It is sad to see that she has missed the point and maybe so have the ex-gay people. God wants us to be obedient - very often in spite of what we feel or think we just have to trust what He says is true and try to line up our lives with what he expects - maybe He will change those desires, maybe not. Maybe it is such a stronghold in a persons life that all they can do is try do what God says, sometimes fail, get back up again, rely on his forgiveness and start again.
Excellent post. “In a nut shell”
Well said. It’s. Like an alcoholic. Maybe it’s hereditary, maybe not. Don’t be a drunk.
I don’t doubt that same-sex attraction is real, but I don’t see any difference between it and any other sinful temptation. An alcoholic is certainly tempted to drink alcohol to excess, a liar tempted to lie, and an adulterer tempted to cheat on his spouse.
Like you wrote, the Lord may choose to free us from those temptations, but in my experience, a weakness typically remains a weakness. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic, but God promises us strength to overcome. I don’t know of anywhere in scripture where it says He’ll remove temptation, but as we grow in Christ, we do become better disciplined (generally speaking).
I feel sorry for those who suffer from same-sex attraction, but the Lord has His purposes and must be trusted. If it means a lesbian must remain celibate, that is far better than burning in Hell.
Is homosexuality punishment for something else...
the person or persons did?
Romans 1:1-27 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1%3A21-27&version=NIV
II Peter 2:2 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II+Peter+2%3A2&version=NIV
Jude 1:4 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude+1%3A4&version=NIV
Romans 1:28,29, 32...
32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,(BJ) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve(BK) of those who practice them.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV
If we know it to be wrong and don’t say something...do we approve and deserve death?
Did Jesus approve the “Old Testament” laws? Yes.
Can he grant forgiveness? Yes.
How do we get forgiveness...Sinnner on the Cross prayer?
Had Jesus’ covenant/Testament gone into effect before his death?...or after...his death?
Hebrews 9:16
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Hebrews 9:15-17 (in Context) Hebrews 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=death+of+the+testator&searchtype=phrase&version1=AKJV&language1=en&spanbegin=1&spanend=73
Men and brothers, what shall we do?
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”(AW)
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,(AX) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.(AY) And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(AZ) 39 The promise is for you and your children(BA) and for all who are far off(BB)—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202&version=NIV
Excellent post. Truly the best I’ve seen on this subject in at least a while.
The “ex gay movement” could benefit from adoption of what you point out here. That, and embracing, at least as possibility, living a celibate life.
In our sex-obsessed anti-culture, sadly many are led to believe if not outright told your life has no worth if you aren’t having sex. Also, the social momentum to keep sex confined to marriage still carries some weight if not as much as it should.
This is why I personally believe the “gay marriage” push has gained so much ground. There is no option available for those afflicted with same-sex attraction (either from genetic predisposition or environmental influence it makes no difference it’s still an affliction)
We are all given crosses to bear. For those with such an affliction celibacy may indeed be the best route. The human being is not defined by his sexuality, or even his sexual “needs”. It’s our perverse anti-culture that demands otherwise.
There is nothing wrong with living celibate as a vocation. The Bible says so. This should be an option for people with same sex attraction, instead of implying or outright saying to them “you just need to get married to a woman, then you’ll see how wrong homosexuality is”. If celibacy were offered as an option, from a Christian perspective, I think the lives of many more homosexuals would be changed for the better. Because the fact of the matter is, many find the idea of sex with a member of the opposite sex as repulsive as we do homosexual acts.
The loving option of celibacy frees them from that burdensome choice.