HOMOSEXUALITY
"Homosexuality"
is a word that I never knew anything about when I was growing up.
Certainly it existed, but it was never a topic of conversation and it
was never mentioned on TV or radio. The word never appeared in any
books that I ever read, and if it was never mentioned in the
newspaper, I was never aware of it. Obviously, that was during an
age of much more innocence than we live in today. It makes my heart
ache for our young people of this generation that they must be
exposed to such perversion in society. When I was young, my
imagination could have never envisioned what has become openly
flaunted as an acceptable "lifestyle." What was once
hidden for its shameful and perverted behavior, eventually became
open to discussion as those engaged in such sin "came out of the
closet." Paul said that "...it is shameful to speak of
those things which are done by them in secret." (Eph. 5:12)
Well, we have gone beyond that which is in secret to that which is
not only open, but now is demanded by its participants to be
recognized as acceptable. What they demand we cannot give. Paul
said to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph. 5:11) The thought
expressed here is that we are not only to separate ourselves from
such sin, but we are not even allowed to be indifferent
to it or endorse it, but are even to "reprove" such
behavior as being sinful and expose it for what it is. Sin!
Watching
the deliberate and methodical progression of homosexual activists
over the last few years has been an appalling sight. Again, I could
not have imagined a time when those, who once secretly hid their sin
as a recognized shameful thing, could desire that society not only
accept their shameful behavior, but demand to have such behavior
legalized as an adjunct to marriage with all of the privileges
associated with it.
Again,
what they demand is not ours to give. Marriage is not a law of the
land but rather has its origin from a higher court. God established
marriage as the first divine institution for mankind. After He made
the woman and gave her to Adam, His declaration for their lifelong
relationship to each other was stated; "Therefore a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall
become one flesh." (Gen. 3:24) Jesus quoted these words when
questioned on the subject of marriage and divorce, adding that
"...what
God has joined together,
let not man separate." (Mt. 19:6) Marriage is of God, not man.
God does the joining of a man and woman in marriage. Therefore, it
is not man's prerogative to alter what God has legislated. This
topic has been the subject of much attention in the news. On
February 24th, 2004, President Bush endorsed an amendment to the
Constitution which would limit marriage to be that between a man and
a woman, thus recognizing it as a heterosexual relationship only.
What
many of us applaud as a courageous stand for what is right, others
have condemned as "a horrific act of prejudice."
Certainly you would expect no less from those who embrace such
perversion. Their view of prejudice
is defined by Webster as "a preconceived and unreasonable
judgment or opinion, usually an unfavorable one marked by suspicion,
fear, intolerance, or hatred." What they fail to understand is
that the formula for marriage is not a "preconceived"
idea, because marriage was never "conceived"
in the mind of man, but rather is of God's "conception"
and is therefore not a matter of "opinion."
Neither is it an "unreasonable
judgment"
when we choose to demand what God states as truth and refuse to
compromise it in the face of those who disagree with it. It is not a
matter of hatred
toward the people who embrace such sin, but rather a hatred for the
sin itself. If we are labeled as being intolerant,
it is no less than God demands.
God
does not tolerate sin. This was made clear under the Old Testament
in regard to the sin of homosexuality. It plainly stated, "If a
man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have
committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their
blood shall be upon them." (Lev. 20:13) God's instructions made
it clear that society was not to tolerate this sin, but was to
recognize it as a capital offense. I wonder what kind of response we
would hear if our government did likewise?
Those
who called the President's recommendation "a horrific act of
prejudice" were pointing their finger at the wrong person. In
reality, they were accusing God
of being prejudiced. It is God
who
stated His law regarding marriage, and it is God
who calls homosexuality an "abomination."
God uses that word to convey His disgust
and abhorrence
of what He applies it to. Does this mean that God is prejudiced?
Paul said that "...there is no partiality with God." (Rom.
2:11) He also declared that "...we know that the judgment of
God is according to truth against those who practice such things."
(Rom. 2:2) The "such things" that he mentions are
enumerated in the previous chapter. Notice what he says about
homosexuality. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness...For this reason God gave them up to vile
passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is
against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of
the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men
with men committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due
them. And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things
which
are not fitting....who,
knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such
things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of
those who practice them." (Rom. 1:18, 26-28, 32)
God's
judgment is declared as being "righteous"
and their sin as being "worthy
of
death." That doesn't sound like prejudice. It sounds like
justice
when you consider the fact that God allowed man the choice of heeding
His instructions after having warned him of the consequences of sin.
Paul said, "they are without excuse, because, although they knew
God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
(Rom. 1:20-21)
As
was pointed out previously, the generation of fifty years ago in
which I grew up was a comparatively innocent age. There was a
general respect for God's word and for those who claimed to live by
it. Sin was recognized for what it is
to a much greater extent and was therefore not nearly so blatant as
we see today. A cursory look at this present society compared to
that of just two or three generations ago clearly illustrates how
quickly mankind can degenerate in his moral decline when he forgets
who God
is and refuses to acknowledge Him as God. (See Rom. 1:20-21) Truly,
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any
people." (Prov. 14:34)
In
that fifty short years, those who hid their perverted sexual
preferences came out of hiding. Then they played on society's
sympathy by claiming that they were "born that way." This
lie would succeed in absolving any responsibility to God in the minds
of many who chose to embrace such a "life style." Next,
they began to demand recognition as an accepted and legitimate part
of society. This calculated demand resulted in the labeling of any
dissenter as being a bigot and as being prejudiced. The charge of
"discrimination" became the clarion call for "equal
rights." This only strengthened their claim that their
"alternative lifestyle" was not one of choice but one of
nature's choosing. This strengthened their movement as Hollywood
began to give sway to their plea for acceptance by including
homosexuality into the film making industry. Such media recognition
instilled boldness on the part of many homosexual couples, even to
the point of militance in their deliberate displays of public
affection. With their calculated strategy confidently entrenched,
they have now taken their next logical (?) step in a bold move to
demand the same rights and privileges that are enjoyed by married
men and women; a demand for "civil liberty" to be endorsed
and made law by individual state governments and ultimately by the
federal government.
How
gullible can our society be to accept such godless reasoning? Before
you try to answer that, consider this. In a recent poll (2004), 22%
was sympathetic to the demand for same-sex marriages, believing such
to be acceptable, and 9% were undecided. That means only a slight
majority of 69% disagreed with such a proposal. However, keep in
mind, this was an opinion
poll and the majority does not necessarily reflect a biblically
motivated response. Polls vary and are not necessarily accurate
cross-sections of society, therefore they are not always reliable.
But any
poll that can reflect such numbers is a sad commentary on the
ignorance of a people that were once looked up to for moral virtue by
the rest of the world.
What
the world chooses to think, or endorse, or involve themselves in, is
foreign to the Christian's world. As part of Christ's kingdom, we
are not a part of those goings-on. We sadly have to live in the same
world, but we dare not look upon their actions with indifference.
And we must keep on guard that we not allow ourselves to be
influenced by the subtlety of sin's encroachment into our own lives.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to teach our children God's truths
on such basic tenets of His word. Our children and grandchildren
will inherit this godless society as the legacy of those who failed
to do so.
Young
people, don't be deceived by the language of tolerance. What society
calls an "alternate lifestyle," God calls an "abomination."
(Lev. 18:22) When you are taught in Social Studies classes at school
that homosexual relationships are an accepted part of social
behavior, have the courage to call it what the bible calls it: SIN!
Warn them as Paul did in 1 Cor. 6:9-10; "Do you not know that
the unrighteous
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." Remind them of
what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen. 19)
There
is nothing "gay" about same-sex companions. A word which
once meant "joyous and lively; merry; happy; light-hearted."
(Webster's Dictionary, copyright 1958) has been corrupted to describe
a godless and perverted relationship called "homosexuality."
Call it what it is; SIN!
Young
people, remember, that God established His law of marriage at the
beginning in the garden of Eden. He stated there what a man is to do
in order to marry a woman. He is to "...leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife..." (Gen. 2:24) This attests
to the fact that it required a "father and a mother" to
bring them into this world, from which a young man and a young woman
will part in order to make a new family. Homosexuality destroys
God's arrangement for the continuation of society.
After
God had made Adam, He said that "...it is not good that man
should be alone." To solve that problem He said, "I will
make him a helper comparable
to him." (Gen. 2:18) Notice He didn't say that He would make
him a helper the same
as him. Notice that He did not choose to make another man.
But rather, God made a woman
for Adam. Homosexuality says that God did not know what was best for
man or "comparable"
to man.
Upon
making the woman from Adam's rib, Adam said, "This is now bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh..." (Gen. 2:23) This cannot be
said of a man who seeks to cohabit with another man, nor can it be
said of a woman who seeks to cohabit with another woman. This
describes the difference
that God deemed necessary and most beneficial to meet the needs of
man. It is also obvious that God intended that the difference
between a man and a woman be recognized and honored even in their
dress. "A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man,
nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an
abomination to the Lord your God." (Deut. 22:5) Paul even
recognized the inappropriateness of hair lengths that failed to
distinguish men and women; "Does not even nature itself teach
you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a
woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to
her for a covering." (1 Cor. 11:14-15)
Young
people, be true to God's arrangement and never be ashamed to stand on
His word. Joy awaits those in both this life and
the next who honor marriage as God designed it.
-
Gary V. Womack - February / March 2004
