Written on February 2nd, 2005 - 2:00AM Last Updated: December 22nd, 2017 - 1:28PM
Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10)
Homosexuality is much debated in the secular world today, and even more recently in the religious world. Due to the pressure of some, compromises are being made about what God has revealed to His creation.
Sodomy and Lesbianism
There is no doubt that homosexuality is considered a willful sin by God, and one that He desires repentance from, like any other.
"'If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (Leviticus 20:13)
This sin was such an abomination before God that it held a death penalty under the Law of Moses. This was two-fold: to punish such wickedness, which evidenced a complete rejection of the authority and plan of God (seen below), and to prevent the practice from spreading through desensitization and familiarity. Yahweh knows that people, being deceived by Satan, will tend toward self-justification of sin, and thus makes provision so that the righteous can prevent it from happening. Seeing how such practice is in the process of becoming fully accepted as simply a sexual preference, there is need for knowledge of the Creator's Word.
Marriage
Knowing that being sexually immoral is possible only while out of wedlock (Hebrews 13:4), it is no surprise that homosexuality, a lifestyle condemned by God as an abomination, is considered sin in all forms. Since it cannot be sanctified by marriage, it cannot exist without being sin. God Himself instituted marriage at the beginning of man's creation.
20The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22He made the rib, which Yahweh God had taken from the man, into a woman, and brought her to the man. 23The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." 24Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. (Genesis 2:20-24)
Marriage was not an invention of man, but a design created into the nature of man. No animal was found suitable as a joint-helper of man, nor was there yet a way for the man to continue his race upon the earth. He was complete neither by himself nor with an animal; there was another helper necessary. This helper Yahweh specifically created for the man, out of his own body. God ordained marriage, not as an afterthought, but at the beginning of the man's life, showing how basic and fundamental marriage is, that of one man and one woman.
Paul tells us that one group of people for which the Law was laid down, is that of homosexuals:
9as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine; 11according to the Good Message of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. (1 Timothy 1:9-11)
The above scripture quote is one of the clearest testimonies of God against homosexuality. The Father, in His love for us, doesn’t leave us with this, however. He gives reason for His judgment above. The woman was created specially for the man; God put a great amount of effort into finding the man the perfect helper. He did not need another like himself (another man), nor would an animal be sufficient. After bringing every animal to him to name, Adam still had not found a suitable helpmeet. This also speaks to the understanding behind God’s prohibition against bestiality (Leviticus 20:15-16). The man needed something different from all the animals, and was not happy on his own, showing that another man would have, in the same way, not fulfilled his need for a lifelong helpmeet. Yahweh had to build man’s mate, not from the dust of the ground, not by speaking it into existence, but by forming it from his very own body. This is the wisdom of the God Who formed Adam—-knowing exactly what he needed to be happy on this earth, and building it for him from his own body. Such an intimacy can never be replaced by man’s own invention, that of animals or another man. The man can only find lifelong fulfillment, in the flesh, with a woman, because she has been built for his very need by the hand of God. Therefore, logically, the woman can only find fleshly fulfillment in a man, because she was specifically made to be his helpmeet. She cannot find contentment with another woman simply because she was not made to do so. It would be like a human trying to survive by eating wood pulp or stones. Nature has not been so designed, and it simply will not work. It is a rejection of reality and the order of creation to behave in such a way.
Homosexual Lusts & Passions
It is worth noting that it is not simply the homosexual acts that are against nature and the order of creation, but the lusts and feelings behind the acts as well. As Christ points out in many conversations, it is one sin to do a sinful action; but to harbor the feeling preceding the action is another sin too.
"You have heard that it was said, {TR adds "to the ancients,"} 'You shall not commit adultery;'{Exodus 20:14} but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27, 28)
Paul warned that such lusts and actions would continue to abound, even as it was in his time. He told us that such passions and behavior ultimately resulted from a willful rejection of God (Romans 1:20-25). When a person does this, he is given over to every other sin he hasn't yet embraced by God, so that his sinfulness will be filled up to completion. This, truly, is a sign that God does not demand obedience. He allows people to choose error, and even accommodates them by giving them access to more.
26For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature. 27Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error. 28Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; (Romans 1:26-28)
It can be clearly seen that homosexual desires and passions, which precede the sinful acts, are just as condemned by God. They are termed "vile" and "against nature," rightly so for they rail against the perfect way of God that He has provided us out of love. These passions deny the lordship of Yahweh, His righteousness as the only Judge, and His love and grace in providing us perfect helpers in this life (the woman for the man, and the man for the woman). Giving into this urges rejects the order of creation and makes us a fool who believes something contrary to reality.
Homosexuality as a lifestyle is often a sign that a person has rejected God and is in need of complete deliverance. It is not different for a man than it is for a woman; both genders are equally in sin when dwelling in such lusts and engaging in such behavior, as seen above in Romans.
A Learned Behavior from Abuse
Beyond the related sins of homosexuality stemming from a person's own rejection of God and His ways, there is the sad reality of it being "passed down" to people through abuse.
Someone who has been abused this way as a child will often have a much greater chance of being tempted in this way.
In much the same way as a parent who raises their kids to steal, or to do drugs, so being taught (through both words and actions) that homosexuality is acceptable, or God-forbid by having it forced upon a person through assault, will often lead to that child growing up with the same mindset.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
It may be a novel way to view the above scripture, as its obvious context is that of teaching a child what is right... but I think we can all relate to the opposite happening as well. If a child is trained to be racist, it will often carry that training throughout life to some degree (unless and until it is confronted).
Consider how easy it is for the same to happen with homosexuality.
This is one reason why scripture calls on God's people to live in love, remembering that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross extends to all—especially those who are predisposed to certain behaviors or mindsets because of immoral upbringing or even unwanted abuse. Allow the HolySpirit to lead you in compassion and wisdom toward all, that you might know how to relate and witness to each person.
Turning from Homosexuality
The Father has made provision for such deliverance by offering up His own Son, as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin.
In addition, His death and ressurection provide the deliverance from the evil spirits which tempt humanity to reject God and His ways. Christ's Blood is the delivering power from every demon that yields authority over those who have rejected Yahweh.
Those who truly see the errors of their ways, through the power of God's Word and HolySpirit, and wish to leave such a defeating lifestyle, are free to repent of such living and turn towards God. This is done through the Blood of Christ and the forgiveness therein. Although the above people "will not inherit the Kingdom of God" they have been given a way to change—for even many believers of Paul's time engaged in the same lifestyles before they repented:
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 in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Thus, homosexuality is both a sin, often resulting from rejection of God, not an alternative lifestyle or something a person is born to be. The Gospel is that He has made a way for us to leave our lifestyles of death, and come back to His House of Life! It is only through His Son that we can be free, including from homosexuality. Call upon Him, having repented of this mindset and behavior, and He will deliver you unto His power and righteousness!
Last Accessed: November 8th, 2024 - 2:28PM
Times Read: 7100
The Good Message
As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.
But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.
This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, ChristJesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.
You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.
God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.
That Son, JesusChrist, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.
His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.
The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.
So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.
Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!
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