Romans 1:26–27

Romans  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  56:49
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What does the Bible really say about homosexuality?

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Housekeeping

Journey though Romans
Rabbit trail = Biblical Sexuality - Homosexuality
Biblical
Argument For Acceptance
Correction / Argument Against
Application

Intro

Mark 12:28–34 ESV
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Mk 12:28-34

Opening Prayer

God I ask for:
Wisdom
Love
Humility
Clarity
Your Holy Spirit!

Message

Argument For

Created not Chosen
I was born this way therefore God cannot be opposed to it.
Psalm 139:13–16 ESV
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Ps 139
Genesis 1:27 ESV
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen 1.
Equality
Genesis 1:18 ESV
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 2:18 ESV
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
God does not make mistakes and I was born this way therefore He must approve of it.
God sees Men and women of equal value as being created in His image, BOTH men and women. [ implied masculinity as well as femininity of God ]
There is a difference between the terminology of adequate and suitable helpers. [ necessity dictated a female for procreation, this is no longer the danger ]
OC / NC
We are no longer under the OC rules and regs and therefore should not be constrained by OT dogma.
Hebrews 8:6–8 ESV
6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8 For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
Hebrews 8:13 ESV
13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Jeremiah 31:31 ESV
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
Leviticus 18:22 ESV
22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 ESV
13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Galatians 3:28 ESV
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There are many things that the OT seems to talk about as normal and even good [ie.] women as property, and slavery, yet none would preach returning to this.
Descriptive / Prescriptive
= Rape / Relationship
= Cultural Norms
1 Corinthians 11:4–6 ESV
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.
1 Cor 11.4-6
The Scripture is filled with both descriptive as well as prescriptive commands.
It is obvious that these texts are descriptive not prescriptive because they do not take into account the new information we have today as well as the consensual, monogamous nature of the relationships we are advocating.
Biblical Relationships
David & Johnathan
1 Samuel 18:1–4 ESV
1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
1 Sam 18.1
1 Samuel 20:41–42 ESV
41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’ ” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
2 Samuel 1:26 ESV
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
Ruth & Naomi
Ruth 1:16–17 ESV
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
Ruth 4:13–17 ESV
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Jesus for the oppressed
Luke 4:17–21 ESV
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
These biblical relationships mentioned have a hint of what we are advocating and are not chastened by the author or God.
Historically Jesus is for the oppressed… slaves, women, homosexuals are in that group. Ergo - Jesus is not opposed to these groups he is for them.
Preaching & Teaching otherwise is damaging and therefore unloving.
1 Timothy 4:1–5 ESV
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
John 13:34 ESV
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
The one commandment that Jesus gives is to love and accept one another just as we are, just as he did.
Therefore todays consensual monogamous loving unions between same sex couples are not only acceptable but celebrated by God.

Correction / Argument Against =

David Gushee said they are blown out of proportion.
“The Bible has 31,273 verses,” he said in an interview in Washington. “The number of verses that can be called on to support the traditional position is essentially six passages, maybe 15 verses at the most. That is something to pay attention to.”
Gushee, who teaches at Mercer University, a Baptist divinity school in Atlanta, Georgia, recently caused a sensation in evangelical circles when he changed his own position and published a book called “Changing Our Mind.” He said the change partly came about from meeting homosexuals, and after his younger sister came out as a lesbian.
“When I stopped thinking of this mainly as a sexual ethics issue, and started thinking about it mainly as a human suffering issue - rejected children, people kicked out of their families and churches, people wanting to kill themselves because of what they were hearing from their parents and their friends and their churches... it is not just about those six passages, it is about how marginalized people are supposed to be treated,” he said.
Who is God? =
Unchanging
Eternal
Holy
Righteous
Jealous
Loving
Merciful
Patient
True
etc…
Creation
God in all His fullness created man and woman as corresponding parts.
God in all His fulness created man and woman with corresponding roles.
Beastiality is sin according to Genesis account
God in all His fullness created marriage between man and woman as a corresponding symbol.
Genesis 2:18 ESV
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:24–25 ESV
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Gen 2.
Ephesians 5:31–32 ESV
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Commandments
God in all His fullness gave man commandments.
T
God in all His fullness sent Christ to fulfill His commandments.
God in all His fullness through Christ affirms & explains His commandments.
Leviticus 18:22 ESV
22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Lev 18.
Leviticus 20:13 ESV
13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Lev
Matthew 5:17 ESV
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.
Matt
John 14:15 ESV
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Jhn 14.
Love God first
Love mankind second
Love self last
Covenants
God in all His fullness made a covenant with humanity!
God in all His fullness fulfills and expands His covenant through Christ.
Adam - Noah - Shem - Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Judah - David
Leviticus 26:12 ESV
12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31:31–33 ESV
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer
Hebrews = all about this new covenant with Christ as our HP [ Chap 8-9 specific ]
Corrections
Created not Chosen
created for a purpose by an unchangeable creator
all are created all are not chosen
all our choices have consequences regardless of our lot in life
Isaiah 29:16 ESV
16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Isaiah 45:9 ESV
9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?
Isa
= Idolatry of the Self = Sexual sin of serving the Idol of self gratification.
OC / NC
the NC does fulfill but does not negate the OC
Descriptive / Prescriptive
unity in God
unity in scripture
scriptural clarity / obscurity / best practices =
OT Passages…
Leviticus 18:20 ESV
20 And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her.
Leviticus 18:22 ESV
22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 ESV
13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Ezekiel 16:48–50 ESV
48 As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.
NT Passages…
Romans 1:24–27 ESV
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about 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 up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
1 Timothy 1:9–10 ESV
9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
Jude 7 ESV
7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
Leviticus Passages…
Biblical Relationships
David / Johnathan
Acts 13:22 ESV
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
Ruth / Naomi = zero evidence
Jesus for the Oppressed
; ; = sins forgiven or walk?
damaging & unloving
the truth is love!
Mark 10:21–22 ESV
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
John 3:18 ESV
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 14:6 ESV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 John 4:10 ESV
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 5:3 ESV
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Romans 1:32 ESV
32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Conclusion
Therefore any same sex relations are not only an abomination to His created order but if un-repented from will receive His just judgement.

Application

David Gushee said they are blown out of proportion.
“The Bible has 31,273 verses,” he said in an interview in Washington. “The number of verses that can be called on to support the traditional position is essentially six passages, maybe 15 verses at the most. That is something to pay attention to.”
Gushee, who teaches at Mercer University, a Baptist divinity school in Atlanta, Georgia, recently caused a sensation in evangelical circles when he changed his own position and published a book called “Changing Our Mind.” He said the change partly came about from meeting homosexuals, and after his younger sister came out as a lesbian.
“When I stopped thinking of this mainly as a sexual ethics issue, and started thinking about it mainly as a human suffering issue - rejected children, people kicked out of their families and churches, people wanting to kill themselves because of what they were hearing from their parents and their friends and their churches... it is not just about those six passages, it is about how marginalized people are supposed to be treated,” he said.
Sin
Romans 2:1 ESV
1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
Matthew 5:27–30 ESV
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Gospel
Romans 3:22–26 ESV
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Labels
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Message
Romans 6:1 ESV
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
Romans 6:15 ESV
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
Homosexuality is not the unforgivable sin nor should it be treated as such by Christians who above all else should understand the grace of God, yet all who claim Christ should be willing to lovingly call all to faithful repentant obedience to God.

Closing Prayer

God we ask for:
Forgiveness
Strength
Humility
Salvation / Deliverance
Strength / Protection
Grace!!

Benediction

1 Peter 1:3 ESV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
x
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