thoughts on homosexuality issues

Last week I spent a week at the Teen Leadership Conference in Clark Summit, Pennsylvania. One of the speakers touched on the issues of homosexuality and transgender issues from a biblical perspective, and I loved the way it was presented and the perspective brought.

First, let me state what I wholeheartedly believe is true about homosexuality.

It is clearly a sin and even though those who believe that homosexuality is no longer condemned because it is only mentioned in the old testament have not dug in deeper to what the Bible truly says about it.

1. Homosexuality must be thrown from our lives because it is sin.

Take for example Leviticus 20:13 which mentions the act of homosexuality and how those who commit that sin should be put to death.

Even though the punishments have changed and with the changes of no longer being under the law, it still shows the seriousness of the sin and supports the idea when it is mentioned in the new testament... in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. 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.

There is no vagueness to what Paul under the inspiration of the spirit is calling a sin. Those who are homosexuals and are sexually immoral alike are sinners...and will not inherit the kingdom of God without a belief in Jesus Christ's death on the cross to forgive them of their sins. There is hope for those who are caught up in any sort of sin, not just homosexuality.

Sin may seem really appeasing, but that doesn't make it right according to God's standard. When we say things like "love wins", we are defining sin on human conditions and how we feel about something and not on the conditions of a perfect God.

2. We must remember our own sin and how apart from Christ, we are also completely lost in our sin and in darkness.

With Jesus, it is possible to have salvation when we believe in Him and we are given the gift of grace: justified in Christ. But we must repent of our sin and turn away from sins and lifestyles that are completely contrary to God's word. God designed marriage to be between a man and a woman, as seen in Genesis 2. Just as any other sin may seem appeasing and fun, and even though "love wins" may seem fun, homosexuality is a sin even if it doesn't "feel" like it.

3. We have to accept that it is possible to love the sinner and hate the sin.

Jesus portrays this very idea and tells the women in adultery to leave her life of sin because she has been forgiven. Jesus is not saying that her act of adultery was justified. Neither are we called to be the judge of the sins of others because we have sinned.

Read John 8:2-11 to get the whole story and idea of this passage.

4. We should proclaim the gospel and the victory found over sins through Christ

Some of those who are transgender or homosexual will say they are born that way and are created with certain genes that make them this way.

We are all born with bad genes and sin tendencies! They just differ depending on who we are!

For all sorts of sins, without any exceptions, Jesus gives us VICTORY.  He is able to way more than we can ever ask or imagine if we are trusting in His strength to defeat sin.

How can we look beyond just this idea of homosexuality and look to the sin tendencies that we also fall into without realizing it and throw them away?