God and Gays: Once Gay, Always Gay? (Part 3)
If we accept the Bible as the literal Word of God, and believe that God says what he means and means what he says, then we cannot escape the fact that God expressly forbids any premarital or extramarital sex. The Bible doesn’t mess around, it gets right to the point. The Hebrew God is not shy. Neither is he ashamed of the anatomy with which he has equipped humans. He doesn’t mince words and doesn’t allow anyone to pervert his plans. Within the Instruction Manual that God gave Israel (to give to the world), there were explicit blueprints for building successful relationships between God and man. This biblical foundation assures us of strong and stable ties, blessed by God (Ps. 127:1). Anything that contradicts God’s building codes undermines and condemns itself.
The Bible states bluntly: 1) There is no place in your offices for “gay rights.” Homosexuality is not within the bounds of acceptable behavior. Its practice is not permissible within the Christian Camp and will quickly be thrown out of the City limits (Rev. 22:15). Anyone who dares to defy this prohibition automatically excludes himself from society at large and is punishable by death (Gen. 2:17). We are not supposed to tolerate any deviation from the “narrow and narrow” path of our God. 2) Cross-dressing, cross-dressing, is also out of the question (Deut. 22:5). God does not want any “mongrel” to promote his hybrid ideas that do not mix very well with God’s Word (Lev. 19:19). There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it – no quack psychological explanations or accepted justifications: it’s not allowed! Everything must be black and white, right or wrong, male or female; there is no point in blurring distinctions or causing unnecessary confusion (Ezekiel 22:26). 3) Homosexual prostitutes should not even try to walk the streets, because they will find out the hard way that it is a dead end (Deut. 23:17-18).
God wants to save us all and safeguard our homes and our minds. He doesn’t want us to get past the point of no return! Once you break one moral barrier, it’s easier to break another. Once the floodgates of hell are opened, everyone is swept away and sexual anarchy reigns!
The barometer of a nation’s fall from grace and descent into depravity, just before national captivity and deportation, is every time homosexuality begins to lose its intentional stigma (Rom. 1:28). That and any other stigma attached to the Bible is to help us stay in line, remind us of what we are doing, and force us to pay the fine. Instead of attacking the doctor’s diagnosis, we should focus on improving our condition!
We are free to ignore or reject the Scriptural counsel against homosexual activities, but we should not pretend that the Bible is silent on the subject. If someone continues to smoke even after reading the Surgeon General’s warnings against it, so be it. But they must not deny that they have voluntarily increased their risks of contracting a variety of diseases.
Reason to live
Our reason for living should not be sex, but developing a proper relationship with God! Life is meant to be much more meaningful than momentary physical pleasures. When Jesus said that “man does not live by bread alone”, he revealed that there is another dimension, the spiritual, that completes us and transcends the mundane. Our daily request for “bread” (in the sample Lord’s Prayer) is not only a humble request to meet all our physical needs, but that we will also be spiritually sustained (John 6:35).
The ultimate purpose in our respective lives should be to know and become more like our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:48). Especially when you consider that God created each type after his type, and then made mankind after God’s type! We are offered the opportunity to bear more and more of the divine image and become more like Him (in characteristics) on a daily basis. We are urged to live compatible with his glorious Kingdom. At the resurrection, we will be born again and enter the Kingdom of God.
If we want to be on God’s wavelength, get to His level, and live in peace and harmony (with the law and order of His universe), we must realize and accept that certain “trees, food, and fruits” are not t kosher, but they are prohibited, taboo! We need to avoid those traps and steer clear of such danger zones if we are to survive this unique journey (Prov. 4:15). We don’t want to become another victim along the way (Prov. 15:10). God has not singled out homosexuals for any special treatment—or persecution! It is not homophobic, racist or sexist: God is Love.
And because God loves us all, he has great hopes and dreams for us. That is why God in the grace of him has given us some useful guidelines and instructions for a happy, healthy and healthy life: the Tree of Life (1 John 5: 3). These voluntary restrictions (you are a free moral agent) are intended to improve our lives and allow us to truly enjoy our experiences as humans (John 10:10; Deuteronomy 4:40). They gently regulate our eating, thoughts, worship, behavior, drink, every facet of our lives, and they benefit every fiber of our being. Sin is sin (Romans 3:23). Transgression – breaking – of these practical principles is self-destructive (1 John 3:4; Ezekiel 18:31). God forbid any mischief, plain and simple! He does not target homosexuals or put them first on the list of sex offenders (1 Corinthians 6:9).
We need to put everything in context, within the biblical perspective and focus. Too often today, especially on the many talk shows (Matt. 12:36), things get all too easily distorted, twisted, and confused. These vital issues are often viewed from the wrong angle, approached with dishonest motives, and challenged by prejudiced people (Gen. 3:1). How they live for the applause of their “broad-minded” crowd (John 12:34)! You usually can’t reason with such a mob mentality or argue with their diseased minds (Matt. 7:6). God condemns those “enlightened” hosts that upset things (Isa. 5:20; 2 Cor. 11:14). Regardless of their grades or ravings, they are not very popular with God. We do not have to remain slaves to sin. Christ can set us free (John 8:36). Should the living abide among the dead (John 5:25)? Why stay depressed when you can improve your situation, overcome your circumstances and be within the grace of God (Col. 2:13)?
Once gay always gay? How about once an adulterer, always an adulterer? Better yet, once a sinner always a sinner (1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 John 1:9)? WHO says so? Only if he chooses to become a “hardened criminal”. You can progress towards perfection! You can refuse to go with the flow, change the course of your thought patterns, and escape the belly of the beast (Ephesians 2:1-6). You can stage a riot and walk free! You don’t have to die in “Egypt”.
Once a sinner, NOW a saint! There is no sin too great, no deep-seated problem, no scarred mind, that Christ cannot reach, touch, or heal (Ps. 139:7-12; Matt. 15:30). Who would dare to condemn whom God has forgiven (Rom. 8:1)? God feels Christ in his world to save, not to destroy; forgive, not condemn; to help, not to hurt (Luke 9:56). Even Jesus’ Hebrew name declares his good intentions toward us (Matt. 1:21).
sweaters from the past
No doubt there will be strong tugs on the past and pressures to return to old, familiar ways: testing our resolve, testing our mettle, and testing our conversion (Deut. 8:2-3). They are to be expected (1 Peter 4:12), but they must be put into proper perspective (Hebrews 12:11-13). The very fact that you are now part of the “Resistance Movement” and participate in bitter conflicts (refusing to give up), shows your patriotism and shows your determination to win (Gal. 5:17). God respects and will reward your efforts (Hebrews 6:10; 11:6). They have been called to their attention repeatedly (Ps. 116:15). You don’t have to fend for yourself! You may like it, but you are not alone. We have a Great Helper, an Invisible Assistant, who can take care of anything that may happen to us during this battle (Hebrews 4:14-16).
When we are forgiven, WE ARE EMPOWERED to overcome our past (Jn. 1:12). God allows us to resist the attack of sin and remain within the good will of our Governor (Isaiah 9:11; Jude 24). Even if you still feel “gay”, your reorientation has not yet taken effect (Ephesians 4:23; James 1:4), DON’T BE DISCOURAGED! Feel happy that you have progressed and that you are even trying to improve yourself. That is a miracle in itself. Trust in God (Philippians 4:13). He will see you through thick and thin, and he will stand by you “through thick and thin” (Isaiah 43:1-2). It is true that “We conquer by continuing.” DO NOT GIVE UP! Keep Fighting: Everything you believe in is worth fighting for (Matthew 11:12). You can be sure that you are very precious to God. He knows you by name.
“Once gay always gay” is a fucking LIE! It denies Christ’s ability to save and slanders his sacrifice as insufficient! We do not have to believe that propaganda even if it is repeated a thousand times. It is nothing more than psychological warfare (2 Corinthians 2:11). It is jealously directed against those who have sobered up and turned around in life (1 Peter 5:8).
Conversion, change, is possible, but it requires patience. Purification is a process that takes time (1 John 3:3; Isa. 48:10). It all starts in the mind. We do not have to remain subject to all the whims and desires of sin (Romans 6:14). Slowly but surely, homosexual obsession will lose its grip on our lives. God can deliver us from its side effects, break our limping habits, and free us from the bondage and chain of our past (Isaiah 45:2).
Christ will graciously help us and energize us as we go forward (Isaiah 40:29). We must vent to the Father in sincere prayer (Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:7), as Jesus did when he was here (Hebrews 5:7). Everyone has been offered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: start over, get a new lease on life, and wipe the slate clean. It is our option. It’s your choice.