The
Truth In Print Vol. 15 Issue 1, Feb. 2009
A
Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928-782-5058)
Website Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
The Real Sin In Sodom
News Week magazine (Dec. 15th issue) had as its top
article “Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy” by Lisa Miller. This journal-evangelist
of sorts was out of her league and telling Christians the Bible teaches what we
know the Bible does “not” teach! You may access a series of articles the church
is running on this in our local newspaper on our website at: http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/newsweekblunder.htm .
When I
first read the article on line I couldn’t help but notice they had listed
favorable replies right at the bottom of the article. It made me angry to see
the wicked justifying ungodliness. In striving to offer some scripturally
helpful things in regards the sin of blessing gay unions I wrote:
“It is
not God who is doing the blessing but people who help others do what God does
not desire. God's word says "He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art
righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him" (Prov.
24:24) …Besides having the blessing in the wrong place such leave out the curse
that God reserves for those who bless the wicked (Pr. 3:33). Isaiah spoke of
those who justify the wicked for reward, while taking away the righteousness of
the righteous from him (Isa. 5:23). The wicked have always thought they had a
right to speak for God, the prophet said (Ezk.
22:28). Those who justify the wicked and condemn the just, both are an
abomination to the Lord (Pr. 17:15). Additionally Jesus taught that… the one
who keeps His commandments, is the one God loves (John 14:21). When one does
not love Christ they do not keep His word (John 14:24). There is nothing
complicated here, nor does it take a general conference to understand this. The
practicing homosexual is not keeping Christ's word, the New Testament. Above
all, one abides in God's love by keeping His commandments (John 15:10). The
worthless and immoral cannot teach the Bible in context for if they should do
so it will deny them their own fulfillment of their carnal lusts (Jude 18). And
that is their reward for what they teach!”
Although I referenced no particular
responder here comes “Homosexual Man.”
That’s what he used to identify himself by - “Homosexual Man.” He wants to know who I’m calling worthless,
tells me I am guilty of hate speech that is anti-Christ, lets me know if there
was someone with the name Jude who taught such he wasn’t speaking for Christ
and then tells me Ezekiel was talking about such men as myself.
This was the beginning of a wonderful penship relationship and I strived to love him as David
loved Jonathan — truthfully according to God’s word!
I replied if the truth is hitting you hard,
homosexual, and if that offends you here’s some more from God that exposes what
the wicked are doing who hate the truth and conceal it to justify the ungodly.
And then I explained that God knows when men conceal the truth. We also know
some would like to fix things to prevent Christians from teaching against sins
that damn the soul. All such hate the one who reproves sin and speaks uprightly
(cf. Amos 5:10, Pr. 9:7-8). They also hate the truth of God’s word that states the
sins! The sin of homosexuality is listed in I Cor. 6:9-10 with several others
sins that will cause some to be lost. It belongs with degrading passions
flowing from impure hearts which cause both men and women to dishonor their
bodies among themselves, Paul said (cf. Rom. 1:24-27). Such persons had
exchanged the truth of God for a lie! They worshipped and served the creature
rather than God the Creator.
Homo-Man responds that he is being honest
and that is why I hate him. He says I’m telling him he must lie and
misrepresent himself to get to heaven. And I’m being disrespectful, hateful, arrogant and taking pleasure on hitting him over the head
with the Bible. He believes I should try and understand his perspective for he
believes Jesus was and is the Son of God, and that He died to save us from sin
and accomplished that salvation.
I reply to him that his problem is his
perspective and his perspective is keeping him, at least for now, from obeying
the Lord (cf. Lk. 6:46). Then I explain to him that Jesus did refer to Sodom’s
judgment when He spoke of His own coming in judgment and warned it would be the
same way when He is revealed (cf. Lk. 7:26-30). I pointed him to Jesus’
condemnations of homosexuality both Himself and by His word passed on to the apostles and New
Testament prophets (Matt. 15:19, Jo. 17:8,14, I Cor. 6:9, Gal. 5:19-21, 2 Pet.
2:6-7, Jude 7). I emphasized that Jesus require obedience based upon repentance
(Matt. 21:28-32, Lk.13:3, Lk. 15:11-32 ). For that reason Peter preached that those who
believe in Christ as the Son of God are to repent and be baptized for the
remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). Homosexuals were told repent and obey the
Gospel (I Cor. 6:9-13). To repent they had to stop their homosexual practices!
Moreover Christians were forbidden to fellowship other Christians who returned
to their prior homosexual practices (I Cor. 5:9-13).
With charges of mockery to myself and
others, Homo-Man says you have to recognize that the
Bible was written by human beings who also had imperfection. Some of them, he
says, were anti-gay. And what does Homo-Man say next about the sin of Sodom? He
says If you knew the Bible, you would know that Ezekiel 16:49 says that the sin
of Sodom was that they were arrogant and rich and would not help people who
were poor or sick … In other words, people who oppose welfare and Universal
Health Care are committing the sin of Sodom. I replied that Homo-Man thinks the
only description of the sin of Sodom to be found in the Bible is in Ezekiel.
Homo-Man just skirts the issue of Jesus demanding repentance of lasciviousness
including homosexuality, and the fact that Christians could not fellowship
other Christians who returned to practicing homosexuality. I gave him a
description of Sodom using Jude 5-9 and then Genesis 19:5 that describes their
filthiness from the Old Testament scriptures. The word “relations” means
intercourse. Older homosexuals corrupted the youth of this city and their
willingness to engage in gross immorality is displayed publicly. They weren’t
destroyed because they did not vote for the Cities of the Plains Welfare
System! I told him it is evident that you do not want the truth taught.
You will do anything necessary to deny it and your ridiculous welfare statement
shows it! Oh yes, are you going to call Peter mean, hateful, etc. because he
taught you the truth? How about Jude? Will he be rude, arrogant because he
taught you the truth? And Jesus too?
And what does he give with his silly
statement that their sin in Sodom was they did not vote for the City of the
Plains Welfare System? His wanky answer is -- sorry but there's not a word
there about homosexuals as opposed to heterosexuals. And then what? He gives
his deluded declaration of being too honest to lie!
Was Lot a homosexual!
Finally, with a last snort of the nostrils
he tells me I don’t want him to come to a new spiritual understanding, I’m full
of hate, I just want to thrash him with the Bible. In vain, I believe, I tell
him Homosexual Man you don't need flattery. The things you are saying are silly
and you are not listening to what Jesus said that can save your soul. Jesus
told people who were blind spiritually that they were blind hypocrites full of
self indulgence, and that they would not escape Hell (Matt. 23:24-33).
Homosexual Man you cannot practice homosexuality and go to heaven. You will go
to Hell. You have been shown that. Please listen!
By
Bob Lovelace
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learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com