About Me

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I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Showing posts with label LGBTQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LGBTQ. Show all posts

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Are Gays Beyond Redemption?


In my day we were homophobes and gay-bashers and were proud of it--we called them "queers." They were fearful to come out, too, they kept it in the closet. It was mean but we knew no better. My first encounter with gays in the media was watching Soap with Billy Crystal playing a homosexual. Then I watched Three's Company and laughed at John Ritter mocking and using stereotypes for his shtick. Since then there has been a gradual acceptance by society into the mainstream and people actually welcome gays and lesbians in the media now without reservation. There is Anderson Cooper on CNN, Rachael Maddow on MSNBC, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rosie O'Donnell, and no one discredits them because of their sexual orientation--would you discredit the plumber for this?

The latest is when I saw Michael Sam (a gay football player and the first to come out as openly gay in the sport) being applauded by a crowd and given a standing ovation. Surely the Bible warns against calling evil good and good evil (cf. Isa. 5:20). "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psa. 11:3). We must rebel if the government forces us to do something contrary to Scripture like making men of the cloth perform gay marriages in churches--God forbid!

They say that Jesus said naught about homosexuality--au contraire! In Matt. 19:4 Jesus points out that it was God's plan for a man to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (male and female created He them). God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Anything contrary to God's plan is sin or, in other words, going against God's will or the Law. We draw the line to disobey the Law when it mandates us to do something unscriptural or prohibits us from following God's commands.

They have now mapped the entire human chromosome in the Human Genome project and I have news: there is no homosexual gene! Lady Gaga is wrong: "Born This Way." We all reach an age of accountability when we are capable of choosing between the good and the evil (cf. Isa. 7:16). But let's take another look at the issue: Does having nature entitle you to indulge it? What about pyromaniacs, pedophiles, kleptomaniacs, sadists, and perverts of any sort? I believe in calling a spade a spade. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus can change us no matter how depraved we are: "Such were some of you [homosexuals]..." (1 Cor. 6:11). We learn when we mature not to act on impulse and to indulge our every desire.

Scripture plainly condemns homosexuality, sodomy, and perversions. I refer you to Lev. 18:22, Rom. 1:27ff, 1 Tim. 1:10. This sin is an abomination and detestable in God's sight even though it is apparently not the worst sin, nor the unforgivable sin. Prov. 6:16ff lists seven things the Lord hates and it is not mentioned. Pride is the worst of sins and how often do we hear sermons attacking this weakness of man? We must keep in mind that we can love a person and also disapprove of their sin: to use the hackneyed phrase "loving the sinner and hating the sin." Parents often disapprove of their children's behavior, yet they love them nevertheless. In summary, "whosoever will may come," but even though you may come as you are, God will not let you stay that way!   Soli Deo Gloria!