Loving Homosexuals

Truth & Tolerance

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Dont you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Dont fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers and swindlers none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.

The Bible never mentions homosexuality as anything other than sin. The Bible condemns an action, not a person. The Bible condemns homosexual behaviors, but does not refer to a person as a homosexual. Homosexuality is never mentioned alone; it is no worse than greed, drunkenness, or heterosexual adultery. Freedom is possible: some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away.

What Does The Bible Say About Homosexuality?

Old Testament Law: Leviticus 18:22
Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.

New Testament Living: Romans 1:26-27 Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. Its all Greek to me (arsenokoitai)

OT: Pro-gay theologians might tell you that this passage was culturally bound. In other words, this law was only meant for the people living in that place at that time, and therefore it doesnt apply to us today. They also might say this passage only refers to homosexual sex thats done as idol worship. The danger with these arguments is that believing them would also make all of the other sins in this passage acceptable. That would include incest, infant sacrifice and bestiality. Furthermore, God does state in verses 28 and 29 that the Gentile cultures are being punished for this behavior. All these detestable activities are practiced by the people of the land where I am taking you, and the land has become defiled. Do not give the land a reason to vomit you out for defiling it, as it will vomit out the people who live there now. NT: The gay argument says this passage only condemns homosexual sex between people who are not naturally gay. Many gays will argue, How can something that comes natural to me be wrong? We know the answer: because we are in a fallen, sinful world! Sin comes naturally to everybody. Just because something feels right doesnt mean it is right. In this passage, Paul is clearly saying that the act itself is unnatural, sinful, and therefore reaps painful rewards. The original language: Theres also a lot of argument about the Greek word Paul used for homosexuality. The word is (ar-sin-oh-coy-tay). This word literally means a male who lies with a male. It clearly identifies homosexual sex itself as forbidden with no qualifiers, which means it is wrong no matter whos doing it or what feelings are involved. By using this term, Paul is also purposefully referring to Leviticus 18:22. This signifies that the OT prohibition of homosexuality was not meant only for those people at that time.

Points to Remember
God does not treat homosexual behavior special. God condemns the behavior but not the struggle. Everyone lives with sinful desires and temptations, but they do not define who we are. Remember that Jesus fulfilled the Law, and we are living under grace.

It is a sin just like heterosexual adultery, premarital sex, etc. Someone is not guilty of being a homosexual just because they have homosexual feelings and temptations. If we are tempted to steal, that doesnt make us a thief. If we are tempted to cheat, it doesnt make us a cheater. He offers compassion and hope to sinners. Think about how He treated those guilty of sexual sin (John 4, John 8:3-11). The Christian life is fraught with struggle (Romans 7:14-25).

The Truth About Homosexuality

Where does it come from?
Theres no single cause of homosexuality Homosexuality is not caused by biology. People struggling with same-sex attraction have usually experienced a deficiency in their samesex relationships.
Men struggling with this have strong feelings of masculine inadequacy cause by a weak or absent father, as well as isolation from peers. Women struggling with lesbianism often have rejected their femininity.

These relational issues can be caused by actual and/or perceived events. At the root of homosexual desire is a legitimate need for same-sex love.

Theres no trauma (like molestation, absent parent, etc.) that is in every homosexuals background, nor does everyone with an absent parent or sexual abuse in their background become a homosexual. Every attempt to find a genetic or physiological factor hasnt found anything Twin Studies J. Michael Bailey and Richard Pillard did a study on 56 sets of identical twins in each set of twins at least one was homosexual. They found that both twins were homosexual 52% of the time. A study on 54 sets of fraternal twins was done, and both twins were homosexual about 22% of the time. Since identical twins share the exact same genes this study proves that homosexuality is not entirely the result of genetics, if it were they would have found both siblings in sets of identical twins to be homosexual 100% of the time. Still both identical and fraternal twins are much more likely to share a homosexual orientation than non-twin siblings. Why? Twins share the same age, the same birth order, the show up in their parents lives at the same time. Though they are not biologically identical, they are likely to have close identical experiences at home. The Hypothalamus Study Simon LeVay studied the brains of 41 deceased individuals, most of which died of AIDS. He studied the hypothalamus which is the most structurally different part of the brain between men and women. He claimed that he found that the hypothalamuses of gay men were closer to the size of womens, thus claiming a correlation between brain structure and sexual orientation. The problem is that brain structure changes with repetitive behavior, and what was known to LeVay was when the changes took place. It is likely that the size difference was a result of homosexuality, not the cause of it. Also the effects of AIDS on the brain structure is unknown. The reliability of his sample is questions since most of the supposedly heterosexual men in his control group also died of AIDS. The Gay Gene Dean Hamer supposedly proved that homosexuality is a genetic condition that can not be altered. Hamer did not claim to discover the source of homosexuality. He claimed instead that he found some evidence that one form of male homosexuality might be linked to a gene. In 2005, Brian S. Mustanski released the results of a second gay gene study. He scanned the entire genome of homosexual males, looking for a genetic link, and he included many of the participants of the Hamer study. The 2005 study proved Hamers study results were false the supposed gay gene showed no evidence of being linked to homosexuality. In fact the recent study failed to find statistically significant evidence that there is any link between genetics and homosexuality. People believe that it is genetic because they want to believe it and it advances their political goals. It works like this: If homosexuality is genetic, then no one can help being gay its unchangeable. -If it cant be changed then it is something like race which isnt good or bad its just different. -If homosexuality isnt wrong then God doesnt mind if I have sex with other men. Women, like the boys, they probably didnt connect with dad, or did not feel cherished by him. Theyve felt isolated from other girls. Despite their claims to be feminists or that they love women, they often perceive traditional female roles such as wife, mother, or simply being feminine as weak, unsafe, thankless, hopeless. They also commonly have a fear of and disdain of men.

The Truth About Homosexuality

How can someone become free?
Its a difficult process that does not happen overnight. They learn to have healthy same-sex relationships the way God intended. They learn to be comfortable and confident in the gender God gave them. The last thing someone struggling with homosexuality needs is to date someone of the opposite sex. Heterosexuality is not the ultimate goal, holiness is. Our identity is not dictated by our temptations. Someone may still struggle with same-sex attractions, but that does not make them gay.

Ministries to homosexuals report working with people for years as they grow in their new identity in Christ and learn to walk out of old behaviors.

The Truth About Homosexuality

What are we supposed to do?
We must share the good news of Jesus. Recognize how our struggles are ongoing too. Dont just condemn bad love, but replace it with good love.

No one can change without Him in their life. You cant change before He is. Change comes through the relationship we have with Him once we are saved. People struggling with same-sex attraction really are not different from us. Romans 12:21 Dont let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. In Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would by Chad W. Thompson, one man said, As a gay man it is easier for me to get sex on the streets, than it is for me to get a hug in church.

Truth & Tolerance

Stop bullying & name-calling Sticks and stone can break my bones, but words will never hurt me is a LIE! Are we helping someone discover their identity and destiny in Christ, or not? Sticking up for the underdog. Is our youth ministry a safe place?

Many Christian youth think bullying, name-calling and gossip are just a fact of life. Some might say, Its just part of growing up. Theres no way to prevent it. How does God feel about it? Leviticus 19:16 Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbors life, for I am the Lord. Psalm 10:2, 7-8 Proud and wicked people viciously oppress the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others Their mouths are full of cursing, lies and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues. They lurk in dark alleys, murdering the innocent who pass by. They are always searching for some helpless victim. James 3:6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, fo rit is set on fire by hell itself. John 15:17 I command you to love each other. 1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. What does this have to do with Homosexuality? Men and women who have this issue in their lives can almost universally testify to being called fag queer dyke sissy etc, long before they were ever aware of any homosexual urges. People speak into their gender confusion: saying to a young boy, Youre such a girl. Why do you act like your mother? and so forth. A lot of times, this abuse doesnt occur because the abuser is really accusing them of homosexuality, but just ridiculing them because of their appearance or something else (i.e. performing poorly in a sport). Homosexuality (like a lot of sinful addictions) is an issue of broken relationships and distorted identity. Being called names by others will confirm the lie in the strugglers heart. Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 Names can hurt even when they are not meant to. Insulting names and disrespectful treatment are like salt in a wound. As Christians, our identity is in Christ. We should be encouraging one another with loving speech.

Truth & Tolerance vs. Approval

Two Extremes
Approval Condemnation

Another way: Love Biblical truth will always be met with worldly opposition. Love covers a multitude of sins, but it does not condone them.

Approval means homosexuality is good, healthy and acceptable. It is the same as heterosexuality. It is inborn and intended by God. No one should look down on or disapprove of it. Anyone who disagrees is simply ignorant and/or a bigot. This stance is usually mislabeled as tolerance. Its popular in our culture today. It seems more loving and it avoids a lot of conflict. It makes Christianity more appealing to gays. It isnt in line with Gods word, which means we are not trusting God to know what is best for us, and inviting His anger as well as the unpleasant consequences. Also we could be encouraging people in a lifestyle and identity which is dangerous, sinful and unhealthy, which is not loving at all. Condemnation says that homosexuality is a grievous and intolerable sin. Not only is the behavior a sin, but anyone who is a homosexual is going to hell. They cant become a Christian unless they first agree that homosexuality is wrong and reject it. Many religious people believe that anything short of condemnation is an unacceptable compromise. One does seem to be in line with Gods word as far as sin is concerned. But it doesnt offer any hope to the person struggling with homosexuality. It isnt in line with Gods word in that it is empty of grace. It puts salvation on the back burner and says that sexual orientation is more important. It puts the burden of change on the struggler with the help of the Holy Spirit. People usually adopt this point of view out of self-righteousness and pride. John 4 Jesus approach Josh McDowell worlds tolerance vs. love: Tolerance says, You must approve of what I do. Love responds, I must do something harder; I will love you, even when your behavior offends me. Tolerance says, You must agree with me. Love responds, I must do something harder; I will tell you the truth, because I am convinced the truth will set you free Tolerance says, You must allow me to have my way. Love responds, I must do something harder; I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk. Tolerance seeks to be inoffensive; love takes risks. Tolerance glorifies division; love seeks unity. Tolerance costs nothing; love costs everything.