What the Bible teaches about Homosexuality
The discussion today concerns what the Bible teaches about Homosexuality.
When examining what the Bible says about homosexuality, it is important to distinguish between homosexual behavior and homosexual inclinations or attractions.
It is the difference between active sin versus the passive condition of being tempted.
Homosexual behavior is sinful, but the Bible never says it is a sin to be tempted. Simply stated, a struggle with temptation may lead to sin, but the struggle itself is not a sin.
For example, some of us may struggle with an attraction to violence. That attraction isn’t a sin but the actual commission of violence against another person is a sin. It is mandatory that such a person learns to control the attraction to violence. It is no different regarding an attraction to homosexuality. Such a person must learn to control his or her attraction.
First Corinthians 6:9 proclaims that those who practice homosexuality, and therefore transgress God’s created order, are not saved.
In the Book of Romans, Paul spends the first three chapters laying out a case that all people have sinned and require God’s forgiveness. He is speaking of those who sinned against God long before we were born, In the book of Romans chapter one, the Apostle Paul said . . .
“Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”
What did Paul mean by the term “receiving IN themselves the due penalty for their sins”? Although Paul doesn’t elaborate, a good argument might be that he is referring to the HIV and AIDS virus.
It wasn’t that long ago that HIV and AIDS infection was nearly 100% fatal.
According to the Center for disease control, infections are declining but are still serious with approximately 34,800 new HIV infections in the United States in 2019. Annual infections in the U.S. have been reduced by more than two-thirds since the height of the epidemic in the mid-1980s.
I am fully aware that some of the content in this podcast episode may be at odds with what the world in general may believe but that is nothing new.
The teachings of Jesus have always been at odds with the world and that cost Him His very life. So I certainly make no apologies for being a staunch follower of His truth.
Now here are resources to learn more about God and the Bible:
I recommend three reliable online websites:
First, go to GotQuestions.org
This site shines because it features a Search box where you can enter your question and find reliable answers to over 700,000 Bible questions. This site reflects the worldwide conventional conservative Protestant viewpoint.
Next, go to Alwaysbeready.com, by
the exceptional Bible scholar Charlie Campbell.
and Finally, visit my website,
LarryHaydenPodcast.com and click on Learn the Bible
To see my always updated personal favorite Bible resources.
And this concludes today's topic, thank you for your interest.
I wish you peace,,,,ALWAYS!
Larry Hayden
Comments
Post a Comment