Just Go With The Flow!

     Former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once stated: “If my fellow citizens want to go to hell, I will help them. It’s my job.” It seems that the current liberal/progressive court along with the present regime have become collaborators of the former Justice Holmes to complete his “job”. And for those of us, the remaining citizens who still adhere to the traditions and Godliness of the original intent of the Founding Fathers, we are told to “Just go with the flow!”

     That old expression “Just go with the flow!” was originally meant to encourage you when you were at odds with the direction that the boss, the business, the spouse or whoever was trying to drag you along. Especially if the course they were proposing was contrary to where you wanted to go.
     When I was a manager in the fast-food hamburger business, I remember the corporations’ decision to introduce a breakfast program. I had numerous reasons of how illogical and burdensome the program would be for a successful operation. But since the competition was 'doing it', I was compelled to “Just go with the flow!”

     As Christians, we are surrounded by a culture in a frantic rush to undo everything that the founding fathers of our country established with the intention of creating a nation free from just the type of pagan secularism which we are encumbered with today. Yet even some Christians seem to have decided that since everyone else is ‘doing it’ [gay marriage, sodomy, pornography, marijuana, etc.] or since society has sanctioned it we should “Just go with the flow!”

     However the flow of Biblical truth – and the responsibility to observe God’s righteous demands – goes in only one direction: from the Almighty to mankind; male and female, saved and pagan (unsaved). There is no variance given. All are to live within His standards. For there will be a fair and honest judgment from the Supreme Court of Heaven: “For we [believers] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10), and unbelievers will be judged also (Rev. 20:12).

     We must realize that God is still in control. It’s not as if He stood up to dust His throne and then all hell broke loose without His knowing. He surely knows and He surely will judge. So, it’s not time to throw in the towel and “Just go with the flow!” Now we must act by continued prayer and study of His Word and to ensure that by our lives and by the words we speak that Christ is faithfully ingrained back into our culture.

ANYTHING GOES

ANYTHING GOES
By Cole Porter, Justin Burford 
WB Music Corp., Emi Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd. 

The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
…
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes

The debauched Cole Porter probably never thought his song Anything Goes was a prophecy of the 21^st Century. And yet his prophecy was fulfilled, thanks to at least five equally ill-advised Supreme Court justices who decided in June 2015 to legalize same-sex marriage and the Affordable Health Care Act. At that time in our republic we had no moral compass, no safeguard in place to avert the moral breakdown of our society. The highest court in the nation had turned their backs on the intent of the founding fathers of our nation. Those men believed that a robust society should be ruled by laws which had their foundation in the morality of God’s Word. Please note, I am a firm believer that morality cannot be legislated. Yet, if we are to survive as a nation, it is imperative that moral guidelines should be a vital consideration in the adjudication of laws and in all aspects of our society.

I include some of the most prominent founding fathers and their statements of the importance of reliance upon God for the well-being of our nation. It is far better to be on the wrong side of history, than to be on the wrong side of God as the founding fathers attested.

John Adams: in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, “[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”1

George Washington: “And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who, that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?”2

James Madison: "Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe." - Signer of the Constitution; Fourth President of the United States.3

Thomas Jefferson: "And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Signer and the Principal Author of the Declaration of Independence; Third President of the United States.4

James Madison: “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”5

It should be noted that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the matter of the Affordable Care Act was based upon their interpretation of the ‘intended’ meaning of the law that was written, and not upon the plain interpretation of the wording. Does it seem strange that those five justices in 2015 who were supposed to interpret the Constitution were not able to consider the plain ‘intent’ of the founding fathers?

Fast forward to 2022: Five justices, following the original intent of the Constitution, struck down Roe vs. Wade, a 50 year old law legalizing abortion, correctly basing their argument that such an issue was not found in the Constitution. The backlash towards these justices has never been seen before in history. It only proves the unfortunate fact that we as a nation still do not have a moral consensus. Even though the moral intent of the Founders is well documented, there is a crusade among many to devise their own “moral compass”—one that dismisses the Founders’ intent of a reliance upon God. This will lead only to anarchy and the collapse of our Republic.

So it seems for those who wish the demise of our country, I guess to them, anything goes…

---

1 John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.)

2 George Washington, Address of George Washington, President of the United States . . . Preparatory to His Declination (Baltimore: George and Henry S. Keatinge), pp. 22-23. In his Farewell Address to the United States in 1796.

3 http://www.gospelway.com/government/hobby_lobby.php (accessed June 29, 2015)

4 http://www.gospelway.com/government/hobby_lobby.php (accessed June 29, 2015)

5 A Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, June 20, 1785; The Papers of James Madison, Edited by William T. Hutchinson et al. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1962–77 (vols. 1–10); Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1977–(vols. 11–) Vol. 8

 

© 2022 David M. Rossi 

    

---

A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY AND SAME SEX UNIONS - PART III

PART 3: THE BIBLICAL RESPONSE

Concerning The Unbeliever

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”  1 Corinthians 2:14

   We cannot expect the unbeliever to understand our position on this issue of homosexuality and same sex unions. Our only response to them should be this: we believe that God has revealed to us through His Word His divine design for marriage, and that He intended it to be between a man and a woman, only. Any departure from His design, according to His Word, is an abomination and sinful.

   In holding fast to the truth, the believer in Christ will come under the attack of those who favor a 'live and let live' philosophy. They will be called “intolerant,” “unloving,” “discriminator” and even “homophobic.” We should do our best not to react to the name-calling and to maintain our position. And we should do so in spite of what the law of the land states, for we must appeal to a much higher authority when it comes to this matter.

   However, there are some within the Church who cannot bear the humiliation of this name-calling.  These are the ones who have capitulated on this moral issue in an attempt to appease those who hold this errant view of sexuality.

Concerning Believers

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

     After having looked at the Scriptures dealing with this matter, we must begin by asking why  those who claim to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are giving in to this philosophy? The answer is that they have simply turned their backs on the clear and plain teaching of the Bible. But it goes back further than this. There was a time when all who claimed Christ as their Lord and Savior, held the Bible to be objective truth. They believed it to be sufficient for life and practice. But now they have turned their backs on objective truth and have rejected that God has indeed spoken to us through His Word.

   The clear teaching of Scripture is that homosexuality is a sin. And since the Scriptures are profitable for instruction in righteousness, we who claim Christ as Savior must adhere to these truths. We must not allow the world to dictate what we should believe. If we let the world dictate to us what we should believe, we risk compromising the truth and making Christ’s Gospel ineffective to a lost and dying world.

   

Our Response Towards Error

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20

   We who are holding fast to the truth on this issue must be willing to speak out against those within the Church who stand on the other side. But we must do so by first understanding their position and then in a very loving manner refute their error. It cannot be done in a spirit of anger or puffed up pride, but with sincere love and compassion for those who have been caught up in this snare of Satan. If we fail to do this in the right manner, than we risk causing further division to the Body of Christ.  

Christian Carnality

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:1

   What if we are questioned: “Don’t you ever sin?” or “Isn’t it true that even Christians commit sexual sins?” It is vitally important that we have the correct answer to these inquiries. The answer is yes. Paul writes of this issue of Christian carnality in 1 Corinthians 3. He also writes elsewhere that the believer is not to grieve (Eph. 4:30) or quench (1 Thess. 5:19) the Holy Spirit by indulging in sinful activities. The believer is commanded further to “flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18), and not to “give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). The attitude of turning from one’s sin should be the rule of life for the Christian, not to continue in a condition of carnality. So for a Christian to state that he is a homosexual and then to continue in this life style is a total disregard of the clear teachings of Scripture. Whenever a believer sins he is to confess it to the Lord (1 John 1:9) and determine not to give in to the same temptation again and again. The Catholic prayer of contrition states this fittingly: “I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.” This ought to be the attitude of the true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, whether it be sins of the flesh, murder or sins of the tongue.

The Moral Slide of Our Culture

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

   But what about denominations who have adopted this view of condoning homosexuality to the point that they have instituted ceremonies to ‘bless’ their unions, and even permitting them to become ministers and leaders within the Churches. What should be the response of believers who are holding fast to the inspired Word?

   First, we must recognize the danger that this issue creates for our generation and for generations to come. Our children and grandchildren will be affected in an even greater way than we have been already. This moral slide of our culture away from Christian principles will become more rapid when errant denominations support this agenda. It will make it virtually impossible to correct this shift away from sound doctrine and it will become difficult if not illegal to speak out against this matter.

   Secondly, we must again approach the subject knowledgeably and in a spirit of love. Anger will not suffice at this time. What we do and say must reflect the true character of our faith in Christ and our belief that He has spoken to us with absolute authority in His Word.

   Thirdly, we should make an effort to be heard. Writing to the heads of these errant denominations, letters to the editors, to Christian periodicals and, above all else, prayer. But we must act, or we will become partially guilty of this problem by standing by and watching this moral slide away from absolute values in our culture. And, we can expect to see in the days ahead on this issue a culture that is totally intolerant of true Christianity.

A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY AND SAME SEX UNIONS - PART II

PART 2: THE ALTERNATE LIFESTYLE 

Sin Defined

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” Leviticus 18:1-24

   As early as the book of Leviticus, the prohibition of unclean relationships is made plain. An abomination is nothing more than sin in the eyes of the Creator. It is an aberration of the divine design of the man-woman relationship that He intended for mankind.

   This is the same sin that is described in Genesis 19:5 when the men of Sodom implored Lot to bring the travelers out so that they might “know them carnally.” There is a similar scenario in Judges 19:22.

     Man’s Rebellion

“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.”  Romans 1:26a

   Paul describes in the first chapter of Romans the debase nature of the Gentiles who committed this sin of homosexuality. In verse 18, we read where “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” The Bible states plainly that men suppress the truth, and this means that they do it knowingly. How do they know? Because in verse 19 it says, “that what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” This means that every man has an internal witness to what is right and what is wrong. Since every man bears the image of the Creator, it follows that man possesses a conscience that can reason right and wrong.

   So, as we come to verse 26, God has given them up to their vile passions, because man had rebelled and rejected the fact that God exists and has revealed Himself to mankind.

“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.” Romans 1:26b-27

   But the rejection of God didn’t end here. Man went on to rebel even further by doing those things that even nature proves to be wrong. Engaging in same sex relationships of which the Scriptures state are shameful. In 1 Corinthians 5:1, Paul writes that the sexual immorality reported among the Corinthians was not even named among the Gentiles. This sin that he spoke of was that of a man living with his father’s wife. How much lower on the scale of degradation must this sin of homosexuality be!

      Husbands and Wives

“Wives, submit to your own husbands…Husbands, love you wives, just as Christ also loved the church.” Ephesians 5:22 & 25

The New Testament teachings concerning the family are very specific: marriage is to be between a man and a woman. There are no other alternatives. This is the Divine design for mankind in order that he might realize all the blessings of this life through loving relations with the opposite sex. Each time that the Scriptures deal with marriage and the family, it always speaks of the relationship between a man and a woman. (See also, 1 Peter 3:1-7; Col. 3:18-19) To see something other than this in God’s order is to attempt to introduce a different morality than that which the Creator intended. 

     The Problem of Relative Morality

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25

   Anyone who studies the book of Judges will realize that not all the events of this book spell out evil times. For the wonderful story of Ruth occurred during this timeframe. And just because there was no king in the land does not prove that this was the reason why men acted sinfully. But the real reason lies in the fact that Israel lacked an objective basis to live by. They had rejected the authority of God as He had revealed Himself to them through the Scriptures and by the prophets. And therefore each did what he thought was right in his own eyes. There is a direct parallel with this thinking and that of our 21^st Century culture. It is what we might call relative morality. Whatever a person wants to do at any given moment is his own choosing, and he has a right to think and do whatever he likes regardless of the overall consequences. It is a denial of any absolute truth or values.

   For the Christian, this should not be. We who claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, stand at the crossroad and must take a stand for absolute truth as it has been revealed to us in God’s Word. Too often Christians have caved in to the moral slide of our culture. It is concerning this surrender of Biblical moral values that we turn our attention.    

A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY AND SAME SEX UNIONS - PART I

It’s a day of reckoning for 21^st Century Christianity. We are confronted by a constant flow of humanism with its anti-Biblical ideology, ranging from relative morality to an intense drive for personal peace and affluence.  In its dust it leaves the memory of a time when Christian values were prominently held in our culture.

Today we are faced with the issue of gay unions and the desire of some to legalize these unions in order to place upon them an indelible stamp of approval. Unfortunately there are some who claim Christ as their Savior that are willing to go along with this in order to appear open and tolerant of those who have an ‘alternative lifestyle.’ These have broken ranks with the true Church of Jesus Christ, compromising true doctrine in order to ‘keep up with the times.’ What they are saying and doing may appear to the world at large to be good, compassionate and tolerant. But it is simply a compromised position of Biblical truth and a direct affront to the Creator. 

There is no way of knowing how long we have to stand at this crossroad. But it seems imperative that if Christianity is to move forward and have a positive impact in the world, it must do so with a united front behind the only objective truth at our disposal: the Bible, the Word of God.

A practical Christian response to this issue will be presented in 3 parts:

PART 1: THE DESIGN OF THE CREATOR

PART 2: THE ALTERNATE LIFESTYLE

PART 3: THE BIBLICAL RESPONSE

PART 1: THE DESIGN OF THE CREATOR

In The Beginning

“Male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

On the sixth day of creation, God determined to make man in His own image and likeness. But notice that in Genesis 1:27, even prior to His creating Eve, Scripture states, “in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (emphasis added).” In the mind of the Creator there was a distinction made for the sex of mankind, male and female. And the reason for this is shown in verse 28. For here it states that “God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” It should be obvious for anyone to see that in order to be fruitful and to multiply that it necessitates a male and a female to reproduce.  This is true for the lower order of creation as well as for mankind, the higher order of creation. The major difference is that man was created with the image and likeness of the Creator for a more noble purpose: to multiply and have dominion over God’s creation.  

Eve

“It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Genesis 2:18

   Again on the sixth day of creation, God recognizes that man must have a like companion. But before He creates Eve, notice in verse 19 that God brings the lower order of creation to Adam in order for him to give them names. This served two purposes, to present Adam with dominion over the lower creation, and to demonstrate the uniqueness of man. Adam found no helper comparable [i.e., a helping being, in which, as soon as he sees it, he may recognize himself (Delitzsch)] to him among the lower order of creation, and rightfully so, for man bears the image of his Creator and is more noble than the animals.

   Next, God creates the woman from the rib of Adam. And again, as God did with the animals, He brings the woman to the man. This presenting of the woman to man demonstrates two things. First, that there is a purpose for the sexes. In the mind of the Creator, there is a design for mankind to reproduce and to be fruitful and to multiply. And secondly, this exhibits in a clear and unmistakable manner that there is order in God’s creation. And He gave this His divine stamp of approval: “God blessed them…” (Genesis 1:28).

The Divine Plan for Marriage

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”  Genesis 2:24

At the institution of marriage, God specifically states that the relationship is to be between a man and his wife, a male and a female. Notice also that the man comes from a father and a mother. There is no reference to an ‘alternate life style’ between members of the same sex. Jesus restates God’s original intent as it is recorded in Matthew 19:4-6. Paul supports this also in Ephesians 5:31. In fact, when the New Testament writers speak of marriage, they always refer to a husband and a wife (Eph. 5:22ff; 1 Peter 3:1ff). It is intellectually dishonest to try to redefine these terms (husband/wife) to mean anything other than a male and a female. A wife is never a male. A husband is never a female. And God never intended for His creatures to sanction or participate in same sex unions.