The issue of homosexuality has taken center stage on Christian and secular discussions; “high-profile” leaders on both sides of the issue have come out to take sides, perhaps culminating with President Obama’s recent statement of support for homosexual marriage.
I believe it’s of utmost importance that we understand the spiritual warfare going on here: this front has been carefully planned for by the enemy, Satan. His attack is going to focus on our feeble faith in the Word of God and how willing or unwilling we are to stand in our faith.
With absolute clarity I want to say from the beginning that this is an issue first and foremost of faith, then of obedience, and finally of love. It is now time for the Children of God to take their stand in faith and be obedient to His word as we are controlled and compelled by the love of Christ.
This isn’t easy to take a stand from a position of faith, nor of obedience from a sincere heart to God, nor of love that is likely not going to be reciprocated, but we must, and we have a good example from Bobby Conway in this video:
I think he effectively communicated the attitude that Christians need to take when talking with someone who is struggling with or practicing homosexuality.
FAITH IN THE REDEMPTION OF CHRIST
We’re seeing the fruits of sowing weak and unbiblical teachings and undisciplined life-practices in Christ to generations of people in the Church.
This issue only exposes a deeper and more severe malady of faith that does not trust the redemptive power of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins.
Unless we rise up together to declare the power of redemption in Christ, this issue will be the spear that pierces the heart of the Church through.
It is also necessary that the Church makes an unequivocal statement that we joyfully believe in the redemptive power of Jesus Christ through gospel as performed in the heart of faith by the Holy Spirit.
The homosexual argument is remarkably efficient at exposing this deep issue of faith because their counter argument says that they are born homosexual (natural sexual identity) and, therefore, because they were created gay, homosexuality cannot possibly be wrong. Their argument assumes that 1) God doesn’t call us to change who we are in the natural, carnal man, and 2) that God can’t supply the necessary grace for us to change.
Even though I’m not a scientist, it appears obvious through natural observation of children from a young age that people do receive certain genetic predispositions; some are born with aggressive and violent tendencies, while others seem to have a tendency towards selfishness. In essence, being born with a sinful nature is not surprising to me.
This is actually at the very heart of the gospel message that preaches that “no one is righteous, not even one” and we must, therefore, “repent in the name of Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world, and believe on Him for the salvation of your souls”. This gospel, which is great and manifold, is a proclamation of reconciliation and regeneration in Christ to the whole world! How is it, then, that we are now excusing sin based on the premise that it is, as the gospel says, part of our sinful nature?
As the Word says, God’s salvation is for all men who believe:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” –Romans 1:16
Each and every one of us was born carnally into a fallen and depraved world. All of us came from various backgrounds in which sins were engrained deeply into us- some of us were fornicators, some practiced forms of idolatry and worshipped their money above God, some practiced adultery, some were thieves, some were covetous or drunkards, and some were homosexuals: but in Jesus Christ we are a new creation!
Here is what God says about the redemption of Christ:
1st Corinthians 6:9-11– 9 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, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 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.
Jesus justified you before God, washed you clean, and sanctified you- you are anew in Him!
Excusing homosexuality is not loving, compassionate, or kind; it is faithlessness in the Word of God and the power of Christ. What many people see as an act of love is a brutal butchering of souls that could otherwise have the opportunity to be saved if the gospel were preached to them and they would hear with faith as given and authored in Christ.
Part of my call here is to stir up the spirit of faith in the Church, in whatever little way I can do that, and exhort the brethren to preach the message of redemption and reconciliation in Jesus Christ to the Church.
For just as the Word says;
Romans 10:14, 17-“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
1st John 5:5– “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
We are not helping our brothers who struggle with the sin and temptation of homosexuality by falsely excusing their sin under the banner of love; we do them no favors in this unrighteous act. We need to be exalting Christ and preaching the power of His redemption by the Holy Spirit.
Woe to those of whom the ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted and who are found to have withheld or covered up that ministry of reconciliation by their false teaching! The Word of God says your damnation will be just!
GOD’S JUDGMENT
God said that he would lift up a standard against the flood of the enemy (Isaiah 59:19 NKJV), and it is to that standard that we must go to receive God’s judgment upon the matter. If I judge the matter for myself, then my judgment holds no authority, but if God gives His judgment, then His judgment will stand.
“3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”- Romans 8:3-4
God condemned sin in the flesh and carried out righteousness in His Son that the law was powerless to carry out. I begin with this passage because I believe it’s important for us to understand that God has condemned sin in the flesh. We are not to live by the flesh, but by the Spirit- if you are walking in the flesh then you are walking condemned.
Is homosexuality a sinful act of the flesh?
Leviticus 18:22– 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
In black and white terms God said this is an abomination to Him. Justifying an abomination before God is a very difficult thing to do.
The question is, do you believe the Word of God?
We mustn’t blaspheme God’s Word by saying that His laws no longer apply today because of Christ; they do. According to the Lord, not a single word will pass away from The Law until both Heaven and Earth shall pass away (Matthew 5:18). Instead, we must understand the dynamics between the Law of condemnation and the Law of life in Christ Jesus.
1st Timothy 1:10– 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites [homosexuals- NASB], for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
The law still has jurisdiction over the world; it governs all those that are of the world. And unless you are born again of a new nature in Christ Jesus, a nature that is no longer bound in the desires and lusts of the flesh, you are still under The Law of condemnation. But, thanks be to God that, though we were sinners, we have been set free from the law of sin and death and raised to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen! Therefore we now fulfill the righteous requirement of The Law by the Law of Life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In the above passage homosexuals are specifically called out as among those whom The Law itself still condemns to this day. Therefore, Leviticus 18:22 still very much applies to homosexuals. All who walk according to the lusts of the flesh will perish under the law.
Therefore, in the scriptures, God’s righteous judgment has been revealed to us on this matter of homosexuality:
Romans 1:18, 26-27– 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
There can be no confusion on this matter that God is storing up judgment to pour out on the unrighteous and those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness!
I pray that those who do suppress the truth in their unrighteousness would have their eyes opened to see what they are doing so that they can seek God in repentance and grace while He may still be found!
REMEMBER THE HEART OF THE MATTER
It is most important to me, as someone God has called out to help train and equip the Church, to exhort the brethren to careful and sober personal examination of themselves on this issue.
Therefore, to repeat one more time, the Word of God has made clear the power of Christ’s redemption:
1st Corinthians 6:9-11– 9 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, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 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.
If you are excusing homosexuality within the Church and not calling it out as a sin then you are denouncing the redemption of Jesus Christ. You are not exhorting or encouraging your brethren in all forms of holiness and coming along side them in love to help them overcome the struggles that are ensnaring them in carnality. You are taking the cowards way out.
This is a matter of faith: judge for yourselves if you believe God’s word or if you have to change His word to suit yourself.
VIDEO:
I want to insert a clip here from Dr. Michael Brown that discusses this issue very thoroughly. I always think it is important to hear the issues out well and examine them thoroughly, not only for our own sake, but also for the sake of those we discuss the issue with.
Biblical Reasons 
Reblogged this on Dedicated Faith.
LikeLike