February 14 – Sexual Behavior Versus
Feelings
I Corinthians 6:9f – "Don't
you know that wicked perons will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived: neither sexually immoral persons, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, not male prostitutes, nor practicing homosexuals, nor
thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you
were...."
In 2017, the world is letting
everyone know how they feel, every day, all day long. Facebook
allows us to do so, ad nauseum. The general "moral values"
of our culture have also changed quite dramatically over the last 20
– 60 years. Some things that were considered "sinful" by
the culture sixty years ago, are acceptable today, even arrogantly
flouted. The culture has changed because the "veneer of
cultural Christianity" (as I call it) has worn off, and the
culture is left with its blatant sinfulness uncovered. True
believers, however, do not stand by the whims of the culture. They
stand upon the solid rock of God's word, which does not change like
shifting sand at every breaking wave.
How is one to act when inundated
by the supposed balancing statement of "Love the sinner; hate
the sin"? There is so much hullabaloo, even in the body of
Christ, about loving everyone regardless of one's sexual orientation.
Therein lies the crux: orientation versus godly behavior.
When I was in Bible college in the 80s,
I had a close friend, a roommate for one semester, who was sexually
oriented toward the same sex. His outward mannerisms certainly
pointed in that direction (stereotyping notwithstanding, as even
stereotypes are based upon some semblance of truth). He confided to
me what was already obvious. Why did he need to confide in anyone?
Because he knew that his orientation – his feelings, if you will –
was not normal, and it was leading him into temptations toward sin
with which a child of God might deal. Was it his fault that he was
raised and surrounded mostly by females during his most formative
years, when his self-esteem was the lowest? The point that I am
getting at is that sexual orientation is very deep in our beings,
even argumentatively "natural". However, the animal
kingdom decidedly argues against that thinking. Why? Because animals
are hard-wired sexually (call it instinct; call it God's handiwork;
it is the same), even though there are some species that are quite
social. Humans are are at the top of the social ladder; so we can be
taught, consciously or sub-consciously, to ignore what is "natural".
Our minds have great capacity to do so. A village might not be
necessary to raise a child, but a child can certainly be a product of
that village's values. Professional marketers know that all too
well.
The Greek word for "practicing
homosexuals" in the above scripture is "arsenokoitai",
which literally means "man having sex with man". It is
forbidden in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament (See 1
Timothy 1:10, where the same Greek word is used; Leviticus 18,
especially verse 22.) Both New Testament references here also
include the general term for sexual immorality, the Greek word
"pornoi", from which we get the English word, pornography.
It is a reference to any sexual act that is sinful, which is
basically anything outside of marriage. (Marriage is defined by God
to be a union of one man and one woman for the duration of their
lifetime together- no exceptions. Jesus confirmed Genesis 2:24 in
Matthew 19:1-12.) So, homosexual behavior is not singled out as
being worse than other forbidden sexual behavior. It is, however,
grouped together with other sexual behaviors that are practiced by
non-believers.
In the mind of the Christian,
there should be no need to know someone's sexual orientation. It is
irrelevant as it relates to behavior that is pleasing to God. Which
leads me to my thoughts on why sexual orientation is so touted as
important to the world. Since our culture has increasingly ignored
God's commands, which are meant for our good (Deuteronomy 10:13), it
seeks then to justify its own behavior, by flaunting itself, instead
of hiding it in the darkness. Hiding it insinuates shame; flaunting
it insinuates justification. John 3:19 casts some light (pun
intended) on this thinking: "This is the verdict: Light has
come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because
their deeds were evil."
The upshot is this. As a
follower of Jesus, I don't need to know or care about the sexual
orientation of any unbeliever. I need to present the good news to
them, based upon the bad news. The good news is that God will, and
wants to, forgive them, and bring them into his family, teaching them
how to best live their lives, while seeking and pleasing Him. The
bad news is that they are enemies of God, kicking away at God's
gentle, loving prods, because they are slaves to their own
sinfulness. In relation to believers, God's word is clear. We are
to conform our behavior and thinking in accordance with God's ways –
regardless of how we feel about it. Love toward God is not a feeling
– it is an act of one's will.
