A Bible Study for those with questions

When I go into the religious discussion forums I am always disturbed by the amount of violent hatred toward homosexuals. The threads on any topics dealing with homosexuality are always very long and despite these people all saying they are Christian, their posts are filled with outright contempt for the homosexual people, not just for their behaviour. From these Christians there is no understanding or compassion or help for anyone struggling with this issue in their lives, if anything they fill their hearts with so much fear a person would be terrified to ask for guidance from them. It has taken a great amount of courage to write this to you but from what I have been seeing on your website you don't seem to bash on anything "wrong," just set it scripturally straight. My questions are, does God really hate me because I am a man who loves another man? Is it really so wrong to feel an attraction to someone of my same sex? Do you think homosexuality is a genetic inheritance and if it is how can I possibly change? I love the Lord, with my whole heart soul and mind, really I do, but is it all for nothing? I have so much guilt but don't know how to stop my feelings.



Though it is wise and correct for a Christian to speak out against sins and direct the paths of those walking in darkness, it is unfortunate that so many so-called Christians cannot separate the sinner from the sin. In their strong aversion to the act they fail to see their own actions and harsh words as possibly stumbling someone who seeks help and guidance. (Lu 17:1-2 / 2Tim 2:25) It is wrong of people to have such animosity toward a person struggling with a sin, for they themselves sin every day. Jesus counselled "Stop judging that you may not be judged, for with what judgement you are judging , you will be judged, and the measure you are measuring out, they will measure out to you. Why then do you look at the straw in your brothers eye but do not consider the rafter in your own eye?...Hypocrite! First extract the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to extract the straw from your brother's eye." (Matt 7:1-5) They will stand before God for their mishandling of issues and for stumbling homosexual people who seek spiritual help, but no matter their anger, no matter the fear it may cast into your heart, it does not change the fact that homosexuality is a sin.

The Bible does not refer often to this act, but when it does, always it is clear, this sin is a grave sin. Sin in and of itself is a going against of what our Creator wills for us, it is falling short of His requirements. (For clarification, see the study on sin.) Jehovah, being our creator, has every right to set the standards of how we should and should not live. (Isa 33:32 / James 4:12) He is the only one perfect in knowledge. (Job 37:16) Further, he being our creator, knows that making right choices will benefit our lives. He, in his Holiness cannot bend his own rules to suit the feelings of sinners, i.e., he is unable to sin. (Heb 6:18) He cannot make exceptions to or overlook the righteousness of his own being. Therefore, he will not hold back from carrying out his judgement upon those who practice sin unrepentingly. (Rom 3:5 / 1Tim 5:24 / Jer11:20 / Rev 19:1-2 / Jude 6, 14,15 / Jer 25:31 / Gal 6:7)

Some have argued that in the days of the Bible, people, the Bible's writers included, didn't understand homosexual feelings and/or it was only the sexual "act" that was condemned. Further they argue that because other sexual standards of the Law Covenant are nowadays cast aside, one law among them, homosexuality, should not be singled out and emphasized. Both of these arguments are fatally flawed.

The Bible was divinely inspired, it's writers chosen by Jehovah himself for the candor and humility to yield to the working of his holy spirit, so in fact the Bible and all of it's contents are either God's direct words or words willed by him to be recorded for all time for the purpose of instruction to all people. (2Tim 3:16-17 / 1Thess 2:13 / 2Pet 1:20-21 / Rom 15:4 Also see Q&A study) It was God who set these rules, or laws, and no one can argue that God didn't know about homosexual feelings when he had his Bible writers record the law and the Bible. (Heb 4:13 / Jer 16:17) It is also important to note that God did not give these statutes to any other nation, these laws set them apart, protected them and gave evidence that they were his people. If this tendency were not a sin in God's eyes he would have not mentioned it nor the gravity of it. Because society today excuses and overlooks the other sexual laws of God's principals does not make any of these laws invalid.

The Law Covenant was replaced at Pentecost 33 C.E. by the New Covenant, by the shed blood of Christ. (Acts 2:1-4 / Acts 17:33 / 2Cor 3:6-9 / Heb 2:3-4) This new covenant did not make God's righteous principals obsolete, but instead made it possible through repentance and faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice, that these transgressions be forgiven. (Rom 8:2 / Rom 2:4 / Acts 10:43 / Lu 24:47)

This should answer clearly your question "does God hate me?" for no, it was with intense and deep love for sinful humans that he gave up his own son's life to clean away our sins, reconciling you with him, and offering you everlasting life in paradise. (Jh3:16 / Jh 3:36 / 1Jh 4:9 / Gal 1:14 / Eph 1:4 / Jh 6:40-47)

Is it really so wrong to feel an attraction to someone of the same sex? Only one source matters in giving an answer, God's word. Let us look at these passages,remembering that these words were divinely inspired and remain in the Bible by his will.

Lev 18:22 "And you must not lie down with a male the same as you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable thing."

Lev20:13 "And when a man lies down with a male the same as one lies with a woman, both of them should be put to death without fail. They have committed a violation of what is natural. Their own blood is upon them."

Rom 1:21-27, 32 "...they became empty-headed in their reasonings and their unintelligent heart became darkened. Although asserting they were wise, they became foolish and turned the glory of the incorruptible God into something like the image of of corruptible man and of birds and four footed creatures and creeping things. Therefore God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts , gave them up to uncleanness, that their bodies might be dishonored among them, even those who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created, who is blessed forever. Amen. That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both the females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature, and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene, and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error... Although these know full well the righteous decree of God, that those practicing such things are deserving of death, they not only keep on doing them but also consent with those practicing them."

1Cor 6:9-10 "What! Do you not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God's kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit God's kingdom."

1Tim 1:8-10 "Now we know that the law is fine provided one handles it lawfully in knowledge of this fact, that the law is promulgated, not for a righteous man, but for persons lawless and unruly, ungodly and sinners, lacking loving-kindness, and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, fornicators, men who lie with males, kidnappers, liars false swearers and whatever other thing is in opposition to the healthful teaching according the glorious good news of the happy God, with which I was entrusted."

Jude 6 "And the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place, he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgement day. So too Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, after they in the same manner as the foregoing ones had committed fornication excessively and gone out after flesh for unnatural use, are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire."

It is clear and undeniable that Jehovah views this sin as something hugely offensive, including homosexuality among sins such as idolaters, revilers and murderers. It is of importance to see the connection given between the angels who forsook God's arrangement for them to change the natural state of their bodies into one capable of having sexual relations with human women, to Sodom & Gomorrah, where homosexuality was prevalent, and humans changed the natural use of their bodies. This sin of the angels was so grave that God imprisoned them in dense darkness until his judgement comes to their destruction. Paralleled with this, one should see the seriousness of the sin of forsaking God's natural arrangement, or dwelling place, for the use of our bodies. (1Pet 3:19-20 / Gen 6:1-4 / Matt 25:41)

A genetic inheritance? This is entirely possible. It is entirely possible that all sinful tendencies are passed from human to human through our genes. Research has been done proving that a tendency toward rape and murder and various other wrong acts are passed to the children of these criminals , even though the children never knew that parent. God's word itself seems to attest to this. (Rom 5:12 / Ps 51:5) Perhaps this is the way sin spread to all men from Adam. However, whether learned or genetic, these sinful tendencies are not insurmountable. God does not lie or hold out false hope. His word certainly attests to this. (1Cor10_12-13 / Eph 2:2-5 / Rom12_2 / Eph4_22-24 / Col 3:9-10 ) To help anyone in their battle against any sin it is vital that they continually take in knowledge of God and his Son and their purpose for heaven and of all of mankind. (Jh17_3/ Prov 1:7 / Prov 9 :10 / Col 2:2-3 / 1Jh 5:20 / Col1:9-10 / Phil 1:9-11) This will build love and love for our Heavenly Father will motivate you to seek to please him.

It also is quite important that anyone struggling with any sin heed Jesus counsel when he said; "If now, that right eye of yours is making you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you. For it is more beneficial to you for one of your members to be lost to you than for your whole body to be pitched into Gehenna. Also, if your right hand is making you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is more beneficial to you for one of your members to be lost than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna." (Matt 5:29-30) Jesus did not say this twice to be redundant, the second mention was to stress the importance of his words. An eye and a hand are very important things to us, precious things and painful, even unthinkable to cut off and cast aside. But Jesus did not mean for us to literally mutilate our bodies to avoid sinning, this in itself would be a sin, for our bodies are a gift from God and we are to treat them with respect and care. What Jesus meant to illustrate is that while something might be so important to us as to be a part of us, something we may even feel is precious to us, it is more important to remove those things from our lives than to remain with them and die for our error. This could mean, for instance, to an alcoholic, to cut off his association with certain friends or remove himself from certain activities that put him in a position that leads him into the temptation to drink, and to a homosexual, or any struggling with any sin, the same would hold true. It is better to go on with loss in our lives than to be punished with death for our error. (Prov 1:10-15 / James 1:14-15 / Prov 5:12-14/ Ezek 18:30-31)

But still you may feel that even accomplishing this you would still only be abstaining from acting on your feelings yet the feelings would still be within you, and this may be so. Some may never gain full control over their sinfulness, but God understands this as our current nature, he knows we are unable to completely remove our sins, that is why he made it possible through Christ's ransom sacrifice to remove them for us. Jehovah expects us only to try. To try with sincerity and never give up. (1Chron 28:9 / 2Chron 6:30 / Prov 21:2 / 1Sam 16:7 / Jer 17:10 / Matt 15:18-19 / Prov 15:28) He does not condemn us for failing now and then provided we are not using his undeserved kindness as an excuse to sin. Our falls must never be deliberate, willful rebellions against God. And he will know it if they are. (Heb 10:26-29 / 1Jh 3:4 1Jh 3:8-9 / Rom 1:27 / Rom 1:32 / Num 15:30-31 / 1Pet 3:10-12 / Jer 11:20 / Ps 96:13 / Heb 6:4-6 / 2Pet 2:20-22) Although God is merciful and ready to forgive, he will not hold back from executing his righteous judgement upon the insolent. He will not accept unrepentant sinners. (James 5:11 / Ex 34:6 / Ps 86:5 / Ezek 18:23 / Ps 145:20 / Prov 2:22)

God loves you dear, that is why he stands in wait (2Pet 3:9) offering you the gift of sinless everlasting life, he asks but one thing in return, that you love him and that you try with all of your might to live according to his rule. It is all not for nothing if this you do. (Additional Scriptures you may meditate upon and apply in your studies on this topic; Acts 26:20 / Matt 3:8 / Col 3:5-10 / Eph 4:17 / Eph 4:22-24 / Rom 12:2 / 1Jh 1:9 / 1Jh 2:1-2 / Prov 28:13 / Ps 32:5 / Acts 3:19 / Ezek 33:14-16 / 2Cor 7:14 / Lu 17:3-4/ Matt 18:21-22 / Lu 15:7 / 2Tim 3:1-5 / Rom 12:9 / 1Cor 15:33 / Eph 5:3-12 / 2Cor 6:14-17)

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