“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
This chapter is based on 24 verses in 9 passages of Scripture
Note: All Scriptures in parenthesis appear in my book, Revealing God’s Design with Love, or can be looked up in any Bible.
Years ago, at the University of Wyoming, I taught my students tactics on how to win a debate. I told them if they felt they were beginning to lose the match, to attack their opponent’s trustworthiness and credibility. In a debate, this is called an ad hominem argument (an argument or reaction directed against a person rather than the position they are supporting). Sometimes the tactic worked, and at other times it didn’t, depending upon how articulate and merciless the attacking student might have been.
In the current debate over the practices of the LGBT Community in America, I have found those who either lack belief in God or who reinterpret what the Scriptures teach about these practices often use ad hominem arguments to win over others. They revert to calling Christians homophobic, discriminatory, prejudiced, racists, and even bigots. In addition to this name-calling, they sometimes go beyond winning others to their side and try and destroy Christian beliefs in the process. Regrettably, they have been successful to a degree, removing the Bible and prayer out of our public schools, and winning battles over abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, mercy killing, and the use of social marijuana.
What’s next for this ever-growing anti-Christian agenda? Perhaps, to push for the right to marry more than one partner at a time, or even to marry a same-sex mate and an opposite-sex mate at the same time. Maybe, and even worse than this, would be a future requirement that all religion-based institutions (schools, churches, synagogues, and Christian organizations) hire homosexuals and transgender people to their staff.
Regardless of what may happen, at the moment, Christians are being called and labeled all kinds of ugly names because of what they believe about homosexuality, a belief condemned and recorded below in Leviticus 20:13, I Corinthians 6:9-11, and Romans 1:25-27.
What does it mean to be homophobic? By definition, it identifies those who harbor an irrational hatred or fear of homosexuality. That’s what any phobia is, a great hatred or fear of something. However, Christians are not homophobic, because if they attend themselves to the Scriptures as they should, they will demonstrate no hatred or fear at all toward the homosexual community, only a desire to see them saved or recovered from their sins.
Neither are Christians discriminators. By definition, discriminators are those who speak out and do ill to others they deem as inferior. A Christian, as described in the Scripture, should never have a superior feeling toward anyone, but rather be clothed with as much humility as possible.
When ministering to homosexuals or to those who have changed their gender, we as Christians, are not to have a sense of superior feelings toward them, but rather a sense of humility. We should see them as more important than ourselves as the Scriptures teach. The following two verses bear this out, one from Jesus and the other from the Apostle Paul.
But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted
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. (Jesus, Matthew 23:11-12)
To me, the very least of all saints (believers), this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles (non-Christians) the unfathomable riches of Christ. (Paul, Ephesians 3:8)
Neither are Christians bigots as some critic’s claim. What is a bigot? One who not only has a general dislike and prejudice toward others but also has a deep hatred and intolerance of them. Sometimes that hatred and intolerance are carried out through violence. The Ku Klux Klan, for example, is far more than just prejudiced or discriminatory against blacks; they are bigots toward them. In the past, they not only denied the rights of black Americans in our society, but ridiculed, beat, and even murdered them because of their race. This has been and is still today evil and disgusting.
When Christians are called bigots because of their opposition to the sin of homosexuality, they, in essence, are being tagged as intolerant and hate-filled. Nothing could be farther from the truth, for God through the Scriptures teaches all Christians to love others and hate no one, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.
But I say to you who hear, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” Luke 6:27-32
A huge part of this loving process is to do all that is possible to help those drowning in sins like homosexuality, by building a loving relationship with them. Then share with them the path we have personally taken when accepting Christ’s offer of salvation. Does this sound like the actions of a bigot? I think not!
Opponents of Christians also declare us to be racist-like in beliefs and actions. They say our rejection of those in the LGBT community is the same as rejecting a particular race, color, or gender. This is not true, because according to the Scriptures living an LGBT lifestyle is not something anyone was predetermined to be or to do, but a choice made, and a very sinful one indeed. (See Leviticus 18:22-24 and I Timothy 1:8-10 referenced below)
Last Thoughts
When Christians follow the Scriptures on homosexuality will they suffer discrimination and rejection for speaking out against these practices? Yes, because many of the most powerful in our government, schools, judicial branches, media, and entertainment industries today pressure other Americans to accept all LGBT practices. They also push to discard what Christians say, even though what we say is based on the Bible.
Unfortunately, many Americans are giving in to this pressure. What a change in thinking and direction for us as a nation, whose founding leaders like Patrick Henry and Supreme Court Justice John Jay to name a few, did not hesitate to integrate Christian beliefs and the Scriptures into what would be good, right, and normal for America.
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.1 Patrick Henry
The Bible … is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed.” 2 Patrick Henry
“In forming and settling my belief relative to the doctrines of Christianity, I adopted no articles from creeds but such only as, on careful examination, I found to be confirmed by the Bible.” 3 John Jay (1st Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court)
Scriptural References for Homosexuality and Gender Change
Leviticus 20:13 If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them.
I Corinthians 6:9-11 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [a forerunner to gender change], nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Romans 1:20-32 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Leviticus 18:22-24 22 You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. 23 Also, you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. 24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.
I Timothy 1:8-11 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for the murderers 10and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
Footnotes
- M. E. Bradford, The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of Virginia (Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1991), page iii.
- William Wirt, Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry (Published by James Webster), page 402.
- George Pellew, John Jay (American Statesman Series), page 360.