Dear Christians, now more than ever before, we must know what the Bible teaches. And we must realize it will never be popular.
"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:19
The lines are drawn, and Jesus drew them.
We have a choice: We can study God's truth and speak up for it in love, or we can become people of whom Christ is ashamed (Joshua 24:14-15; Luke 9:26).
Read what the Bible says about homosexuality HERE, and decide today whom you fear: God or man.
Image Quote: If you doubt that Jesus is the author of the commands against homosexuality, please read these passages: God the Father's commands are Christ's commands (John 10:30); the Holy Spirit continued to share Christ's wisdom after Christ's death (John 16:12-15), and the Bible authors recorded the "God-breathed" words of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 3:15-16). The 1-minute devotion Words of Jesus also addresses this subject.
Bible Study
1. Don't be Ashamed.
We must never be ashamed of Bible commands, no matter how unpopular they become in our culture. Remember these words:
Luke 9:26: Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
2. Know what the Bible says.
There are numerous passages addressing the sin of homosexuality. It's critical that we know what the Bible says! (2 Timothy 2:15)A. God's design for sexuality is clearly established in the first book of the Bible and restated in the New Testament:*
Mark 10:6-9: “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
B. Christ confirmed God's design:
The marriage of one man and one woman is confirmed by Christ in Matthew 19:1-8 and the New Testament instructions for pastors and elders also confirm this design (1 Timothy 3).
C. The passages below confirm God's consistent, unchanging view of homosexuality as a sin.
Romans 1:24-32: Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Jude 1:7: 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.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
The real hate crime is being silent about God's commands. We should be concerned for the spiritual destiny of those who reject God's commands and pray for their souls. Will you take a few moments right now to pray for homosexuals, especially those you know personally?
* Next week we'll discuss some common "side-trails" that people take us on when we try to explain God's view of homosexuality. They include multiple marriage, the equality of sins, and Old Testament laws which no longer apply to us today. If you have questions about these topics, please hold them until after next week's Bite Size Study. Thanks!
The real hate crime is being silent about God's commands. We should be concerned for the spiritual destiny of those who reject God's commands and pray for their souls. Will you take a few moments right now to pray for homosexuals, especially those you know personally?
* Next week we'll discuss some common "side-trails" that people take us on when we try to explain God's view of homosexuality. They include multiple marriage, the equality of sins, and Old Testament laws which no longer apply to us today. If you have questions about these topics, please hold them until after next week's Bite Size Study. Thanks!
copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com
All Scripture NIV unless otherwise noted
Bite Size Bible Study
Thanks for your article and God bless you for being used by the Lord through your ministry! Please let me know of any good resources (websites, support groups) for parents who have a homosexual child. Prayers are appreciated, as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso readers, please know that there are many young adults (I sub in an affluent "excellent" district at a middle school in "the deep south") who claim to be somewhere along the gender fluid (gay, transgender, bi-romantic, etc.) spectrum and in need of love and support as well as prayers.
Lots of young adults who aren't raised to know the Lord, yet alone pray...lots suffering from depression (there's an extra counselor on staff for those students performing self-mutilation, and in crisis.) If you feel strongly about your faith, don't feel called to a specific ministry, or are a prayer warrior, get on the front lines and take this one on! The enemy is so very hard at work in the lives of our youth and our future!
Thanks for sharing these insights. I think most of us realize that this is a growing problem, but we are out of touch with how many are suffering, confused, and needing direction and love. May God equip the Body of Christ to help those who are being encouraged to take destructive paths in life.
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