Glory to God: Homosexuality

Showing posts with label Homosexuality. Show all posts

Saturday, July 9, 2016

THOSE WHO CALL EVIL GOOD

What is good? What is bad? Who determines these things?

We live in a time when what seems good is no longer.

Morals. Ethics. Principles. Character.

These are concepts that are long forgotten in our current climate. The Bible warned us of this. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

The question is what is good? Obviously, good can be a relative term. God’s Word tells us that none are good and all have sinned. Romans 3 goes into great detail about this. But basically the gist is that only God is good. People on the other hand, not so much.

So when we’re talking about what or who is good, it’s more about people who seek to do what is right in God’s eyes. Essentially, good is a characteristic of God and He imputes His goodness onto mankind.

Is it possible for people who don’t know God or want God in their lives to do good? Yes. God has given each of us as human beings a conscience. This is a distinguishing feature in each person that helps us to make choices between right and wrong. But that’s primarily because God is present in the world. A more in-depth discussion about this was written by Aron Wall. It’s worth noting, though, that God is the center of all that is good and He is the One who created us and brought goodness into this world.

So, as we grow into adulthood, we mature and make choices and are ultimately accountable for those choices. Sometimes those consequences are immediate. Other times they may not show up for years. Although it may not be a hard and fast rule, those who push God away are generally those who slowly fall away from doing good. In some instances, they may even begin to call what is evil good.

That is the problem we have in this sinful world. More and more people are not drawn to what is good and right but to wickedness. John 3:19-20 tells us, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

Who will disagree that we are seeing this today? It’s bad enough that the world seems more corrupted and dark than ever before. But now we see people distort what is good and evil. In twisting the reality of these terms, people in general are unable to distinguish what is real anymore. What happens then is that Isaiah 5:20 comes to life and people begin calling what is evil good, and what is good evil.

There are many examples of this that come to mind.

There are good people who disagree with sinful lifestyles and are essentially being harassed by society and the government because of their convictions.

There are sinful people who force others to accept their views and behaviors through whatever means necessary.

And then there are those who are guilty of serious crimes but are given a pass because they are highly powerful and influential.

Up is down, down is up. No wonder people are confused today. People are forced to live outside the realm of what should be “normal”. But what is normal? Normal should uphold morals. Normal should promote ethics. Normal should value principles. Normal should pursue character.

Normal, however, is being redefined by godless people in our culture. People are being told that a man with the physical characteristics and anatomy of a male can actually identify as a woman. People are being told that violent men who are raised within the Islamic religion and traditions are not really associated with Islam when they commit jihad and kill hundreds of innocent people. People are being told that climate change is the greatest threat the world faces when in reality we see how abortion kills millions each year, how Islamist terrorism is on the rise, and how domestically, angry citizens use race as a means to amp up murder sprees throughout the country.

Again, the Bible warns us that we will encounter problems such as these in our culture. God anticipated that we would experience a culture that we wouldn’t understand. It seems counter to the way things are supposed to be. We live in a world that is antagonistic toward good and righteousness. We live in a world that is self-serving and wants nothing to do with God and our Creator. Scripture tells us that before Jesus returns, this is the way the world would be.

2 Timothy 3:1-9

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

We live in a world that is increasingly distorted and confusing. There is, however, truth and reality found in the God and Creator of the heavens and earth. Through the Apostle Paul, God gives us a prescription in how to deal with this kind of distorted reality.

2 Timothy 3:10-17

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Paul lays out the prescription in verses 14-16. He tells us that it’s through knowing God’s Word that we can discern right from wrong, good from bad, and moral from immoral. If we study God’s Word, we can know how to navigate through the misinformation the world gives us. Scripture teaches us how to be wise and how to live. Scripture teaches us the truth about morals, ethics, principles, and character. God’s Word is the true source of how to apply these concepts.

In effect, God describes right and wrong by providing us specific characteristics and contrasting them in Galatians 5.

The Bad

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Good

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The world will continue in its decline and will only get worse. The culture will continue to push God away. Why? Because if they allowed God in the course of their discussions, in the middle of their lives and circumstances, they would have to face the ugly truth about the sin they adamantly embrace.

Truth is an amazing thing. It brings clarity to what is wrong in the world. The world wants to keep people from knowing the truth so it continually provides obstacles from people knowing it. That may be why so many atheists are trying to scream “separation of church and state” when they push against God and Christianity.

Our hope, however, in not in this world. Our hope is in a living Savior, in the person of Jesus Christ. If we want to know the truth, it’s Jesus that we seek. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Truth. John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

The world will continue to disappoint, distort, and mislead. But Jesus offers us hope for a future with Him instead. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Yes, the world will continue down this spiral of pursuing evil. And they’ll even call evil good and vice versa. But you don’t have to follow that pattern. We have a choice. We can choose the world’s way or we can choose God’s. God’s will is that we would seek Him with all our hearts. And the good? God will reveal the Truth of Jesus to us and we can finally know what is truly good and do it.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Duck Dynasty Fallout?

Picture by Michael Hickman

Duck Dynasty fallout?

Homosexuality. Same-sex marriage. DOMA, or the Defense of Marriage Act. Chick-Fil-A. Duck Dynasty. Wait, Duck Dynasty?

It seems like controversy between Christians and the gay community is growing intense. What is going on in our culture? Are Christians becoming increasingly intolerant? Or are homosexuals gaining in popularity and grabbing the attention of the national consciousness?

Ever since Barack Obama became president, there has been an agenda being pushed upon the American people like never before. To be fair, this is not a new phenomenon. It may seem like these issues are fairly new but it’s only because the small and effective number of homosexuals are given greater access to our homes through the bullhorn of the mainstream media. It’s not new. The ongoing onslaught against Christianity is as old as Christianity itself. Homosexuality goes even further back. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah?

The problem in our culture, though, isn’t homosexuality. It is only a tool. The true enemy, the enemy of our souls, is Satan. And Satan has an effective way to gain access and influence in our lives…our sin nature. To gain a better understanding of what our culture, or in a broader sense the world, is up against, we need to understand this foe called Satan.

Satan is a very intelligent and manipulative entity. At one point in history, he was regarded as an angel with great power and influence. His problem was that he became too great, at least in his own mind, and that was his downfall. He arrogantly thought that he was like God. In trying to assert himself and usurp authority, he rebelled against God and was ultimately cast out from heaven.

That wasn’t the end of Satan, though. In becoming an enemy of God, he became an enemy of God’s creation. In the process, Satan took it upon himself to tempt man and to further cause mankind’s fall from God’s grace. Fortunately, God had a plan to redeem man and that was through His own Son, Jesus. We have an advocate in Jesus in that He exchanged our sin for His righteousness and because of the cross and his life, death, and resurrection we can be saved. Jesus paid the price for our sin and rebellion and the gift of God, which is Jesus, is offered to those to believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Satan provides a powerful reminder of a life of rebellion separated from God. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. For reasons we cannot fully grasp, Satan will go to great lengths to destroy the life of any man, woman, or child. He wants to prevent mankind from leaving the life of sin and receiving God’s divine grace. He wants nothing less than to see God’s plan and purposes being thwarted. Is it jealousy, envy, or something else? I’m not absolutely sure but there is nothing about Satan’s intent that can be trusted.

When Jesus talked about our adversary, it was with the understanding that Satan first hated Him. What Jesus actually said had to do with the world and the system of the corruption of sin. Ultimately, these things exist because the adversary, the devil, exists. When Jesus pointed out that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood, He made it clear by saying it was really against the powers and principalities of darkness. This is to say that it isn’t just Satan but it includes the legion of angels which fell along with him when he was banished. Satan apparently had quite the following because the Bible talks about how a third of the angels fell from the sky (metaphorically stated as a third of the stars.)

This should help us to keep things in context. Remember, Jesus said that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood. My question then is why do we act like the homosexual community is our enemy? Let me put this another way. How much effort do we put in to the fact that premarital sex, extramarital affairs, pornography, child molestation, course joking, and even our lustful thoughts are sinful in the eyes of God? To be sure, these are all sin problems that should and need to be addressed equally.

This is not to suggest that I believe we should harass, belittle, or intimidate anyone involved in any of these sins. What do we do for those who get divorced? How do we handle those who are addicted to drugs? Do we identify those who are alcoholics and publicly humiliate, torment, or beat them? There may have been times centuries past when professing Christians took this approach. They may have seen the Old Testament as justification for treating sinners in an aggressive way.

The question is how did Jesus treat sinners? Did he not engage them? Did He not minister to them? He actually would go out of His way to meet sinners where they were. Jesus didn’t condone the sin but neither did He break out the whip or try to stone them to death. The Bible states that Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. What Jesus did was bring about a new covenant whereby unmerited grace is given to those who enter into this covenant and follow Jesus.

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding how Christians are engaging our culture. The homosexual community is obviously making their positions known. They’re trying to make Christians pay for their disapproval through legislative means. The goal, it seems, is to force participation in their activities, resulting in compliance and silencing opposition.

What about Christians, though? How are Christians to respond to this attack on our freedoms, consciences, and faith? Should we respond in kind or follow the example of Jesus and engage people where they are? Instead of trying to separate ourselves from the homosexual community maybe we should emphasize God’s love to them and expose them to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It’s a conflict for me when I read about Christians who refuse to serve a cake or take pictures at a wedding because the purpose is for same-sex marriage. At first, I thought I agreed with those that they shouldn’t participate due to consciences sake. Then in light of the gospel, I thought, why don’t Christians participate and use this as an opportunity to minister to them? This kind of conflict gave me pause because I really don’t know what the right response to this should be.

Then I began looking for other points of view from godly men and women and came across an excellent response to this issue. At Moore to the Point, a person asked Dr. Moore the very question regarding same-sex marriage that I posed. Dr. Moore’s answer was very articulate and thorough. The emphasis regarding the Apostle Paul’s admonition on eating meat appears to apply to this situation. If something is put before you and you have no knowledge of a sinful activity, there appears to be a way to be involved, even to the glory of God. However, if the situation presents itself to you in a way that is sinful, and advertised as such, then Paul recommends you to abstain from that activity for the sake of the consciences of those around you.

I cannot think of a situation where a person can participate in the ceremony of a same-sex marriage and not know of the sinful nature of that activity. Dr. Moore explains that a photojournalist can be a neutral observer and not violate his/her conscience, or those around them. But a photographer participating in and creating the memories as a service for the “wedding couple,” that person is a participant and is no longer neutral. It’s a big issue that seems to have multiple implications. But however a Christian should respond, it should be in light of his/her conscience and those around them.

I still think it’s important that we somehow engage the homosexual community, allowing for the fact that there are going to be situations where we should disengage. I’m not being naïve to think that homosexuals will respond favorably. As with any sinful behavior there are going to be those who will rebel and recoil in hate. It’s not our responsibility to save people. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. All we can do is present the Truth to them. As with the lost in any situation we look for opportunities where God can use us to plant His seed in their hearts. Hopefully and prayerfully, we can be there to see that seed bear fruit.

I also don’t believe it’s wrong for Christians to use legislative means to promote Christian values. When God gives a command, it’s for our good. God’s laws are meant to protect us and to warn us. If we use government in a practical way, we can use laws that promote healthy lifestyles. This may sound like a contradiction of sorts. On a personal level I think that we can’t force people into living contrary to their sin nature without divine intervention. No person can change another person to leave a life of sin. But as with God’s laws, there are specific benefits to having laws in government. Morality is the fabric that holds a society together. It is for our benefit and our safety as a whole. Without virtue and morality, entire civilizations have collapsed. The absence of morality can be seen in countries today and it is clear that life is devalued to the point of hopelessness and chaos.

Though I think that we should engage homosexuality with battle-like mindset on a national level, I believe it is counterproductive to separate ourselves from people on a personal level. Like stated previously, our battle is not against flesh and blood. There are going to be culture wars. We should be mindful that on a large scale it may be necessary to speak out against homosexuality. But on a personal level we need to speak the truth with love.

On this issue, I think that Phil Robertson has provided us with a real-world example of what this conflict is like in our culture. I pray that the conversations that come from these opportunities will result in people being introduced to the gospel and lives being changed. May God receive all the glory!