We must never be ashamed of the Gospel – and we are told to proclaim its precepts. But how do you and I stand up to an increasingly hostile culture that demands our silence?
We respond with both truth and grace.
Will we faithfully in pulpits, homes, and our lives profess and steward the Word of God without adding to or detracting from it?
With a New Year fast approaching, His Way Out Ministries will continue to affirm Biblical truth – not culture – in 2023.
Homosexual advocates have been very creative in their interpretation of Scripture in an attempt to validate the practice of homosexuality.
Many homosexual advocates frequently impart their own personal meanings into biblical texts in an attempt to make personal experience the ultimate test of truth rather than the Truth and Authority of Scripture. However, the Bible does not condone the practice of homosexuality in any of its forms, but in fact condemns it as a damaging sin.
To those that state “The Bible doesn’t condemn homosexuality,” or “The Bible doesn’t say anything about homosexuality,” they usually don’t mean that homosexuality is never mentioned in the Bible, what they normally mean is one of the following: Homosexuality as practiced or viewed today never appears in Scripture, or even though the Bible does speak against homosexuality, what the Bible says does not apply to present day situations.
I remain amazed at how some people today make surprising claims about the biblical attitude toward homosexual behavior. As an example, there are those who would have us believe certain biblical characters were homosexual. Not one individual is named in the entire Word of God as a homosexual. While there are those that would have us believe that Cain and Abel, David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, even Jesus and the “beloved disciple, or Paul and Timothy,” were alleged homosexual pairs, is at best a flimsy, if not a quantum leap by some pro-gay apologists to claim biblical support for their cause and way of living.
When considered objectively, the Scriptures are not silent concerning homosexuality. Within the totality of Scripture, the practice of homosexuality is always mentioned as a violation of God’s divine intent for human sexuality. The major references to homosexuality in Scripture are: Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10; Genesis 19; 2 Peter 2:7 and Jude 7. Pro-gay apologists and theologians have interpreted each of these texts in such a way as to eliminate their applicability to the current ethical and moral debate on the issue.
The Holy Scriptures clearly and repeatedly condemn any violation of God’s divine order, whether through immoralities (1 Corinthians 6:16-20) or through perversion of sexual roles (Romans 1:18-32; Leviticus 18:27; 20:13). Today, The Church is continually being challenged to adjust its beliefs and theology regarding sex, to bend, if not bow down to, opinion polls and the many that have embraced science, feelings, notions, and experience over The Truth and Authority of Scripture.
There is no way biblically to arrive at any other conclusion than the practice of homosexuality is a perversion of divine order. Period.
Furthermore, to stand and condemn homosexuality in all its forms is not a symptom of homophobia or narrow-minded bigotry. It is to stand on the side of righteousness and truth and to be in obedience to the One who said, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) For The Church, God the Father is the only One we should seek to please.
Today, far too many are dismissing and departing from the scriptural model of Christian sexuality. Almost on a weekly basis, I hear, “I know what the Scriptures have to say about living within God’s holy boundary lines regarding sexual expression; however, I am going to follow my feelings and emotions rather than The Truth I know.” What has happened to the fact and reality that God is Holy and calls all of His followers to holiness which points directly to the fact that He is a God to be feared as well.
Christians are the temple of the living God. God has said: “I will be their God and they will be my people. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor. 6:16-18)
Considering God’s promises, every Christ-follower must purse godliness and holiness and abstain from anything and everything that seeks to contaminate body and spirit.
The Church has always been, as it remains today, God’s vehicle to preserve His Truth and defend His Church against error (Matthew 5:13; 1 Timothy 3:15). Today, other immoralities are aggressively pounding away at the Church’s door, such as pornography, abortion, rampant divorce, and cohabitation. Are we, The Church, to give way before these because the general population approves them?
Yes, today, it really does seem that anything goes. There is no right or wrong. Not only this, but many would have us believe that personal morals are equated with legal rights. Today, sex is looked on more and more as a constitutionally guaranteed right – a right to fulfill one’s biological drives however one see fit. When we commit sexual sin, which is war against our own body, as well as sin against God, we bring negative consequences upon our soul and spirit. The Apostle Peter made this point in 1 Peter 2:11, when he pleaded: “I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”
As a Christian, meaning I embrace the totality and Authority of Scripture, I could never as a faithful follower of Christ Jesus, encourage, endorse, promote or validate the practice of homosexuality in any form. To do so would be a blatant misuse and contradiction of Scripture.
History dictates, lest we forget, what we, The Church tolerate today will be practiced tomorrow. With holiness and truth as our motivation, we, The Church, must be very careful not to adopt the customs of the world.
Ultimately, when a notion, theory, feeling, or personal opinion contradicts the Holy Scriptures, it should be rejected.
Believing in Him and You,
Pastor Phillip Lee
Executive Director
His Way Out Ministries
His Way Out has been faithfully ministering to men and women seeking a way out of sexually broken lifestyles since 1994. We could not do it without the support of Christians like you. Every dollar that you give to His Way Out Ministries helps to further this vital ministry. Won’t you take a minute to prayerfully consider a monthly donation to His Way Out? Please consider making a one-time donation or set up a secure monthly PayPal contribution on our donation page at https://www.hiswayout.com/donate/. Thank you, Pastor Phillip Lee
