TRUTH Part 2

2) The second argument of the LGBT community is that homosexuality is OK, since Jesus never mentioned it.

Jesus did not mention it, but that does not make it OK. He clearly painted the accepted way of love with several analogies. Being a Jewish Rabbi, He was a natural teacher, versed and trained in Jewish law and customs from a young age. This is why we hear him refer back to the creation account of male and female that God made. He uses the analogy of the bride (her) and groom (him); feminine and masculine pronouns. In Hebrew it’s known as “ish” (male) and “isha” (female). He spoke of the family unit as mother and father with children. It was crystal clear what Jesus was saying when he defined marriage and the family.

3) The third argument of the LGBT community is that the word homosexual cannot be found in Bible translations prior to 1960. Therefore, it has been added later as a conspiracy by Christians to put an end to their way of life.

The word “homosexual“ may not be found in the original Hebrew or Chaldean languages of Leviticus 18:22, but the meaning is still clear. Man shall not have sexual relations with a man, as he does with a woman, for it is an abomination to God. Not calling it by its modern day name does not change the fact that the description fits the lifestyle. By the way, this whole chapter is about sexual relations. Having sex with one’s family member was an abomination to God then and now (we call it incest and it’s against the law today). Having sex with an animal was an abomination to God then and now (we call it beastiality and it’s against the law today).

Yes, there are stories of people in the Bible who did some pretty bad things, but that does not make them right. The law is the law. Jesus said it still stands. Just like if your kid said to you, well Johnny’s mom lets him do it, your reply would be, well I’m not Johnny’s mom. These are my rules and you will live by them. Just because Johnny does it and his mom lets him, does not make it right! God is our Daddy, so he does not play that game with us either.

The argument I have yet to hear rebutted from the LGBT community is one for Romans chapter 1. I think this is because the way Paul says it, there is no room for error about what he is saying. You have to understand that Paul was a Pharisee (a teacher of the law). He knew it like the back of his hand. Paul expounds upon the Levitical Law to give us the how and the why answers to our questions. He leaves no stone unturned in his very descriptive use of words. Again, Paul was writing to churches on issues the churches were dealing with from within and in the greater context of society, as the church was to engage the world, but not be part of it.

The book of Romans was written to the main church hub, centrally located in the ruling and reigning empire of the day. It would be like sending a letter to Washington, DC churches today about the church’s involvement in American culture and society on key issues in culture. Rome was the capital city of a massive empire, which ruled Jerusalem.

Homosexuality was a key issue in that day, as it is in ours today. It was popular in culture in Rome. Its roots stemmed from the armies of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Sodomy was used by both the Greeks and Romans to break a young boy’s will. It was thought of as a way to toughen him up for battle. Homosexuality was also a practice for sexual gratification amongst men, while away from home. Because of pagan practices and lust, there was an LGBT community in the ancient world (it just wasn’t called that then). None of this changed the fact that such acts were detestable to God both then and now, because they are unnatural.

Paul had to write the churches about this to clarify that it was still detestable to God. From his description, it sounds like people were talking about it. No doubt there were people in all camps of belief, just like today. While 2,000 years separate our time from theirs, things really are not all that different in society and culture. More than likely there were people who said, “God made me this way.” “Who are you to judge?” There were probably people who quoted Levitical Law and said God said, “it’s detestable to him and that settles it.” There were probably people on the fence that said, “love is love, who am I to judge?” “We have to just love people as we are commanded.”

There were probably people (even church leaders) who struggled with the issue, especially in light of new converts. They probably said, “how do I balance truth from God’s word about what is right and pleasing to him verses what is wrong, and then how do I teach that to these new converts in a way that they won’t get offended and will still understand that God loves them and Christ followers do too.” They probably struggled with that balance of when is the timing acceptable for old ways to become old ways and how do I/we (Christ followers)  extend grace to those struggling with forsaking their former lifestyle to follow Christ.

Paul addressed all of this in his letter to the Roman church, namely in chapters 1 and 6. In chapter 1, he goes straight to the heart of the issue, defining it, explaining it, and telling what happens when it continues. He says this in Romans 1:18-32 (New Living Translation):

¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (Or who, by their wickedness, prevent the truth from being known.)

¹⁹ They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. ²⁵ They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

²⁶ That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.

²⁷ And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

²⁸ Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. ²⁹ Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. ³⁰ They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

³¹ They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. ³² They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

When God created the heavens and the earth, animals, man and woman, he had an original intent and purpose that has NOT changed! He set natural laws into motion so that everyone would know. Nature testifies of God and his ways. Recently, there has been another attack launched by members of the LGBT community to twist even this. The argument is that there are animals that have homosexual relations, so therefore it MUST be natural and is OK. This is a blatant attack on this scripture to try to justify this lifestyle CHOICE of SIN and to try to NORMALIZE it for everyone to ACCEPT the LGBT community and its agenda.

The #1 goal of the LGBT community is to destroy Christianity, because it is the only thing opposing their lifestyle choice. It won't happen, but this is why there have been such heinous attacks against Christians and their faith. Recently there was such a disgusting attack and mockery of Jesus and the cross by LGBT protestors. While many Christians have sat back and been tolerant of members of the LGBT community, the favor has NOT been returned by many in that community.

Making a sacrilegious mockery of Jesus and the cross with perverse sexual displays of an unnatural lifestyle choice is the ultimate LGBT intolerant insult spat back in the face of God and his true followers! This kind of behavior is happening for a specific reason. It's been a gradual (slow fade) step by step, methodical process from demanding equal rights by riding on the back of the Civil Rights Movement of Dr. King Jr., saying God made them that way, attacking and devaluing the Word of God to omit the "sin" factor to what they do, infiltrating the church, so they can say they are Christian too, and then attacking traditional marriage, and trying to destroy the faith. This is a spiritual battle and believers need to wake up, rise up, and change their world!

I’m not advocating violence or hate speech, although I am sure that is what it will be labeled! True believers must still reply with love, but with eyes WIDE open! We must use wisdom and speak truth to counter the lies from the other side. No more of this fence riding, maintain the status quo, upset no one, “love is love and everyone can do what they want” attitude and behavior. That's what got us to where we are now. No! Let’s call it what it is!

This is a lifestyle choice of sin based on the lust of the flesh to go a way that is unnatural and defiantly smacks God in His face. Yes! They have the right to choose that way of living, but there are consequences to those choices and a price to be paid for them that they must individually pay, when they stand before God. He is the judge! We are simply repeating what the word has to say about it.

We are not the author, just the messengers. We convey the message of the Creator in love, so that educated choices can be made. It’s time to rise up and let our light shine. In this, we will not tolerate attacks on the Bible or true believers, as scapegoats to excuse a lifestyle choice of sin in order to try to normalize or downplay what it truly is. No one is born gay. It's a choice. Research has proven this (BTW, it was research conducted by scientists in the LGBT community).

Dr. King Jr.'s Civil Rights Movement was absolutely justified. The LGBT community trying to use that movement for approval of their sexual preference and lifestyle choice is both unacceptable and disrespectful to Dr. King Jr., everyone who marched, and all people of color. Ethnicity is not a choice that can be changed, but who one lusts after is a choice and it can be changed. If it were not so, there would not be the success stories of people who were delivered from the lifestyle.

It's time to push back the lies with truth. Haters are gonna HATE the TRUTH and try to twist it, so beware, but do NOT be silent! TRUTH is what sets people FREE! So speak the TRUTH in love, unashamedly and unapologetically. Remember, you are the messenger, not the Author! You relay and convey the Author’s message. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to convict and bring change after that. Remember the word says, how will they know unless they are told and how will they hear the good news unless people are sent? We have to go and tell. We can’t sit and be quiet or passive.

Stay tuned for TRUTH Part 3...