Homosexuality and the Church

Becky: One of those nights when I'm thinking about something and I can't sleep. So I'm just going to shoot you a whole bunch of questions right now, and hopefully compose a more clear picture of where this all came from tomorrow. But for your late night insomnia, here you go. . .

1. Where does the Bible talk about homosexuality, and what other words might it use (to help me find those references in some kind of search engine)?

2. Is there a Biblical basis for treating homosexuality any different than we do other sins, I.e. gossip, disobeying/dishonoring parents, etc.?

3. Is there a clear distinction, Biblically, between homosexual ACTS or BEHAVIOR and just having homosexual . . .desires/urges/feelings/whatever, but not acting on them, I.e. not having any sexual relations at all?

4. How should the church deal with sexuality? I don't think it's biblical to ask people to "clean up their act" and then come to church. . . I think God works on our hearts and our "besetting sins" with us after we are saved. . . but is there/should there be a place in the church for a homosexual who is a believer, but hasn't been healed/whatever by God of their homosexuality? Should we expect homosexuals to change, or should we treat them like heterosexuals, and only condemn the sinful ACTS, not the (sinful? see question 3.) desires?

Dad: The Bible addresses homosexuality and sexual immorality from a law perspective in Leviticus 18:22, and again in the New Testament in lists of bad things that either keep us from God’s kingdom, or at least have no part in the behavior of believers (Mk. 7:21-22, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, Eph. 5:3-10, Col. 3:5-8).

I did search Biblegateway, but the actual word homosexual rarely appears in the New International Version. It describes behaviors (e.g. man lying with another man) so it’s not that easy to search. There are tons of articles written on the topic from all perspectives, and I recommend Gospel.com, and search on homosexuality. There’s a lot of stuff there that would represent a conservative, biblical perspective. I only took time to scan a few articles.

As far as types of sin; sin is sin in the respect that it is what makes us need salvation, and keeps us separate from God. The effects of sin vary tremendously because they vary in their natural and/or legal consequences. Even different types of lying have different consequences – relational, legal, etc. As far as how we treat it, there is a sense in which we have to look past each person’s characteristic sins, and treat each other with love anyway. However, there is also the principle of enabling continuous sin, or a life-style of sin. If someone gossips constantly, we can smile and ignore them for a while, but at some point we need to privately say something like, “I’m concerned that some of what you share with me is gossip, and so in order to prevent me from being a part of gossip, and to help you keep from gossip, I’m going to stop you when I am concerned that a conversation is heading that direction, is that okay with you?” It is a gentle, yet straight-forward way to head off sin. I have actually had to say that to a few people, and what I find is that conversations are couched in more spiritual terms, or conversations just end. More sensitive areas like homosexuality are much more difficult to deal with.

I have only had to deal with those struggling with the feelings, not the behavior. Here it is important to affirm that the desire to do wrong isn’t wrong until it becomes a habit, or leads to sinful behavior, and I would treat homosexual desires and behavior in the same way I’d treat covetousness and stealing. Not that the have the same effect on us and others, but they are similar in their sense of how they affect us: we want something and think about it to the point of obsession, and eventually act on it. In that sense, the natural desire leads to sin.

Here’s where the naturalness of desire and tendencies needs to be addressed. I have a tendency to like sports, conversation, interrupting, procrastinating, having more stuff than I need, pride, listening to other’s life-stories, helping people solve problems, mowing the lawn, nature, etc. Those are things that characterize me, some of which are good, and some aren’t. They all come naturally to me, but some actually lead to sin. If I had anger, violence, stealing, sexual immorality, etc. on my list of natural tendencies, it wouldn’t make any of them any less sinful. We all naturally desire sinful behavior, and behave sinfully. What comes naturally only helps us see what kinds of sin we will have to deal with.

The church needs to get a better handle on this concept and help us use our positive tendencies – gifts – to the benefit of the Body, and help us deal with all variety of sin by assuring us of forgiveness and providing encouragement and accountability in overcoming weaknesses. In some areas of sin, such as sexual sin, the same principles apply, but additional boundaries may need to be established for those who have fallen into sinful behavior, such as not allowing them to work alone with children, youth, etc.

There is one area that few churches have learned to do effectively, and that is dealing with those who excuse their sin, and want the church to accept their practice of it. This can be sexual sin, lying, stealing, gossip, etc. There needs to be a process according to Matthew 18 to go from personal confrontation to eventually asking them to leave and cease being a part of the Body. In this case, the pastor or an elder should continue to follow up for a time to try to restore the individual, but it is fine at some point to say you’ve done all you can. I have not seen a church ever do this effectively. It is either ignored, or done badly, with not much in between. I had to do some of it with the school, but never was good at it. I tended to be too gentle, or too firm.

Sabbath Day

Becky: Again, this blog has rather gotten away from us (or me, I suppose). Oh well - here's a conversation we had recently that you might appreciate.

Hey Dad - the other night, a friend and I were talking and happened upon the subject of Sabbath. He said he read Exodus 31:12-17 recently, and noted that one verse specifically says that the Sabbath was a covenant between God and the Israelites. Just wondering what you thought about that. Also, any thoughts on Hebrews 4, which is the only place in the New Testament I could find that talks about observing the Sabbath. It's kind of tough reading - very abstract, but from what I could tell, it almost makes it sound like as Christians under the New Covenant, our Sabbath is this idea of God's rest, which seems more like a spiritual rest ('Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. . . for you will find rest for your souls' ). I'm not at all saying we shouldn't celebrate the Sabbath - just curious what the Sabbath should look like for us Christians.

I asked another friend, and here's what she said:

I believe that in many ways we are Israelites. When we accept Jesus we are adopted into His chosen people. When the end times comes all his people will once again gather on the Israelite ground. Although we are "Gentiles" once we come into a relationship with the Lord we become His people, his chosen people.

So in many ways when you say that the Sabbath was only meant for the Israelites, that is us as well. Therefore we should celebrate the Sabbath. Now we do know that the Sabbath is not about rules but it's about the heart. The Pharisees were making it too strict and had added rules and Jesus cleared them up by saying it was ok to do "necessary" things. (This is when the disciples were in the fields getting food for the day). I think also in this passage he says if your donkey falls into a pit on the Sabbath you can help him, where as strict fulfillment of the law wouldn't let you-according to the Pharisees.

Also on Hebrews 4. I read two commentaries on that passage, one my Matthew Henry and the other by Fausset. Henry tended to think the passage didn't so much have to do with rest but more that we under Jesus have better privileges then those under only the law of Moses. For example when the Israelites rested they could only physically rest they had no spiritual rest in the Lord. (So we get the privilege of both).

And here is a quote from Fausset that might help:
" The "rest" in Hbr 4:8 is Greek, "catapausis;" Hebrew, "Noah"; rest from weariness, as the ark rested on Ararat after its tossings to and fro; and as Israel, under Joshua, enjoyed at last rest from war in Canaan. But the "rest" in this Hbr 4:9 is the nobler and more exalted (Hebrew) "Sabbath" rest; literally, "cessation": rest from work when finished ( Hbr 4:4 ), as God rested ( Rev 16:17 ). The two ideas of "rest" combined, give the perfect view of the heavenly Sabbath. Rest from weariness, sorrow, and sin; and rest in the completion of God's new creation ( Rev 21:5 )."

So honestly I really don't believe that the Lord took away the laws of the old Testement. He came to fill the atonement and offere his blood, so we no longer have to make sacrifices. But never did He say that he removed the laws of the Old T. I will leave you with this passage and I hope you pray and ask the Lord for guidance in all these things:

Matthew 5:17-18 ¹⁷"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

Your thoughts?

Dad: Rather than give you a long, researched response, I'll give you what you asked for: my thoughts. The only references I'd add to what were already mentioned are the ones where Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, and the fact that remembering the Sabbath to keep it holy is one of the Ten Commandments.

These are my thoughts. There are a couple aspects of the Sabbath that are universal, and by that I mean that they transcend the specific covenants God made with the Israelites, or the church in the New Testament. God rested on the seventh day of Creation, which is one of the concepts referred to in other places as one of the reasons we should even have something like a Sabbath rest. For us that means that we are better off if we don't work 365 days per year. We need regular physical rest so that we can re-create ourselves for more effective work in the long run. That's where the word “recreation” comes from. It's a focus on fun and play for the sake of rebuilding our bodies, our minds, our emotions and our spirits so that when we get back to our work, we are fresh and therefore more effective. In addition, I have noticed that some of my most creative thinking happens when I'm just doing something for fun, which can actually apply to ideas for work.

The other aspect of the Sabbath that is emphasized, and then taken too far by those with legalistic doctrines of the Sabbath is that of keeping it holy. It clearly says in the Ten Commandments that we should honor the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The emphasis here goes beyond having one vacation day per week. It says that we need to have a day that’s holy as well. To help us understand what that means there are a number of good resources. Various commentaries on the Ten Commandments, including Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms are a good help. Another is to see what Christians have done since Jesus did his teaching. One thing early Christians did was to gather regularly, and had a special emphasis on Sunday because Jesus rose on Sunday. Now does that mean we have to have a Sunday Sabbath? I don’t think so. Christianity is a faith of the heart, and the principles here are that we rest regularly, and we regularly gather together with other Christians to worship God, share in fellowship, and meet each other’s needs.

Keep in mind, though, that people are fickle, and it is easy to neglect important areas of life if we have no discipline to keep us on track. The weekly worship service is a great help in that, but you don’t get extra piety points for perfect attendance. Where is your heart? What system of discipline do you need to make sure you rest regularly and stay in fellowship with other Christians for worship and ministry? The answer to those questions is what you need to do to honor the Sabbath. Them’s my thoughts.

The College Church Choice

Becky: Hey Dad! Here I am at college, and I'm faced with an interesting decision. There is a group on campus called "Campus Christian Fellowship" and they have Sunday morning services on campus every week. I like the service, and really appreciate the fact that it's so easy to attend, and to invite other people to come along. But, unlike the CCF in Rolla at MS&T, the one here basically considers themselves a "church" of college-aged students. The CCF in Rolla encourages students to get involved in a church in the community, saying that they are a group of believers, but not the established church. I know that you've encouraged me to find a church in Kirksville to go to. What are the pros and cons of going to church on campus vs. off campus?

Dad: Ahh, America: the land of the buffet. Isn't it amazing that we even have this dilemna. We have to think about what we think the local church should be for and be like, and then we can most likely find something pretty close, and then if we don't like it, we can try another one.

For a freshman in college, there is the new dynamic of being in a large group of peers and experiencing their energy and enthusiasm. That can make for an exciting and growing body of believers, and I wouldn't discourage you from enjoying that to the fullest. At some point you may want to ask some more long-term questions, which you are already doing (as usual): What is the local church? What is the purpose of getting together once a week? Is it important to be part of a congregation that will look more like what you will experience when you leave college?

As far as what you should do now, you may want to start with attending the student group to help you develop those positive Christian relationships with fellow students. That can be a tremendous strength as you go through your college years. There will come a time when those long-term questions become more pertinent. You may also experience the phenomenon of feeling like you've outgrown the college group. At some point it would be good to visit some local congregations and worship with a broader age group, and be part of a body with families living life in the real world. Nothing is a better teacher than living life with those who are actually living real life after college (other than living life after college yourself).

There isn't the perfect timing for everyone for doing this, so I suggest you just visit churches on occasion to remind yourself that someday you will end up being an adult with a life in a local congregation. Try out different things now while you can. Making mistakes and learning is all part of maturing in life, and these years are made for that kind of learning. There is much less to lose. Of course I'm not referring to moral mistakes. There is a lot at stake there, and that is one reason why having a solid peer group now is a good foundation for the other areas of learning.

One think you might try is inviting others to go with you when you visit a church and later talk about what it was like. Visiting churches can be an enlightening experience. If you decide to attend a local church, there may be a mid-week service for college students that you could still attend for the peer relationships.

Happy learning.

Lent - Just Another Tradition?

Becky: Lent has always been one of my favorite seasons of the church year. I'm not really sure why, but it just is. :) Why is it that so many denominations and churches don't observe Lent? Why is it that we do? What is the purpose of having the midweek service and of the tradition of "fasting" from something?

Dad: Lent has been a meaningful time for me as well, similar to Advent. I guess for me it has meaning because so much of what we do as Christians can easily become routines of habit, and Lent and Advent are designed specifically to help bring meaning and preparation of hearts to receive what God wants to do in us. As you know, I don’t like to just do stuff because we always do them. I like to ask why, and dig until I really know. Lent and Advent fulfill that need I feel to know why. They also take us away from the commercialism of their respective celebrations (Easter & Christmas). It’s difficult to commercialize self-reflection, meditation and prayer.

Different denominations have discovered meaning in different traditions, and have developed them independently of each other; however, as in any human endeavor, some of our practices can become reactions to abuses, or even heresies. During the Reformation, there was a desire to bring salvation to individuals, and not just center the Christian life on an institution and its practices, which in many ways had grown corrupt and distant from God’s Word. When renewal comes, some respond by trying to eliminate those things that remind them of that which they are trying to overcome. As a result, a few church bodies developed a tradition of seeking not to look Roman Catholic. Things that some rejected were statues, icons, symbols, crosses – especially crucifixes, stations of the cross, formal saints, praying to Mary, formal confession, the seasons of the church year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc.), seminary training of pastors, robes, liturgy, stained glass windows, formalized expressions of faith, infant baptism, the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, etc. The result, however, of basing meaning on a reaction against something, is that we may miss some of the good that some of these traditions help us receive.

We observe Lent because it gives us the opportunity to ponder more deeply what Jesus did to save us from our sins. We focus on those Scriptures that tell the story of His suffering and death, and the teachings He gave us during that time. Increased prayer time, fasting, wearing a cross, holding additional worship services, giving up something we like, etc. can be helpful in deepening our relationship with Jesus. As in anything, the better we are prepared, the better time we have when the event comes. Easter is more glorious and exciting, and carries more meaning if we take the time to understand the depths of the suffering preceding the Resurrection.