GAY TRUTH

Paul the Apostle, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) ROMANS 1:26-27 "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another" (vv. 26-27a). The righteousness that can avail for us before the Lord must come through faith alone, because of the depravity of Jew and Gentile alike (Rom. 1:16-3:20). In due time, the Apostle Paul will tell us that human beings are depraved because they are in Adam (5:12-21), but at this point in his epistle to the Roman church, he is content simply to state the truth of the human condition, particularly the condition of those without access to God's special revelation in Scripture. Human beings have denied the God who is and have knowingly suppressed His truth, leading o the worship of the creature rather than t

In Romans 1:18–32 Paul writes of the wrath of God that has been revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. The reason for His wrath is that people have perverted the revelation of God. This perversion substituted the glory of the true God with gods made in images of people and birds and animals and crawling creatures, which people themselves made. As a result, God passed sentence on the world. Three times Paul says that God gave people over to various lusts and perversions, which include homosexuality and lesbianism (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Rom. 1:26–27). Notice the words Paul uses to describe lesbianism and homosexua

“There is nothing wrong with living a gay lifestyle. In fact, if you repress who you are, you will never live a happy, fulfilled life. Be true to yourself!” This is the overwhelming message of society regarding homosexuality. Mark Yarhouse  refers to this as “the gay script,” the blueprint for how homosexuals are to live. “Embrace who you are,” a swelling number shout, “and you will find happiness!” I disagree, but I must confess that there is a part of me that finds this script appealing. As long as I can remember, I have experienced exclusive same-sex attraction ( SSA ). Despite counseling and countless prayers, God has not seen fit to change my orientation. So, if I am honest with myself, I would like the freedom to act on what seems to be basic and natural desires for intimacy, companionship, and love. After all, many of my straight friends find fulfillment and joy in finding a mate — why shouldn’t I? More Than Prohibitions Many Christians answer this question by appealing to t

There is no way around it. Dealing with same-sex attraction is messy. There are many issues that, at least on the surface, do not seem clear. Take this question, for example: Is same-sex attraction ( SSA ) itself sinful , and if so, how should we deal with it? Here is my humble attempt at an answer. Taking Our Cues from the Bible First, note briefly three biblical observations: 1. The Bible explicitly says that impenitent homosexual acts, not homosexual desires, keep a person from inheriting the kingdom of God . “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” ( 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 ). 2. The Bible does not seem to explicitly mention same-sex attraction. It is possible that the “dishonorable passions” in Romans 1:26 could be dealing with SSA, but it’s unclear whether this is a reference to simply experiencing an

WHAT IS THE: SKY HAS NOT FALLEN ARGUMENT? Pro-homosexual Journalists, TV commentators, politicians and homosexual advocates have declared after the state has approved homosexual marriage that the "sky has not fallen".  It is to ridicule Christians who oppose homosexual marriage because the Bible prohibits both male homosexuality and lesbianism.    Homosexual advocates point to Sodom and Gommorah where the sky fell with fire and brimstone as a sign of God's judgement against the abhorrent sin of homosexuality. They argue, the sky hasn't fallen therefore: God loves homosexuals; God approves of homosexual marriage; God doesn't care; or God doesn't exists and Christians are building their life on an irrelevant fairy tale.  WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? 1 . Both Old and New Testament condemns homosexuality as a sin. The New Testament book of Romans clearly condemns homosexuality and in particular highlights lesbianism first as an example of

The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah, a painting by John Martin (painter), died 1854, thus 100 years. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Some are under the assumption that, while the Bible condemns gay sex between men , it nowhere condemns being a lesbian/ lesbianism .  Leviticus 18:22   and  20:13   mention men having sex with other men, but say nothing of women having sex with other women. In the Sodom and Gomorrah account in Genesis 19 , the men of the cities wanted to gang rape other men. First Corinthians 6:9   mentions effeminate men, very likely referring to homosexuals, but does not mention lesbians. So, does the Bible in fact condemn male homosexuality , but not lesbianism? Romans 1:26-27   puts this invalid assumption to rest: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones . In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed in

First, a word of encouragement: if you are the kind of friend that a gay couple would invite to their wedding, then you are probably doing something right. When Jesus ministered, those who were despised by society, the tax collectors and the sinners, drew near to Him ( Matthew 9:10 ; Luke 15:1 ). He was a friend to them. Further, no one sin is greater than another. All sin is offensive to God . Homosexuality is just one of many sins listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that will keep a person from the kingdom of God. We all sin and fall short of God's glory ( Romans 3:23 ). It is only through Jesus Christ that we may be saved from sin’s eternal consequences. (Please see What does it mean that Jesus saves? ) Some would contend that a Christian should have no qualms about attending a gay wedding and that one’s presence at a gay wedding does not necessarily indicate support for the homosexual lifestyle. Rather, they view it as extending Christ 's love toward a friend. The thought is

English: Saint paul arrested (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The first mention of not inheriting the kingdom of God is found in Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth . “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" ( 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ). By saying the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God, Paul is stating that the wicked are not children of God, nor are they heirs of eternal life ( Romans 8:17 ). This does not mean that anybody who has ever committed one of these sins will be denied entrance to heaven. What differentiates a Christian’s life from that of a non-Christian is the struggle against sin and the ability to overcome it. A true Christian will always repent, will always eventually return to God, and will always

In Romans 1:18–32 Paul writes of the wrath of God that has been revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. The reason for His wrath is that people have perverted the revelation of God. This perversion substituted the glory of the true God with gods made in images of people and birds and animals and crawling creatures, which people themselves made. As a result, God passed sentence on the world.  Three times Paul says that God gave people over to various lusts and perversions, which include homosexuality and lesbianism (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Rom. 1:26–27). Notice the words Paul uses to describe lesbianism and hom

Homosexuality and the Churches. Until the latter half of the twentieth century, the churches gave little public attention to the phenomenon of sexual attraction and sexual behavior between members of the same sex. The traditional view of most ecclesiastical bodies condemned homosexuality, finding justification for the condemnation in natural law and in such biblical texts as Genesis 19:4–11; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10; and Romans 1:27 . The first sign of a re-evaluation of the issue appeared in 1955 with the publication in England of Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition by Rev. Derrick Sherwin Bailey , an Anglican priest. Bailey challenged the Church’s traditional view with current findings from the behavioral sciences and a reinterpretation of relevant biblical passages. His work broke ground for a number of studies published in the U.S. which were sympathetic to gay and lesbian concerns from a religious point of view, beginning with H. Kim