According to this article in the New York Times from April 8th 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-same-sex-sinners.html , the belief that homosexual behavior is a sin is a outdated view of Christianity and a bigoted response against those who have chosen this lifestyle.  The author Frank Bruni points out that many church Denominations have already accepted homosexual behavior as a God given gender assignment that should be accepted and celebrated.  He predicts that it’s just a matter of time before all Christians accept this view as God’s truth.

The author states that people today misunderstand the Bible’s position on homosexuality as our forefathers once misunderstood the Bible’s position on slavery.  The author is right that our forefathers misunderstood the Bible’s position on slavery but it does not logically follow that because we once misunderstood the Bible position on slavery, we misunderstand the Bible position on homosexuality today.  Actually one purpose of slavery in the Bible was like a welfare system, where people sold themselves or indentured themselves for a period of time when they were going through hard times.  

Leviticus 25:38-41
38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
39 And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave.
40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee.
41 And then he shall depart from you––he and his children with him––and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers.

However, American slavery was not practiced like a welfare system for the poor but it was made people into property, where they had no rights other than what their master gave them.  This practice of using your captive for personal property was allowed by God for the Jews “only” at that specific time “only” because the people of Canaan had sinned so much that they were reprobates and considered as good as dead in God’s eye.  As a matter of fact the Jews were supposed to “kill” all the people in Canaan but because they didn’t kill them some of the captives became slaves and some later became a stumbling block and opposition to the Jews while they occupied their land “Israel”.  At no time has God told white people to go capture black people in Africa and bring them to America to work on plantations.  This kind of slavery is not sanctioned in the Bible.

Exodus 21:16
He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

But on the issues of homosexual behavior the Bible is clear in both the old and new testament that it a serious sin that causes a person to develop a “depraved mind“.  The sin of homosexual behavior causes the person to know that their behavior is unworthy in the sight of God but none the less, they “approve” of it’s practice.  In other words they have no remorse or “repentance” toward God for their sin.  And this is crux of the issue, the sin of homosexuality can be forgiven by God, just like “any” other sin but the issue is that those who participate in the sin of homosexual behavior develop a depraved mind that will NOT repent, even though they know that they should repent.  For this reason, the increase of the sin of homosexuality in the world is “last” sign that God’s judgement is fast approaching, since people lost in this sin no longer have the ability to reason and they therefore no longer have the ability to repent and be saved.   http://www.livingout.org/the-bible-and-ssa

Romans 1:18-32

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Biblical Christianity is not a “problem” that is preventing the advance a new and better world of peace and love but it is a good and Godly “restraining influence” that is keeping sin from advancing and polluting the land like it once did in Sodom and Gomorrah and in Canaan.  More importantly the Bible offers the “cure” for the sin sick soul regardless of the “kind” of sin that plagues you.  The problem is not that Christians are practicing a “bigotry” against homosexuals but Christians are proclaiming God’s truth that set’s man free from sin, including the sin of homosexuality.  People should be thanking Christians for shining the light of Christ’s forgiveness, not condemning Christians and changing the definition of sin.  Yes, God is long suffering and desire that none perish in their sin but God’s patience is not to be mistaken for His acceptance or approval of sin.  Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery but He also told her to “go and sin no more” (John 8:3).   Of course, Jesus is loving and forgiving but Jesus is also demanding when it comes acknowledging who He is and what sin is.   Sin and rebellion toward a Holy God are the problem and the sin of homosexuality is a big problem because it denies the Creator’s intent for creating man and woman, which is to populate the earth (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:7).

In order to “get along” with the world, some churches want to change the word of God into a message of tolerance and acceptance of sin, instead of a repentance from sin.  This is a serious deception that is sneaking into the church, like a wolf among God’s sheep (Romans 16:17).  This kind of teaching mocks God and spits on the sacrifice of His Son which was given to free us from sin.  And because this deception is increasing in the world and in the Church, this is another sign that Christ is coming soon to rapture His bride and judge the world!

In response to the above news article that Christian truth changes over time, God does not change (Malachi 3:6).  Christ has set us free from the ceremonial laws that were given to the Jews in order to identify them as a peculiar people unto the Lord but the moral laws still to apply to “all” people.  As the other nations saw the Jewish people offer the blood of an innocent animal for their sin, it was a foreshadowing of the Messiah who would one day come as the perfect lamb of God and provide His own blood as the final sacrifice for sin.   Praise God, the animal sacrifices are no longer necessary.  It is is finished!  Jesus has offered His body and risen from the grave.  Jesus has paid the paid the price for our sin.  It is therefore finished concerning the ceremonial laws that God gave to Moses.  Jesus has fulfilled the law.  Jesus has made a way for man to be connected to God, by grace through faith in Christ you can be born-again, and have new Spiritual life in Christ that does not die.  Christ has set us free from the penalty of “Spiritual” death that is due us because we are sinners.

We no longer operate under the ceremonial laws of Moses concerning how to pay for our sin but because we violate the moral laws of God we are still due the penalty of “physical” death and “spiritual” death.  The whole world groans under the effects of sin, the destruction and decay that lead to death.  The first peopled who violated the moral law passed the virus to the whole human race and the curse as well, as God told Adam and Eve in the garden “but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”  The actual Hebrew translation is “dying you shall die”, meaning that when you die physically you will also die Spiritually and remain spiritually separated from God.  Yet, God sacrificed the first innocent lamb, and the blood of the animal temporarily covered the sin of Adam and Eve until the the perfect lamb of God came and gave His blood on the cross of Calvary, once for all.

Some people say the Jewish age was the age of the law and the church age is the age of grace but for all men and woman of all ages, salvation has always been by grace through faith.  Grace, means “undeserved favor from God” and this is how anyone is able to be saved by accepting the undeserved favor of salvation in Jesus Christ.  Old Testament men and women that went before us did not deserve salvation anymore than we do.  It was by faith that Abraham was justified before God.  Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

If the NY Times wants to change Biblical Christianity at least they should identify what Biblical Christianity is.  Christianity is not a religious rules we have to try to keep in order to please God but it is a relationship with God that is paid for by the blood sacrifice of Jesus for our sin.  We can not come to God and have a relationship with God unless we come in repentance of our sin.  Both a turning away from sin and turning toward God are necessary, because sin and God are in opposite directions from one another, as far as the east is from the west.

– Rogersings

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