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.

The Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ

An important event in the Christian calendar is the Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ, which was commemorated yesterday, May 14^th. This historical occurrence took place 40 days after Easter, the day Christ was resurrected from the dead. It was foretold in Psalm 68:18: “You have ascended on high” and is described in two New Testament passages, Luke 24:49-52 and Acts 1:9 -11. 

In the account given in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus assures His apostles that they would receive the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Luke then states that Jesus “was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” The apostles had already witnesses their Lord’s defeat of death, so this would certainly have been an equally amazing occasion for them, seeing Jesus ascending bodily into the heavens.

So where is Jesus Christ now? Paul writes in Colossians 3:1 that He is seated at the right hand of God. This period of time is termed the Session of Jesus Christ. It is a period of special activity which the theologian Lewis Sperry Chafer states that “Christ is now engaged in a ministry which determines the service and destiny of all those who have put their trust in Him.”  

What He is doing presently is a matter the Scriptures have not left silent. Christ stated in John 14:1-3, that He was going to prepare a place for all believers to be with Him forever after death. The writer of the book of Hebrews 7:25 declares that He presently makes intercession to the Father for all believers, as well as being an advocate on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24; 1 John 2:1). He is also said to be the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23) which includes all those who trust in Christ.

And there is every reason to expect His return to earth at the end of time. For when the apostles were watching Him ascend into heaven, Luke mentions that there were two men in white who spoke to them saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” John affirms this in Revelation 1:7: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.” Christ will return to establish His kingdom, to put an end to evil, to vanquish His enemies, and to eliminate the last enemy, death (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Jesus asserted that no man knows the day or the hour of His return (Mark 13:32). He stated further in Acts 1:7 that “it is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” Instead we are to comfort ourselves with the fact of His present ministry for us in heaven and to demonstrate our confidence actively waiting for His return.

How Then Can We Survive?

     Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?”’ – Ezekiel 33:10[1]

 

     The prophet Ezekiel was appointed as the watchman over his nation Israel. His specific duty was to announce to those who had rejected righteous living that if they would turn from their sinful ways the Lord God would preserve them from the utter destruction that awaited them in 586 B.C.

     The people of God had reached rock bottom in their pursuit of godlessness and were fully aware of the consequences that laid ahead of them. They cried out “How then can we survive?” They had awaken out of their rebellion just a little too late and now judgment was imminent.

     The state of our culture parallels the conditions set forth in Ezekiel’s day. The exception being the United States does not hold the same position is God’s plan as did the nation of Israel. Our country may have been founded upon principles based in the Judeo-Christian belief system, yet it is obvious that at the present hour of our history, there is a substantial element within our population which repudiate not only the standards and morals of the founding fathers, but also the reality of the Creator. This has been evident beginning with liberal theology of the 1920’s, the rise of postmodernism of the 1950’s, and of late, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The deep political divide that we see today has its roots in the false belief that America is an evil empire, seeking to rob and pillage the International community of all of the world’s riches – oil, electronics, entertainment, quality air, employment. The present insatiable drive towards Progressive/Socialism erroneously assumes that the confiscation of the wealth of our Nation can remedy the problems of our country, not to mention the world.

     Soon after the terrible events of September 11, 2001, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson in an interview, expressed their opinions concerning these attacks. They rightly mentioned the need for spiritual revival in the United States. But then Falwell made a terrible blunder, placing the blame on a host of social issues. Here is what he said:

     "The ACLU has got to take a lot of blame for this. And I know I'll hear from them for this, but throwing God...successfully with the help of the federal court system...throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools...I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who try to secularize America...I point the finger in their face and say you helped this happen."[2]   

     Certainly these social evils are unpleasing to the Creator. But Christians should be held accountable for having allowed themselves to be led astray by the false teachings of liberal theology. The absolute authority of God’s Word states these social ills to be sin in His sight. We as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ must stand up against this surge of ungodliness that has infiltrated our churches and seminaries. Our Nation is on the brink of financial disaster – millions are out of work, trillions of dollars in debt. Our culture is morally bankrupt, with a generation of Christians whose desire seems to be that of compromising, letting the culture dictate right and wrong. It is because of this laissez faire attitude of believers that our Nation is in serious peril. We Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth, providing preservation from God’s wrath by infusing our culture with His principles of righteous living.

     When will we ask: “How then can we survive?” Will it be too late? Should we look to what God’s Word says?

     Paul wrote: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. - 2 Corinthians 7:1

     The perfecting of holiness is a process of studying God’s Word and applying it to the experiences of our lives. That means not only building ourselves up in our faith in Christ but making His truths evident within the Church and the culture. This means that Christians at all levels of society (judges, congressmen, teachers, office workers, homemakers, factory workers, lawyers) must speak and live Christianity back into our culture.

     God’s Word also stresses that we should beware of those who are disobedient to His Word. Recall the words of the Apostle Paul:

     Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. - 2 Thessalonians 3:6

     If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. - 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15

     Christians cannot be friends with this evil world.[3] The fact of the matter is that this secularized culture is not satisfied with a tolerant Christian – one who tacitly assents to their alternative lifestyles and other godless values. They don’t simply want us to compromise, they want total capitulation. They want us to repudiate Scripture and the “idea” of absolute truth, so that they can serve their master, the evil one, Satan, without any obstruction, with seared consciences, on their merry way to perdition.

     It is our responsibility to dissuade them. Our final defense must rest solely upon the absolute truth and authority of God’s Word. We must emphasize to them that the undeniable pleasure of the Creator is not to punish the wicked, but for the wicked to repent. This is what the Lord answered in Ezekiel’s day:

     “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ - Ezekiel 33:11

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[1] All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[2] http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/f/falwell-robertson-wtc.htm#.Urhdd_s2a9c [12/23/2013]

[3] Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1 John 2:15