Tag Archives: Sin

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God Does Not Make Anyone Homosexual!

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God Does Not Make Anyone Homosexual!

James R. Aist

 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Introduction

In a separate article (click HERE), I have gone into considerable detail to show that “born gay” is a monumental myth being perpetrated by gay activists in a vain attempt to validate and legitimize homosexuality. Many so-called “gay Christians” claim further that homosexual people are not only born gay, but that God created them that way (with same-sex attractions). The implication is that, since God made them “that way”, both their homosexuality and their practice of homosexuality should be fully accepted and celebrated by Christians and the Christian church as a “gift from God.” So, let’s take a closer look at the Scriptures and see if we can discern the truth: are same-sex attractions from God, and, if not, where do they come from?

Same-sex Attractions Are Not from God

The claim that same-sex attractions are a gift from God is diametrically opposed to the biblical witness; there are scriptural proofs that God is not the source of the same-sex attractions and desires that homosexual people experience. Firstly, the Bible clearly and consistently condemns homosexual behavior, in any context, as sin (Genesis 19:5 with Jude 1:7; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9-10; and I Timothy 1:10). Now, if God himself were to instill same-sex attractions and desires into homosexual people, then, by doing so, He would be tempting them to sin sexually. However, the Bible also states, emphatically, that God does not tempt anyone to sin (James 1:13-14). The necessary conclusion is that the God of the Bible would not create anyone homosexual, because to do so would violate His very nature and character, which is to hate sin. And secondly, after God had created Adam and Eve as heterosexual people, the Bible says that “God saw all that he made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). “All that He had made” could not have included homosexuality, because the Bible clearly and consistently condemns homosexual behavior as evil, not as good. And that — the creation of Adam and Eve –- was “…the last of the work of creation that God was doing” (Genesis 2:2). It follows, then, that God not only would not, but He also did not, create anyone homosexual. What kind of a “god” would create human beings that he purposely made to be an abomination to himself?! Homosexuality must have first appeared at some later time, after God had finished creating. That is what the Bible teaches us about the matter. It is up to us to honor God by believing His Word.

Since God made us male and female in the beginning and told us to multiply and fill the earth, it would be both contradictory and counterproductive to, then, make some of us homosexual. The God of the Bible does not act at cross purposes with Himself! But we know of someone who does act at cross purposes with God, don’t we.

Where, Then, Do Same-sex Attractions Come From?

The Bible says that sin entered the world through the “original sin” of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-19) after the last of the work of creation that God was doing (Genesis 2:2), and that “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (James 1:14). Thus, same-sex sexual attraction (i.e., homosexuality) is a result of sin entering the world through the disobedience of Adam, just as are all other temptations to sin. Moreover, the root source of the original temptation to sin was none other than Satan (i.e., “the serpent”) himself: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:1-6). Thus did temptation to sin enter the world.

Implications for Today

Since Satan, not God, is behind the same-sex urges that homosexual people experience, it follows that such urges do not constitute a valid argument that God approves of either same-sex attractions or their volitional consequences, namely, homosexual acts. In fact, it is slander of the worst kind to accuse the God of the Bible of making anyone homosexual! God’s moral laws were given to communicate the sinfulness of our urges (e.g., lying, stealing, vengeance, adultery, fornication, and homosexual sex) that are opposed to His will. And, as born-again Christians comprising the true Christian church, we are called to love homosexual people enough to be witnesses to these truths (Matthew 5:13-16), so that the Holy Spirit can use our witness to help convict them of their homosexual sins and lead them to repentance and salvation. “The Lord is … not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). And neither are we willing that any should perish.

(For more articles on HOMOSEXUALITY by Professor Aist, click HERE)

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An Easy, Do-It-Yourself Bible Study on Homosexuality

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An Easy, Do-It-Yourself Bible Study on Homosexuality

James R. Aist

Introduction

If you’ve been paying attention to the “gay agenda’s” assault on the Christian church lately, you’re familiar with their attacks on the reliability and veracity of English translations of the Bible. Proponents of the recently invented “gay theology” (click HERE) and the “gay gospel” (click HERE) claim, for example, that the Bible doesn’t really condemn homosexuality, that the English translations have wrongly portrayed what the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts really say about the matter and that the references to homosexuality in the Bible do not apply to modern homosexual couples in long-term, committed, exclusive and loving relationships. The latter claim is used in an attempt to validate, justify and rationalize so-called “gay marriage.”

Historically, the common, ordinary Christian has had to leave the study of the Hebrew and Greek used in the ancient manuscripts of the Bible to highly trained Bible scholars and translators. But, in recent years, user-friendly computer software has been developed that enables the computer literate to study the Bible at this level without first becoming Hebrew and Greek scholars themselves. So, here’s how to do your own study of the Hebrew and Greek root words used in the Bible to express God’s views on homosexuality, using authoritative and reliable Hebrew and Greek lexicons. “It’s so easy, a cave man can do it.”

The “Cook Book” Procedure

To conduct your own, personal study: 1) find online, and open, “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” at “biblestudytools.com” (click HERE); 2) follow the instructions given in the introductory pane; 3) enter, in turn, the following Bible passages  — Genesis 19:1-11 with Jude 1:7; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9-10; and I Timothy 1:10 – and then; 4) for each Bible passage, click on the respective highlighted words (hyperlinks) to access the appropriate lexicon and read the meaning of the Hebrew or Greek words, given in English. You can toggle between the King James Version (KJV) and the New American Standard (NAS) version and still retain the Strong’s Numbers; or, you can choose from a dozen or more other English translations and read the passage without Strong’s Numbers. You will find, as expected, that wherever homosexual behavior is mentioned in the Bible, it is consistently condemned as sin, abomination, perversion, etc. And understand that translators of later English versions of the Bible, such as the NIV and NAS, consulted the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, rather than simply putting the KJV into modern English.

You may also find it helpful to read the following, most excellent and enlightening, short articles concerning the Bible and homosexuality, as part of your study:

Allen, J. 2014. The Apostle Paul and Homosexuality—Answering Homosexual Objections (Part 1) (click HERE)

Allen, J. 2014. The Apostle Paul and Homosexuality—Answering Homosexual Objections (Part 2) (Click HERE)

Conclusions

The claims of gay activists — that the Bible doesn’t really condemn homosexuality as sin, that the English translations have wrongly portrayed what the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts really say about the matter and that the references to homosexuality in the Bible do not apply to modern homosexual couples in long-term, committed, exclusive and loving relationships — is nothing but pure fantasy and wishful thinking, as you can see for yourself. Therefore, the Bible cannot be used with honesty, accuracy and integrity to justify and rationalize so-called “gay marriage.”

(For more articles on HOMOSEXUALITY, click HERE)

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Satan’s Sinister, Sister Attacks on Humanity

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Satan’s Sinister, Sister Attacks on Humanity

James R. Aist

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – Jesus (John 10:10)

Introduction

On the sixth day of creation, “…God created mankind in his own image; in the image of God he created them.”(Genesis 1:27). It was only after Adam and Eve were created that God said of His entire creation, “it is very good.” (Genesis 1:31b). When God had created Adam and Eve, He said to them “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28a). God’s first instruction to Adam and Eve was to reproduce, to replicate the crown jewels of His creation, human beings.

Now, God had already created Satan, but only mankind was made in the very image and likeness of God, and only mankind was given dominion over His creation (Genesis 1:28). This made Satan, who wanted to exalt himself above God (Isaiah 14:13), exceedingly jealous and hateful of mankind. In Genesis 3:15, after Satan had convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God said to Satan, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” And in John 8:44, Jesus said that “… the devil… was a murderer from the beginning…” Peter also referred to Satan as “our enemy” (1 Peter 5:8). Clearly, Satan is the archenemy of mankind and seeks ways to satisfy his jealousy and hatred toward us. And what better way to do that than to prevent human reproduction, or, failing that, to get mothers to murder their own children in the womb. So, let’s look into this matter further and see if homosexuality and abortion are, indeed, tools of Satan to undermine God’s command to “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” and to satisfy his hatred toward us.

Homosexuality

I have already shown that God would not and does not create anyone to be homosexual (click HERE). Like all other sins, homosexuality came into the world through the “original sin” of Adam, after God had finished His six days of creative activity. And it was Satan who enticed Eve (and through her, Adam) to disobey God (i.e., to sin) (Genesis 3:1-6). From that moment on, all of mankind has been born with a proclivity to sin. Therefore, Satan is the root source of all sins and of all temptations to sin, including homosexual temptations and sins.

Now, human beings are among the “animals” that reproduce sexually by the union of a male’s sperm with a female’s egg. Thus, homosexuality renders one incapable of reproducing naturally, because, to reproduce, one has to want to have sex with the opposite gender. And, that is how we can know that homosexuality is one strategy that Satan has used to thwart God’s plan for human sexuality, that is, to “be fruitful and multiply.” Moreover, from the human perspective, by destroying the natural, human sexual desire for the opposite gender, homosexuality steals from men and women their ability to fulfill one of their most basic, fundamental and precious human desires; that is, to conceive naturally and bear children (cf. John 10:10a).

Abortion

Since homosexuality prevents only about 1.5% of the general population from reproducing naturally, Satan isn’t satisfied to stop there. Abortion has become so common that it has greatly eclipsed homosexuality as the number one enemy of human procreation. About 3,200 babies are aborted in the U.S. alone each day (click HERE)! For this satanic strategy to be most successful, pregnant women have to believe the lie that their unborn child is not really a human being at all. Enter the pro-abortion lobby, led by Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortion in America. They are doing everything they can to persuade pregnant women to believe that their unborn child does not become human until some arbitrary point in the gestation process has been reached. But the fact is, there is no identifiable point in this continuum of pre-natal development at which an unborn child becomes suddenly human; the unborn child, having the full complement of human chromosomes – one set from each of the two parents —  is, biologically speaking, a human being from the moment of conception (click HERE). Now, recall that Jesus said of Satan, “… He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). This is how we can know for sure where this lie comes from!

Abortion violates not one, but two, God-given commands: 1) the sixth Commandment, “Do not murder” (Exodus 20:13); and 2) “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28a). And, being murder in its very nature (click HERE), abortion is an obvious way that “The thief comes to…kill…” (John 10:10a; cf. John 8:44). What more evil assault on humanity can there be, than to convince a mother to murder her innocent, helpless child in the womb?! Moreover, abortion is not pro-woman, as the abortion lobby claims. In fact, just the opposite is true. Perhaps the most distinctive human function that defines and exalts a woman is her God-given privilege to carry, nurture and deliver a new human life. Abortion directly attacks the very essence of womanhood. And that is anti-woman, not pro-woman!

Conclusion

Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Nothing could represent more direct attacks against this goal and purpose of Jesus than homosexuality (by preventing human reproduction) and abortion (by murdering unborn children). Satan, on the other hand, “…comes only to steal and kill and destroy” mankind’s natural sexuality (via homosexuality) and progeny (via abortion). These two strategies, homosexuality and abortion, are Satan’s sinister, sister attacks on humanity. This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that LGBTQ people are flocking to groups that are followers of Satan or Satan worshipers. A good example of this trend is the Satanic Temple, whose membership is well more than half LGBTQ and are ardent and very active supporters of both the gay agenda and abortion (click HERE).

After Words

Through it all, let us be quick to treat homosexual people with respect and dignity and to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. And may we not let our hearts become darkened with hatred towards homosexual people, just because we hate their homosexual lifestyle. As the Apostle Paul said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).

And, regarding abortion, it’s important to keep in mind that there is no sin that is so big and so bad that God will not forgive it. In fact, God wants to forgive you and bring you peace. He has made this promise to you: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). He is “faithful” to forgive you because He has promised to do so, and God does not lie or break His promises (Numbers 23:19); He is “just” to forgive you because Jesus paid the full price for your sins when He suffered and died for them, in your place, and, therefore, it would be unjust of Him to not forgive you! And He doesn’t stop there. He will also cleanse you from the stain of your sin and of the guilt and shame associated with it; God will separate your sins from you “as far as the East is from the West” (Psalm 103:12), and he will not keep bringing it up and holding it against you (Isaiah 43:25). You have God’s word on it (Numbers 23:19), so take Him at His word, receive His forgiveness and move on with the peace of Christ.

(To read more of my articles about HOMOSEXUALITY, click HERE; and about ABORTION, click HERE)

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A Sinless Life and a Sacrificial Death: The Works of Jesus

Jesus H. ChristA Sinless Life and a Sacrificial Death: The Works of Jesus

 James R. Aist

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:27-29)

Introduction

Salvation is free to us, but it cost Jesus His life. Is there a special relationship of the life that Jesus lived to the death that He died? It seems to me that, in the Christian church, we put major and primary emphasis on the fact that Jesus suffered and then died on a cruel cross to pay the penalty for our sins. And, that’s as it should be, for, apart from that, none of us would have any valid hope of escaping an eternity in hell and spending our forever with God in heaven. But, lately, I have been pondering the fact that Jesus managed to live for 21 years as a morally responsible adult in a terribly fallen world – a world not all that different from ours today, where sin and evil abound – without even once committing a sin. So, one day an interesting question occurred to me: Which was the more difficult thing that Jesus did for us: being tempted in every way as we are for 21 years without sinning, or dying on the cross to pay for our sins? Let’s take a few moments to explore the two aspects of this question a little further and see where it leads us.

The Sinless Life of Jesus

The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, but was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not convinced that I have been able to live even one day without sinning! So, it’s hard for me to imagine how hard it must have been for Jesus, who was fully man (and fully God), to live 21 years (that’s 7,665 straight days) without sinning even once, when He was being tempted in every way as I have been. Add to that the facts that 1) Jesus was hated and hunted by His own people, and 2) as the Son of God, He was tempted in three ways that neither you nor I even could be tempted (Matthew 4:1-11), and it’s easy to see that His sin-free life was truly remarkable and extraordinary.

The Sacrificial Death of Jesus

After Jesus was arrested, He was shamelessly and publicly mocked and brutally beaten before He was convicted of a capital crime and taken away to be put to death on a cross (John 19:1-3). Much has been said and written about the intense pain and agony inflicted by the beating and the cruel invention referred to as “crucifixion” (click HERE). Now, a literal lamb that was led to slaughter in those days had no idea what awaited him, and his demise was relatively quick and painless. But Jesus, the very human Lamb of God, would have been well aware of the kinds and intensity of pain and agony inflicted by crucifixion, as the Jews were given many opportunities by the Romans to witness this public display of punishment, as a means to dissuade other would-be law-breakers. Yet He willingly subjected Himself to this slow and unspeakably painful and undeserved death, in order to pay the price for our sins. The difficulty of actually bringing oneself to submit to such a cruel and painful death cannot be overstated.

So, His Life or His Death: Which Was the More Difficult Accomplishment?

By this time you may be thinking that, perhaps, I have posed a moot question, and you would be right. But I did so to make a couple of critical points. First, we should be quick to remember and appreciate the difficulty of the sinless life that Jesus lived, and not just the difficulty of His willfully enduring death on a cross for our sake. And second, let us remember that both His sinless life and His sacrificial death were necessary in order for Him be the Savior of the world. If Jesus had committed even one sin during those 21 years, then His death on a cross would have been payment for His own sin, not ours. That would have left us with no hope of escaping hell and qualifying for heaven. In other words, Jesus’ sinless life wasn’t just an amazing accomplishment that we all can and should admire from a distance; it was an absolute necessity in God’s one-and-only plan for our salvation that powerfully impacts our lives “up close and personal”, forever.

As the saying goes, “He lived the life we could not live to pay the ransom we could not pay.”

Addendum

Some would say that the most difficult thing that Jesus did for us was to allow the full  weight of the evil of all of our sins to fall upon His shoulders, and that’s why He said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Still others suggest that it was the separation from His Father that was the worst part of it all, causing Him to cry out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). In any case, we know that all of these things had to happen in order for His salvation to be complete and effective. And finally, what we can be absolutely sure of is this: in Jesus, we have a truly awesome Redeemer!

(For more articles on biblical teachings, click HERE)