me! Thank you for loving people like me (well the old me:0)
I do not mind at all. I am not ashamed at what God has done for me and I know that true Christians love me regardless of what I have done. Sin takes a person farther that what they will ever dream of. I remember my uncle telling me when I was a teenager, "Jenny, if you don't serve God at a young age, you will never know how far sin will take you." Of course I knew it all and am like, "Whatever, I will never do a lot of sin!" Well look where it took me. Children out of wedlock by two different men, one verbally abused and the other physically abused, affairs that I cannot even count, alcoholism, drug addiction, homosexuality, abortion, lying, cheating, stealing and some sins only God knows about. When you choose not to serve Him the life that you reap BUT he forgave and now I get to live with Him forever and so can they if they will just get to know Him. He is so loving and kind and beautiful. I cant even think of an earthly word that is beautiful enough to describe Him! I hurt Him and he still loved me. Now you see why my heart gets so overwhelmed when I think of Him and I want to help rescue as many as I can for Him because he rescued me. I will pray for your messages and may God help me to do what I can and to live it before them.
It should drive our own hearts to repentance for sin.
_____________________
HANDOUT
_____________________
What Should A Christian Believe About Homosexuality?
A Call to the Church
As a Christian, here are the things you need to remember today:
1. The Gospel is still ______________________.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
2. God is still _________________.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
3. People are still _____________________.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
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.
4. Homosexual behavior is still a _______________.
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.
Homosexual temptation is not a sin. Homosexual tendency is not a sin.
Homosexual behavior is a sin.
Outside of God's grace, we are bound. In Christ, we are free to _________ give in to the sinful nature.
So how can we respond?
1. ______________________________________.
Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Here is ... a friend of tax collectors and sinners."
2. Deep, humble ________________________.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
29 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,
30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 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 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
3. Simple, humble _____________________________.
Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!"
“One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.” Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”
4. Recapture biblical _______________________.
5. Preach & live the ________________________ in your marriage and your life.
