God Will Not Let You Be Tempted Beyond What You Are Able
All people meet trials and difficulties in life, both in their physical circumstances and in their spiritual life. Not living according to ones innate homosexual orientation can require a huge sacrifice. But God blesses those who live wholly for Him. Nobody who has truly given up everything to serve God will regret it. He only wants the best for us.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Even though Gods Word may appear radical, God also loves each sinner, no matter who they are, what their background is, or what they have done. He loves each one of us more than we can comprehend. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins, and has shown us the way of escape.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.
V Conclusion: Loving In Truthmy Background
The Bible is realistic about human nature. It tells us that we all fall short of Gods standard of righteousness, and thus none are righteous before Him . All other religions of the world somehow offer the hope that by self-effort heaven may be achieved. The Bible does not do that. Instead the Bible gives us Gods humanly-impossible-to-attain standard.
But then God intervened. While it was impossible for me to overcome, it was not impossible for God. He used a combination of His Word that I was reading, and of messages that I heard on the radio to open my eyes to the rest of the truth.
My journal at this time goes from records of my continual failures each day, of my heart being so hard against God, of my struggling anguish, of the realities of my sinfulness, of knowing that I needed to repent yet could not in my cold-heartedness to all of a sudden ecstatically thanking God for His amazing love.
What happened? Over time I had realized my sinfulness in its awful self-destroying reality. I realized fully my incapability. I could not fix my life on my own. I could not earn Gods love, approval, or forgiveness. In my pride and self-sufficiency I needed to see the realities of my situation before I would or could humble myself enough to throw myself entirely on Gods grace. But as I did see those realities and surrendered myself to Him, He opened my eyes to also truly realize His love and grace.
Q2 How Does One Determine If The Practice Of Homosexuality Is Right Or Wrong
To determine if anything is right or wrong one must have a standard by which the questionable action may be measured. The only one with the full authority to set such a standard is the creator and sovereign of all things. Since God has given humankind His Word in the Bible that is the source of determining if anything, including homosexuality, is morally right or wrong. Cultural and personal preferences vary, however the standard of the creator who made all things does not.
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The Bible And Homosexuality
There are a number of passages in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that have been interpreted as involving same-sex sexual acts and desires. The passages about homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible start as early as the Torah . Several scriptures in the New Testament also reference homosexuality, including the Gospel in the books of Matthew, Luke, and various letters from Saint Paul to the early churches in Asia Minor.
If It Doesnt Hurt Anyone Why Cant I Do It
First, it does hurt someone. Helping someone sin against God causes great spiritual harm and pushes them further away from salvation. Studies have also shown that it mentally and even physically does hurt someone. The rate of suicide among practicing homosexuals is higher than the national average .
But thats not the main issue. Whether or not something hurts someone is not what makes something sinful. Something is sinful if it goes against the Bible. A single man who has sex with a woman who is not his wife may not think hes hurting anyone, but it is still sin because the Bible forbids fornication.
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Q6 Are Homosexual Acts Worse Sins Than Other Sins In The Bible
Scripture does not give the clearest grading of sins. That makes this a hard question to answer. On the one hand Jesus said that if the works that had been done in Capernaum had been done in Sodom it would have remained to that day . Additionally, He said that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for Capernaum . This seems to indicate that the severity of Gods judgment will vary depending upon the knowledge and witness of God: those who should know better more so will be judged more strongly. On the other hand Romans 1 does specifically point out homosexuality as an example of persistent rebellion against God and as being an example of the judgment of God. Interestingly, in this passage it does seem like there is a strong knowledge of the sinfulness of their activities. It is despite their knowledge of God and His judgment that they pursue their course and encourage others to do the same. From these examples we can see that Scripture does not really answer this question directly. However it does seem to indicate that the more willful a sin is the worse will be Gods judgmentregardless of what the practice of the sin is. Even more clearly than that though, and more importantly Scripture answers a different question about homosexuality. The question it answers is whether Gods grace is sufficient to rescue and deliver from this sin. It is.
What Do I Do If I Have Same
If you struggle with same-sex attraction you need to hear the good news that Jesus loves you and he has died to give life to those who want it. Jesus is the one who will actually satisfy the deep longing you have for joy. Jesus is the one who can actually provide the love that you need. His commands, even against homosexuality, are for your ultimate joy. You dont have to get rid of your desires, you just have to come to Jesus. Come to Jesus broken and hurting and see if he does a work in your heart. You may struggle with this temptation until you die. But we all struggle with unrighteous desires until we die. What Christ asks is that you follow him, accept him, and fight your sin.
We would also encourage you to confess your struggle to others. This could be your community group leader, a pastor or elder, or a staff member at the church. Sin grows in the dark, so it is important to have other Christians praying for you and speaking into your life.
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God Does Not Want Anyone To Perish
In order to answer the last part of your question, please turn your Bible with me to,
2 Peter 3:9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Naturally, God does not want a single soul to perish. He created all of us, we are His children. God would love nothing more than for us to live with Him happily in His Eternal Paradise of Peace.
In fact, God also said,
Ezekiel 33:11Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
These verses clearly display the love of our Heavenly Father. He has provided every possible opportunity for sinners and the wicked to repent.
This was made possible when God sacrificed His only Begotten Son for us.
John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
If we simply believe in Jesus Christ, repent from our sins, and live our life by the Word of God, then we can obtain Eternal Life.
Now lets talk about repentence.
So There Is Historical Tradition To Show That These Verses Arent Relating To Homosexuality
Absolutely! Sometimes Im frustrated when speak with pastors who say, Well I believe the historical tradition surrounding these verses and then proceed with a condemnation of LGBTQ individuals. I challenge them to see what was actually traditionally taught. For most of history, most European Bibles taught the tradition that these 4 verses were dealing with pederasty, not homosexuality. I am saddened when I see pastors and theologians cast aside the previous 2000 years of history. This is why I collect very old Bibles, lexicons, theological books and commentaries – most modern biblical commentaries adjusted to accommodate this mistranslation. Its time for the truth to come out!
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Is Homosexuality Just One Of Many Sins
It is true that homosexuality is a sin. And it is true that there are a lot of other sins. And like other sins, homosexuality needs to be confessed, repented of, and turned away from. However, often times people use this question to imply two unbiblical things:
Some people assume having sex with someone of the same gender is just as bad as telling a white lie or stealing a cookie that its not such a big deal. This is not true. Homosexuality is the sin God uses to show us what idolatry is like. It is an especially grievous sin. All sins are equal in the sense that they rebel against God. But the Bible is clear that some sins are worse and come from a more evil heart than others .
Second, people forget that all sins have to be repented of. They have to be turned away from and fought with all of ones might. Often times the idea that homosexuality is just one sin among many, is used as a way for people to keep doing it to keep living in that sin. If one wants to obtain salvation they have to give this sin over to Jesus. They cannot act like it is okay to pursue it just because other people sin too. Other people do sin, but Christians repent of and fight their sin they dont just give themselves over to it.
Intimacy Identity And Culture
Sam Allberry, a same-sex pastor from England, confronts the pain of being alone, even by choice, on the grounds of obedience to God. Celibacy is made more difficult by the elevation of marital intimacy to a lofty position above all other forms, including friendship.
Allberrys fear is that if someones only choice in life seems to be either unbiblical intimacy or no intimacy, theyre going to end up choosing unbiblical intimacy. And if thats the case, I think the wider church shares responsibility for that.
As Allberry asserts, people within the LGBQT+ community are being denied access to this kind of intimacy, so even those who are keen to follow Gods commands and to please him by their faithful obedience are drawn to other sources for belonging and acceptance.
Jesus never taught his disciples to deny friendship and familial love to anyone. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother .
He also promoted mutually uplifting, godly friendship. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends . The word friend, philos in the Greek, means beloved or dear. I have called you friends, Jesus said to his disciples .
Not everyone accepts forgiveness through Jesus but he offers dignity, love, and truth to everyone. When a gospel-believing person highlights sin in a persons life, the purpose should always be to point that person to Jesus and his saving mercies.
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Can I Be A Christian And Struggle With Same
Absolutely! The traditional teaching of the church can be summed up as: celibacy in singleness and fidelity in between one man and one woman. Everyone has a struggle at some point in their life with the expression of their sexuality. While the idea of someone giving up their sexual lives is a huge sacrifice, remember that both Jesus himself and the Apostle Paul did not marry or have children.
There have been many others in Christian history who also did this. In 1 Corinthians 7:6-9, Paul expresses that he wishes more people could receive the gift of celibacy just as he had because it would allow for more focused work to grow Gods kingdom. That gives us a question for our day: are we willing to sacrifice everything, including our sex lives, for Jesus? If we believe that God wants all of who we are, then that includes our sexuality.
Does God Hate Homosexual People
God does not hate homosexual people. They are created in the image of God and are precious, just like everyone else. In fact, Jesus died on the cross for their sin too! It misrepresents God for a person that calls themselves a follower of Jesus Christ to use slurs or harmful words of any type to describe a person with same-sex attraction, and it violates the basic tenants of the Christian faith to not walk beside someone that is struggling with this issue. Jesus would walk with a rejected sinner every single time, just like he walks with sinful me .
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Tragedy Of The Tribe Of Benjamin
This is a very difficult story in the Bible. Be warned, that if you read it, it has more horror, death, and tragedy than most movies that Hollywood puts out. It is very graphic in places. At its root though is an event where a group of men from the tribe of Benjamin attempt to homosexually rape a Levitical priest. The end result is that most of the men of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin are wiped out.
The big picture is where it is placed in the book of Judges. Judges starts out with everything going fine as the new Israel is being created as a nation. The more that the book progresses, the more the people get away from God and following the Law of Moses. The end state is a rise of homosexual practice that causes a localized civil war among the tribes of Israel. Again, we see the idea that homosexuality in a society arises when a nation moves away from God and that judgement will follow.
Q4 Is It True That All Of The Times Homosexuality Is Referenced In The Bible It Is Bundled With False Worship Rape Prostitution Or Abuses And That This Combination Was The Problem/sin Before God
It is true that the main references to homosexuality in the Bible do mention other sins in the immediate context . However, as far as the rest of the claim that it was homosexuality mixed with other activity that made it sinful this is completely inaccurate. If one simply reads the passages talking about homosexuality one will note that the specific acts of homosexuality are explicitly described as being wrong. For instance, in Romans 1 natural relations are exchanged and abandoned . Shameless acts are committed . Homosexuality is contrary to Gods creational design. Since all sin is idolatry and rebellion against God it should come as no surprise that those elements are seen in the context. See the resources footnoted in the Romans 1 section of this article for further discussion of this issue. Particularly note Guenther Haass article entitled, Hermeneutical Issues In The Use Of The Bible To Justify The Acceptance Of Homosexual Practice Global Journal of Classical Theology, Vol 1, No. 2 ,
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C Theological Journal Resources
Gary R. GromackiWhy Be Concerned about Same-Sex Marriage? Journal of Ministry and Theology, 09:2
Guenther HaasHermeneutical Issues In The Use Of The Bible To Justify The Acceptance Of Homosexual Practice, Global Journal of Classical Theology, Vol 1, No. 2 ,
David E. MalickThe Condemnation of Homosexuality in 1 Corinthians 6:9, Bibliotheca Sacra, 150:600
The Churchs Response To The Homosexual, Journal of Ministry and Theology, 14:2
P. Michael UklejaHomosexuality and the Old Testament, Bibliotheca Sacra, 140:559 The Bible and Homosexuality Part 2: Homosexuality in the New Testament, Bibliotheca Sacra, 140:560
You Have Been Part Of A Research Team That Is Seeking To Understand How The Decision Was Made To Put The Word Homosexual In The Bible Is That True
Ed: Yes. It first showed up in the RSV translation. So before figuring out why they decided to use that word in the RSV translation I wanted to see how other cultures and translations treated the same verses when they were translated during the Reformation 500 years ago. So I started collecting old Bibles in French, German, Irish, Gaelic, Czechoslovakian, Polish you name it. Now Ive got most European major languages that Ive collected over time. Anyway, I had a German friend come back to town and I asked if he could help me with some passages in one of my German Bibles from the 1800s. So we went to Leviticus 18:22 and hes translating it for me word for word. In the English where it says Man shall not lie with man, for it is an abomination, the German version says Man shall not lie with young boys as he does with a woman, for it is an abomination. I said, What?! Are you sure? He said, Yes! Then we went to Leviticus 20:13 same thing, Young boys. So we went to 1 Corinthians to see how they translated arsenokoitai and instead of homosexuals it said, Boy molesters will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So then I started thinking that of 4 of the 6 clobber passages, all these nations and translations were referring to pederasty, and not what we would call homosexuality today.
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