AN ANSWER TO A QUESTION ASKED BY A RADIO LISTENER
I received the following letter from a listener of THE GOSPEL HOUR
aired on Sundays. The letter was concerning homosexuality and the
churches. I answered the letter on THE GOSPEL HOUR Sunday 10 August, 2003.
The letter is given in full below and then my answer. This is a subject we
cannot avoid.
Dear Pastor Bennett,
I listen to your show most Sundays and enjoy your Biblical stand for
any subject. And so I write now for you to put to air the views of the
Christian faith as regards to gay and lesbian relationships and also as
very much to the point right now of sanctioning them within "the church".
A "Sodom and Gomorrah" reminder may help.
Please talk on the subject as I’m sure you will as to its being an
offence to God.
A Good Listener
God’s Word and Homosexuality
This is a subject that is being debated almost daily in and out of the
churches. Here are a couple of news reports from this past week concerning
this subject.
In the Daily Telegraph 8 August 2003 we read the following story. I
will be making some comments through the reading of the article. The
article is:
ARCHBISHOP BACKS GAY TALKS
AN Anglican leader has compared moves to allow gay clergy and same-sex
marriages to major church rethinks such as opposition to slavery and the
dropping of the flat-earth theory.
Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Dr Phillip Aspinall, writing in the
latest edition of church newspaper Focus, said church members needed to
reflect on a move in Canada to authorise a service to bless same-sex
couples and the election of an openly gay bishop in the United States.
Dr Aspinall said the church needed to use reason and experience to
interpret the Bible and tradition. (REMEMBER WHAT I SAID A FEW WEEKS AGO
ABOUT BIBLE INTERPRETATION? I SAID "WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE OF SCRIPTURE
MAKES COMMON SENSE, SEEK NO OTHER SENSE, BUT TAKE EVERY WORD IN ITS
PRIMAMRY, LITERAL MEANING UNLESS THE FACTS OF THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT
CLEARLY INDICATE OTHERWISE.)
He said the church initially forced Galileo to recant his views on
early astronomy and for a large part of the past 2,000 years the church
permitted slavery. (A Bible believing Christian would have never doubted
the earth being round for we read in Isaiah 40: 22 "It is he that sitteth
upon the circle of the earth")
In the 1970s and 1980s the church changed its view on the question of
whether divorced people should be allowed to remarry and in the 1990s
women were allowed to be ordained as clergy. (I dealt with women as
ministers a few weeks ago as well. Read the qualifications for a Bishop in
1 Timothy 3.)
"This is not simply the church caving in to external pressures to
conform to the sinful ways of the world," Dr Aspinall said.
"We believe that in each of these situations the (Holy) Spirit has led
the church more deeply into the truth, as Jesus promised would happen.
(Does this man know what truth is? Jesus said in John 17: 17 "Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth." The Holy Spirit never
contradicts the Word and Words of God as found in the Bible.)
"I think we must admit the possibility, at least, that a similar
process may be unfolding in relation to homosexuality."
Dr Aspinall said although some sections of the Bible seemed to condemn
gay sex, the church needed to recognise that "we do know now more than the
biblical authors knew in their age about homosexuality". (This is
apostasy, which is a departure from the faith once delivered to the
saints. Let me read what God’s Word says, 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given
by inspiration (THAT IS BREATHED OUT BY GOD HIMSELF) of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness." Then in 2Pe 1:21 "For the prophecy came not in old time by
the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost." Then the apostle says in 1Co 10:11 "Now all these things happened
unto them for ensamples" to us. This Bishop does not believe his Bible).
"That must be taken into account as must the experience of homosexual
people who are committed to Christ and the church and who do not believe
they are called to celibacy," Dr Aspinall said." (A CHRISTIAN DOES NOT GO
SO MUCH BY EXPERIENCE AS BY THE WORD OF GOD. THE BIBLE IS OUR SOLE RULE OF
FAITH AND PRACTICE.)
Then from Sermon Audio.com for 7 August 2003 we read this story
concerning the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
"LUTHERANS (ELCA) VOTE TO ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALS
The main youth organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America voted at its national conference to welcome members of all sexual
orientations.
The National Lutheran Youth Organization, which includes high-school
age members from all ELCA's synods nationwide, also approved resolutions
supporting same-sex unions and the ordination of gay clergy in committed
relationships."
Then closer to home, here in Australia the Uniting Church has approved
practicing homosexuals into places of leadership in their denomination.
We have seen what the churches are doing but now what does the Word of
God say?
First I want you to listen very carefully or read the passages given so
you will see exactly what God’s Word is saying to us.
In the not too distant past homosexuality was known as sodomy and
homosexuals were known as Sodomites. Both were pretty much abhorred by
society and rejected by the churches of all denominations as qualified for
church leadership.
The terms sodomy and sodomites are the names I will use rather than
homosexual or gay. It should be emphasized that the Bible says in Genesis
1:27 that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them." Let it be well understood God in
the beginning made a man and a woman. These two, Adam and Eve, are the
parents for the whole of mankind. As some have said, perhaps
sarcastically, God made Adam and Eve, and not Adam and Steve.
The Lord Jesus confirms the Genesis account in Mark 10:6 saying "But
from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female."
Procreation is via man and woman not woman and woman or man and man which
are impossible. Note Genesis 3:20 where we read "And Adam called his
wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living."
The name Sodomite was given those who lived in the city of Sodom which
was located near the Dead Sea. Of those living in Sodom we read in Genesis
13:13 "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD
exceedingly." Romans 3:23 states all are sinners but the Scriptures
describe these people in Sodom as not just sinners but (1) exceedingly (2)
wicked (3) sinners. Five chapters later we read in Genesis 18:20 "And the
LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because
their sin is very grievous." The wickedness of Sodom and its inhabitants
travelled all the way from earth to heaven. Matthew Henry, who lived and
wrote Bible commentaries many years ago, said Sodomy "was the most
unnatural and abominable wickedness that they were now set upon, a sin
that still bears their name, and is called Sodomy."
In Genesis 19: 24, 25, we read of Sodom’s destruction by God. Those
verses say "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone
and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities,
and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which
grew upon the ground."
Other verses telling of Sodom’s demise are:
2Pe 2:6 "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that
after should live ungodly." Note the destruction of these cities is an
example to others who would live ungodly lives. From this it is seen that
sodomy is ungodly and those who perform such are ungodly. Have we learned
from this example? I think not.
Jude 1:7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like
manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange
flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire."
Jude describes sodomy as going after "strange flesh" which will end in
eternal fire. From this it can be absolutely said that sodomites will not
inherit heaven but eternal fire. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary makes
this remark "going after strange flesh--departing from the course of
nature, and going after that which is unnatural. In later times the most
enlightened heathen nations indulged in the sin of Sodom without
compunction or shame."
Listen now as I read Romans 1: 24-27 "Wherefore God also gave them up
to uncleanness (impurity) through the lusts (in this case lusts
means unbalanced desires) of their own hearts, to dishonour
(disgrace) their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (THIS
IS LESBIANISM)
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which
is unseemly (shameful, disgraceful, indecent, improper), and receiving
in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet." Those
committing such ungodly acts will receive a payback in emotional and
physical disorders which come from such a lifestyle.
In Australia we are being 'homosexualized' and manipulated by the media
that this is just another lifestyle. It is a lifestyle condemned by God
and God’s Word.
The good news is that Jesus Christ came to save sinners such as me and
those caught up in homosexuality. 1 Timothy 1:15 "This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners."
If you are caught in the trap of homosexuality or any other sin turn
from your sins and turn to Christ. Right now, wherever you may be, tell
God you admit you are a sinner and you believe Jesus Christ came and paid
the debt for your sins and you right now accept Jesus Christ as your
Saviour. Then thank God for saving you. If you have done that let me know
so I can pray with and for you as you seek to live for Christ. I also
invite you to study the Bible each Sunday at 2.30pm with us at the CWA
Hall here in Gilgandra.
If you have a Bible question please write to me Pastor David C.
Bennett, WAR FM, Gilgandra.
