Post date: Sep 29, 2011 4:21:04 PM
Reposted from 2011-04-14
My intention is not to shame anyone in a homosexual lifestyle, but rather to offer a Biblical response to the lifestyle choice. I won’t judge how you choose to orient your sexuality, but I do want you to know the truth.What you do with that truth is between you and God.
There are a three questions that I believe must be answered regarding God and the homosexual.
Does God hate homosexuals (or anyone who chooses an alternate sexual lifestyle)?
How does God view the homosexual lifestyle?
Can you serve Christ while in a homosexual lifestyle?
First off, does God hate homosexuals?
It’s the question that all Christians must answer before they approach a homosexual with the Gospel. For this, I differ to Genesis 1:26. God created mankind in His image. It does not say that God created normal people then created the homosexual as something less, but God created all of mankind in His image. This means that we all bare the likeness of God. So, since there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual (or bisexual),we are all considered human by God.
Starting in Luke 10:27, Jesus is having a conversation with a lawyer who asks Jesus about loving your neighbor. Jesus then tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. The quick version of the story is that a man is robbed. A priest and a Levite see the man and ignore his pain. These are the equivalent of the modern day Christian. Instead of helping the guy, they judged him and treated him like a pariah. Then a Samaritan (who in modern times would be like a non-Christian) found the guy and ensured the man would be nursed back to health. Jesus follows up this teaching by asking who was most like the guy’s neighbor. What Jesus is asking is who really cared the most? The commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. No where in this does Jesus say to go hating on homosexuals. He says to show them love and respect. To be a neighbor to them. When there’s a need, be there. In both of these, God does not say to treat the person any different if they are homosexual. He just says to treat them as people. So, how does God view the homosexual lifestyle?
In the Mosaic Law, God commands that people should not practice homosexuality nor bestiality (Lev 18:23-30). God says that it brings confusion. Lev 20:13-16 adds the punishment of death to both homosexuality and bestiality. This was the law given to Israel. As we see, Israel could not keep God’s laws through the Old Testament. So, after Christ died, homosexuality is readdressed by Paul in Romans 1:26-27. Paul talks about the natural order being violated by mankind. He says that people gave up on the original design of one man with one woman. God allowed those practicing homosexual lifestyles to just walk away from Him. The idea here is that God does NOT approve of the homosexual lifestyle.
Can you serve Christ (God) while in a homosexual relationship?
John 14:21 records Jesus as saying that people who love God will keep His commandments. These commandments include: don’t fornicate, don’t commit adultery, and don’t practice homosexuality. God considers all of these sins as equal. (James 2:10) So, the person who fornicates with his girlfriend has committed no worse of a sin than the guy having sex with another guy (or woman with woman for that matter). The truth is that you cannot serve God while practicing homosexuality or fornication. There will always be that dysfunction in your life that separates you from God. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul lists unrighteous behaviors that will cause a person to be disconnected from God. Paul says no homosexuals, sexual deviants, nor adulterers will be with God.
You cannot be a Christian and practice any sexuality outside of the original design of one husband (male) and one wife (female) in a monogamous marriage.
I wish I could say that I am always respectful to homosexuals and bisexuals. I will be honest that it is an issue that God is still working on me. But I would like to offer this as a written apology to them on the behalf of the church and especially myself. It is a shame when we (who claim to be Christians) judge others. Only God judges (James 4:12). This doesn’t mean that I won’t answer honestly on the subject, but it does mean that I am not, nor will ever be, the one to judge you.