How do you feel about gays in:

How do you feel about gays in:

1) Society

The same as I do about thieves, murderers, gluttons, those who abuse alcohol, sinners in general. I would treat them with the same courtesy as I would anyone else. If members of my family, I would accept them, but not give vocal approval to their being gay, anymore than I would applaud a family member's gluttony or kleptomania. If told by that person that I must accept that as a declared part of their identity or forego a relationship, it is their choice, not mine, that the relationship is discontinued, as it is not I who am despising the LAW on this matter. I do not approve of Gay Pride parades, and other related activity any more than I would "Womanizer Pride Parades", or people celebrating their gluttony or drunkenness. According to history, these attitudes toward sin eroded and destroyed great societies of the past. We are destined to do the same, it seems.

2) Laws (current marriage controversy, tax status)

I believe society should treat homosexuality in proportion to its perceived damage to society. Although all sin is the same to God and His Law, (James 2:10), its effects differ in severity in terms of its effects upon the society of man, and so law adjusts to discourage those sins which are of the most harm.

The Lord gave the responsibility of Human government to Noah's descendants (Gen 9:6), and at one time it was entrusted to Kings, (1Peter 2:13, 2:17; Rom 13:1-7) and now, since the advent of democracy, it is entrusted to that corporate entity defined by the phrase "We, the People".

The perceived severity of homosexuality changes over time, and the laws have both accepted and even praised it as the highest form of carnal knowledge, (Roman and esp. Greek Societies).

In the voting booth, I do my duty as would the righteous king ( "We the People") and vote against it. As Executive, Legislator or Judge, I would act against legalizing it in any way and make it punishable by law to the same degree as pederasty, rape, incest, bestiality and other unlawful forms of carnal knowledge. Making it illegal is a demonstration of love as it would spare a lot of sexual addiction, guilt, heartache and disease, (HIV/AIDS being only one of many).

3) Church/religion?

Homosexuality is unique among the sins in this regard: …that God uses it as a "label" to identify some who have sinned against the knowledge of God by refusing to acknowledge Him as Creator and sustainer of life.

Paul tells us in Romans 1 that since unbelievers act "against nature" in refusing to retain God in their “spiritual knowledge”, and are thus "unthankful" for all He is to them, he identifies their spiritual condition by "abandoning" them to the outward condition of being "against nature" in forgoing the "natural carnal knowledge" of the opposite sex to prefer the "unnatural carnal knowledge" of the same sex.

Paul also says in Romans that this is the “perfect recompense” for their error (refusing the knowledge of God) which was "due" (gr. DEI, or "perfectly fitting"). God, in history has often given His rejecters over to "confusion" and this is but another "more focused" type of that response.

True Christians have experienced the new creation…

(Rom 6:2-11;2 Cor 5:17,21;1 Peter 1:23;1 John 5:18; Ezekiel 36:26; Jer 31:33-34, John 3:3-8)

 …and thus have a sinless and incorruptible inner man, (new heart, spirit, etc.). We cannot expect those who do not have the resources of this new nature to behave in the same way or to have the same insight as we who have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within this new creation of God. Paul taught that we were dead in, and slaves to; sin. How can a slave to sin do any other but obey its lusts? It is stupid and pointless for us to condemn those who are so enslaved.

Instead we ought rather to love them as Jesus would, and give them the "knowledge of Christ" which is the natural antidote to the false knowledge in which they are engaged and entrapped. That having been said, brothers in Christ are a different matter altogether. We should absolutely not allow unrepentant homosexuals into the church. If someone is congenitally homosexual (from the womb) he should maintain self-control as the Bible indicates. He should either be married to a woman (or vice versa) or remain celibate (as did Paul).

All of us suffer genetic damage because of our sin in Adam. There are people born with Hermaphroditism, Jesus said that some are Eunuchs from the womb. Some are also born with a proclivity toward Homosexuality, Effeminacy, etc. The Law is there to control this problem. A kleptomaniac cannot say, "I was born to steal from others; it is who I am as a person, and you must accept and validate that part of my identity."

The law restrains our sinful urges. For a Christian, it is not wrong to have homosexual urges or thoughts. This is to be expected as long as our sinless new nature is wrapped in sinful flesh. (Romans 7, 1 Cor 15, Hebrews 4:12) It is wrong to engage in this activity. Sometimes a Christian will even succumb to this sin, but then express heartfelt repentance. The non-celibate cohabitation with, or "marriage" with the same sex, would not be a lifestyle which expresses repentance, would indicate a lack of this new nature, and is to be disciplined by the church so that he may be saved in this age. (Matt 18:15-20, 1Cor 5:1-5)

In fact, Paul says we have nothing to do with judging those outside the Church on sexual matters.

 “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner——not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."” (1Co 5:9-13 NKJV)

For application, let's take the case of a former classmate of ours who, (I've not heard otherwise) has been with his lover for longer than either of us have been married (24 years). What should my attitude be toward him? If I were a true believer who believed in eternal damnation, I would do everything in my power to save him from his fate, crawling on ground glass if necessary, employing every possible ruse or device to bring him to his senses. But since I don't believe Hell is eternal: I would attempt to share the Gospel with him and see if perhaps the Lord would use the opportunity to perform the miracle of the New Birth.

If my efforts were unsuccessful, I would treat him the way Paul and Jesus gave example. I would maintain fellowship with him both as an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ, and in the hope that it might bear fruit in the salvation in the present age.

Jesus fellowshipped with sinners, because He expressed the attitude as follows:

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"” (Mr 2:16 NKJV)

“"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? "And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” (Mt 18:11-14 NKJV)

 And Paul said that he did not tell us to avoid fellowship with the sinners of this world...

...yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. "

Thus the success of Christian prison ministries, rescue missions, etc. And if in any way I were unsettled on how I should treat ANYONE, I would err on the side of LOVE.

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