| August 2, 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 14
|
God’s will in the matter of sexual companionship begins to unfold from the beginning of human history. That need is to be satisfied in heterosexual marriage. God made a woman to be the wife and companion of Adam and set the precedent to be followed by succeeding generations. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:14). Jesus shows in Matt. 19:4-5 and Mark 10:6-8 that this specific arrangement has been God’s exclusive pattern “from the beginning” and it still is. See also Eph. 5:22-23.
Homosexual and bi-sexual practices are in clear contradiction to the plan and purpose of God, the unisex movement of recent years is likewise a departure from His will, seeking to blur God-ordained distinctions between male and female. See Deut. 22:5 and 1 Cor. 11:14-15.
THE FIRST CLEAR CASE of sexual perversion is recorded in Gen. 19:1-13. Angels visited the home of Lot in Sodom. The men of the city thought the angels were men and “called to Lot and said to him, ‘Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally’” (vs. 5). Lot’s response was, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!” (vs. 7). God protected Lot, his family, and the heavenly messengers from the perverted men of Sodom, and then brought complete destruction upon that city for its abominations, which included (but was not limited to) the practice of homosexuality, vs. 24-25. In the New Testament, Jude tells us that Sodom and its sister cities “having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (vs. 7). See also 2 Pet. 2:6 and Luke 17:29-30. From this background, unnatural sex acts have acquired the designation “sodomy.”
As God’s revelation continued to unfold, His will with regard to sexual companionship became increasingly evident with the giving of the Levitical law. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination” (Lev. 18:22). “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them” (Lev. 20:13). We might take a moment to note that the heterosexual sins of adultery and fornication were every bit as serious a violation of the will of God as the practice of homosexuality, and are still so, Lev. 20:10; Gal. 5:19-21.
It was not until later generations when respect for God and His word had waned and their worship had been mixed with idolatry that we find a degree of toleration of the sin of sodomy in Israel, and every reform movement sought to eliminate it and get back to God’s original design. See 1 Kings 14:29; 15:12; 22:46, etc.
Defenders of homosexual practices usually insist that homosexuals are born that way, though most of the evidence does not give strong support to that theory. There is much more evidence that environment is a strong factor. For instance, jail populations exhibit far more practice of homosexuality than the general population, primarily because heterosexual options are not readily available to those who are incarcerated. Boys who grow up without a father or other male authority figure may be more likely to experiment with homosexual behavior. Girls who are the victims of incestuous advances by their father or older brothers sometimes develop a hatred and fear of all men, and turn to other females for satisfaction of their sexual desires. A good application of Eph. 5:22 through 6:4 will go a long way toward preventing this problem. See also Col. 3:18-21.
Some young people are introduced to homosexuality, being recruited by older individuals who are already homosexual. Modern glamorization by TV, movies, etc., and the general acceptance, almost promotion, of homosexuality in the high school sex education classes also take their toll. At any rate, the evidence supports the view that most, if not all, homosexuals are made, not born.
HOMOSEXUALS CAN CHANGE. Though many psychologists and psychiatrists disagree, homosexuals can change. There are various “ministries” at work today seeking to help re-orient the sexual desires and practices of homosexuals, with varying degrees of success. The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth about 57 A.D., says some of the members of that congregation had formerly been homosexuals, but they had been washed, sanctified, and justified by God’s Spirit by submitting to the name (authority) of Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. 6:9-11. This does not necessarily mean that they were never again tempted in such areas, but it does mean that they repented of their sinful practices and found forgiveness in obedience to the will of Christ. As James Bales stated in the Arkansas Democrat, homosexuals “are sinners -- not when they are tempted but when they give way to temptation. It is a perversion, abnormal, contrary to nature.”
God has promised through His providence that He “will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). We have no promise that overcoming temptation will always be easy, but we are promised that God will always make it possible.
A LOOK AT THE NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES that have bearing on our subject shows that God’s abhorrence of the practice of homosexuality has not diminished over the centuries. It is still a sin, as it was in the days of Sodom, and it is an abomination as it was under the Levitical law.
Paul writes in Rom. 1 of some who turned their backs on God: “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (vs. 24-27). The due penalty includes alienation from God, eternal danger, numerous “social” diseases, and the general downward pathway that leads farther and farther from the path of righteousness.
In 1 Tim. 1:9-11, Paul reminds us that the law is “not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate... fornicators... sodomites...” etc. Both Jude and Simon peter warn their readers that the fate of ancient Sodom is to be a warning to all “those who afterward live ungodly” (2 Pet. 2:6-7; Jude 7).
Perhaps the plainest condemnation of homosexual practices, yet gloriously mingled with hope for the penitent, is found in 1 Cor. 6:9-11. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor EFFEMINATE HOMOSEXUALS, nor SODOMITES, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” The Greek words in this text speak of two distinct types of homosexuals. (1) the effeminate homosexual or catamite, the man who gives or sells his body to be used sexually by another man, and (2) the sodomite, one who lies sexually with the catamite. Both types of homosexuals are in violation of the will of God whenever and wherever they practice their vile deeds. Female homosexual (lesbians) are also in violation of God’s will, whenever and wherever they put their vile passions into practice, Rom. 1:26.
There can be no spiritual justification for the practicing homosexual. Homosexuals have two alternatives in adjusting their lifestyle to be in harmony with God’s will. Either alternative will be difficult, but can be achieved through faith, prayer, and perseverance: (1) repent of their homosexual practices and adopt a heterosexual lifestyle within the marriage relationship, or (2) repent of their homosexual practices and live without sexual gratification. See 1 Cor. 7:7-9 and Matt. 19:10-12.
HOMOSEXUALS HAVE A RIGHT to know that the homosexual lifestyle is not right in God’s eyes, and that no amount of human reasoning, or legislation or court rulings can make it so. Homosexuals have a right to hear the gospel, believe the gospel, repent of their sins and obey the gospel. They have the same right as others to seek forgiveness by bringing their lives into compliance with God’s will. And they have a right to expect Christians to behave as Christians toward them.
And Christians have a duty to seek the salvation of the souls of homosexuals, just as of other sinners, taking the gospel into all the world and preaching it to every creature, Mark 16:15-16.
--CRJ
--CRJ
In Matt. 5:8, Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
First, it might be noted that the impure and those who love darkness constantly remind us that they do not see God -- nor any evidence of His existence. As the Psalmist reflected in Psa. 53:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God!’ They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.” Earlier in the Psalms, we learn why the impure fail to see God: “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God: God is in none of his thoughts” (Psa. 10:4). And thus he does not SEE God because he does not SEEK Him.
On the other hand, those who are willing to be guided by God’s word and willing to mold their lives by His will, have no trouble seeing God in all of God’s creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psa. 19:1). Through the eye of faith, Moses, and millions of others before and after his time, have “seen” the invisible God of the universe, and have known that though He is not visible to the physical eye, He walks with us and lives in us as we walk by faith. See Hebrews, chapter one, especially verses one to six, and verses 24-27.
And so the promise of Jesus is that the pure in heart will be blessed in that it is they who will see God. They see God’s image in themselves and in their fellow man. They see God’s power manifested in all creation. They see God’s love demonstrated in the sacrifice of Christ. They see God’s patience made known in His not having yet closed the door on human history. They see His thoughts, His mind, His will, revealed in the holy Scriptures.
But though in many ways they “see” God as He is yet invisible, they know that in a better land the time will come when they will see Him face to face and glory in His immediate presence eternally. The apostle John writes, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:1-3). Truly, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
--CRJ