Sodomy, homosexuality

I am writing this post on homosexuality but hopefully not differently than I would on any other topic. I could do a blog post on blasphemy, covetousness, or a lot of other things, but I am writing this one instead because I have personal experience in this area. I never really had a big problem with covetousness much, and I just now learned the definition of blasphemy so I’m not feeling qualified to write on that topic, I did though have about a 10 year season in my life which I lived the gay lifestyle

I would address this to the church first because of the reaction I have seen lately by a lot of Christians toward homosexuals and say that we cannot judge people in our own wisdom. I haven’t found anywhere in the bible that it says that if you commit adultery or fornication, but never with someone of the same sex it is ok or somehow not as bad, or if you never steal but if you lie about your neighbor it is ok, a sin is a sin, there is one unpardonable sin and homosexuality is not it. If a “Christian” goes around judging gay people in the world in a spirit of anger and condemnation, the christian will reap what he sows. Matthew 7:2. The “Christian” could be guilty of sin themselves in their judging of people, it is not our job to judge the world for God. He can do it quite well Himself. I am using quote marks around the word Christian often because there has been an outbreak of “Christian Nationalism” in the US lately and it is not Christian at all, they follow none of the commandments that Jesus gave to His disciples, especially ‘be harmless as doves’ and ‘put up your sword’ and ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘bless your enemies’ ‘feed the poor’ ‘clothe the naked’ ‘visit the prisoner’  ‘welcome the stranger’ etc etc etc. 

The apostle Paul wrote about the churches judgment of fornicators:
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  But them that are without God judgeth.               1 Cor 5:9-13

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?   James 4:11-12

When we try to judge people by our knowledge we often do more harm than good.
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

Jesus himself said:
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. John 5:30

A lot of Christians like to quote the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as Gods judgment against gay people. Jesus had something to say about that too. Jesus wasn’t sent to the earth during the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, He wasn’t sent until the time the Father appointed Him. Jesus didn’t say that if He had been born during the time of Sodom and Gomorrah that He would have destroyed it, He actually said:
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. Matt 11:23

I believe that If Jesus had been sent to the earth during that time of Sodom and Gomorrah and walked as He did in Capernaum, with miracles, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and judgement in the Holy Spirit full of the Love of His Father- Sodom and Gomorrah would have repented in joy and followed Him, it would have remained.

For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them…   Luke 9:56

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Luke 6:37

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: Isaiah 11:3

I remember reading how when Jesus was on the earth ministering His gospel of repentance and grace and forgiveness, the scribes and pharisees brought the woman caught in the very act of adultery to Jesus to have her stoned according to the law, and they were right, adultery is a sin, but Jesus said:

They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:4-11

Those pharisees were blind to the fact that they had sins as well as the woman caught in adultery, in the end it was the woman that was forgiven and they that demanded that Jesus be crucified.

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:  But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.   James 2:8-13

Before we judge a person’s sin that are outward and obvious, we should ask ourselves if  we have been washed from our sins, even those hidden ones. do we lead a life that shows our repentance with good fruit or are we more like the people Jesus spoke of in His sermon on the mount?

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.    Matt 7:3-5

here are some typical sins I saw listed in the new testament of the bible:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.   1 Cor 6:9-11

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.    Matt 5:27-28

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:       Col 3:5-10

I think before we confront by our own judgement someone else about their sins, we should look up the definition of all these things and see if we still have an area that is not sanctified in ourself first:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21

Definition of COVETOUS, 1: marked by desire for wealth or possessions or for another’s possessions.

In  the”american christian people english version” covetous could be translated:

“I wish I had a new ipad, I want a new dress like hers, i don’t know why God doesn’t give me a red sports car, wow the pastor has a newer better bible than I do, that woman has more worship cd’s than I do, I want as much money for my ministry as he gets so I can build a big church too….” it goes on and on.

Definition of ENVY, 1: painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage 2 obsolete : malice 3: an object of envious notice or feeling <his new car made him the envy of his friends>

Definition of BLASPHEMY, 1a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God. b : the act of claiming the attributes of deity 2: irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.     Matt 5:21-22

Now if you have been made holy and have been cleansed of all those sins I just listed then perhaps you can judge another man for his sins. But in truth, if Jesus has sanctified you to that extent, He will have also have broken you and given you mercy toward other people that have sin in their lives. You will be able to deal with another persons sins in the Holy Spirit of Jesus, with God’s love.

This blog I have written is not a blog of “you better quit this or that”, it is just a blog of how Jesus works in my life, how he has thus far delivered me from my sins. I am a work in progress.

It seems that the churches of today only pick certain sins and scriptures to confront people with while saying that others are just not relevant to their own churches. Someone called that judging and condemning people who sin differently than us.

Churches that are full of people that have divorced and remarried, people that think its ok to kill people who try to steal their cloaks and coats and televisions, people that think its ok to cheat on their taxes or to gossip in church if its for “informational purposes” so that everyone knows that a particular member had an affair 20yrs ago.  But I wonder if any of us get to pick and choose which scriptures are relevant to the church today. If that were the case then gay people could just do what churches do to excuse their own stuff- claim that those things were written for another time, or the disciples didn’t understand the culture, or the roman laws at the time or whatever it is that the church said to override Jesus words about divorced people and remarriage and adultery, covetousness,  lying, stealing, shooting people etc.

Jesus only gets to say which commandments we follow, its not dependent on the current church counsel. Thank God He wrote them down for all of us to see.

Jesus also said: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:17-20

I think seriously that the church needs to untangle its own mess regarding divorce and remarriage, and then in humility reach out to others with sins. You may say, “are you seriously suggesting that people that have been remarried in the church for 40 years and have children together should separate?”

Isn’t that what the church is expecting of gay people that have been in monogamous relationships for 40 years do? I will let the theologians of the church deal with that one.

I read an article by Rob Gagnon where he stated, “Isn’t the whole of the Christian life a struggle against the warring passions of the flesh, which God requires us not to succumb to and, when we do succumb, to repent, however many times for the rest of our life this takes (Gal 5:16-18)?”         I believe that is a true statement by Mr. Gagnon, and I believe it is true for all men everywhere no matter what their sin. He has since become almost hostile toward homosexual people but i think he was correct when he wrote the above.

If Jesus does call people in the church to separate because of adultery then perhaps they would look at people in the gay community with some compassion instead of self righteous condemnation. They might understand that a call to repentance is not always a simple matter of saying “repent and quit doing that”. It is a matter of a real cross that really is hard to carry, that costs dearly. Only Jesus can make a man or woman able to do that.

I have met a lot of “christians” that that have led sheltered lives that judge gay people off-hand by the sin of homosexuality the same way they judge heroin addicts and winos on skid row. They are the kind of christians that would never give a whino a dollar even if they had several hundred in their pocket. They judge saying, its his own fault, he chose this lifestyle I will not help him sin by giving him a dollar, he will use it to buy wine. I am not saying that a homosexual person is the same as a junkie or whino, I am saying the judgement used by some christians is the same as this example though.

These’ christians’ never consider that in all their lives they never met a 5 year old kid that said, “when I grow up I am going to be a heroin addict and live under a bridge downtown! I don’t want to be a fireman!” Life just happens to people.

I have seen many reasons that people become lgbtq, or adulterers or fornicators. I think it is sometimes important to know why a person is doing something before we attempt to minister to them. How can we assist someone if we know nothing about them? If Jesus calls us to talk with someone about any of their sins we must do it in His Spirit. I have never been convinced to change my mind about anything by someones personal judgement and condemnation of me. Often that only drives me farther into whatever I am doing in the first place.

Some women have been hurt so badly by men that they have turned to a relationship with another woman because they cannot stand to live alone but cannot be around men intimately. Some men have been so badly abused by women, that they cannot bear to be around women. Seeking some solace in this world, they may enter into relationships with men. Some people were sexually abused by a person of the same sex and got an unclean spirit that compels them to have sex with people of the same sex, the same thing often happens when a person is sexually abused by someone of the opposite sex. When abused by a gay person they may be attracted to same sex relationships but often can’t understand why and they are often filled with overwhelming guilt over their same sex attractions.

Some people feel so unworthy and unwanted and have been hurt so badly by a world with hypocritical laws and rules, that they rebel against anything they can in society, often choosing homosexuality as an in your face statement against the world and its in-justices.

Some people have become involved in a homosexual relationship due to their drug or alcohol addictions. When under the influence people will often do things that they wouldn’t do sober.

Some people have been taught early on that it is ok to have sex with anyone they want, I think this is especially true with the generation today. Sex is a common advertising tool, we have children dressed in provocative attire, it is almost impossible to see a tv show or movie without sex in it, and even children’s movies have adult overtones.

Our schools have more than just a basic education of sexual things and help for those at high risk. In order to prevent unwanted pregnancies we have decided to teach all the children how to have sex… really? Does that make sense? A lot of heroin addicts get aids from dirty needles, should we teach all school age children how to shoot up properly with clean needles? Is there no wiser approach to be found? Nothing besides teaching kids how to have sex properly? Also there has been some controversy about books being banned in public schools lately. Many of the bans have been wrong and due to racists not wanting edifying books about African Americans and the struggle for freedom they faced in this country. However there is one i noticed called gender queer that was banned and alot of people insisted it be put back in to schools, middle and high schools. I looked at the book myself, its a graphic animated book and vividly shows how young boys perform oral sex on each other. 10-15 year old students dont need to be exposed to pornography in public schools. High School students dont need that either, that type book can be found in public libraries or on websites that sell books, there is no excuse for graphic pornography in public schools. Compassion for LGBTQ people can be taught in school without using illustrations of how to do it. They dont need pornographic illustrations of how to have heterosexual sex either.

Also another problem i have noticed in the church is that they dont even know what Intersex is and i have seen so many hateful comments online by purported christian ministers that say intersex people need to repent and stop ‘pretending’ they dont know if they are male or female.  This is hate fueled ignorance and its no wonder that homosexuals or intersex people dont listen to anything the church says any more.

Some people are born intersex, we used to call it hermaphrodites. A child born this way is physically both male and female, with both genitals. If they had surgery to assign their sex at birth they were often at the mercy of the doctor to decide what sex they would be. In my generation the doctors almost always chose to make the child female because to let them keep their penis and only be single sex would require a hysterectomy at a tender age which is more dangerous.  When children born intersex are older they often are not told of the surgery or that they were born that way. They may now have external features of one sex but still have overwhelming hormones of the opposite sex. A child born that way would have great difficulty finding his or her identity in this world, he may be outwardly male but have a strong desire to be with men because he was born with feminine qualities also and a great deal of estrogen. A woman that has been born with too much testosterone may grow up and be attracted to women.

Jesus does not deal with all people the same way, He knows their needs and problems, He meets them where they are, He knows why we are all like we are. Do people that are living a homosexual lifestyle or that have same sex attraction or those who perhaps just look gay try to explain themselves to the church? Would the church care or listen anyway? Talk about casting your pearls before swine! Almost every single evangelical church i’ve been to has members that will literally shout anyone down if they even attempt to discuss homosexual or intersex issues.

I met a woman who’s dad worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory- thats the United States Department of Energy national laboratory initially organized during World War II for the design of nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project. Her dad was exposed to alot of radiation but not told that, very few people knew that they were being exposed to radiation back in those days.  He then returned home and he and his wife conceived a child that was intersex. I’ve talked to many intersex people who were born in the 50’s and 60’s who’s parent worked in the military. There hasnt been any studies probably for the same reason they denied radiation exposure- the government would have to pay for peoples illnesses. The government spent decades denying that anyone was exposed to radiation and they even denied it when people that worked there started dying of cancer. There were many many more sites like Los Alamos during my lifetime and there have been many leaks of radiation at nuclear plants but there havent been studies to see what effect it had on people in the surrounding areas because…. it would mean financial liability.

During the 60’s there were alot of intersex children born but it was never discussed much and the usual practice was that if a child was born with both genitals they were given surgery to become female. That choice was made because it was easier to castrate than to remove ovaries. This left children that grew up as female but still having a large amount of testosterone, ‘girls’ that were shamed in society for looking too male and being attracted to women, they were ostracized, teased, humiliated and most of them were never aware of the surgery they had at birth. It also left males that had either partial female organs that were later removed but they still had huge amounts of estrogen. they were often called effeminate and they also were ridiculed and ostracized, often without knowing why they were the way they were, or the way they were born.

Thankfully people have stopped being silent about intersex and quickly getting their infant genital surgery as was such a common practice and now are often deciding to wait until the child is old enough to decide such things for themselves. But this also leads me to wonder- what if biologically a male child who doesnt technically qualify as an intersex, is born with too much estrogen? What of a female with high testosterone? Why does the church think it is qualified to decide what God thinks about those people? Especially since most churches never bother to ask Him.

Sometimes the things the apostle paul wrote about in Romans is exactly why a person is homosexual, but what if its not in every case? Will God judge these people as we do? What does the church do with such people? Do we pray and seek the heart of the Lord toward that person or do we automatically go to Romans and start quoting the wrath of God? Will judgement without mercy and forgiveness not lead them even farther away from God? It also says in the bible that adultery and rebellious children should be stoned to death but Christians dont live in the Old Testament. In the gospels Jesus showed its not ok to stone adulterers any more.

God loves homosexuals, it says that in the bible:
For God so loved the homosexual, that he gave his only begotten Son, that any homosexual that believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – My paraphrased John 3:16
The Spirit of the Living God will change a man’s heart. We have been given a ministry of reconciliation, we are to preach Jesus, with His words, in His Spirit.

There are some oft quoted scriptures from romans 1:18-28 that mostly are used by people when confronting the issue of homosexuality. It is a very powerful chapter of scripture and I think it requires some looking into deeper. If we tend to judge people in our own knowledge and wisdom, speaking what we are sure we should say to ‘sinners’ without consulting Jesus in each situation, I think we should first be more concerned with the reasons that paul gave in romans as instruction to ourselves also. Lets look at this in depth, the reasons paul gave:

Romans 1:21- Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful…

do we glorify our God? in public? at work? or only on Sunday when we are around other believers? Are we thankful? Do we thank God for all things in our lives or only the things we like?

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;  Eph 5:20

Romans 1:22- Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

in 1 Corinthians 2:16, it says we have the mind of Christ, but that does not mean that because we have been saved suddenly everything we say or think is the mind of Christ. Every morning when I get up I get to choose whether to follow my own wisdom, the wisdom of the world, or Jesus’ wisdom. I have this choice all day long. I get to ask Him about things, sometimes I forget that and try to figure things out on my own and profess I am wise. I am not.

But I know the One who is and can ask Him. Sometimes that means I have to wait a long long time for His answers. I can choose in my impatience to not wait to find His wisdom on something and just use what I know from what He showed me last time in something, but that is not very wise at all.

Romans 1:25- Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Do we worship and serve our shiny cars, and television shows, and sports players, and movie stars that are so talented and good looking? are american idols somehow ok but greek idols not? do we worship our cool awesome outfits, our terrific abilities at work, our spouses, our children, our committees? That doesn’t mean we stand in a church and praise them, it might instead sound like this, “hey awesome new jeans you got! I want a sports car like that, it is so cool! I wish I was like him, he is so smart! those flowers are so beautiful! Wish I was as good a servant of Christ as he is!” “honey I love this dinner, you are awesome!” It might mean that we are serving our families or work or other people more than serving Him.

Do we spend our days so busy that if Jesus wanted us to do something he would have to make an appointment with us later in the week? How many times have we felt a little nudge in our hearts to visit a home-bound person just to say hello, or to rake our elderly neighbors yard but we have so many other “important” things we have to do that we just ignore that idea, forgetting that that is often how God speaks to us.

In any 12 hour day count how many times you worship and serve the Creator, and then count how many times you worship and serve the creation. I wonder if Jesus would sit in our living rooms and watch our tv shows with us, if He would visit the websites we do with us, if He would play our childrens video games with them. I wonder if He would visit our churches, and if He did that in disguise, would we let Him say anything? What if Jesus went to work with us, would we give Him ten seconds of our time during our day? Would we listen to Him when we had so much work to get done? If we have His Spirit in our heart, He does go with us. Are we letting Him use us, or do we use Him on Sunday mornings, or only when there is a crisis in our life?

Romans 1:26- For this cause God gave them up…
Will God not give you up too?

Paul goes on in chapter 2 to say:
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4

I pray I will not judge people by my own understanding, I am not God who sees every thing, and knows the hearts of people and the reasons they do the things they do. The goodness of God leads to repentance. God so loved the world. What Spirit are we Christians walking in when we judge and condemn others for their sins?

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Gal 6:1

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.    Col 3:12-13

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,       2 Tim 2:24

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…    Titus 3:2-5

Now I will attempt to show what the Lord has taught me about homosexuality for myself, not to use to throw as rocks at other people.

A lot of people have gotten into heated public debates about homosexuality lately, often about whether it is sin or not. One argument lately that people here are having is whether or not to change the national laws to make it legal to be gay and “married”. I probably would have voted yes on that years ago, when I was living with my partner, but I have since found that even if I convinced every single person on earth that it was ok if I was gay, I would still have the problem of that other law. The one written on my heart by my creator. My heart says it is sin to me.

And something else that occurred to me is that when I am in any sin and want to stay there I will often become angry and try to get a lot of people to agree that it is ok if I stay there. I will say “its not really wrong”, or “it’s not that bad a sin”, or “I’m not hurting anyone”, and try to get others to agree with me. It is not my job to argue with people. My argument isn’t even with other people, it is an argument my conscience is having and it is with Jesus and God, who said to me that homosexuality was a sin. If someone else isn’t convinced it is, its not my job to convince them it is. Its not my job to shun people or condemn them. Its my job to follow Jesus and love people the best i can. I am sharing my experience in this area, not writing a blog to convince other people of anything, thats not my job either.

Jesus Himself defined marriage as between a man and a woman, as God defined it in the beginning, Genesis 2:24.

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matt 19:4-6

Jesus also said fornication and adultery was sin, that any sex outside of marriage is sin. Jesus said He can’t bless a lie. He is the Spirit of Truth.

In the same way I could convince a lot of people that because I have had a hard life and am now disabled living on a pittance it is ok for me to steal from the grocery store. I could probably convince a lot of people of this, but I would still have that conviction deep in my heart, if I ever listen to it, and that still small voice saying “I have a better way. I can get your needs met without your having to sin, return to Me.”

To make homosexuality not a sin one would have to change God’s judgement, not a churches, or a towns, or a countries. A person could theoretically convince every single person on earth that his sin was ok, but that person would still have to stand before the Judge on the day of Judgement. John 12:44-50 This is the same for any sin.  And none of us can get anyone into peace with God, give them a clear conscience, or get them into heaven. I didnt make God’s rules and I also didn’t shed my blood for anyone’s sins.

God’s law is written on our hearts regardless of what the national laws say, or what the popular opinion is, and we still feel conviction whenever we break God’s laws. Sometimes our hearts get so hardened that we stop listening to that conviction, but it is still there.

I lived with my partner for many years and I wrestled with my heart about this issue of homosexuality and prayed oftentimes. There were many reasons I was living that lifestyle and at that time I was dealing with much more serious problems in my life, basic survival was more important than my sex life. Then later, after I was able to take care of the more serious issues in my life the Lord gently brought it up again. I really loved my partner and didn’t really want to change or quit being with her. I prayed, ‘Lord I know you want me to change, make me willing because right now I don’t want to’. In His love He brought me to a place of willingness and molded my heart so I could receive more of His love and compassion. He filled the void in my life that I kept trying to fill with relationships with other people.

Because I repented doesn’t mean I stopped loving my partner, or that I started hating gay people.

Just as with fornication and adultery Jesus showed me some scriptures about homosexuality:
In the law it says:
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Lev 18:22

For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.  Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God. Lev 18:29-30

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination…. Lev 20:13

Jesus said:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.     Matt 5:17

Jesus came to set people free. Free? yes, he who commits sin is the servant of sin. It doesn’t appear that way at first when we sin, but it will always eventually enslave us if we continue in it, no matter what the sin. Jesus Himself said this. 

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.   John 8:31-35

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,     Eph 1:4-5

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.  And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.    Luke 5:24-25

I asked Him to forgive me because I didn’t want to be a servant of sin, I wanted to be adopted by my Heavenly Father who is kind and merciful, patient, and full of joy.

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.      Gal 4:3-6

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.   2 Cor 5:20-21

I got STDs also during my promiscuous years, and Jesus showed me this:
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.      Romans 1:26-27

And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, Prov 5:11

But Jesus also showed me this:
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.  For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.    Psalms 32:1-5

The simplicity that is in Christ Jesus:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.     John 3:14-15

I looked it up to see what He was talking about, this serpent in the wilderness:
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.  And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.  And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.     Numbers 21:5-9

All they had to do to be healed was look at the brass serpent, all we have to do is look at Jesus who died on the cross for us.

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.   Deut 32:39

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,  When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.   Mark 5:25-29

I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.  I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him. Isaiah 57:18-19

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.        1 Corinthians 1:9

But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;    2 Cor 1:9-10

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.    2 Cor 7:1

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.                 Phil 3:20-21

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.    Matt 28:18

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.  What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.     Romans 6:16-23

But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty… 2 Cor 4:2

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.  Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.  And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.  I will also save you from all your uncleannesses…         Ezek 36:24-29

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.           1 John 4:9-10

Jesus delivered me from homosexuality, both the acting it out and the attraction to same sex people, when I allowed Him to. He did so much more also. He filled the place in my heart that was so empty and hurting that I kept trying to fill it with sex. Sex of any kind, straight or gay, married or not. People have deep needs, emotional, physical, spiritual needs. When we try to fill those voids with things that are outside of God’s will like fornication or homosexuality or drugs or alcohol or compulsive eating or so many other things, it always ends up leaving us feeling empty and even worse inside. In giving my sex life over to God I have found that I have a soul that is satisfied and content, I have peace that I could never find in anything else. I know that the Lord has many married people that have a pure and exciting and complete sex life, but even they have found that that isnt enough to satisfy all their needs. There is so much more to be found in following Jesus and His ways. If you are called to celibacy for a season or forever, know that Jesus has a life available to you that has so much more and that your soul will truly be satisfied.

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.     Isaiah 58:11

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)    John 7:37-39