“We learn from the Bible teachings that homosexuality is one
of the sins most hated by God. We can
find that in both the Old Testament and the New Testament are abounding with
judgment and damnation of the sin of homosexuality and its punishment. (Genesis 19:4-24) describes the sordid saga
of the sodomites and their final destruction.
In (Leviticus 18:22) the law clearly labels homosexuality as an
“abomination,” and (Deuteronomy 23:17) defines male prostitutes are excluded
from Israel, as well as (1 Kings 15:12) the sodomites are removed by Asa out of
the land, including (Isaiah 3:9) the sin of Sodom is exposed, and (Romans
1:24-32) explains how men who are burning with homosexual lust become taken
over by a depraved mind. (1 Corinthians
6:9) identifies that homosexuals and male prostitutes will not inherit the
kingdom of God. When facing this
problem, the minister’s attitude must be to love the sinner but hate the
sin. Offering God’s redemption and hope
for people bound by the sin of homosexuality, to be delivered and set free for
the rest of their lives as is written in (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
It is obvious through the spread of AIDS, that the severe consequences
from the sin of homosexuality has been its cause, but unfortunately government
refuse to acknowledge this and its spread goes unchecked. In fact the opposite has occurred where, “The
government has shown its compliance by permitting the election of homosexuals
to office, by allowing children to be taught that homosexuality is merely an
alternate lifestyle. Our youth are
pressured to consider the very practice for which God destroyed the twin cities
of the plain centuries ago.” (Pierce, 1996, Ministerial
Ethics: A Guide For Spirit-Filled Leaders, P.159).
Peter Harvey, an English Catholic theologian writes in his article from
the Scottish Journal of
Theology, and outlines a radical position on the nature of
morality, using the Bible for the application of theory to practice, arguing “That
the sacralizing of marriage marginalizes other possible forms of
relationship.” (Woodward & Pattison,
2009, P. 183). An example given by Harvey is that of same-sex
partnerships occurring which defends their ability to approximate the ideal of
marriage, but fails to take seriously the variety of same-sex relationships
differing from heterosexual relationships.
Harvey questions the facts whether a gay or
lesbian relationship does conform to an ideal transposed from the heterosexual
context, and shows his concern with its affect, on those involved becoming
oppressive or liberating. Harvey points
out that, Pastoral theology is to become more committed and socio-politically
aware, to meet the challenges from the perceptions of gay people, and points
out that “The theological virtues of faith, hope and love need to be worked out
afresh “in fear and trembling.” (Woodward & Pattison, 2009, Pastoral and Practical Theology, P.
183).
Bruce Milne author of Know the Truth affirms the
need to be obedient to Scripture, and Jesus gives an example in (Matthew 19:5)
that in the union of marriage they are no longer two, but one. For God has revealed Himself and His plan and
purposes for us in Christ Jesus as He has been revealed through all the
Scriptures for us to know Him, then we are totally obligated to submit our lives
in obedience to the Bible, in knowing truth and living it out as given in the
Scriptures.
(Psalm 51:6) in the Old Testament teaches that truth is primarily a moral quality, which requires the characteristics of faithfulness and dependability in action. We can read this same understanding from within the New Testament writings of (John 3:21; 1 John 1:6) expressing John’s concern for living and doing truth. The Christian doctrine of authority for Christian truth is revealed in the Scriptural evidence for all believers of Jesus Christ and His ministry on earth, to expound the Scriptures for our further understanding as He states in (Matthew 5:17) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Christian truth embraces the authority of Christian doctrine as truth, by understanding Bible principles and setting one’s mind to understand the truth given in Scriptures from the Old and the New Testaments, and to obey it seriously with a passion for truth and implying a passion for obedience to truth.
(Psalm 51:6) in the Old Testament teaches that truth is primarily a moral quality, which requires the characteristics of faithfulness and dependability in action. We can read this same understanding from within the New Testament writings of (John 3:21; 1 John 1:6) expressing John’s concern for living and doing truth. The Christian doctrine of authority for Christian truth is revealed in the Scriptural evidence for all believers of Jesus Christ and His ministry on earth, to expound the Scriptures for our further understanding as He states in (Matthew 5:17) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Christian truth embraces the authority of Christian doctrine as truth, by understanding Bible principles and setting one’s mind to understand the truth given in Scriptures from the Old and the New Testaments, and to obey it seriously with a passion for truth and implying a passion for obedience to truth.
Milne
notes that, “In the end the doctrine of authority is eminently practical. It confronts us with a specific challenge to
obey all that the Bible teaches, all of the time. Nothing could be more searching or down to
earth than that.” (Milne, 2004, Know
The Truth, P. 66).
Retaining equality in marriage is God’s plan originally as He designed,
for a “Marriage involves the consent and the intent of the will between a man
and a woman. It is a binding covenant –
not a license – between one man and one woman.”
(Berkley, 1992, P. 420).
The marriage vows taken within today’s
climate are taken as a contract rather than a covenant commitment between a man
and a woman. The difference being that a
marriage covenant is based upon equality in the life-long ideals of mutual love
and fidelity and recognizing God’s action.
Whereas, the marriage vows viewed as a contract, does not recognize
God’s apparent action but rather deals with impersonal matters.
God planned the marriage between a man and a
woman and “Become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
God commands His people in (Genesis 2:28) to leave their parents and
cleave to their mates.” Therefore, when
a man and a woman are joined together in marriage, become part of God’s divine
order, re-enacted and followed after the vows, by the physical consummation of
their union together, has been an objective of marriage since its inception by
God, in which God fulfills our creative
destiny. The wedding ceremony when approached
reverently as a worship service for both man and woman in mutual consent, glorifies
God’s creative pattern, for God instituted marriage as honourable and
“Sanctified marriage for the welfare and happiness of mankind.” (Berkley, 1992, Leadership Handbook Of Worship & Praise,
P. 413).
Presently, there has been a shift in emphasis from
marriage, to a relationship, a term being widely used and accepted due to
obscurity within the distinction between legalized marriage and de-facto
marriage, as both being accepted and recognized to be the equivalent version of
the same thing, and is today acknowledged by the legal system for committed
enduring homosexual relationships and heterosexual relationships, in which gay
relationships are seeking to receive equality in marriage as in heterosexual
marriages. This is evident from 1994, when
the country’s pre-eminent counseling service, the board of the Marriage
Guidance Council of Australia changed its name to Relationships Australia, as
foreseeing the future reality that marriage would be included in the many forms
of relationships, sexual and otherwise.
(Mackay, Advance
Australia Where…, 2007).
Dennis and Barbara Rainey are co-founders of Family Life international ministry, whose mission is to build Godly marriages and families created on the principle that the family provides the foundation for society, and as Christians we are told in the Bible to believe that God and not man created marriage, and marriage between a man and a woman was the first institution designed by God as a sacred covenant and life-long. The Bible clearly states that marriage is a legally binding public declaration of commitment and a private consummation between one man and one woman and never, between the same sex. God gives a wife to a husband and a husband to a wife, receiving one another as God’s unique and personal provision to meet the mutual needs of each other.
Dennis and Barbara Rainey are co-founders of Family Life international ministry, whose mission is to build Godly marriages and families created on the principle that the family provides the foundation for society, and as Christians we are told in the Bible to believe that God and not man created marriage, and marriage between a man and a woman was the first institution designed by God as a sacred covenant and life-long. The Bible clearly states that marriage is a legally binding public declaration of commitment and a private consummation between one man and one woman and never, between the same sex. God gives a wife to a husband and a husband to a wife, receiving one another as God’s unique and personal provision to meet the mutual needs of each other.
We must believe and declare that the marriage commitment must be upheld
in our culture today as God’s sacred institution as the truest sense of
spiritual, emotional and physical intimacy, so that men and women can become
one as described in (Genesis 2: 18-25; Ephesians 5:30-32; 1 Corinthians 7:3;
Matthew 19:4-6; Proverbs 27:17; Romans 1:26, 27; 8:29; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 22:30; Deuteronomy 24:5; Song of
Solomon) for the purpose God created marriage of couples to glorify God as one
flesh, enjoying sexual pleasures, and parenting godly children. “As iron sharpens iron, we believe God uses
marriage to sharpen a man and a woman into the image of Jesus Christ. Just as the Trinity reflects equal worth with
differing roles, we believe that God created a man and a woman with equal worth
but with differing roles and responsibilities (Genesis 2:18-25).” (Rainey & Rainey, 2007, Family Life Marriage Bible,
P. 9).
The
Bible does not allow sin to be swept under the carpet in the case of
homosexuals or lesbians who are professing Christians. We must address the gay issue with professing
Christians thoughtfully and carefully, and my responsibility as a Christian is
to point those who are gay professing Christians to Christ, who calls them to a
biblical sexuality, which God designed to be expressed through the sexual union
of marriage, which is only between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24) “That is
why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they
become one.” (GNT). (Dawson, The
Complete Evangelism Guidebook, 2008).
"Anyone who finds they have committed any of these sordid lifestyle in their own lifestyle, I now invite you to repent and ask God's forgiveness so that He may remove any generational curses you have inherited on this account, or your families for that matter:
*"Lord Jesus you alone are our God and Saviour. We acknowledge our sins on account of our sordid lifestyle and that of sordid lifestyle handed down to us through generational curses from our ancestors and forebears.
Lord Jesus we alone have no chance to be freed from such curses, but through you Jesus "All things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). So we submit our life, our will to be conformed to your standards, with the renewal of our mind, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God according to your Scriptures in (Romans 12:2).
Help us Jesus to be the kind of person you want us to be, and save us Jesus, save us from all our sins, Amen! So be it Lord Jesus do it, and may your grace Jesus through the Holy Spirit sanctify us for your service in our lives to behave like Christians (Romans 12:9) to "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."
In Christ Jesus we now entrust our life, and we now draw the bloodline of Jesus over the whole lots!"
"Anyone who finds they have committed any of these sordid lifestyle in their own lifestyle, I now invite you to repent and ask God's forgiveness so that He may remove any generational curses you have inherited on this account, or your families for that matter:
*"Lord Jesus you alone are our God and Saviour. We acknowledge our sins on account of our sordid lifestyle and that of sordid lifestyle handed down to us through generational curses from our ancestors and forebears.
Lord Jesus we alone have no chance to be freed from such curses, but through you Jesus "All things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). So we submit our life, our will to be conformed to your standards, with the renewal of our mind, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God according to your Scriptures in (Romans 12:2).
Help us Jesus to be the kind of person you want us to be, and save us Jesus, save us from all our sins, Amen! So be it Lord Jesus do it, and may your grace Jesus through the Holy Spirit sanctify us for your service in our lives to behave like Christians (Romans 12:9) to "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."
In Christ Jesus we now entrust our life, and we now draw the bloodline of Jesus over the whole lots!"
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