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Tag Archives: sin

Are People Born Homosexual?

04 Nov

I read an article this week about the pastor of a Georgia “mega church” announcing that he is gay. ( see article here http://www.wsbtv.com/news/25568419/detail.html ) In the article Pastor Jim Swilley stated, “I know a lot of straight people think it is a choice. It is not,”. He went on to say that he has known of his homosexuality since he was a boy. Is it true that homosexuals have no choice in the matter? Are people born gay? Is that really the question we should be asking?

We all know the scripture makes it clear that homosexuality is a sin. (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1: 24-27) But what of the assertion that homosexuality is a natural condition for some.

The question of nature versus nurture is a moot point. The Bible is clear that we are all slaves to what is known as a SIN NATURE. It is natural for people to sin. (see Genesis 3 and Romans 5 to learn how we inherited this sin nature)

Romans 7:25
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Homosexuals may, in reality,  be naturally inclined to homosexuality. That does not alter the fact that God views homosexuality as sin and hates it. God by His very nature is holy and can not abide sin.

I realize, that for those who want to remain in their sin, that this will be received with indignation, however, there is a great hope for those who do seek to leave their sin behind.

Since we have established that homosexuality is sin, lets broaden the horizon to include all sin. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fallen short of Gods perfect standard (Romans 3:23). However, God has made a path for each of us to regain perfection in the eyes of God through Jesus (Romans 5). The Bible teaches that we can become new in the eyes of God.    ”  2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” What a wonderful gift!

Shifting gears back to Pastor Swilley, I don’t doubt that he has felt a natural inclination to sin in this way. I personally have had a natural inclination towards alcohol abuse, heterosexual immorality, gluttony, and pride. These are all lifestyle sins and God considers my sin the same as Mr. Swilley. However, God has also called Mr. Swilley, myself , and every one of us to forsake what is natural to us in order to pursue what God has purposed for us.

 Romans 12:1-2
 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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I hope that you will leave me a comment regarding how you feel about this post.

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Posted by on November 4, 2010 in Uncategorized

 

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The Evolution Of My Backbone

02 Jun

The last year or so I have found myself in positions to make decisions that aren’t easy. Though all decisions have consequences, many of the decisions I have had to make recently have potentially altered the path of our families life in a permanent way. My wife and I have only half jokingly referred to this year as the year of the stand. I find myself having to take a stand for what I believe, foe what I know to be true and for what I want for my family. For the most part I believe that I have made good decisions in this season of my life, but I know that these decisions have been looked at critically by some of my friends, family and peers. This post will not focus on the decisions I have made or the circumstances that birthed them. This post is a reflection back on my “evolution” as a decision maker.

My Stiff Necked Stage

When I was a younger man (18-26ish) I took a stand on every issue that crossed my path. I was a new believer at this time as well.  My spiritual gift of discernment and the arrogance of my youth mixed like oil and water and on top of that I had not learned to control my tongue well at all. The result was a headstrong “I am always right” guy.   I even used to tell people (sort of jokingly) ” I thought I was wrong once… but I was mistaken!” I was dogmatic in my stances and ready for a debate at every turn. My attitude was prideful, my tongue was barbed, and my decisions, while usually  technically correct, were far from righteous!

My Jellyfish Stage

As I got a little maturity under my belt, I began to soften on my stances. I rightly realized that grace is a beautiful thing  and that mercy and peace were important parts of Gods DNA. I knew that being dogmatic was a waste of time and that my formerly sharp rhetoric was more likely to divide than to heal. The trouble came when I found myself more likely to compromise truth than to stand on it. I had a big tent mentality.  I began to make allowances for myself and for others that were contradictory to my foundation in Christ. I had gone from taking a stand on everything to taking a stand on nothing.  I was now in the ditch on the opposite side of the road from the ditch I had just gotten out of.

My Stong But Flexible Stage

Recently, I have moved into the third stage of my backbone’s evolution. I have realized that my strength in discernment must be rooted in the never-changing Truth of God. Truth is only truth if it is always truth. Truth is uncompromising. That said, sometimes when I allow my flesh to add to or take away from the truth I have to correct myself.  I may be wrong but God’s word never is. I can compromise my own ideas, thoughts, plans and stances, but I can not compromise the TRUTH. That truth includes grace, mercy, forgiveness, and  peace as well as resolve, firmness and righteousness.

 I am now facing the consequences of the last two stages. I am reversing course on somethings and taking stands in areas that I never had before. The result is a painful transition that I hope is temporary but fear is permanent. The only thing that makes it bearable is the fact that I know that now more than ever I am resting in my God’s will for my life. 

My backbone is not mine at all. I am the soft tissue surrounding the backbone. The Truth of God is the backbone.

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2010 in Uncategorized

 

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Tulip Or Not Tulip?

11 Apr

Over the next few weeks my good friend, and fellow IBC staff member, Jeremy and I will be teaching a discipleship series on Calvinism. I in turn will be posting an abbreviated version here on the web. Neither of us claim to be “experts” but we are sincere in our thoughts and beliefs.

Neither Jeremy or myself are in agreement with much of the Calvinist way of thinking but our goal with the students, and thus here on the blog, is to present the scriptural references adherents of Calvinism use to support their thinking and then show the opposing view. We want the students to make an informed decision. Though we have a bias, our bias is clearly stated and both sides are presented honestly. My goal is not to disparage those who believe in Calvinism but rather to inform the uniformed and express my beliefs.

That said, this post will serve as an overview.

Calvinism is a systematic theology or interpretation of scripture, made famous by John Calvin,  that attempts to shed light on who God is, the condition of man, and the roles of man and God in salvation. Calvinism is called by many names including, Reformed Theology, Grace Theology, and Traditional Presbyterianism to name a few easily recognizable ones.

 There are five central points to Calvinism that are arranged in the acronym TULIP.

TULIP stands for…

Total Depravity (or total inability): meaning that because of original sin (Adam & Eve) that the condition of man is complete and utter spiritual death, and that man has no capacity for good or to choose good or to pursue repentance or Godliness. (this is the foundation of Calvinism)

Unconditional Election: meaning that salvation is granted regardless of merit and independent of human will.

Limited Atonement: this is the flip side of unconditional election and states that Christ’s death, and therefore salvation is limited to the elect.

Irresistable Grace: this is the belief that the elect will be saved regardless of human will because God’s grace is complete and irresistable.

Perseverance of the Saints: true saints, or the elect, will persevere in faith, and if they don’t, they were never truly saved in the first place. (this is not simply once saved always saved)

Over the coming weeks I will lay out both sides of the argument for each point of Tulip. I believe that each point is flawed according to scripture.

The five points of Calvinism are dependent upon one another and if you don’t believe in one point the others begin to unravel quickly. That is why I believe there is no such thing as a one or two point Calvinist. Nor do I see a distinction between Calvinism and so-called Hyper-Calvinism.

 
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Posted by on April 11, 2010 in Theology, Uncategorized

 

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Racial Kaleidoscope

12 Mar

One of the more frustrating things about living in East Texas is the amount of unashamed racism. This isn’t a one-sided issue, however, each race seems to have people with deep seeded resentment against the others.  American history is littered with examples of racial strife and with the recent terrorism the fires  have been stoked back up again.

When I was in high school, I was definitely a product of my East Texas enviroment. I, like most people I knew, distrusted and held animosity against those who didn’t look like me.   It is a way of life around here and I used to think nothing of it, but as I have grown in my relationship with Christ, I have become more dissatisfied with the status quo. I am especially heart-broken when Christians fall into the rut of racism. 

Here are a couple things to think about.

Racism doesn’t make logical since!  To pass judgement on a race of people based solely on the color of their skin is absurd. Pigmentation doesn’t define a person. To assume that all people of a particular shade are the same is ignorant and lazy.  We are all created with free will, and we decide everyday what kind of person we will be. That is why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said he longed for a day when people were judged by the content of their character and not solely on the color of their skin.

Racism is wasted energy! When has racism ever solved a problem. I have never witnessed the benefits of racism. The feeling of superiority some may get by belittling others is temporary at best. On the contrary racism alway causes deeper divisions.

Racism is anti-Christian! I believe it must break the heart of God for His followers to degrade His creation. The hypocrisy is astounding. It’s a travesty to bask in the grace of our God and not offer the same to a person of color.

When we hear “love your neighbor as yourself”, it isn’t a warning to be careful that all your neighbors in your gated community look  just like you, but to see everyone as equal to yourself.

It is a shame for believers to give lip service and money to missions but hold animosity against another race.  I love the unofficial slogan of REACH camps, “For God so loved the world… not just your corner of it!”

Maybe it would be helpful for us to remember that Abraham was an Iraqi and Jesus was a Jew. God is the Creator of  us all. Dont let Satan use you as a divider.

 
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Posted by on March 12, 2010 in Uncategorized

 

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Judge not… Really?

04 Feb

 

We have all heard it. Most of us have said it, ”judge not lest ye be judged”.  Matthew 7:1 is the most beloved verse of sinful people.  Even those that don’t know any other scripture pull this one out of their hat when confronted with their sin. Their battle cry is “Don’t judge me!”. And they are right, Matthew 7:1 clearly states that a Christ Follower should not judge others… right? NO! This may be the most misquoted/misunderstood verse in the New Testament.  Sadly, most Christians don’t truly know their bible but rather only what others told them about the bible.  Consequently, our ignorance leaves us ill equiped to dispute falsehoods. 

 So, what does the bible say about judging others? Let’s start with Matthew 7 

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

This passage is about hypocrisy more so than judgement. Notice verse 5 acknowledges the need for “speck removal”.  This is a warning to Christians to be slow to judge others and quick to evaluate your own life.

But judgement does have a place among believers.  Jesus often called out and made an example of the religious leaders of the day.  The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5

9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

 12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

It is clear that judging others is a necessity within the church, but notice that Paul said we are not to be judging those outside the church.

Here are a few conclusions I have made based on these scriptures (and many others on the subject).

Be careful to examine your own life before confronting others.  Don’t allow your hypocrisy to stand in the way of the truth.

Don’t expect an unbeliever to behave as a believer should. Instead be an example to the unbeliever of the “new creation” Christ has made of you.

Do not be ashamed to call sin what it is. If someone claims to be in Christ his/her life should reflect Christ.

And lastly, choose love over wrath when confronting sin. God chose to show us love and we have a mandate to do the same for others.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on February 4, 2010 in Uncategorized

 

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