Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”
Our Bible verse for today: “This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The males in the same way also left natural relations with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.” Romans 1:26-27 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “The New Testament clearly teaches against same-sex sexual activity.”
It has been rightly said that Romans 1:26-27 is the most significant Bible passage pertaining to the practice of homosexuality. There are two other passages in the New Testament which also speak directly to this issue, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10, but Romans 1:26-27 is without question the most important.
What Paul did in this passage was he reaffirmed that which was so clearly taught in the Old Testament, that God forbids homosexual practice in all circumstances.
However just as with the Old Testament passages regarding homosexuality, there have been attempts made in recent years to redefine what the New Testament passages really mean. Matthew Vines and others have attempted to make the case that this passage in Romans in particular, does not really condemn homosexual acts committed within the structure of a long-term monogamous relationship.
Well, the Scripture can only mean what it was intended to mean by those who wrote it. Every study of New Testament Greek conducted by serious and well trained scholars over the last 2000 years has concluded that this passage forbids sexual relations between individuals of the same sex, regardless of the nature of the relationship. That has been the universal consensus right up until modern times. And even today, it is only those on the extreme fringes of Christian thought, those with a predetermined gay-friendly bias, who are now promoting this new understanding of the text. However what the Bible actually teaches on this subject is not in any serious doubt. God was clear. He forbids homosexual activity in all its dimensions.
However now that we have seen what the Bible says about homosexual activity, there are still a number of serious and sensitive questions we need to address. Why is it that Jesus never spoke directly about the issue of homosexuality? What about sexual orientation and the possibility that people are born gay? What about “gay rights” in the realm of civil law? – And so much more. But tomorrow we are going to circle back to where we began this discussion and spend a little more time ensuring we are keeping this all in its proper perspective.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 