widefat wrote:Well, if the Bible is indeed the inspired Word of God, you cannot pick and choose what parts you want to believe, or what sections fit your desired lifestyle, or what interpretation 'feels right'. You cannot choose to believe the 'old or the new' testament - the entire book, from page one verse one to the last verse in Revelations is the inspired Word.
If you do not believe the entire Bible is the inerrant Word of God, well then, all bets are off and you can live in whatever way you wish. But your belief in the scripture does not makes it either true or untrue. If it is the inspired Word of God, it stands alone; beyond judgment by men, and measured against itself and itself alone.
One of my favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 1:18, 19:
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” (ESV)
Basically, to those existing without Christ, then the "word of the cross" will simply not make any sense. Ponder that for a while.
As far as Christians taking their stance on homosexuality from the Old Testament- well, not entirely.
Matthew 19:4-7, ((Jesus said)):
4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” ((God's design is male and female))
Romans 1:18-28
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
1 Cor 6:9
9 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, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Tim 1:9
8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
I saved the best two for last, because they contain some things that make you go huh. Homosexuality, while explicitly enumerated, is sandwiched right in there with liars, perjurers, sexual immorality, idolatry, drunkeness, thieves, etc. In other words, homosexuality is considered a sin just like all of the other sins that I commit, you commit, and everyone in every church in every country commits Sunday afternoon as soon as they leave the building.
So the big ideas here for me - one, salvation is for the forgiveness of sins, and that includes homosexuality. In many places in scripture, we are instructed to love the sinner and hate the sin; so it is clearly wrong to hate a person because they are homosexual (speck and plank, Matthew 7:3). So while I unequivocally condemn homosexuality as sin, I also unequivocally condemn my own sinful acts equally. I have LGBT friends and family; I love them unconditionally, but that doesnt mean I excuse their sin. Neither do I excuse my own.
Think I'm full of crap? hmm....go back to 1 Corinthians 1:18, 19, and also check out Ephesian 4:18:
18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Two thumbs up on this post. One thing that I'll add is that although every one of us sins, it is the repentance and turning away from the sin that is one of the keys to Salvation. One cannot live an immoral life and continue to do so without repentance and expect to enter God's Kingdom.
