Homosexuality & The Love Of God

Biblegems #102

Question: How does one reconcile the apparent contradiction that God, who is love, condemns homosexuality, even when two people of the same gender genuinely love each other? And what if that same couple love God as well? Who are we to judge?

Introduction:

There are many who read this question for whom the answer seems so straightforward they can’t imagine how anyone could be confused. They would say something like: “God says homosexuality is sin, end of subject.” However, many others reading this are saying something like: “Finally, someone has the courage to ask what I’ve been wanting to ask for so long!” In either case, I hope you will read on, because even if you are not asking this question, you know people who are—but who may be to afraid to ask out loud. And there are too many Christians afraid to answer the question out loud.

There are several components to the question above: The love of God, human love, the nature of homosexuality, passing judgment on others, etc. I cannot possibly answer all of these interrelated questions in one 500 word blog. So this will be the first of a multi-part response. I know as I post each blog some readers will be saying, “Yeah, but what about…” —because I have to approach this piecemeal, not as a whole. Please be patient, and try to see each blog post as one incomplete part of a larger whole.  

I have used 200 words already just introducing this topic. Therefore, for this week’s blog post, the 500 word limit I attempt to impose on myself for your easier reading begins now:

God is love.

         1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Love is the very essence of God’s nature. It is not so much what He feels, or even what He does, it is who God is. That is very different from human love. Human love at its most superficial reflects how we feel, and that feeling is fleeting, inconsistent. God’s love is constant, unchanging. Human love at its highest chooses to be loving even when not being loved in return— something also achieved with great inconsistency. God always loves, and always acts in love, because He is love itself—unselfish, self-sacrificing, always seeking the welfare of those who need His love.

Obviously, then, true love must be measured against the highest, perfect standard, which is God. The goal of true love is not for God to love like us, but for us to love as He does. So when John says, Whoever does not love does not know God, God is the standard: whoever does not love [i.e., as God loves] does not know God.

So how do we love as God loves? Jesus gives us the answer:

         John 14:15 If you love me, you will obey what I command.

To disobey God is to selfishly choose what we want rather than lovingly choose to live as He designed us to live. We did not design ourselves. We are created with a carefully crafted design and purpose by a God whose very nature is love. We are designed to be like Him:

         Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

         God designed human sexuality as a union between male and female, and that union is designed to be a mirror image of Himself.

Gen. 2:18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Gen. 2:22-24 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The “suitable helper,” according to God’s perfect design, was not male to male or female to female, but the union between a man and a woman who share a similar essence, but who have been intentionally separated by God into two genders. It is part of God’s design for human beings that we find our truest self by becoming united with our “other half.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Are There Children In Heaven?

Biblegems #101

Question: Are there children in heaven?

The Bible does not have a lot to say on this subject, but neither is it left a blank.

Children In Heaven Now

Jesus said…

Matt. 19:14 Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

This passage tells us that heaven, right now, is full of little children because, as He says, heaven belongs to them! This would include aborted infants and all who die too young to be morally accountable for sin.

When King David lost his son, even though that child was born from an illicit relationship with Bathsheba, he knew with certainty he would see his child in heaven:

2 Sam. 12:23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, [i.e., in heaven] but he will not return to me.

Children in the Millennium

Scripture contains several references to children during the Millennial Reign of Christ, but these two from Isaiah tell the story pretty well:

Is. 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

Is. 11:8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra…

        

Children In Heaven Forever

For there to be children in heaven throughout eternity one of three things would have to take place: 1) Either, those entering heaven now as children would never mature—which seems very unlikely—or 2) God would create children whenever He wished, continually adding to the glorified human population in heaven without the participation of human parents—for which there is no Scriptural teaching, or 3) that glorified human parents would be able to conceive children.

While I personally think that parenting children in heaven is very unlikely, the fact remains that human beings in heaven remain human beings. Glorified, yes; without gender, no. Even the interpretation of the reference below that is so often used to teach that there will be no sexuality in heaven is entirely fallacious:

         Matt. 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

The point of Jesus’ teaching is that the act of two people getting married is an earth-bound practice that is eternally binding. There will not be marriage ceremonies in heaven, even as the angels have no marriage ceremonies. Unfortunately, many have understood Jesus to mean that angels are genderless and, therefore, people in heaven will be genderless as well. However, the passage clearly says nothing about gender. Jesus was reminding the Sadducees that the marriage covenant on earth is binding.

This “forever union” is pictured beautifully in Ephesians 5:21-32, where Paul compares the union of a husband and wife with the union of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:31).

So, the possibility of a couple conceiving a baby in heaven is at least hypothetically possible. HOWEVER, where the Scripture does not teach, we should not presume to go. Some surprises are better left until we see Him face to face!

Destroying Strong Sheep?

Biblegems #100

Ezekiel 34:11-16 talks about taking care of the sheep as a Shepherd, giving them rich pasture etc. and then it ends up saying "I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy." Wouldn't you expect them to get strong after such good care?

The answer to this question is found in the context of the entire chapter. Ezekiel 34:1-9 portrays a scene in which Israel is compared to a poorly cared for, abused flock of sheep by its shepherds. In verses 10-16, the Lord declares that He is going to remove the self-centered shepherds and take over the task of shepherding Israel personally. God has in view here the period of the Millennial Kingdom, when He “will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land” (23-24).

We know this is the Millennial period because it will be a time when David reigns over Israel once again (13), when wild animals will no longer be allowed in the land (25), when foreign nations will no longer be a threat (28), when famine will be thing of the past (26, 29), and when the people of Israel will know they belong to their shepherd God (30-31).

However, because Israel’s shepherds have been negligent, the sheep have been left to care for themselves. This is why the Lord has to rescue them (11). This is precisely how Jesus found the masses of Jewish people of His day:

         Matt. 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This condition brings us to the problematic verse in question, verse 16: I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. With the absence of any real shepherding care, God has to judge how the sheep treat each other:

         Ezek. 34:17 As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.

In the absence of good shepherds, the strong, fat sheep have pushed aside the weaker sheep:

         Ezek. 34:21-22 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.

For the sake of the flock as a whole, the Lord removes those sheep that are abusive.

         1 Cor. 5:11, 13 But 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. …God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

This has always been God’s approach in dealing with individuals who are destructive to the body of believers as a group, and a lesson the Church at large often needs to relearn.

Does The Soul Ever Die?

Bible Gems #99

Question: Does the soul ever die?

In the Bible, the term “soul” (Heb. nephesh; Gk. psyche) typically refers to a “living being.” In Genesis 1:20-21 God created the creatures of the sea, which are called “living souls” (ie., “living beings”). Then, in Genesis 2:7, God breathed into the inanimate shell of a man, and the man became a “living soul.” From a biblical point of view, people do not have souls; they are souls.

In its most common sense, “soul” is another word for “person:”

         Ezek. 18:4 For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.        

Therefore, when Jesus said that He came to give His “life,” He used the word “soul” (Gk. Psyche), because He meant that He as a person would die:

         Matt. 20:28 …just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Death does not mean that the person ceases to exist. Rather, death means that the person as a “being” enters into a different state of existence. A person who dies apart from Christ goes to the “pit,” to Sheol (Heb.), or Hades (Gk.), the realm of the dead, to await Judgment at the end of history (Rev. 20:11-15).

This is why Jesus warned His followers about not giving in to fear over what their enemies might do to them:

         Matt. 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

The word translated “destroy” (aÓpole÷sai) means to wreck something beyond recognition, or to lose something beyond recovery.

A person’s soul exists forever. The question for each “soul” is “in what condition will I exist forever?” The answer depends upon what that soul is invested in during this earthly life. As strange as it may seem, a person who spends his or her life trying to fulfill, maintain and satisfy the soul will end up losing it. That soul will end up in sheol awaiting Judgment and an eternity in hell. Why? Because investing your soul in your soul is like stuffing your paycheck in your wallet. Where’s the benefit in that?

However, if a person invests his life, his soul, in Jesus he is investing in eternal life:

         Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

And the only way we invest the soul in anything is through love:

Matt. 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So in answer to the question “does the soul ever die,” the answer is “yes.” But for those who truly belong to Jesus, that “soul” is kept, protected and made pure for eternal life by God Himself—because that’s what He does for those He loves and who love Him in return. He Himself is what our soul was made for.

         1 Th. 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Building On Rock?

Biblegems #98

Question: We know and accept that Christ is our ROCK, and we are to be anchored to Him---our foundation built on a rock--not sand.  BUT, it puzzles me in the physical---with that being the example---how does one anchor a house to a solid rock foundation???  Or even "cling" to it?

This question is based upon the following passage:

Matt. 7:24-27  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The setting for this teaching was near the Sea of Galilee in the first year of Jesus’ ministry. During the dry summers the sandy soil surrounding the large lake would become hard-baked, offering a tempting but deceptive surface for building a home. With the onset of the winter rains the baked sand would quickly wash out from under the house, causing the structure to collapse.

Simple homes in Jesus’ day were typically constructed of either mud-brick reinforced with straw, or else flat fieldstone that was readily available. Such houses were usually a simple square, with the brick or stone layered in courses one story tall, and the flat roof made of stone slabs stretched across wooden beams. If the builder was foolish enough to erect the home on the hard summer sand, the first serious rainfall could prove catastrophic to himself and his family when the house collapsed.

In order to build a house on a secure foundation in the area around the lake the builder would have to dig down through the sand to a depth of about three feet. There he would encounter volcanic rock (basalt and igneous) that would give him the solid foundation his house would need for protection against heavy rains. He would then have to dig a trench in the rock using hand chisels. The trench would have to be deep enough and wide enough to inset the first course of fieldstone. This kind of foundation is found in archeological sites throughout Israel and the Middle East. 

So when Jesus used this real-life object lesson, He was likening the lifestyle of putting His teachings into practice as a secure foundation for building a life that can successfully weather the heavy storms people inevitably encounter. Even if the soil around the house is washed away—a picture of all that in our lives that adds beauty and joy—the house still stands. A life firmly grounded in Jesus requires the hard work of putting His teaching into practice, but it will stand strong no matter what difficulties come.

Preaching And Reputation

Bible Gems #97

Question: Galatians 2:2 reads, "And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain” (Galatians 2:2 NKJV).

Why did Paul preach privately to people of reputation? Was it a secret because those people might get in trouble for listening to Paul? Why would he have potentially run in vain?

The background (and the answer) for Galatians 2:2 is found in Acts 15:1-2:

         Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

Paul had been proclaiming salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ to the Gentiles for 14 years—since the last time he had met with the apostles in Jerusalem. His message had consistently been “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). He never placed any requirements upon these new, non-Jewish believers to adhere to Jewish laws or customs such as circumcision. But for all of those years there had been some Jewish Christians who had followed him around trying to convince Gentile Christians that in order to be really saved they had to submit to Jewish laws and customs.

When Paul received confirmation from the Lord (Gal. 2:1) that he should meet with the apostles in Jerusalem to get this question settled once and for all, he did not know for certain whether they would agree with his position or not. If they did not, Paul was not about to change his gospel message. But at the same time, a public hearing of the issue—no matter how it turned out—could create a lot of confusion and mistrust of authority within the Gentile sector of the fledgling church.

The apostle Paul’s deep love for the Body of Christ, the church, guided his decision to meet with the leaders in Jerusalem privately. He did not want any potential disagreement between them to create division within the church at large. Creating division within the church he worked so hard to establish would render all his efforts and sacrifice meaningless. So he spoke “privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.”

Paul’s discretion and diplomacy is a good example for all who want to know how to bring up issues in the church that they feel strongly about. Paul’s first concern was for the purity of the gospel message he preached, and secondly to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).  Too often people get so focused on their need to stand firm on an issue of importance that they become blinded to the damage they could cause the church as a whole by not practicing a little tact and diplomacy. 

Remember this adage that Paul practiced as well as preached:

         Phil. 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

A Body You Prepared For Me — Heb. 10:5

Bible Gems #96
Question: If Hebrews 10:5 is quoting Psalm 40:6, why does the NT quote sound so much different than the OT original?

Where Psalm 40:6 reads “mine ears thou hast opened” (KJV), or “my ears you have pierced” (NIV), Hebrews 10:5 reads: “a body you prepared for me.”  The New Testament quote appears widely different from the Old Testament source.

Here's why:

The apostles and the early church used the Septuagint, rather than the original Hebrew, as their primary version of the Bible. The Septuagint (commonly known as the LXX) is a Greek translation of the Hebrew OT made by Greek and Hebrew speaking Jewish translators in Egypt around 285 - 246 BC. Since Greek was the common language of the NT world, it made sense to use the Greek translation of the Scriptures.

In most ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 40:6 reads (in English): “ears you have dug for me.”  The LXX translates this into Greek as “a body you prepared for me.” Most likely, the translators of the LXX were attempting to make a vague Hebrew figure of speech (‘digging out ears’) more understandable to a Greek speaking audience by making the ‘digging out of the ears’ a reference to God forming the human body, even as He first molded Adam out of the dust of the earth.

The writer of the book of Hebrews used the LXX as his Bible version. On the surface, the difference in his translation compared to the Hebrew seems significant. But the LXX was simply trying to make the sense of the Hebrew text clear to non-Hebrew speaking people. The Hebrew language is very colorful, much like the American Indian languages are very picturesque. Rather than presenting a word-for-word translation from Hebrew to Greek, the translators sought to accurately convey the meaning of the phrase.

  

So the meaning of the original Hebrew was captured by the LXX, and then carried faithfully over into English by both the KJV and the NIV, both capturing the LXX translation of the Hebrew translation of Psalm 40:6.

Once again, God demonstrates how He preserves His Word across time, cultures and languages.

         Ps. 119:89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.