Homosexuality and the Church seems to be a very hot topic right now with the acceptance of the lifestyle on the rise, the push for legalization of marriage, some Christian denominations proclaiming it as acceptable, and the possibility of making it a hate crime to speak out against it. Over the next few Thursdays, we'll look at some of the claims and objections in this battle, and what God's Word says about it. Here are some of the questions (because they are always the objections thrown at the church) I would like to attempt to answer in a Biblical way:
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1) Is homosexuality a sin?
2) Are we judging people (in the way Jesus tells us not to) if we call it a sin?
3) Are people born this way or is it a choice?
4) How should the church treat and respond to homosexuals that walk through the doors?
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This week, I will answer question one (the easiest one!) and answer each one in order over the next few weeks. The answer to the first question...is homosexuality a sin...is yes. How do we know when something is sin? By using God's Word (the standard and basis for all sin --- II Timothy 3:16). Many people use the verse Leviticus 18:22 that calls a man being with another man an "abomination". The book of Leviticus contains a lot of purity laws for the priests and God's chosen people (Israelites) as they look forward to and prepare for the coming of a Messiah (Jesus). So I am not 100% comfortable using a verse from the priestly laws, or you have to also say that women would need to avoid touching anything for 6 weeks after having a child (12:4), we shouldn't be eating some of the things we eat (11:2), etc, etc....and we should all still be waiting for Jesus to come (but He's already come!!!). Although you could still make a good argument from Leviticus that it is a sin because God calls homosexuality an "abomination"...He is pretty serious about this one (after all, this was a major sin in the whole Sodom and Gomorrah destruction).
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But in any case, thankfully Paul also makes it clear in the New Testament that homosexuality is in fact a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9). So if you give your Bible and God's Word any weight, you can clearly see that homosexuality is a sin. Even if it wasn't as clearly spelled out in Scripture as it is...just for the fact that you cannot be legally married, living the homosexual lifestyle would put you in sin anyway because of pre-marital sex and lust (Matthew 5:27-28).
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OK...so homosexuality is a sin (according to Scripture). But aren't we all sinners? Are heterosexuals seen as more holy in God's eyes even though they sin too? Should they be treated any differently than any one else inside and outside the church? How would Jesus have treated them? Well, to find out the Biblical answers to those questions and more, come back next Thursday!
-
1) Is homosexuality a sin?
2) Are we judging people (in the way Jesus tells us not to) if we call it a sin?
3) Are people born this way or is it a choice?
4) How should the church treat and respond to homosexuals that walk through the doors?
-
This week, I will answer question one (the easiest one!) and answer each one in order over the next few weeks. The answer to the first question...is homosexuality a sin...is yes. How do we know when something is sin? By using God's Word (the standard and basis for all sin --- II Timothy 3:16). Many people use the verse Leviticus 18:22 that calls a man being with another man an "abomination". The book of Leviticus contains a lot of purity laws for the priests and God's chosen people (Israelites) as they look forward to and prepare for the coming of a Messiah (Jesus). So I am not 100% comfortable using a verse from the priestly laws, or you have to also say that women would need to avoid touching anything for 6 weeks after having a child (12:4), we shouldn't be eating some of the things we eat (11:2), etc, etc....and we should all still be waiting for Jesus to come (but He's already come!!!). Although you could still make a good argument from Leviticus that it is a sin because God calls homosexuality an "abomination"...He is pretty serious about this one (after all, this was a major sin in the whole Sodom and Gomorrah destruction).
-
But in any case, thankfully Paul also makes it clear in the New Testament that homosexuality is in fact a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9). So if you give your Bible and God's Word any weight, you can clearly see that homosexuality is a sin. Even if it wasn't as clearly spelled out in Scripture as it is...just for the fact that you cannot be legally married, living the homosexual lifestyle would put you in sin anyway because of pre-marital sex and lust (Matthew 5:27-28).
-
OK...so homosexuality is a sin (according to Scripture). But aren't we all sinners? Are heterosexuals seen as more holy in God's eyes even though they sin too? Should they be treated any differently than any one else inside and outside the church? How would Jesus have treated them? Well, to find out the Biblical answers to those questions and more, come back next Thursday!
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