THEOLOGY
This section covers the Biblical view on homosexuality and the spectrum of what the LGBTQAI+ movement covers.
It answers some intrinsic questions on what is the religious standpoint on this subject.
There were many topics of our world today that Jesus did not explicitly speak about some of them being abortion, euthanasia, human trafficking, etc. But we have to look at the principles that Jesus taught. For example, concerning marriage, Jesus stated, “At the beginning, the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ So, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:4–6). Here Jesus clearly referred to Adam and Eve and affirmed God’s intended design for marriage and sexuality. Smoking, for example. Jesus never specifically said that smoking was a sin, yet we know that smoking is injurious to health. The point is that Jesus did not need to itemize sin, especially when the further revelation contained in the Epistles removes all doubt as to homosexuality’s sinfulness.
Read more: https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-homosexuality.html
God created sex for our enjoyment and designed the male and female body to be united in the unique ‘one flesh’ union. Gods context for sexual intercourse is lifelong commitment in marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24). This view of marriage and sex, which Jesus quoted and endorsed, rules out all sex outside marriage, whether heterosexual or homosexual.
Both the Old and New Testament condemns homosexual behaviour.
Lev 20:13 says ‘If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them’.
In the New Testament, homosexual practise is among the list of things which the apostle Paul warns against. His teaching is quite explicit:Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.(1 Corinthians 6:9-10).(It is important to note that homosexual practice is only one subject in this list. Others include sexual immorality of any kind, greed and dishonesty). In Paul’s view, homosexual practice is one of the results of human rebellion against God. God gives us the freedom to follow our own desires, if we so choose. Paul’s language here is uncompromising, and at times it may seem almost offensive to modern ears. He also writes in Romans 1:27, ‘In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. ‘
Paul says that homosexual practise goes against Gods created order and he extends his message to those who ‘not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them (Romans 1:32).
In the book of Jude again there is a caution where the punishment handed out to Sodom still holds true. ‘‘...just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire’(Jude 1:7).
It is vital to note that nowhere does the Bible condemn homosexual orientation, homosexual feelings or homosexual temptation. Temptation is not sin. Jesus was ‘tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin’(Hebrews 4:15).The biblical focus is not homosexual preference but homosexual practise. Jesus took the Scriptures as his authority and if Jesus is our Lord, then we must follow Him.
Reference: What Is the Christian Attitude to Homosexuality – Nicky Gumbel
The Bible is very clear in declaring that indulging in homosexual activity is a sin. Genesis 19:1–13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10 are some of the verses that point this out for us.
Genesis 1:27 says: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
After God created mankind he gave them their purpose. Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. In order to do this Adam needed a helper. According to biology an organism is defined as male or female if it is structured to perform one of the respective roles in reproduction. As the story of Genesis unfolds we realize that there are other things in God’s creation that are termed complimentary duality like heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, within the animal kingdom we have male and female species. Mark 10 Jesus said that at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. A man and a man or a woman and a woman cannot reflect the union of Christ and the church. It doesn’t show a complete picture.
One of the fruits of rebellion against God is homosexuality. Living a life in complete opposite terms to what God has ordained is disobedience. And God, when he sees the depravity of man will give themselves over to their wicked and destructive ways. He offers the free gift of salvation to those that repent and turn from their evil ways but for them that do not, eternal damnation is what they are condemned to.
The temptation to engage in homosexual behavior is very real to many. Those who struggle with homosexual attraction often report suffering through years of wishing things were different. People may not always be able to control how or what they feel, but they can control what they do with those feelings.
Resource : https://www.gotquestions.org/homosexuality-Bible.html
There is a verse from 2 Sam 1:26 where David says ‘I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.’ This verse is more than often misquoted to represent that the Bible celebrates love between men in more than the normal sense. Never could this be more false. Recently there was a play that premiered in New York City depicting ‘The trials of David – A Queer biblical puppet play’ It promotes the thought that David and Jonathan provide a model of same-sex love.
There are different kinds of love. The four types most known are
Eros: erotic, passionate love.
Philia: love of friends and equals.
Storge: love of parents for children.
Agape: love of mankind.
The love of David and Jonathan is that of Philia. It was a deep friendship between them where they felt their souls were knit together. Jonathan’s support of David and his help in David’s ascendency to the throne was so much more valuable than David’s relationship with his wife (Saul’s daughter Michal). Unfortunately because of the current times and culture we are in we tend to look at every relationship between same sex people from the virtue of it being homosexual.
Resource : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKinPUU1wFY
Lesbianism is described as women exchanging natural relations (with men) for unnatural relations (with women)
Romans 1:26-27 says “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion”.
Clearly, this passage puts lesbianism on equal ground with male homosexuality.According to the Bible, being a lesbian is just as sinful as being a gay man.
In those days in which Paul lived, here he uses the phrase “even their women” seems to suggest that it is more common for men to engage in sexual depravity, and when women also began to commit unnatural sexual acts, it was a sign that things were getting really bad and the degree of immorality had truly become shameful. This is true in our times also.
While the Bible declares that God hates all workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5), it nowhere singles out homosexuals as objects of God’s hatred. The Bible is consistent in its message that homosexuality is a sin. It is rebellion against God. According to the Bible, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So, all sin is offensive to God. God’s forgiveness is just as available to a homosexual as it is to an adulterer, fornicator, idol worshiper, thief, greedy person, etc. (1 Corinthians 6:9)—it is equally available to all sinners, which is all human beings. So the message is to focus on the forgiveness of God if we repent and turn from our ways. The Bible says he is willing to sanctify and make us the people who are pleasing to him.
Read more :
One passage usually cited in the argument that the Bible's references to homosexuality actually refer to paedophilia is Leviticus 18:22: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." The specific claim, made by some apologists supporting homosexual behaviour, is that the word translated "man" should be translated "boy." The "detestable" act, then, is having sexual relations with a boy, not with an adult male. This is a misinterpretation and can be derived by implying some other meanings to the word male where the age or stage in life is not focused on. The clear meaning of Leviticus 18:22 is that God forbids sexual relations with those of one's own gender—the age of the participants has no bearing on the command—and that's the way the verse has always been understood. A careful reading of the entire Bible shows that it is consistent in its approach to homosexuality and does not imply different things at different places. Therefore the right interpretation has to be taken rather than deviously manipulating the truth.
Links: https://www.gotquestions.org/homosexuality-pedophilia.html
Mathew 19:12 ‘For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.’
The eunuchs of the Bible were usually castrated males or those incapable of reproduction due to a birth defect. A eunuch could also be someone who performed work typical of eunuchs, although he remained perfectly capable of having sex—i.e., “eunuch” in some cases was simply a title. The purpose of intentional castration was to induce impotence and remove sexuality. It was a common practice in ancient times for rulers to castrate some of their servants and/or advisers in order to subdue and pacify them. It was especially common to castrate men who tended the royal harem. In the context of Mathew 9:12, Jesus mentions eunuchs in terms of whether it is good to marry. Jesus identifies three types of “eunuchs” here: natural eunuchs (“born that way”), forced eunuchs (“made eunuchs by others”), and voluntary eunuchs (“those who choose”).
So does that mean that they are deprived of having a family? Not at all.
The family of believers becomes a true family for them. They may not be able to have children born of natural descent but they will have children born of the spirit and will be able to commune with the family of believers with Christ as the head.
Further Reading: https://www.gotquestions.org/eunuch-eunuchs.html
1 Corinthians 6:9 states that those who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God. They transgress God’s created order and therefore are not saved. When examining what the Bible says about homosexuality, it is important to distinguish between homosexual behavior and homosexual inclinations or attractions. It is the difference between active sin and the passive condition of being tempted.
Homosexual behavior is sinful, but the Bible never says it is a sin to be tempted. Simply stated, a struggle with temptation may lead to sin, but the struggle itself is not a sin. The problem with homosexual attraction is that it is an attraction to something God has forbidden, and any desire for something sinful ultimately has its roots in sin. The pervasive nature of sin causes us to see the world and our own actions through a warped perspective. Our thoughts, desires, and dispositions are all affected. So, homosexual attraction does not always result in active, willful sin—there may not be a conscious choice to sin—but it springs from the sinful nature. Same-sex attraction is always, on some basic level, an expression of the fallen nature.
Resource : https://www.gotquestions.org/homosexuality-Bible.html
Transgender, describes a person whose gender identity is different than the sex they were assigned at birth. It is an adjective, a descriptive word, and can encompass any variety of non-binary and gender-expansive identities.
The Bible speaks about gender right from Genesis chapter 1 where it says God made us male and female in his image. He loves us as distinct male and female. The Bible nowhere explicitly mentions transgenderism or describes anyone as having transgender feelings. However, the Bible has plenty to say about human sexuality. Most basic to our understanding of gender is that God created two (and only two) genders: “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). All the modern-day speculation about numerous genders or gender fluidity—or even a gender “continuum” with unlimited genders—is foreign to the Bible. So, while the Bible does not directly mention transgenderism, when it mentions other instances of gender “confusion,” it clearly and explicitly identifies them as sin.
Any distinction that comes out of societal compulsion and which makes us turn away from what God ordained calls into question the beauty of the distinction that God has made. In 1st Cor 13 there is a category of behavior that is unseemly. If we act as per our will then we are not following the precepts of God. When people claim to be living in the freedom of Christ yet choosing to create their own perceptions of gender and live by it then God is not honoured in any way.
Biblically there is a distinction between affliction and sin. No matter if the gender distortion has a genetic, hormonal, physiological, psychological, or spiritual cause it can be overcome but not in our strength or power but in the power of the one who holds our future in His hands. We need to pray for healing and repent of our sins so that the Holy Spirit can work in changing those aspects of our life that leads us to destructive and harmful ways. The Corinthian believers are an example of such a change: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
There is hope for everyone, transsexuals, transgenders, those with gender identity disorder, and transvestites included, because of God’s forgiveness available in Jesus Christ. So if we are afflicted and not living a life of sin Christ takes us in and cleanses us and we can live a wholesome life. But if it is a choice we are making to heed and succumb to our inmost desires then unless we repent we won’t allow the work of Christ to happen in our lives. The path we choose is up to how we decide what the journey in this life will be like.
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