Some people say God hates homosexuals. What do you think? - Exodus Global Alliance
God clearly says in Scripture that He loves people. John 3:16 says "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." God says and we believe that He loves everyone. It doesn't matter whether they're gay or straight, male or female, black, brown, white.... God created everyone and everything, and He loves all the people He made
(Also covers - Can a homosexual be a Christian? / Are you homophobic?) .
How Should Christians Respond?
... It is quite telling, given the general complacence toward homosexual behavior in the first century, that Jesus never saw fit to expand marriage to accommodate the wants, desires and felt needs of those who felt excluded. Instead, as mentioned earlier, He reaffirmed the institution as it had been established in the beginning.
It is also telling that when Jesus talked about Old Testament imperatives, as in the Sermon on the Mount, He made them more morally encompassing (“he who lusts commits adultery”), not more socially inclusive (for they already applied to everyone equally!).
Although public perceptions do not affect the validity of Jesus’ teachings, they can be an indication of how His followers “come across” defending them. If our advocacy for marriage is driven by fear and animosity, our actions will be seen as harsh and judgmental; neither of which creates an “aroma” that will draw folks to the Lord’s table.
(Excerpted from an article by Regis Nicoll, All Things Examined, entitled "Bench Legislation" )
The Homosexual Issue Has Also Created Controversy in the Religious Arena. Some Say God Condemns Homosexuals. Others Say Homosexuality Is a Gift from God. What Is Your Opinion? - Sy Rogers
Many with a homosexual orientation are quite interested in matters of faith, particularly the Christian faith. This is due to the longstanding and global influence of the Judeo-Christian ethic regarding homosexuality. Based on my research of the Scriptures, combined with my exposure to pro-gay theology, and my study of many works by theological experts on the subject of sexuality and homosexuality, here are my conclusions.
Homosexual orientation is one of many weaknesses affecting humanity. Those with this orientation are NOT excluded from God's love, nor are they less of a person in His sight. Those wanting to enter religious service should be allowed to do so, provided they are not homosexually active, and they control, not cultivate their homosexual orientation. It is clear from Scripture that all who claim allegiance to Christ are required to obey God's general sexual standard: No sex outside of the covenant of heterosexual marriage. Why? For protection of self and others, as sex has the power of life and death. . (One of the questions answered by Sy in an article called "Questions I am Most asked about Homosexuality - scroll down in the document )
How does Homosexuality fit with the story of Creation?
... In the opening chapter of Genesis, God forms two types of creatures—male and female—born out of his desire to create and fill the universe. God could have given Adam a male “helper.” Instead, He gave him one whose design was such that, when joined with his in perfect fit, enabled them to accomplish the first divine command given to man: “Be fruitful and multiply.”
Because of their harmonizing architecture, Adam and Eve were more than the sum of their parts. For when they came together, they became one; but in their oneness, they produced a third, and then a fourth. Such is the mystery of biblical math.
Same-sex couplings, by contrast, can never be unitive or multiplicative because they lack the complementary features to do so. Consequently, the biblical reproach of homosexual sex is not some religious relic proved false by modern science; it’s a timeless judgment against behavior that is contrary to our God-given design and purpose.
(Excerpted from an article by Regis Nicoll , "Being Gay and Christian")
How does Jesus approach the subject of human design?
... Jesus reaffirms the human design in the Gospel of Mark: “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one.”
This would have been an opportune time for Jesus to be inclusive and expand marriage to other constellations of relationships (man-man, woman-woman, groups, human-nonhuman, etc). Instead, He expands the reach of the Law.
... In a series of “You have heard . . . but I tell you,” Jesus informs his audience that not only is adultery wrong, even lustful looks are wrong. Notice that Jesus does not limit this teaching to married people, but to those who entertain desires for someone other than their spouse. Since there is no biblical provision for same-sex marriage all unrestrained homosexual desire would also be, in Jesus’ judgment, sinful.
(Excerpted from an article by Regis Nicoll , "Being Gay and Christian")
Is a Homosexual Orientation a Sin?
... Setting aside the cause of sexual orientation, a homosexual bent is not, of itself, a sin. Same-sex attraction is no different from other desires that run counter to the created order—all are products of the Fall propagated by an unsettled combination of nature and nurture.
The bad news is that the effects of the Fall are universal, such that we all have a sinful bent, whether to anger, violence, gossip, homosexuality, or “fill in the blank.” The good news is that our desires are just that, and nothing more, until acted upon; and even then, they are forgivable for a repentant sinner. So the issue is not whether we have a sinful orientation, it is what we do with the orientation we have.
If I rationalize that my propensity for anger is “a gift of God” and excuse my outbursts as products of my genetic makeup, I am not living in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. The same holds for those who profess to be Christian while embracing their homosexuality as a divine blessing.
The central message of Jesus’ ministry was the gospel of the Kingdom. But that gospel had a condition—a radical call to repentance. Thus, the defining marks of a Christian include a commitment to transformation followed by a growing (but not complete) capacity to overcome temptation.
(Excerpted from an article by Regis Nicoll , "Being Gay and Christian")
Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of the Gay Life, If You Want Out - by Charlene E. Cothran
Establish and accept for yourself that God’s Word is true AS-IS. Do not allow gay theology to divorce the Old testament from the New or the written words of the Apostles from the spoken words of Jesus Christ. This is a good trick, but its no longer working because God is preparing to bring millions of gays and lesbians back to His feet. He has already chosen many of us for this specific purpose and He is waiting for YOU to accept His call.
Seek the truth within the scriptures about homosexuality and it will be revealed to you as you read and pray. Know that we were NOT born this way. This myth was fashioned by the gay establishment as a basis for changing laws in favor of gay rights. Again it works for their purposes, but it is biblically UNTRUE. There is no way that anyone, without an agenda, can come away from the bible with an endorsement by God of the gay lifestyle. Gay theology starts with an agenda [‘Let’s make the bible say gay is O.K.’] in order to arrive at its conclusions, but it is a lie.
Do not resist God’s call on your life. Get alone with God and let Him minister the truth directly to you. That conviction you feel is a gift to keep you near the cross. If you keep resisting Him and hardening your heart, He will eventually stop calling you. You can then have a great time fulfilling all the fantasies of the flesh without feeling a thing, but what awaits you at the end of such a life? [Romans 2:28]
...Know with certainty that you are loved by God exactly where you are and that your experiences are of great value for kingdom work. I had BEEN tired, but the enemy kept my mind trapped for years by convincing me that I could not be of any real use to God having lived as an openly gay publisher, but that was a lie.
Setting the Record Straight
... Before we examine the societal effects of gay “marriage,” we need to set the record straight about the moral teachings of Jesus. While it’s true that Jesus said nothing explicitly about homosexuality, it’s also true he never mentioned the evils of bestiality, incest, pedophilia, rape, slavery, wife-beating, or substance abuse, to name a few. In fact, the New Testament records very few things that Jesus specifically condemned. It would be reckless, therefore, to assume that anything not specifically prohibited is permitted. What the scriptures do record, however, is Jesus’s shift from old-covenant particulars to core moral principles.
The shift begins with the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus expands the reach of the Decalogue. It continues with his summation of the Law to love God and to love neighbor. And it culminates with his ultimate standard to love as He loved—an infinitely comprehensive principle that encompasses every aspect of life.
Above all things, Christ-love means valuing others as his image-bearers. In contrast with the cultural “accommodators” who take the low view of man as a powerless victim of base instincts, the Christian view of man is of a moral being blessed with a conscience and free exercise to act against his carnal pull.
Consider Jesus’s conversation with adulterous woman. Jesus didn’t treat her as a poor creature helplessly controlled by her earthly desires. He treated her as a free moral agent capable of choosing a different way to live. Consequently, He didn’t give her the false compassion of tolerance toward her lifestyle. Out of true compassion, He showed her the way out of her broken condition by challenging her to “go now and leave your life of sin.”
This is a helpful pattern for us. The disproportionate incidence of substance abuse, mental health problems, disease, mortality, and suicide among homosexuals reveals the truth behind the gay lifestyle: it is anything but gay. By following the example of Jesus, our compassion should involve encouraging those with homosexual urgings to live chastely, rather than affirming and enabling them in a destructive lifestyle.
(Excerpted from an article by Regis Nicoll, All Things Examined, entitled "The Dangers of Same Sex Marriage" )
Ethics Statements
Human Sexuality - Written by the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, USA
God created human beings with many dimensions, one of which is their unique sexual nature. As men and women, we are physical, intellectual, emotional, relational, and spiritual beings, and thus distinguished from the rest of creation. Many levels of sexual expression are possible between men and women.
One important expression of sexuality is friendship; the sexual differences between men and women enhance meaningful, warm, and healthy relationships. A second important area of sexual expression is intimacy between husband and wife. God has designed the most intimate expressions of sexuality, including intercourse, specifically for the marriage relationship. The Bible describes the covenantal relationship of love which God has for His people; the husband-wife relationship is analogous. Since God holds the marriage relationship close to His heart, its violation is a serious offense to Him.
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