by Pastor Jerry Marshall, New Community Church

Homosexuality is one of many sinful choices that outwardly express the truth that people are sinners by imputation, nature and practice. Like all people, they are not born homosexuals but sinners. And like all who sin, homosexuals and lesbians need salvation that can only be secured by faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

In case you were not aware, the 90's were targeted by Gay rights activists as the "Gay Nineties" It was their intent to make that decade the one in which several central objectives would be realized.

The first was to legalize homosexuality and removing all laws against sodomy in our country. Even though many attempts have been made in this decade to legalize homosexual marriages in various states, the majority of citizens in these states have rejected such referendums by large majorities. However, the homosexual community has been successful in some states by having the courts overturn the will of the people.

The second was to make it a criminal offense for churches, schools, businesses, local, state, and federal agencies to refuse to hire homosexuals because of their sexual orientation.

The third objective was to make it a crime for any individual to refuse housing accommodations to homosexual couples.

The fourth was to set precedent by which the homosexual or lesbian sub-culture can legally repeal all sodomy laws governing the age of consent, the allowance of the legal marriage of homosexuals and their ability to adopt children. And in addition, require all public schools to create sex education courses taught by homosexuals to show their lifestyles as moral, healthy and normal alternative to heterosexuality.

The final objective was to get AIDS carriers handicapped status, which has been accomplished. It is now the first disease with civil rights.

Here we are in the final year of the first decade of a new century and it is clear to see that of many of these central objectives have been accomplished. It looks as if the gay community is long on its way to total cultural acceptance of homosexuality as normal and a morally acceptable lifestyle.

Of 76 societies studied by Clellan Ford (Anthropologist) and Frank Beach (Psycho biologist), two thirds consider homosexual activities normal and socially acceptable. Perhaps the most interesting thing is how those who oppose homosexuality on moral grounds have been successfully marginalized and viewed as close minded, antiquated, or homophobic. They are characterized as those who want to remove the rights of gays and make them targets of hate mongers.

How can the church of Jesus Christ effectively minister to homosexuals by demonstrating the love of Christ and presenting to them the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ? We must begin by understanding several significant points of information.

I. The Rationale For the Gay Lifestyle.

Those who are attempting to legitimatize the homosexual lifestyle; state that it is a sexual orientation one is born with. Therefore, it is not a chosen behavior and must not be viewed as immoral. It is not something you choose, it is something you discover about yourself. Moral choice implies that you can choose to initiate and live out a certain behavior pattern that is deemed to be immoral. Since you are born with this orientation, it is not a moral choice. It is thought that such sexual orientation has no necessary connection with sin, sickness or failure. It is like being born with blue eyes, or brown hair. It is like those who are born with a heterosexual orientation. Homosexuality is thought to be a gift from God to be discovered, accepted and celebrated. It is further thought that an enlightened and accepting cultural would celebrate people making such a discovery.

It should be pointed out that no reliable objective authority can be found to substantiate this way of thinking.

The advocates of homosexuality state that to deny homosexuals the right to exercise their sexual orientation is to declare that sexual fulfillment is reserved exclusively for heterosexuals. Those who are not hateful and homophobic will love and accept homosexuals the way they are and would not attempt to change them. Enlightened people are tolerant people who do not make judgments about people's sexual orientations.

It is further reasoned that since this sexual orientation is inborn and natural to some, and since they equal only a minority of our population, those who are homosexuals should be granted the status of a legitimate minority and given special rights of a minority such as those possessed by African Americans and Hispanics. The laws of our land should outlaw any discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, religious conviction or sexual orientation.

Apparently many lawmakers and other influential politicians agree. Today virtually all states have granted homosexuals protection either by legislation or court action. Certainly, the gay community has a dear friend in the White House who would gladly lend the power of his office to the advancement of the gay agenda. He is currently seeking to eliminate the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has been used to deal with the matter of gays in the military. If eliminated, gays would be able to be very public about their homosexuality without fear of any sort of restrictions placed upon them because of their sexual orientation.

There are some from within the ranks of Christendom that want to show that Christians can be enlightened and tolerant too, and have warmly accepted those who practice the gay lifestyle not only as members of their congregation, but even as their clergy. Some "Christian" denominations have accepted the sexual orientation of homosexuals as natural, normal and similar to heterosexuality.

There is a "Christian" homosexual denomination called the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches with approximately 170 churches in their fellowship. They believe that the only kind of homosexuality that is condemned in the Bible is with multiple partners, just like the bible condemns multiple partners in heterosexual relationships. They contend that you can be truly born again and live the homosexual lifestyle without the need to repent or to renounce it as sinful, as long as you are in a monogamous relationship.

Robert Williams, an ordained homosexual Episcopal priest, has stated that Jesus was a homosexual. His sexual partners were the apostle John and his friend Lazarus. Still others have stated that David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship. In addition, some churches who have organized their church services in such a way so as to cultivating a "non-threatening environment" for the unsaved to come and investigate the claims of Christ, say little or absolutely nothing about this subject for fear of offending the lost.

II. The Biblical Response To The Gay Lifestyle

First and foremost we want to begin by understanding the origin of such reasoning mentioned in the first point of this study. It is essential that we comprehend that man in his fallen condition has a propensity, an orientation, to develop a philosophical, theological and moral rationale that enables him to indulge in sin so as to escape the sting of the conscience. Paul refers to this as the mind set on the flesh.

Romans 8:5-6 (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;

Phronee, the verb behind "set their minds", refers to the basic orientation, bent, and thought patterns of the mind, rather than to the mind or intellect itself (Greek "nous"). It includes a person's affections and will as well as his reasoning.

From a biblical perspective, people enter this world with a sexual orientation which is heterosexual and this sexuality can be freely exercised in the context of a committed marriage relationship between a man and a women. All other types of sexual activities are clearly beyond the scope of the moral will of God and are subject to His condemnation (1 Corinthians 7: 1-9; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).

The Scriptures stand in opposition to the notion that homosexuality is something you are born with and later discover about yourself. The Bible does not affirm the idea that homosexuality is a gift of God. It would however condemn such activity as a willful sinful choice which is subject to the righteous judgment of God (cf. Leviticus 18:22-23, 29; 20:13).

Those who enter into homosexuality are not enjoying a gift from God, but the judgment of God. Because they have abandoned him in order to indulge in their sinful passions, God has given them over to their degrading passions and all the backwash of such sinful activity (Romans 1:26-27). According to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, those who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God. The word "effeminate" is a translation of the Greek word; malakos which not only describes a male who has taken on the characteristics of a female, but the word also describes the male partner in homosexual intercourse. It frequently described those young males who sold themselves in the context of temple prostitution.

God's attitude toward such behavior is further manifested in the fact that He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as an act of His divine judgment against the men of those cities who were impassioned to have sex with the two angels who had been sent in order to rescue Lot and his family members (Genesis 191-11, 23-29) Jude in commenting on this situation said that it serves as evidence of the certainty and severity of God's judgment on such sinful activity (Jude 5-7).

The Apostle Paul reminded Timothy that one of the main purposes of the Law of God is to awaken in the human heart, the consciousness of our sinfulness and our need for deliverance from such a condition. Once a person has acknowledged their sin and come to Christ in Faith for the salvation of their soul, the law has completed its task. But the law also serves to identify and underline the utter sinfulness of sin (1 Timothy 1:8-10; Romans 3:19-20).

III. True Liberation From the Gay Lifestyle

The Gay community would say that there is a need for true liberation for the gay lifestyle in our culture. It is thought that such liberty will come when our society undergoes a complete change of attitude about homosexuality, when their sexual orientation is recognized as natural, normal and acceptable. This is quickly becoming the majority view throughout western culture.

It is thought that true liberation will come for those who are homosexual or lesbian when such lifestyle choices are given a rightful place in the mainstream; when gay marriage and cohabitation are thought to be equal and equivalent to that of heterosexual marriages and relationships. Liberation will come when gay couples reap the same social benefits that straight couples do and when the national laws are in place that protect them as a minority. True liberty will be experienced by homosexuals and lesbians when government, driven by compassion for them, will provide the necessary funds in order to find a cure of AIDS.

From a Biblical perspective, what homosexuals need is true liberation from the gay lifestyle. Like all sinners, what is needed is freedom from the curse and bondage of sin (John 8:31-34; Romans 6: 15-23; I Corinthians 6:9-11). This is the freedom that comes about from turning to the Gospel message with repentance and faith and becoming a new creation in Christ (I Corinthians 15: 1-4; 2Corinthians 5: 17).

Conclusion

What should be the churches response to the growing acceptance in our culture of what the Word of God clearly presents as sinful and a clear violation of the moral will of God?

Why is it significant to remain mindful of our pre-conversion spiritual condition when ministering to those who are captured in this sort of sin (Titus 3:1-3)?

It is necessary not to forget our assignment. We are to make disciples by the preaching of the Gospel and nurture those who come to faith in Jesus Christ so that they may become, more Christlike in their thinking and the conduct of their lives. Our job is not to moralize our culture. Our job is to evangelize the world.

Don't forget our Lord who welcomed all people, but not all flesh driven systems of morality or flawed and fallen theology. His desire was to draw all men unto himself. We must share that same passion.