Homosexuality

To become a child of God one must be born again. Because they are made in God's image does not mean that they are His children.

God calls homosexuality an abomination. He also says that no one who practices this will inherit the kingdom of God. If you knew someone was practicing this sin wouldn't you want to warn them that they cannot inherit the kingdom of God and practice homosexuality?

In 1 Cor 5 Christians are told not to associate with someone who professes Christ and is immoral.

We expect the unsaved to live this way, they are blinded by satan.

Maybe you can reach them for the Lord.

 

Acts 17:24-31 (ESV)
[24]The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, [25] nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. [26] And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, [27] that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, [28] for

" 'In him we live and move and have our being';
as even some of your own poets have said,
" 'For we are indeed his offspring.'
[29] Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. [30] The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, [31] because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

 

Romans 8:13-14, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

Does a practicing homosexual live after the Spirit or the flesh?

1 John 3:8-10, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.


IN THIS THE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE MANIFEST, AND THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL; WHOSOEVER DOETH NOT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT OF GOD, NEITHER HE THAT LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER."

According to the above Scriptures there are two types of people; the devils children and God's children.

 

Hi LauraB. You may have been a Christian for 4 years, but you speak with more Christian sensitivity than most so-called Christians who have been "churched" for 40 years.

You said; " We still know what they are doing is wrong and not God's will or way. But who are we to judge these people?" Amen! Mankind has NO BUSINESS judging others - unless and until they become sinless themselves (Matt. 7: 3-5) - which none are. Christians are warned by GOD to NOT judge others (Luke 6: 37, John 5: 22, Rom. 2: 1).

You said; " If a Gay person were to walk in yourchurch,How would you treat them?" I would greet them, shake their hand, and say "how are you today my brother? Thank you for visiting our church. It is sure is good to meet you." I would then walk them to a pew and hand them a Bible (King James Version of course). I would pour their coffee for them after the service too, and I would introduce them to others in the church. In time, once I knew their situation as told to me by them, I would then explain to them what the Bible says about ALL sexuality outside of marriage. I would tell them that the ONLY sexuality that is allowed in the Bible is that which occurs between a husband and a wife in the marriage bed (Heb. 13: 4). I would NOT say this with venom. I would say it with a jovial kindness and gentle demeanor (Titus 3: 2) - non judgmental in all respects - and I would be fully prepared to answer any Biblical questions or comments that they might have (1 Peter 3: 15).

You said; "Would you ignore them and whisper things about them and stare at them?" No. But I might do so to anyone in the church who DID ignore them and stare at them. In fact, I would confront those church hypocrites right to their face (Gal. 2: 11, John 8: 1-11).

You said; "I don't know anymore how I would act in the same situation anymore. I see them as people, nothing less. But would I be afraid that if I treat them as such, people, would the church view that as wrong? Who cares if a bunch of church hypocrites would view your Christian kindness as being wrong? Pay no attention to that angry man behind the curtain. Church hypocrites are just like the "wizard" in the movie the wizard of oz. PHONY. They have big loud voices, but once the curtain is pulled away all that remains is the frightened little man who cast misery and gloom upon everyone. The church ain't Kansas. Keep studying your Bible because in it ONLY will you find truth. There is NO truth with Christian pretenders. latterrain77

 

hypocrites...phonies...pretenders...frightened little man. Wow! Look at all the Christian kindness you are extending to people you aren't judging. We should treat everyone well, the saved and the lost.

 

Scripture taken out of context & twisted to mean something other than what it means - NOT rightly divided.

Preconception of judging that the person is indeed a "brother." A brother or sister are those who are born-again into God's family. Unless you personally know this person, are you not being presumptious that they are your brother in Christ?

You are assuming here once again that the other people in church will know this person is a sodomite. Unless they are wearing a sign saying "I am gay" or dressed as a transvestite, it is doubtful that anyone would stare, ignore, or whisper.

Praise God the church I belong to isn't a church full of hypocrites. If you don't like your church & it is full of hypocrites, why not find another church?

 

Hi Artimaeus. You said; "hypocrites...phonies...pretenders...frightened little man. Wow! Look at all the Christian kindness you are extending to people you aren't judging..." I understand your comment. The problem is, church hypocrites like to apply the plainness they deserve to others who don't. I can say this without hesitation because the LORD spoke far more abruptly to religious hypocrites (Matt. 6: 2, Matt. 6: 5, Matt. 6: 16, Matt. 15: 7, Matt, 23: 13-14, etc) than he did to the non-religious sexually promiscuous (John 8: 6-11). In fact, the religous hypocrites who wanted to persecute the sexually promiscuous, were the REAL subject of the LORD's wrath (John 8). There is no such harshness applied to the sexually promiscuous - only peace, comfort, forgiveness and instruction (John 8: 6-11).

You said; "We should treat everyone well, the saved and the lost." I agree, and it is wise and Biblical to remind church hypocrites of their obligations toward the lost. I have not suggested that any should be confronted with anything less than wellness (Titus 3: 2) - but always with honesty. Thanks. latterrain77

 

Hi SheEagle9/11. You said; "Scripture taken out of context & twisted to mean something other than what it means - NOT rightly divided." How so?

You said; "Preconception of judging that the person is indeed a "brother." A brother or sister are those who are born-again into God's family. Unless you personally know this person, are you not being presumptious that they are your brother in Christ?" I consider ALL mankind to be my brother. After all, we ALL came from the loins of Adam - both saved and unsaved alike. I understand your distinction though. There is a different flavor between a "Christian brother" and "non-Christian" brother. Nevertheless, in LauraB's example, the person(s) CAME to church by their own initiation! This suggests that they qualify as a "Christian brother" automatically until they prove otherwise. If I'm wrong, then it would mean that NNE in the church can rightly be called a "Christian brother" until we can first confirm that they really are.

You said; "You are assuming here once again that the other people in church will know this person is a sodomite." LauraB's example made no mention of Sodomites. Her example concerned a homosexual(s). Homosexuals are "exclusively gay" by definition. The Sodomites were NOT exclusively homosexual (they were heterosexuals who procreated their large population). Accordingly, it is illogical and plain wrong to refer to homosexuals as Sodomites.

You said; "Unless they are wearing a sign saying "I am gay" or dressed as a transvestite, it is doubtful that anyone would stare, ignore, or whisper." Yes, you are correct. But LauraB's example expressly stated that they were homosexual. I was responding to that. In addition, it is my understanding that "transvestites" are predominately heterosexual rather than homosexual. Apparently, such behavior is more rooted in "fetishism" and/or "narcissism" than it is in homosexuality. Maybe someone else on the board knows more about this and can comment.

You said; "Praise God the church I belong to isn't a church full of hypocrites. If you don't like your church & it is full of hypocrites, why not find another church? " Thank GOD indeed that your church is not full of hypocrites SheEagle. I'm also fortunate that mine only has a few (but one of them makes the meanest barbecue ever - so I forgive him) . Thanks! latterrain77

[ July 03, 2003, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: latterrain77 ]