First off, Romans were tolerant of any and all religions except for Judaism and Christianity just as the western world is right now. This persecution and hatred of Christianity helps me to have more faith because evil people know that it's not just another religion! It was imperative that Paul address first an abominable sin which infected the church. Again, there is a parallel between then and now!
In Paul's letter he does not spew hatred for homosexuals. Let's read what he says, not what others say he said for their is usually a vast difference:
No hate there although society would say "Those are hateful words!" Paul's intent was not to spew forth hatred, but rebuke sinners so that they can go to heaven as well. Holy Scripture has that purpose (2 Timothy 3:16). God so loved the world (including homosexuals) that he gave his only Son because he didn't want them to perish in eternity. This is the epitome of love: to love one so much that you want them to live forever!Romans 1:24 "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient
Let me refute some arguments. Firstly, homosexuals can be nice people. They have the same cross-section of sins and deeds that we have. However, their paramount sin is homosexuality. Most people have a friend or relative who is homosexual. Because loved ones have a particular sin does not whitewash the sin.
Secondly, there are degrees of sin. In actuality failure to love even the homosexual is a greater sin than homosexuality itself. The former is likened into love of God and because love is "The Greatest Commandment" lack of love (hatred) is the greatest sin. Joel Olstein would not like this notion, but the Bible IS all about loving sinners, but hating sin! It's not as important that we hate sin, although we should, but that we hate it because God hates sin. He even hates sin in nice people!
Lack of love is equivalent to hate and hate to murder.
1 John 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
Murderers and haters don't go to heaven. Accusing one of hating is a dire sin! Because one believes what God says does not make a person a hater. That is the lie directly from Satan to have Christians relax their standards. My desire is that homosexuals, just as any other sinner, be born again and become new persons. "New persons" (2 Corinthians 5:17) is critical because change is how one has the assurance of salvation!
1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."This verse leads to my third point. If we indeed are born again, the assurance of that is "if we keep his commandments". Romans 6:1-2 says that when we are born again we shall not continue in sin. Therefore sinners give up their life of sin because they are a new creation! This applies to everyone. Homosexuals are not exempt. from change. Change is a requirement, but nobody has to do it alone. God will help those who are serious about being new persons!
The problem of homosexuality is that it's a sin which people desire to continue in, but yet claim Jesus as Lord. It's serving two masters, God and the world, and the world wins out. Unless a born-again person changes into a new person, of course with God's help, he continues in sin and is said to be "reprobate" (Romans 1:28 above). This is preceded by "..."even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge" is the condition for reprobation. " (Romans 1:28 also). That is ignoring what God has to say in favor of what is right in their own minds, which is rebellion from God and adherence to the other god; their own "self".
Therefore, my third point is that homosexuals refuse to become new persons as Christ says they must. On top of that it's also the rejection of God's word in favor of their own desires. This is a violation of "The First Commandment" because they made themselves "another god besides God" obeying the "self" rather than God.
Fourthly, homosexuals are NOT "Born This Way" as Lady Gaga sings so knowledgeably. She is a fool who will die and go to hell and she's taking many with her! Lady Gaga can change as well, but first she needs to be "born-again". Christians love Lady Gaga so much that we don't want her to perish either, but she too must change!
There is no scientific studies which prove that people are born homosexuals. That's deception and people readily accept it. Sciences teaches that things can't be proved, but their negative can fail to be disproved. Although tests do show that brain activity of homosexuals are different, it doesn't determine the cause of the difference. In other words genetics is not a proven cause of homosexuality and neither are pre-natal conditioning.
Original sin is what is genetic. We are all born with a propensity to sin, but sin is a behavior, not a hormone nor gene. The propensity to sin is temptation, but the action is the sin. I have a propensity to sin as well. My "sin of choice" is a stronghold in my life. We all have them, but strongholds are restrained by Christians working in unison with God! Those who have the stronghold of homosexuality fail to let God knock down their stronghold. They have little faith because God is not allowed into that strong place where they keep their pleasures and rebellion!
Homosexuals, just like everybody else, are born with a propensity to sin. However, this particular sin is a stronghold which provides pleasure that indeed is hard to change. Because it is so hard and they derive a primary pleasure from the sin, becoming reprobate is a danger. Becoming reprobate is being foreordained to damnation because of unworthiness to enter the kingdom of God. Because of a complete refusal to obey God, homosexuals may very well elect their own eternal punishment. That doesn't sound loving to say, but that's what God says. I'm only the messeneger!
Homosexuals are not new creatures. They are the same old creation which do what is right in their own eyes. Just as other types of sinners are as well, God loves us all, but on his conditions: that we love him enough to obey his command (John 14:15). Anyone can come to God just as they are, but when they come to know him, they are to leave changed people! That lack of change is what causes reprobation!
Fifthly, Homosexuality is disgusting to God and sinners who do that disgust him. He still loves them and offers them free salvation, but salvation is deliverance from sin, not continuance of sin! When a person is born-again he is saved and what he is saved from is sin. God erases past sins from his memory. He died for all the sins of all people, but we must continually repent as we sin. Homosexuals don't appear as if they have repented and continually repent. The need to repent is fixed by omitting sin from ones life. That's missing in those who are active homosexuals. Latent homosexuals are repressing sin and that is obedience.
Because sin is disgusting to God it should be disgusting to us because we are to emulate God in our beliefs and emotions. Murder disgusts me. That's noble. That's God's will. Theft disgusts me and that is noble as well. Likewise, unnatural acts are also disgusting because sin in general should be disgusting to any Christian! Disgust is NOT hate! That is a lie of Satan.
Even Christians ask me "Why pick on homosexuals? It's no worse than any sin!" First off, it is different. It is a grievous sin and one which is damning if not discontinued. The issue is really "Why don't Christians accept homosexuality?" The answer to that is "because it's a sin". Loving someone is not accepting their sin, it is condemning it! In vogue now is that those who practice this particular sin INSIST that I not condemn it. Being a Christian I must speak truth. Society wants me to substitute tolerance for truth. Jesus would never do that and neither will I!
Some of my Christian friends condemn my views on homosexuality. I make no apologies. Homosexual behavior is wrong and has always been. It's unnatural and what is wrong is not their brain, but their heart. They are not in harmony with God's will! All the criticizers on earth does not negate what God says! The Christian who truly loves a sinner wants them to have eternal life, but change is required for that to be! Rebuke is difficult, but it's the toughlove which is necessary to make change for the person to have eternal life.
Whew! Got that over with. Now the Christian haters begin their hatred, standing there in front of the secular haters. Satan sure deceives even the elect.
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