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A lot of the questions/comments being asked can be answered in my previous journal about homosexuality. If I haven't answered you, chances are my answer was already in THIS JOURNAL:
Irritation and misunderstanding.So this is kind of a mini rant, mostly because my back hurts and everything is annoying me because I can't do poo without it hurting. Even laying down hurts.
Anyway.
It kinda irks me when people think I hate something if I say it's wrong or I don't agree with it.
I don't support gay marriage, so people automatically think I'm a 'hater' of homosexuals. Just because I disagree with their lifestyle doesn't mean I hate them. I have a lot of friends who are homosexuals/pansexuals/bisexuals who don't agree with my ideas either, but I continue to be friends with them because, while yes as a Christian I'm to spread the word of God around and teach about Him, I'm also supposed to be loving.
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give al
This will be the first journal in a series that I’m titling 'The G Word.'
You can probably guess what this is going to be about if you read the title.
Homosexuality is a big, sensitive topic. But it’s one that needs to be discussed, because of its widely accepted practices among churches. I wrote about it in an earlier journal a couple months ago, but that really only skimmed the surface of what needs to be said.
Non-Christians, and even some Christians, dislike the idea of the homosexual lifestyle being wrong, even though it’s clearly defined in scripture that it is in fact a wrong and sinful behavior.
“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” –Leviticus 18:22
“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let no man separate.” –Mark 10:6-9
Now, if you’re not a Christian (meaning you don’t believe or agree with the Bible 100%), then this doesn’t really apply to you. Why? Because there’s a bigger issue that you need to deal with first. Homosexuality isn’t the main problem that needs to be corrected, though it is the most controversial and fought over issue. That being said, let’s take a look at another couple of verses.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” –1 Corinthians 6:9-11
"There are six things that the LORD hates. Yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife amongst brothers." –Proverbs 6:16-19
Now after reading that, we get a pretty clear picture of what does and what doesn’t get us into heaven. Take a minute and ask yourself: have you ever lied? Hated someone? Stolen something? I know I’ve been guilty of those things- more than once. Even if we took homosexuality out of the equation, we would still be unrighteous and headed for hell. Why? Because, no one is righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10) There is only one way to receive salvation and permission into God’s kingdom, and it’s not by moral goodness alone.
“Repent therefore, and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out.” –Acts 3:19
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16
So there you go. What do we have to do to receive salvation? Repent and believe. It really is that simple. Of course, there’s many, many other things included that’ll take time to understand as we study and go through the Bible, but that’s just the fundamental knowledge that everyone has to learn first. And as I said before, if you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, then by all means, go ahead and have a homosexual relationship. Have a ceremony and exchange rings, blah blah blah, because homosexuality is the least of your worries at that point.
But if we consider ourselves Christians, then we have an obligation and a command to follow His Word in obedience, meaning we should either not practice homosexual tendencies, or we should be struggling to quit them. We shouldn’t be actively and openly accepting it. Now that’s not to say that we shouldn’t still love people who are. As I stated in my previous journal, we’re to speak the truth in love (1 Corinthians 13) and to always be ready to give an answer for our faith, even if we’re ridiculed for it (1 Peter 3:13-18).
I know a lot of people dislike God because they think, by saying things like this, He and we are condemning them. But remember, no one is righteous without God first giving it to us. From birth we’ve been condemned because of the fall of man. When Adam and Even ate from the tree of life, sin was the punishment.
“For I was born a sinner- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” –Psalm 51:5
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” –John 3:17-21
"And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." –Romans 1:24-32
It’s exactly like if one kid in your class does something stupid and the teacher penalizes everyone. It doesn’t seem fair, but, just like that teacher, God isn’t obliged to give us what is and isn’t fair. He’s meant to be our teacher, our guide, and our corrector so that we can live in and draw nearer to holiness until we die and become perfected through Him.
Now don’t misunderstand me. God did not create sin; He allowed it to happen. Like it says in Romans 1, God gave them over, which means He let them do what their naturally sinful minds and hearts already wanted to do. Even when we become justified after receiving salvation, we still struggle with sin, because, guess what, we’re not perfect!
But just because nobody is perfect doesn’t mean we can use that as an excuse. Even if a large majority is doing something wrong doesn’t make their actions right. As Christians, we need to stand firm in our faith, even if it means death. Jesus Christ literally died for us, in probably the most painful, embarrassing, and wicked deaths imaginable, while beforehand also being ridiculed and mocked by the larger majority of people.
We have to remember though; being a Christian isn’t a walk in the park. We will be mocked, we will be hated. I’ve lost friends because of it, I’ve even lost family members because of it. But that doesn’t keep me from believing in Him, praying to Him, and worshipping Him, because even without the one’s I’ve lost, I still have hundreds more blessings to be thankful for- all of which I didn’t deserve in the first place.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you made it through all of it, I applaud you- especially if you don’t believe in any of it!
If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them or just have a chat about it. (I’d prefer through notes, since that’s a little more private, but we can just chat in the comments as well, whatever is more comfortable for you.)
