The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 18:22,
"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable."
This law, given by God, is found in a chapter that outlines a number of laws given by God regarding sinful behavior. Among them are incest, bestiality, child sacrifice, and here, homosexuality. God not only commands us from engaging in homosexual behavior in his law here, but unlike many of the other laws in this chapter, he goes beyond to tell us he finds this behavior "detestable" - his own perspective on it.
The law was given by God to demonstrate our own sinful condition. While many of the laws provided by God may not be challenging for some of us to keep, (as with many in this chapter), our efforts at keeping all of God's law becomes a real problem. Consider Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." I'd like to think I do that, and in spite of the fact that I do love the Lord tremendously, I'm afraid I just don't pass muster here. The law defines for us why none of us have a right standing with God and are subject to the eternal judgment of God, what is described as a "fiery lake of burning sulfur in Revelation 21:8.
The whole exercise of God giving the law was to show us our need for his mercy and his salvation: salvation from his own judgment. In Romans 3:20 we read, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." We just can't keep the law and as such we must throw ourselves at the mercy of God. Thankfully, we discover God's mercy in Jesus Christ, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
How wonderful God's mercy in Jesus Christ is! How wonderful he paid the penalty for all our sins!
However, we do not want to be confused over exactly what it is that God both finds within in us and the things we have done that have created the need we have for his salvation. Among the many manifestations of the sinful condition is homosexuality. Certainly, it is not the only sin that can be committed, but in our culture today, when so many attempt to convince us all that homosexuality is acceptable, there is One who will never accept it. All the effort at attempting to redefine homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle is lost on the Creator and Designer of all human life. He finds homosexuality as detestable.
Homosexuality is a degradation that God gives people over to when they have rejected him, as his judgment of them in this life, "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual 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 shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." Romans 1:25-27.
Homosexuality is specifically stated as a behavior that separates anyone from the kingdom of God, "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
The wonderful news in this last passage is that none of these sins, including homosexuality, is beyond the reach of God's wonderful mercy found in the payment of Jesus Christ for our sins. As the passage goes on to say in verse 11, "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."
"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable."
This law, given by God, is found in a chapter that outlines a number of laws given by God regarding sinful behavior. Among them are incest, bestiality, child sacrifice, and here, homosexuality. God not only commands us from engaging in homosexual behavior in his law here, but unlike many of the other laws in this chapter, he goes beyond to tell us he finds this behavior "detestable" - his own perspective on it.
The law was given by God to demonstrate our own sinful condition. While many of the laws provided by God may not be challenging for some of us to keep, (as with many in this chapter), our efforts at keeping all of God's law becomes a real problem. Consider Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." I'd like to think I do that, and in spite of the fact that I do love the Lord tremendously, I'm afraid I just don't pass muster here. The law defines for us why none of us have a right standing with God and are subject to the eternal judgment of God, what is described as a "fiery lake of burning sulfur in Revelation 21:8.
The whole exercise of God giving the law was to show us our need for his mercy and his salvation: salvation from his own judgment. In Romans 3:20 we read, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." We just can't keep the law and as such we must throw ourselves at the mercy of God. Thankfully, we discover God's mercy in Jesus Christ, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
How wonderful God's mercy in Jesus Christ is! How wonderful he paid the penalty for all our sins!
However, we do not want to be confused over exactly what it is that God both finds within in us and the things we have done that have created the need we have for his salvation. Among the many manifestations of the sinful condition is homosexuality. Certainly, it is not the only sin that can be committed, but in our culture today, when so many attempt to convince us all that homosexuality is acceptable, there is One who will never accept it. All the effort at attempting to redefine homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle is lost on the Creator and Designer of all human life. He finds homosexuality as detestable.
Homosexuality is a degradation that God gives people over to when they have rejected him, as his judgment of them in this life, "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual 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 shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." Romans 1:25-27.
Homosexuality is specifically stated as a behavior that separates anyone from the kingdom of God, "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
The wonderful news in this last passage is that none of these sins, including homosexuality, is beyond the reach of God's wonderful mercy found in the payment of Jesus Christ for our sins. As the passage goes on to say in verse 11, "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."
God loves us all, including homosexuals. We all can find forgiveness of our sins. However, when our culture begins to celebrate a false legitimacy for homosexuality, it is simply deceiving itself and keeping many who need to repent of their sins from turning to God's forgiveness.
God's word, the Bible, condemns homosexuality as sin. God finds it detestable. Don't let anyone fool you otherwise.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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