Posted on 07/26/2008 9:19:38 AM PDT by marbren
Question:
I am a born-again Christian, having come to faith 10 years ago when I admitted to Christ I was a sinner, believed that Christ is God's Son and that He died for me and rose again, and choosing to live my life with Him as my Savior. I have a problem with your response to the homosexual question. You write that homosexuals do not go to heaven. If homosexuals do not go to heaven, then neither do boasters, adulterers, self-centered people, thieves, liars, or anyone for that matter.
You write that "So, you see, there is hope for anyone, homosexual, adulterer, drunkard, etc., to become one of God's family. But when a person does become a believer, the homosexuality ends." I'd like to examine the last of those two sentences...You say that when a person becomes a believer, the homosexuality ends. I would pose this question to you...When a prideful person becomes a believer, does his pride end? When a selfish person becomes a believer, does his selfishness end? When a liar becomes a believer do his lies end?
Answer:
Thanks for these thoughts. I do agree with you in one sense. However, I'm trying also to work with the biblical language. The Bible states that homosexuals do not go to heaven, in a variety of ways and passages. What that means is that a person who is a believer is really entirely different, including the way he thinks of himself. Many religious people have borrowed from the therapeutic view related to alcoholism that a person is merely a "recovering alcoholic" or in this case, a "recovering homosexual". This is not true for true Christians as far as the Bible is concerned. "Such were some of you" (1 Cor. 6:9-11), means that lifestyle is in the past and the old man has died. You are not a homosexual any more. You are a Christian. But you might be a Christian who still has some problem with remaining habits and sins. In fact, we all do. You are substantially different, as indicated by your behavior. The fact that the old you has died, however, is a necessary assertion, from Romans 6. And sin is an aberration and an infiltrator. You are not what you were, but your are new. And your behavior validates that if your salvation is real.
May God give you continued hope and help as you trust Him.
Jim
Why don’t you read and study for yourself to save your soul? It is not my job. It is only for God.
Everyone goes to heaven.
The bible tells me that God formed me in my mother womb. I was not born in heaven and delivered to earth. The bible clearly states that upon the resurrection we will have glorified bodies, there shall not be male nor female we will be as the angels. Do angels marry in heaven? Are they up there having sex and knocking out babies? I don’t think so. As far as children in heaven I do not believe that the resurrected body will be of children and old people and such but a perfected mature state in Christ. If you have any scripture that says that there will be babies born in heaven or that there are children in please post them. thank you
Only briefly.
I figured you couldn't answer the question :) ...
The very next verse after the list of examples of chosen behaviors and rebellions against God that will damn someone for eternity is this:
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11).
God is the only One Who could reconcile man to Himself and the only One Who could bridge the vast void between man and Himself and He did that through the death of His Son.
Those who die in their sin suffer the punishment for their sin. Christ's sacrificial death on the Cross gave man a way out of that penalty. And although people who know Christ as Savior still fall from time to time, they are no longer enslaved to sin and in bondage to it and they have the Holy Spirit to convict them when needed and to give them a way out of temptation and an escape from sin.
A Christian who chooses to knowingly participate in rebellion against God may suffer the physical consequences for that rebellion (divorce, STD's, life imprisonment, etc.), but they cannot lose their salvation.
So no, I'm not the one who insinuates that Christ died for nothing.
Attributing that which is demonic and evil, to the Holy Spirit.
“Ever read Leviticus?”
Yes I have and it bothers the heck out of me. The rules regarding homosexuality between men are are one thing. But the rules concerning making slaves out of Canadians and my daughter, abominations out of Red Lobster Restaurants, abominations out of my no-press poly-cotton shirts ... I can honestly say that these things truly bother me in Leviticus.
The Lord He came to fulfill and not to change any small part of the Law.
I am NOT trying to be a wise acre. I am saying that parts of the Holy Bible cause me great concern when I read and pray over them. I do not think I am alone in those concerns.
No that's what Mormons believe, but we'll leave that for another thread.
My two bits anyway -
Salvation is open to them through Jesus Christ. Where the problem exists is that the homosexual community insist upon forcing Christianity to accept the behavior as God given and therefore should be condoned. Just as with all those other sins that tend to be listed, the now new Christian must begin to conform their lives within the light of the gospel.
Paul makes it clear that we are not to go on sinning, but that we are to leave the old things behind. Our society has much baggage to carry with drugs, sex, porn, you name it, that Christians must work to discipline in our bodies. Homosexuals are not alone in this - perhaps they have a harder course since so much of their identity is gained by the homosexual act.
Christian with a homosexual past need grace to get past that and into the life God designed us to have, just like all those other sins. To refuse to change and accuse God of making them that way indicates a lack of repentance and any confession of submitting themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ questionable on the earthly plane - but ultimately Jesus is the Judge of that confession.
Before I was saved; I told people, not only was I going to hell, I was working my way up through management.
“I am NOT trying to be a wise acre. I am saying that parts of the Holy Bible cause me great concern when I read and pray over them. I do not think I am alone in those concerns.”
Well....when we are standing before His judgement seat, perhaps there will be time for a question. I certainly hope so.
and I don't recall Him asking for our advice!
Stop worrying and read Acts 10...
So enjoy your Lobster.
9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
14"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
15The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
”At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, Particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the Hour of Great Mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion….”Divine Mercy
Jesus is Mercy!
Marriage at the Resurrection
18Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19"Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. 20Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23At the resurrection[a] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?"
24Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'[b]? 27He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"
Thats a good one!
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
But you already had it in your head...May as well have posted it...You're guilty now anyway...
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