Homosexuality, Is It a Sin?
This is the wrong question. It has hurt people, and the damage to the cause of Christ is immeasurable.
To arrive at the right answer about anything, we have to start with the right question.
The Murder
The murder of God’s Son shined His eternal light on the depth of man’s depravity. At the same time, it unveiled the depth of God’s forgiveness. “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” [1]
Christ’s intercession was for “them,“ His murderers. That’s who Christ’s Father forgave, and Christ’s murder is what He forgave “them” for. We identify with “father forgive them,” but we also own the crime. God has forgiven the world of the crime of killing His Son. If He hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here.
We’re All Guilty
The slaying of Jesus manifested the highest concentration of sin of all time. But the immediate participants simply revealed the potential that lies in all human nature. It proved that the worst thing possible is possible in us. We should all cry, “how could we do such a thing?” [2]
But we say, “I wasn’t there.” Neither was Isaiah, but he wrote, “and we hid… our faces from Him, He was despised and we esteemed Him not.” Is.53
We say, “but I had nothing to do with it.” So Christ prayed, “they know not what they do.”
One Origin
From God’s perspective, the origin of all human behaviors is the same. It’s the same fallen human nature that murdered His Son. Fruit is determined by its tree. Everything from that origin comes “short of the glory of God,” Rom.3:23. That’s the definition of sin.
All sin, no matter what form it takes, was represented at The Crucifixion and borne by “the Lamb of God.” Every act of man lines up behind an ultimate connection with the Cross. All sin is comprehended as part of what killed Him as if it were a hammer blow of the nails or lash of the whip.
The Answer
Any question of “what’s a sin,” or “what’s not a sin,” therefore, is already answered. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” to God, Is.64:6. So why ask the question, is homosexuality a sin?
The aim of isolating a particular behavior for a special review ignores what The Crucifixion already proved. No redemption potential of any kind is possible in man.
There is no list of virtuous behaviors. “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Not some, or most, all! Not just our evil deeds, our righteousness’s! If there were any such virtues that could gain our redemption, the necessity of Christ’s Blood would be dismissed.
Is homosexuality a sin? The right question is, what ISN’T a sin?!
The Morality Question
Grading morality and behaviors presumes it makes a difference to God. For example, wouldn’t mowing your neighbor’s lawn be graded as a good moral deed, worthy of merit? Of course, but that’s the wrong question. Ask Ron Goldman’s father if he’d like OJ to mow his lawn. The murder of his son cancels all virtue of any deed done by his murderer.
It’s not the deed, but who’s doing it that determines acceptability. It’s not the act, but the origin of the act that matters to God The Father. Christ said, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh…” Motive, attitude, is irrelevant, it’s still flesh. It all comes from the same tree.
Scripture says, “the plowing of the wicked is sin,” [8] “the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination,” [9] and ”the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to The Lord.” [10] Plowing? Sacrifice? Thoughts? What’s wrong with those? Obviously nothing. But God looks at the origin, and therefore assesses that “there is none that doeth good, no not one,” Rom.3:12.
Such is the morality of the murderer of God’s Beloved Son.
The Right Question
Looking at it from The Father’s perspective compels the right question.
Man asks, “is “__________________ ,” a sin?” God asks, “What ISN’T a sin?”
Man asks, “What about our good deeds?” God asks, “What about the murderer of my Son?”
Only God asks the right question. [27] The arena of debate asking “is homosexuality a sin, or not,” has already bypassed the answer given, wanting another one.
Secondary Questions
Such questioning after the murder is irreverent of Jesus’ Dad. It distracts from the incrimination of The Cross and demeans the heart of the matter, which is the Father’s broken heart.
He should have destroyed us in justifiable wrath. Instead, He mercifully forgave us because “God so loved the world.” How dare we then, bring up lesser charges for reconsideration?
Why This Question?
What motivates focusing on this particular behavior? God’s Grace is indiscriminate, it’s always unmerited. Everyone’s salvation owes to God’s favor alone, regardless of works.
Veiled phobias and social concerns ignite such meddling. These demote The Father’s priorities, replacing them with personal zeal for pet sensibilities. This “strange fire.” (Lev.10:1-3) burns with passion fueled bias and outrage posing as the anger of The Lord. But “the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God” no matter how exhilarating it may feel, Jms.1:20, Jn. 2:17.
Relative to the murder of God’s Darling Son, homosexuality is incidental, as is any activity of fallen man. The Father’s sensibilities are the priority. The real outrage is for the murder of His only Son. Nothing is more contemptible.
Witnesses Of What?
Our zeal is from the very Spirit that raised Christ back to life from that murder. His thermite-like fervency for Christ’s Resurrection is as penetrating and militant as the Resurrection itself. Not even death can quench it.
The Spirit’s fire is Holy, carrying its empowered witnesses into all the world, with the testimony of Christ’s Resurrection, i.e., The Gospel.
Supernaturally testifying this lead miracle of all miracles, we magnify the one and only thing that reversed the irreversible, and thereby saved the entire world from the hopeless sentence of eternal death for killing God’s beloved Son.
Are we Witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection, or crusaders for morality?
Are we Ambassadors for Eternity, or social activists?
The Power Outage
The energy transfer from the true Gospel to mere “moral cause,” short-circuits the cause of Christ and leaves the world in the blackout of a substitute gospel.
The gospel of morality is ineffective. The world that God so loves is repelled by it because salvation by moral merit is not “good news” for those who killed Jesus. Only“the goodness of God leads to repentance,” not our goodness, no matter how good it gets. Rom.2:4. God offers righteousness as a “free gift by Faith, not works,” Eph.2:8-9.
This end time condition of self-righteous zeal was predicted. It’s defined as “Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2Tim.3:5.
The Condemnation Question
Why should homosexuals be condemned more than other sinners? Did their sins kill Christ more than mine did? Life comes with enough guilt without heaping an extra portion on homosexuality.
Ask any homosexual about the sanity fracturing weight of guilt and condemnation from society. Tragically, most of it originates from religion.
Is the homosexual excluded from condemnation? Of course not, nobody is. But extra condemnation is uncalled for. As for the guilt wielding bullies brandishing the wrong question, the right question, “what ISN’T a sin,?” is so “every mouth may be stopped,” Rom.3:19.
The Question Of Consequences
Is God’s help for homosexuality less than that for other consequences? Clearly, we reap what we sow, emphasis on “we.” But God still helps with our consequences. Misrepresenting His help as preferential is like crucifying a second Jesus for the “special cases.”
As the murderers of God’s beloved Son, Hell should be our eternal harvest, but it’s not. Heaven is. If we always reap what we sow, how can this be?
The Overrule Of Mercy
May we never forget, what we were guilty of.
May we always remember, what we have been forgiven for.
May we recognize, forever, what His Mercy has spared us from.
May we constantly remind ourselves of what His Grace gives us that we don’t deserve.
When applying the truth about consequences, never forget that God is constantly mitigating consequences, for all of us.
The Difference Question
What about the stigma of homosexuality? Is it worse than murdering Jesus? Judas hanged himself. No wonder the suicide rate of homosexuals is so extraordinarily high.
“For there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God,” Rom.3:22-3. Measuring how short, to rank particular issues, is foolish and prejudicial and unspeakably cruel.
“God is no respecter of persons.” He’s no disrespecter of persons either, Acts 10:34.
There is no Grade “A” Grace for some, and grade “B” Grace for the others. How dare we make differences then. All heaven bound passengers go “first-class.”
Jesus said,” that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” In the final analysis, that’s the only difference that makes any difference. Pleasing God arises from a “new creation,” where “old things have passed away and all things are become new.” [19] In other words, a new tree.
The Question Of Condescension
Who makes such inquisitions about specific sins after the verdict has already been rendered? We killed His Son and His Grace mercifully forgave us for everything before and after that. Do we dare drag others before His law, like the morality police?
Judging man’s actions like elevated jurors is immoral. Who dare assume the lofty bench of “holier than thou”? [15] And where does anyone get “the first stone?” This can only be God’s call, [16] and He already made it at the crime scene. Case closed!
Case Closed!
If we know “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” [11] then the only question that could possibly remain would be, “is there an exception?” Are we asking if homosexuality is the one righteous activity of mankind? Of course not, neither is heterosexuality or any other behavior in light of “the murder.”
God preempted the question by saying, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one,” [13] and, “there is none righteous, no, not one,” [14]and, “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” [12] The case was closed before it was opened so we wouldn’t open it.
The Damage
For those singled out by such a question, the effect is crushing, as it would be for any of us under similar scrutiny. Many have walked back out the door of faith they came in, after encountering the wall of rejection for the top despised behaviors in Christendom.
For those newly acquainted with God’s Grace, such rants are confounding. For the multitudes of the unchurched, the effect is a decisive inoculation against any consideration of Christianity.
“Where sin abounds, Grace does much more abound,” Rom.5:20. “You cannot out sin the Grace of God,” must be our continual proclamation.
The Effective Message
This was the message of the early church. “You killed The Son of God,” was declared by The Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost and three thousand were saved. Five thousand more followed soon after in response to the same word of God’s Grace. Acts 3:14-15. This message was effective.
The indictment equalizes everyone under a single, all-inclusive felony while neutralizing all intimidating religious condescension. “Father forgive them, they know not what they do,” then releases the full potency of the Gospel’s simple “cure-all,” for all. [4] They turned the world upside down with this one-two punch.
The Apostle Paul calls this, “the power of the Gospel.” [5] He said, “I determined to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” 1 Cor.2:2.
It’s this message of the supernatural Resurrection that God confirms supernaturally. Instead of alienating people, it saves them. It’s the one the world is waiting for.
The seismic tremors of this Gospel will resound throughout the world until Christ returns, when “they which pierced Him, shall see Him.” [6] The murder of Christ is the issue of Judgement day that we are all heading for.
The Celebration
God’s forgiveness was installed at the murder scene, inclusive of all other behaviors by the perpetrators. Every other possibility of guilt, therefore, has been eliminated forever. That’s “Good News!”
Because God answered the cry of His dying Son, every member of Adam’s race is “justified,”, i.e., “just as if we never sinned.” [3] All we have to do is believe it.
The completeness of our forgiveness starts at The Crucifixion and continues from there to every other implication of sin, past, present and even future.
This calls for Celebration!
The Invitation
Jesus dined happily with Publicans and sinners. Are we so foolish to think it was because of their morality? Really?! “Sinners”?!
No! Communion with Christ imbibes the embodiment of God’s “one size fits all” Mercy and unconditional acceptance.
“Blessings for all, on the house!” is “Good news!” Who wouldn’t want to join that party? It’s the one God is throwing. It’s Heaven! And the whole world is invited. Our mission is to deliver the invitation. It reads, “WHOSOEVER WILL MAY COME!”
continued in Homosexuality Part 3 Genetics Vs Behaviors
All ref. KJV
[1] Lk.23:34 [2] Is.53:1-7 [3] Rom.3:24 [4] Acts 2:22-3 [5] Rom.1:16 [6] Rev.1:7 [7] Is.64:6 [8] Pro.21:4 [9] Pro.21:27 [10] Prov.15:26 [11] Is.64:6 [12] Rom.14:23 [13] Rom.3:12 [14] Rom.3:10 [15] Is.10:33 [16] Jn.8:9-10 [17] Rom.6:23 [18] Rom.3:22-3 [19] 2Cor.5:17-18 [20] Matt.3:17 [21] Acts11:26, GK [22] Jn.17:2 [23] Jn.3:3 GK [24] Rom.1:17 [25] Rom.5:9 [26] Rev.22:17 [27] Rom.12:2-3 [28] 1Tim.1:15 [29] Ps.13:5 [30] Lk.18:13 [31] Rom.12:16 [32] Ps.33:18