Iv Jesus On Sexuality
When discussions of Jesus and homosexuality or the LGBT15 lifestyle come up some might try to claim that Jesus never dealt with the issue. However that is not really accurate. Jesus, as God, was a unique teacher. He often dealt authoritatively with the principles that were behind not just one action, but a whole host of possible ones. He often discerned through to the heart and intent of people and exposed both our sinful hearts, and His holy standard. The following two examples carefully show us that we all fall short and are desperately in need of Gods grace.
How Do We Read The Bible Part 2
Does the Bible give us an example of how the early church handled differing opinions on how to interpret biblical laws?
Here is an example from the early church. It is instructive to read the entire story.
How important was circumcision in the culture of Jesus and Pauls day? Would they have been circumcised?
Circumcision was considered an essential religious covenant by the Jews, a sign of ones commitment to God, instituted by God. Converts to Judaism were required to undergo circumcision. Jewish Christians naturally expected that Gentile converts would follow this important commandment of God.
Then God said to Abraham, As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreignerthose who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people he has broken my covenant. Genesis 17:9-14 .
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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.
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Is There An Objective Way To Respond To These Assertions
First, lets consider the claim that this Old Testament law has no relevance for New Testament believers but should be classified with kosher laws and such.
A basic rule of biblical interpretation is that any Old Testament teaching repeated in the New Testament carries the weight of command to the Christian church and faith. And the prohibition against homosexual activity is most certainly present there .
Even those Old Testament statements that are not repeated in the New Testament carry the force of principle. For instance, kosher laws tell us, at the least, that God cares about our bodies and health.
Second, it is claimed that the Leviticus passage expresses a worship code, not a moral standard.
The logic is that Leviticus is written with regard to the Levitical priests and their duties of worship preparation and leadership and does not apply as such to the larger family of faith. However, the chapter in question begins, The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them . . . . .
Nothing in the chapter limits its application or significance to the Levites. Rather, the chapter exhorts all Israel to keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them . It proceeds to forbid incestuous relationships, child sacrifice, and bestialitystandards I presume critics of Leviticus 18:22 would consider universal.
What Do Jehovahs Witnesses Believe
Jehovahs Witnesses believe that the Bibles moral code is the best standard for living, and they choose to abide by that code. This means that Jehovahs Witnesses reject all sexual misconduct, including homosexuality. That is the Witnesses lifestyle choice, and they have a right to it.
Jehovahs Witnesses strive to follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way they themselves would like to be treated
At the same time, Jehovahs Witnesses strive to pursue peace with all people. While they reject homosexual acts, Jehovahs Witnesses do not force their view on others, nor do they participate in homophobic hate crimes or rejoice when they hear of them. Jehovahs Witnesses strive to follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way they themselves would like to be treated.Matthew 7:12.
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Q10 Are There Contributing Factors To Homosexuality For Which A Homosexual Might Not Be Responsible
We all have contributing factors towards different activity that we engage in. These definitely make it easier to see how one would be more likely to conduct oneself in a particular way. However we retain responsibility for our actions. We may not be responsible for those things which are done to us, but we are responsible for our choices.
We all have our own propensities or orientation towards specific sins. The question for all of us is: what will we do with them? 24 For way too long I held onto mine. To be quite honest I am tempted every day to go back to them. Sometimes new ones crop up. This is and will be a lifelong process of learning my identity in Christ, of growing in resisting temptations and walking in truth. I cannot overcome my sin. Faith in Jesus is the victory that overcomes sin and the world . With these kinds of intense struggles there is no room to underestimate the struggles of each other. With the commonality of sin there is no room to look down upon one another.
There is a sense of needing to just get over it in that we need to recognize sins as sins, and we need to decide to begin doing what is right by Gods grace and provision. That, however, is just the beginning. The daily walking with and helping one another to apply our identity in Christ is one that must be sustained. It is then a get on with it in grace issue. So lets get over it by Gods grace and then get on with it in His grace! Without His grace neither will happen.
Insights From Other Bible Scholars
“The homosexuality the New Testament opposes is the pederasty of the Greco-Roman culture the attitudes toward pederasty and, in part, the language used to oppose it are informed by the Jewish background.”Robin Scroggs, Professor of Biblical Theology,Union Theological Seminary, New York City .
“One cannot be absolutely certain that the two key words in I Corinthians 6:9 are meant as references to male homosexual behavior.”Victor Paul Furnish, Professor of New Testament, Perkins Dallas .
“The strongest New Testament argument against homosexual activity is intrinsically immoral has been derived traditionally from Romans 1:26 , where this activity is indicated as para physin. The normal English translation for this has been against nature. Two interpretations can be justified concerning what Paul meant by the phrase. It could refer to the individual pagan, who goes beyond his own sexual appetites in order to indulge in new sexual pleasure. The second possibility is that physis refers to the nature of the chosen people who were forbidden by Levitical law to have homosexual relations.”John J. McNeill, Adjunct Professor of Psychology,Union Theological Seminary, New York City .
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Why God And The Gay Christian Is Wrong About The Bible And Same
In March 2012, Matthew Vines posted a video on YouTube suggesting that “being gay is not a sin,” and that the Bible “does not condemn, loving, committed same-sex relationships.” He spoke eloquently from the heart with poise, conviction and vulnerability. The video quickly went viral.
Vines is a bright young man raised in a Christian home. At age 19, he left Harvard University after his third semester so that he could come out to his family and friends in Wichita. He knew that his father would not agree with the way he reconciled his sexuality with Scripture. So Vines sought to arm himself with biblical scholarship on the affirmation of same-sex relationships and strove to convince his family and church that they were wrongthat homosexuality is not a sin.
Vines’s new book, God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, expounds further on the arguments made in his video. His aim is not to present new information, but to synthesize gay-affirming arguments and make them accessible for a broader and younger audience. Vines does a good job fulfilling this goal. Unfortunately, his book consists of some logical and exegetical fallacies, and it does not address the shortcomings of the authors to whom it is most indebted. And although Vines professes a “high view” of the Bible, he ultimately fails to apply uncomfortable biblical truths in a way that embraces a costly discipleship.
Good and Bad Fruit
Does The Sin Of Sodom Condemn Homosexuality
The Supreme Court made history on June 27, 2003, when it struck down the sodomy laws of the state of Texas. In a 6-3 decision, the justices reversed course from a ruling seventeen years ago that states could punish homosexuals for private consensual sex. Such activity is typically called sodomy because of the text well study today.
In a survey of passages typically cited on the divisive issue of homosexuality, Genesis 19 and the sin of Sodom is usually listed first. Lot entertained two angels who came to the city to investigate its sins. These angels appeared as men. Before they went to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodomboth young and oldsurrounded the house. They called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them . For such sin, the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah , destroying them.
Is this text a condemnation of homosexuality?
Dr. Walter Wink believes not: That was a case of ostensibly heterosexual males intent on humiliating strangers by treating them like women, thus demasculinizing them . However, Dr. Wink offers no textual evidence that the men were ostensibly heterosexual. His view is only conjectural and stands against the vast majority of interpretation across the centuries.
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Q3 What Explicitly Does The Bible Teach About Homosexuality
The Bible explicitly teaches that homosexuality is a sin in both the Old and New Testaments. It also explicitly teaches that God offers His grace to redeem and reconcile every kind of sinner to Himself at His own expense through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The conclusion of the New Testament section succinctly states it this way: The Biblical and Christian view of homosexuality is that it is wrong, but Gods grace, just like it did for us, offers freedom from sin to all people.
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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Iii Homosexuality In The New Testament
In the New Testament many passages generally prohibit sexual immoral activity . These commands would include homosexuality. However, homosexuality is most explicitly discussed in three passages. The first of these three discusses homosexuality at length. Whereas the last two are in lists of sins. Like the discussion in the Old Testament section this will not be an attempt to discuss every possible issue arising from these texts. Rather the goal will be to express the Biblical and Christian view on homosexuality that these verses teach. As before, further resources will be noted for those desiring a deeper investigation.
Homosexuality In The New Testament: 1 Timothy : 8
The last passage for our study is part of Pauls first letter to Timothy. Here is the paragraph in which our verse is found: We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurersand for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me .
The phrase in question is found in verse 10, translated by the NIV as adulterers and perverts. Adulterers renders the root Greek word pornos, from which we get pornography, and means one who practices sexual immorality. When accented on the second syllable, it frequently refers to one who operates a brothel. When accented on the first syllable, as in our text, it can refer to homosexual activity.
Perverts renders the Greek word arsenokoites, typically translated as homosexual. We see it in 1 Corinthians 6:9, where it is translated by the NIV as homosexual offenders. The word means literally one who has sexual relations with men. While some attempt to interpret the word as it is found in 1 Corinthians 6 with reference to prostitution, such a connection is even more difficult to maintain in the present text.
Such is the consistent teaching of the New Testament on the subject.
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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.
Question #: Is Homosexuality A Sin
Yes, it is a sin. What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Lets seeFrom the Old Testament to the New Testament, every mention of homosexuality is aforementioned to or followed by, a mention of sinful nature. Old Testament:Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:14, Genesis 19, Ezekial 16, Judges 2. New Testament:Romans 1:26-27, Jude 1:5-8, 1 Timothy 1:8-11, 1 Corinthians 7:2, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.Both Old and New Testaments call same-sex, homosexuality, familiar spirits, effeminate actions, as evil, abominable, and sinful.But God is still able to forgive ALL sin, and we are able to be both forgiven and delivered.
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Q8 Why Should Two People Who Sincerely Love Each Other Not Be Allowed To Get Married Just Because They Are Of The Same Gender
The answer to this is controversial in many circles today both politically and religiously. The short answer seems to boil down to ones definition of love, marriage, and how one views morals. True love does what is best for another person regardless of the expense to oneself. By Gods design for humanity marriage was to be between a man and a woman . Woman was the God-given companion who was suitable for man. Morals are determined by Gods standards and what He has set as right and wrong. By these definitions then, it would not be the most loving thing to marry someone when it violated Gods moral standards, when that is not the design for what marriage should be, and when one would not be the most suitable kind of companion.
Since most non-believers would not acknowledge Gods standard of morals or design this viewpoint is mostly irrelevant to them. For the Christian, however, questions of should and morals are to be determined by the one who determines right and wrong. Indeed, not just for Christians, but for all who talk about rights this needs to be a consideration. Rights only exist if one acknowledges moral standards endowed with creation by a creator. A naturalistic system has no place for rights.19