Throwing Down The Gauntlet On Homophobia

 "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, ... not to eat with such a person [shun]"  (1 Cor. 5:11, NKJV). 
"For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside?  Do you not judge those who are inside?  But those who are outside God judges.  Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person'" (1 Cor. 5:12-13, NKJV).  
"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 homosexuals, nor sodomites ... 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"  (1 Cor. 6:9,11, NKJV). 
 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation:  old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"  (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV).  
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10, NKV).

Leviticus 18:22 makes it clear that homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord ("detestable" in the NIV).  This sin is not listed in Proverbs 6:16-17 as one of the seven sins that God hates and are detestable to Him, though. " ...[Men] who have sex with men" ... "will not inherit the kingdom of God" period, according to Paul in 1 Cor. 6:9-11 (NIV).  Note:  the ESV (emphasis added) says, "those who practice homosexuality... shall not inherit the kingdom of God."  This means it cannot be their way of life or lifestyle, just like a kleptomaniac may steal on occasion, and confess it, but he isn't practicing it; likewise, the way John says in 1 John that the believer doesn't "practice sin."  Lapses are possible, and even relapses, but victory is ultimate and they will be justified, sanctified, and washed. We must acknowledge sin as a sickness that infects the soul as a virus and can be cured.  No one has the right to do what comes natural--we're all sick in sin and sinners by nature, by birth, and by choice.  "We are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners," as it's been said by theologians!

My point of view is that homosexuality is not a genetic trait passed down by DNA (we are not pawns of our genes), but a character trait acquired by choice and indulgence--the nature you nourish tend to flourish--they must be put under control and not exercised at will.  God did make us the way we are, but we are still responsible for our flaws and cannot blame God or cast any slurs on His creatures, which He made us in the mage of God to have a relationship with Him--we don't have a license to sin. God's intention in the garden was Adam and Eve, and not two men or two women, but they were each others' perfect partner and the union was meant for procreation and fulfillment in each other.

When you indulge a sin, its grip becomes greater and you become enslaved to it.  The psalmist prayed, "Let no sin have dominion over me" in Psalm 119:133, (italics added) ESV, "Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me."  David prays, "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!..."  (Psalm 19:13, ESV, italics added).  We must bear in mind that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, but also that there is no condemnation for those who in Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9; Rom. 8:1).

Due to Adam's fall, we inherited an old sin nature, but we are no longer under its dominion in Christ--we are set free from the power of sin as redeemed believers.  Everyone's sin nature inclines them differently and he must not let it get the best of him.  "For sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace"  (cf. Romans 6:14).  This implies we are accountable and cannot blame God.

If you look at the nature of sin, you will get the drift of Scripture:  Going contrary to God's design; He designed marriage as the only outlet for sex, and only between one man and one woman to become "one flesh" until death.  God is a God of design and the argument from design is one of the proofs of God, to not see that it is unnatural for a homosexual union is to go against nature as Paul states in Romans 1.  Biblical sexuality is only to be celebrated in the holy reins of matrimony.  God hates and condemns all perversion and no pervert will enter the kingdom of heaven.

But there is a difference between a desire and following through.  One may be inclined in an unnatural way and keep himself under control and not sin; he may say that he was born that way and that justifies his sin, but the heterosexual single person who lives in lust is in the same dilemma and must refrain likewise. The Bible recognizes no natural state of man to be perverted, but sin is a choice and we are responsible for our character. The gospel is for all, though, and Christ is the Healer who can bring anyone into the confines of normalcy. Just like there are reformed drunks and thieves, there are reformed gays. We should, therefore, not be homophobes, but welcome them and realize they can be saved just as well as the drunkard, the thief, the fornicator, or even the murderer!  There will be plenty of reformed criminals in heaven.  "But such were some of you.." (cf. 1 Cor. 6:11).

The homosexual is admonished to restrain from the practice of all sins, and this is just the one that easily besets him. God doesn't want any sin to overcome us or be domineering.  The church has no right to exclude a class of people or to discriminate, but to present the gospel and see its amazing power to change lives (whether all at once or over time).

We must address the problem of our society recognizing gay marriage and thinking this is a "right." The Supreme Court has sanctioned it, but it is not a God-given right to be perverted and God doesn't recognize such marriages, but they are living in adultery and sin and will be judged.  Rights are conferred from God, not the State, which only recognizes God-given rights.  They cannot say that they are wired differently because the Bible's list of sin gives no one an excuse.  The State has overstepped its bounds by legitimizing and normalizing gay marriage and society at large will be judged.  God is the ultimate law of the land, not the Constitution! Our leaders have God to answer to; The point is that being legal doesn't always mean being moral.

We outlaw child molestation, bestiality, and, until recently, sodomy was even outlawed; why do we seem to think that moral standards change with the times?   Everyone has a sexual appetite and he is expected to celebrate it within the bounds of legal marriage. Homosexuality is not an alternate lifestyle according to the Bible but is condemned and the truth of the matter is that we shouldn't hide from this fact--we need to call a spade a spade and not gloss over sins by calling them by another name that is less offensive.  We all have the sex drive, and are expected to master it as God said to Cain  (cf. Gen. 4:7):  "Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it."

Scripture nowhere warrants a civil right to live any way that seems natural but commands righteous and holy living.  The whole purpose of government is to restrain evil and sin and to maintain civil order and upright institutions which are the foundations of society.  As Psalm 11:3 (NIV) says, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"  Finally, as Martin Luther said (paraphrased), we cannot control what enters our mind, but we decide what to dwell on and let our imagination get carried away with or fixated on.  Therefore, people who feel so inclined are no different than Christians who are battling other sins and need to overcome them!

The conclusion of the matter is stated in Numbers 32:23 (ESV) as follows:  "... [A]nd be sure your sin will find you out." Sin can be understood as anything not according to God's plan or will.   Caveat:  we reap what we sow (cf. Gal. 6:7) and if we sow the flesh, it will destroy us.  Therefore, Gal. 5:16 (ESV) expresses it:  "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."   Soli Deo Gloria!

GODISNOWHERE!

"I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me..." (Isaiah 65:1, NASB)
"Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you" (Hosea 10:12, NASB).  
"What can be seen on earth indicates neither the total absence of God nor his manifest presence, but rather the presence of a hidden God."  (Blaise Pascal, French mathematician/philosopher).


Reread that title and realize it can be deciphered two ways:  God is now here; God is nowhere. Probably you may preconceive your own interpretation due to prejudice! The query shouldn't be, "Where is God?" but, "Where isn't God?"  The truth is that God is everywhere, even in Hades (though not in His compassion, but only justice).  When we are looking for God, it is not He who moved, but we moved!  We cannot escape the presence of God, as David prays in Psalm 139.

We are commanded to look for God and to search Him out at His invitation:  "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13, NASB).  We are to seek Him while He may be found in Isaiah 55:6 and to find Him while He is near!  When you find God, you realize He was there all the time!  Mention His name and have a sincere, expectant, and obedient heart.

"Truly, You are a God who hides Himself,..." (Isaiah 45:15, NASB).  Job had reason to wonder: "Oh that I knew where I might find Him,..." (Job 23:2, NASB). Sometimes God seems MIA or missing in action, but He is there, and it's likely our sins have built a chasm from fellowship or a breach of our relationship due to the cleavage from our unconfessed sin.  Psalm 66:18, NASB says it eloquently: "If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear." Sometimes God is playing a low profile and doesn't want to be so obvious:  "How long, O LORD?  Will You hide Yourself forever? ..." (Psalm 89:46, NASB).

Yes, the whereabouts of God isn't meant to be a mystery, but He is available to all who call upon His name in penitent, sincere, obedient faith.  Sometimes it seems to others that God has forsaken us, but Jesus promised He never would do that even to the end of the age He would be with us--don't let it get to you if they taunt you saying, "Where is this God of yours?" Because we know He is always here, they are just blind and are turning a deaf ear; only the saved see the kingdom of God and if they want their eyes opened they must repent and believe in Jesus.

God doesn't deal in triflers, and His pet peeve is that people aren't seeking (cf. Rom. 3:11). God is more ready to authenticate Himself to you than you are prepared to meet Him!  "Prepare to meet thy God," He says in Amos 4:12.  Pascal said he wouldn't have found God, had He not searched for him. Everyone has their chance, you might say, and the world has never been without witness (cf. Acts 14:17).  As Christians, we have it better than the Old Testament saints because the Lord dwells within us and whenever two or three are gathered together in His name, there is a special blessing of His divine presence.

Finding God isn't so much as to go where God is, like to church expecting He'd have to be there; it's an individual thing, and if you know the Lord you will indeed find Him.  But the Hound of Heaven pursues us and like a Good Shepherd is constantly seeking out the lost sheep (the believer who has lost his way).  Because of God's transcendence, He fills the cosmos, and because of His immanence, He is also nearby to aid us in our troubles and bless us.  "'Am I a God who is near,' declares the LORD, 'And not a God far off? ... Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the LORD"  (Jer. 23:23-24, NASB).  God is irrespective of the time/space continuum and location is no object to Him because He is Spirit and not material like us who have bodies to limit us--Jesus is both Spirit and body in His incarnation.  Some believers will be known by saying regretfully, "He was there all the time, and I knew it not!"

Jesus' name is called Immanuel and that is to mean that God is with us and when we have the resident Spirit of Christ indwelling us we never have to lose track of where God is--He will never leave us nor forsake us and will abide with us in a personal sense. We have all the tools necessary to find God, the Word, the Church, the abiding Spirit; so we have no excuse not to be filled with His Spirit and to know Him privately and personally.  Only in our faith do we claim the potential to know God and that God is personal.  "Acquaint now thyself with him and be at peace..." (Job 22:21, KJV); "Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you" (Job 22:21, NASB).

To level with you, most believers are not moved by the Holy Spirit, nor have the discernment to awaken to His presence, simply because they have too much of the world's spirit within them and God cannot fill a space already full!  Before filling, in God's economy, comes emptying!   In sum, it is a boggling affair to know the Lord and to put things into that perspective.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Differing Functions

"Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are not wise"  (2 Cor. 10:12, ESV).
"...We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10, NASB).

We are all "members, one of another," and individually too, as God preserves our personality and works with what we have to make us different one from another (cf. Romans 12:4).  There is no "one-size-fits-all" method of serving the body, but everyone must find their domain of service and praise God accordingly, for it doesn't matter the gift, but the spirit in which it is used.  Everyone fits in someway! Like Mother Teresa, the ultimate caregiver, said, "It doesn't matter what you do, but how much love you put into it!" Galatians 5:6, NIV, says that "all that matters is faith working through love."  We all are built differently and should be faithful to the faculties, inclinations, and turfs we have been granted.

And so we are not to compare ourselves one with another and think we are meant to be clones of each other--even children are individuals with a personality and gift all their own.  We do not all have the same function and are built differently, to relate to Christ's body as He sees fit--actually, it's the Holy Spirit who assigns gifts to each of us individually.  Paul goes on to say that one who leads, should do so in zeal accordingly.  We all are given a measure of faith (cf. Romans 12:3) and are required to make good on it and bring forth fruit as its byproduct.  Jesus has a lot invested in us, and likewise, we are to venture to take stock of how much we have invested in others and be faithful.  We are not going to be rewarded according to our faith, but according to its byproduct, our good deeds, according to Romans 2:6.

There can be jealousy and factions in the body if the members are maladjusted or trying to do something they aren't designed for--this is the ultimate in frustration and can lead to discouragement.  Never are we to let it go to our head that we are a cut above other believers by having a superior gift, and they are but poor specimens, because of whom much is given, much is required (cf. Luke 12:48). Some members are highly affectionate and demonstrative in emotional appeal and sentiment as part of their disposition; while others are naturally stoical and inhibited, maybe because they haven't gotten out of their shell yet or realize their potential.

Cultures vary quite a lot on the amount of touch permitted or approved.  I know I wouldn't like it if some man walked up to me and gave me a kiss!   We are free to love Jesus as we know how and we don't have to be someone else or try to pretend affection or have an affectation--love must be genuine. Natural affection is suited best to the body and believers need to just be themselves--God can and will change people over time, but it's not to be under duress or coerced.

People are wired differently; some are natural servants and helpers, and see ways to help and be of service; others are born leaders and know how to take charge and show it convincingly.  The point is that we are not to think we have a superior gift, though some have more responsibilities, and some have higher callings (but there's no caste system in the body) like missions, evangelism, and ministry, but the body is to fit together in unity to fulfill the Great Commission. Romans 12:3 says, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned."

When you look at the story of Mary and practical Martha, and how Jesus rebuked her in that Mary had "chosen the better part" (to express her love and devotion), and it "will not be taken from her." It is obvious that Jesus wants us and not our service--He wants to be with us in fellowship, taking time to be holy.  I have heard it said that He doesn't want our achievements, but our obedience. The obedience demanded is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5), which is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses as Paul said in Rom. 13:10. What does He require, but to love Him and to love our neighbor--especially our brethren in Christ?

We can show love in many ways:  e.g., giving and receiving gifts; words of affirmation; quality time spent; physical touch and gesture; and by acts of service and devotion.  In short, we are all unique persons in Christ and express our love in many ways or all ways, but certainly in some way!  I believe there is no one certain way of expressing love that trumps the others, they are all subject to the personality of the giver and recipient.   We need to see how God has equipped us and serve Him accordingly.  At the Judgment Seat of Christ, we can joyfully hope to hear that we are good and faithful servants, and have done that which was required.   In sum, what Jesus wants is you, so be yourself--you're not fooling anyone!    Soli Deo Gloria!