Here is a recent
Facebook post: “Many have asked my
opinion today concerning Obama. I say when a nation embraces and accepts
homosexuality it is a signal sin of judgment.”
Certainly my heart is heavy concerning this issue and frankly for other issues. This statement that I made on Facebook is no doubt without great thought on my part.
Let me say that there is so much I would like to share I'm
not sure where to start. I guess I
should start by saying I don't consider myself a bigot, or closed minded in
general terms. I'm very much open to
learning, and dialogue, and truth seeking.
Now having said that, I do believe that there are absolute truths in
Scripture that we need to uphold absolutely.
However, before I get too far down the path of my thoughts,
let me express personal testimony and window into my upbringing. The issue of homosexuality I dare say touches
almost every person in America, and perhaps even the world. I am no stranger to this debate. Growing up in a fairly small east Texas town,
I had an uncle who was gay. I watched
his lifestyle pitt our family against one another. There were those in my family who were
outraged to say the least. On the other
hand there were those who disliked his choices and yet still embraced him as a
person. I have often wrestled with the
appropriate balance in this issue as well as other issues.
To have come to understand that there is a difference in
being judgmental and making a judgment.
God has given is right and wrong.
He has given us standards to uphold, truth to seek after, and there are
times when we have been called upon to make a judgment. We see our Lord many times in the gospels
making a judgment. Yet, it was the Pharisees and Sadducees who are often seen
as being judgmental. {Remember the woman
caught in adultery?} Christ came to be
the light; he came to expose the darkness in mankind's hearts. Christ came to seek and to save those who
were lost. And there were many times
when Christ extended grace to those that he met. When Jesus said Judge not lest you be
judged, the context was not that we would make a judgment, but that when we
make a judgment that would make it with clean hearts, eyes and minds.
Please understand: we were sinners headed to a devils hell
until by grace Jesus saved us!
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
{as seen in Romans 3}. The Romans chapter 1 is clear, in verse 24 verse 26
verse 28 God says he gives them over, he abandons men who've rejected him, he
abandons people when they rebelled and worship anything but God the word there
that Paul uses basically means to hand over.
The point of Paul in Romans 1 is that God gave them over to the last of
their hearts. The word lust there is
sexual in nature and you cannot get around that. And when you look at the context it becomes
clear that the sexual nature with Paul's referencing his homosexuality. God gave them over because they exchanged the
truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
creator. And God comes and says you've dishonored me therefore I'm going to
give you over and dishonor you. What was
it that mankind was worshiping in Romans chapter 1? They were worshiping the beast of the field
the birds of the air the snakes the crawl on the ground. God gave them over to do with the beast that
they worshiped would not do.
I challenge anyone to look to the animal kingdom and find me an
example of a homosexual animal that God created? {HINT:
You won't find one.}
I would also say that God did not create mankind be
homosexual, but rather God has lifted his hand and said I will no longer be
involved with you. That is why I posted
on Facebook that the signal sin of God's judgment on nation is homosexuality.
God said through Paul in Romans one, “you would not honor me
therefore I've decided you to let your passions drive you to do with the
animals that I've created would not do.”
Read Judges 18 ,19 & 20. The Israelites almost wiped out
the traveler Benjamin over the sin of homosexuality.
You know what people are going to try to say, “the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not the sin
of homosexuality.” In an effort to
defend their position people will point to passages like this one:
Now this was the sin of Sodom: She and her
daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor
and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I
did away with them as you have seen. —Ezekiel 16:49-50
They often say
that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was nonsexual. Sure, there were some non-sexual sins that
were present in Sodom and Gomorrah. There is no doubt about that in my mind,
however Scripture does indicate that the homosexual relationships occurring was
the prevalent physical sin in Sodom. Be
careful holding a position like that because Jude verse 7 is clear:
NIV In a
similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave
themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of
those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
When you look at
2nd Peter chapter 2 verse 6 the fishermen had pretty clear things to say about
Sodom and Gomorrah:
4 For if God did not spare
angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of
darkness[b] to be held for
judgment; 5 if
he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its
ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven
others; 6 if he condemned the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an
example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a
righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous
man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul
by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the
godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of
judgment. 10 This
is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh[c] and despise authority.
Peter's words
are very clear God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for the rest of
history to see: Here is an example of what God does want culture gives way to
this kind of ungodly lifestyle. Also his
words are comforting to me. God knows
how and is fully able to protect the righteous!
Honestly, I have considered
moving to a foreign country given the current drift and direction of our
nation. But this verse brings me great
hope and steadfastness in that God is in Control, and he sees all men and knows
the depths of their hearts!
Many times in
Scripture Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned and almost every time it is
mentioned alongside the judgment of God.
Jesus does mention Sodom and Gomorrah right alongside judgment:
If
anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your
feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more
bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
--Matthew 10:14-15
Keep in mind, my
original post; “… I say that when a nation embraces and accepts homosexuality
it is a signal sin of judgment.”
I do not make
that statement with a judgment heart, only to say that I'm deeply concerned for
the direction in which our nation is headed, not only in the area of
homosexuality, but in the area of marriage, divorce, gluttony, and hatred. We are a nation out of control.
I want t be
clear, please hear me: the Bible does
not say that having people who practice homosexuality brings total judgment and
destruction on a nation because, in reality there is homosexuality in the
culture. Just like there's adultery in every culture, just like there's murder
in every culture, just like there's theft in every culture. I think what is being taught from Scripture
is this: it is when the culture, or the nation embraces the
lifestyle of homosexuality that we should interpret it as a sign of God's
judgment.
Look across our
nation, from California to Massachusetts, our culture is on the fast track of
accepting homosexuality. Of course what
prompted this Facebook discussion were comments that our president made, yesterday.
If you watch TV you can’t watch much programing without references to it
in the story lines. And whenever we
accept this lifestyle as normal, and whenever the culture embraces it, we had
better watch out.
God has a design
for human sexuality, it is called heterosexual relationships inside the
covenant of marriage. One man and one woman for life.
In Romans 1:27
Paul talks about God’s schematic for sexual relations. Paul is basically saying that what they are
doing is Not the Way, God designed it to be done. They are doing something that is not
according to God's game plan or design.
The point is made that this is not God's plan or design for human
sexuality to be homosexual. It is listed
among many other sins, as something to repent from. Repentance is what God desires.
By the way
another form of judgment and perhaps worse than God giving a nation over to the
signal sin of homosexuality, is apathy.
Apathy is a form of Judgment. I
think there are many today who do not care.
Many today live with their head in the sand and live as if they are
asleep! This kind of reckless living is really
is bothering to me... I am determined not
be one of them!
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