THE SIN OF
By John Grubb
The
Gentiles in the first century were very wicked and sinful. They refused to believe in God. They made idols and worshiped them. “Therefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among themselves” (Romans
1:20-24). They sank so low that they
practiced the perversion known as “homosexuality.” “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their
women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. And likewise also
the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust toward one
another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves
the penalty of their error which was due” (Romans 1:26, 27).
Some
today are telling us that homosexuality is normal and right. Our Lord tells us what is normal and right in
sexual relationships: “And He answered
and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning
made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh? So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has
joined together, let not man separate”(Matthew 19:4-6).
Many
religious leaders defend the practice of people having sexual relations with
those of the same sex. The
There
is much confusion today about the difference between right and wrong. This was also true in the days of Isaiah, the
prophet. Isaiah wrote, “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”(Isaiah 5:20). Just because some people
say homosexuality is right does not make it so!
Some
say that we should not discuss homosexuality because it is a political issue. However, it was a moral issue long before it
became a political issue. The Bible
teaches that homosexuality is a sin. If
a person does not repent of it, he will be lost eternally.
The
first example of homosexuality was found in the city of
The
Law which God gave to
The
New Testament also makes it very clear that homosexuals will not go to Heaven
unless they repent of their sin. The
apostle Paul wrote: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the
Can
homosexuals be saved? God loves all
people (John 3:16). He wants everyone to be saved (I Timothy 2:4). Homosexuals can be saved in the same way that
other sinners are saved. They must hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ
(Romans 10:17; John 8:24). They must repent of all their sins (Acts 2:38; 17:30, 31). This means that
they will stop their evil practice of homosexuality. They must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God (Acts 8:37; Romans 10:10). Then they must be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts
2:38; Romans 6:3, 4). Notice
what Paul said about homosexuals and other evil-doers at
“And such were some of you. But you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord
Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11). When they became Christians, they stopped
their sinful practices. This shows
people can change.
Great
pressure is placed upon Christians by society to ignore sin. It is not popular to take a stand against sin
today. Neither was it popular for the
prophets in the Old Testament to stand against sin, but they did it anyway! It was not easy for the Christians in the
first century to preach the Gospel to the heathen world, but they did it! It
will not be easy today, but we must obey God (Acts 5:29).
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