WHERE DO WE STAND?

Recent legislation has now elevated Nature Worship to the status of the recognized religion of our country. Our nation, which was founded under the principles of "In God We Trust", has now been conformed to one which worships the creation He created. Few today, however, see the link between such a departure from the faith and the "gay" lifestyle that has become so common in this country. A bit of investigation in God's Word will help us uncover this link. Romans 1:18-2:3 tells us all about it. The latter is a Biblical consequence of the former. Because they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, God gave them up unto such vile affections. Are we seeing judgment upon a nation which is rapidly departing from the faith? Note that verses 2931 list other notable characteristics of humanity today: being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whispers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. Are we not in the midst of God's judgment today? No, this is not the Tribulation, but certainly that is upon our very doorstep. Matthew 24:37 reminds us that the coming of the Son of man will be in the days that are as the days of Noah, and II Peter 2:56 reminds us that Sodom and Gomorrah were a part of the days of Noah. Here and in Jude 7 we see further links to this departure from God's intentions, and the judgment to come.

Has the master of deception been satisfied with the lust of man for man and woman for woman? No, indeed we see further development into depravity. Now man lusts after children. Our society has become so perverted that we adorn our babies with lipstick and eye liner, pierce their ears, dress them in sexually alluring clothing, and teach them to "strut their stuff" for the judges in beauty contests. Such publicity coupled with pornographic displays of child nudity has prompted an unparalleled lust for the "child woman". Children of both sexes are abused daily in our culture, even infants under one year of age are sexually assaulted, but we fail to learn from the horrors before us.

Those who stand for the Biblical authority in opposition to sexual perversion of any nature, are often deemed to be hate mongers, and are legally subject to stiff fines and/or imprisonment, even now. When our government begins to enforce these legal restrictions upon those who uphold the Word of God, they will be turning their backs upon the very book they profess to believe, yet such a time is upon us. Reference to these Biblical teachings as hate crimes implies that God teaches hate that the very One who shed His blood for the remission of our sins hates those who are involved in these iniquities. What could possibly be more hypocritical than such implication? God doesn't hate mankind! His hatred is toward the sin embraced by us, not toward us. The person's (or nation's) consequence of sin is judgment by a Holy God. His natural reaction to the deception of our day, however, is to convict our spirits, to help us recall what the Bible says has been written by Him upon our hearts. It is only after repeated attempts to turn mankind from the flagrant disregard for His Word that He imparts judgment, abandoning His attempts to reach us, giving us over unto our vile affections, and allowing us to proceed in our destined depravity. He doesn't hate the person who falls into deceit, seduced by the world around him into the bondage of sexual perversion or any other sin. His heart still yearns for that one to see the need for Him and to turn beck to Him.

How then should the Christian treat those who have rejected or departed from the faith and fallen under the bondage of sin? We must remember to embrace the true Spirit of God here; to hate the sin, but love the sinner. We must remember that He came to set the captive free. It is our Christian duty to stand in opposition to anything deemed to be contrary to God's teaching, but to do so in love. We must reach out to that one who is trapped in the cycle of sin, and tell him of the saving power of our God over ANY and EVERY bondage he faces. (A most excellent book by Neil T. Anderson called The Bondage Breaker would be very helpful to anyone who seeks freedom from such bondage. It is one of a series designed to redirect the one who has become a slave to addictions of the flesh.) God's Word tells us in I Corinthians 10:13 that God offers a way of escape for every temptation. When we accept Yeshua as our Savior, God gives us the power to become the sons of God. Note here, that even as Christians, we are not automatically made to BE the sons of God. Though we are given power to BECOME the sons of God, it is up to us to decide whether or not to use the power He has given us; whether to become the sons of God, or fall back into sin and become the sons of perdition. While our salvation unto the Kingdom of God the Father is never jeopardized by a return to the sins of the flesh, II Peter 2:18-22 begins to hint that the consequences for the dog who returns to his vomit may indeed be severe.

Many will say that mankind has no power over genetic traits. That is why there have been such painstaking efforts to prove that homosexuality has genetic roots. Numbers 14:18 does say that the iniquity of the fathers may be visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Indeed this may be genetic. Whereas it must be acknowledged that an individual has no direct control over physical genetic characteristics, genetic traits pertaining to emotions rarely fit into this category. They undoubtedly prompt a tendency toward a particular choice, but it is still a choice.  Just as God enables the one with genetically inherent alcoholic traits to overcome the addiction of alcoholism, the person who has homosexual traits IS able by the power of God to overcome this desire and live by the standards God intends for us to heed. It is a matter of the breaking of the self-will to override the inherent desires of the flesh, and live by the new spirit He gives us when we receive Him as our Savior. Through His power we are all able to live the resurrected life of Christ, if we CHOOSE to do so. That is what is meant by being crucified with Him Galatians 2:20) and taking up our cross daily to follow Him (Luke 9:23). We must train our minds to submit to Him rather than to indulge the cravings of the flesh. Regardless of how powerful these desires of the flesh may seem, we must remember that the power He gives us when we receive Him is greater!

As Christians, it is imperative that we acknowledge the truth of God's Word. We must remember that when choice is involved, the problem is almost always spiritual in nature. Medical help is occasionally needed for physiological and neurological disorders, but the typical cause is rooted in spiritual deception and enslavement to desires of the flesh. We must not "judge"; it simply is not our place to do so. If, however, we see the obvious fruit that results from spiritual decay, it is our duty to set aside any revulsion for the acts such a one commits, and reach out to that one with love, drawing him to (or back to) the power that can free him from the captivity he suffers. …Contrary to the "politically correct" interpretation of hate, to try to help one see his need for Christ so he can be freed of the slavery of addiction is the exact opposite of hate. To reach out to such a one with hope of relief is love, whereas to ignore the problem, and leave that one under the …bondage of sin without trying to help him is akin to hate. Apathy has no place in the eyes of the holiness of God. It is better in His eyes to be cold than to be lukewarm (Revelation 3:16). As Christians, have we become so fearful to stand up for His Truth that we have become apathetic, and lukewarm? Are we subject to being "spewed out" of the mouth of God? Please note that it was Christians He was speaking to here. There are consequences to be paid by the Christian who becomes apathetic. We were bought with a price per I Corinthians 6:20. Isn't it about time we get about His business? We won't have much longer to reach the many who need our help.

May God speak to each of our hearts as we examine them to see where we stand before Him in our willingness to be used of Him in these end days.