The Truth Revealed
(written by Pastor Jacques Engelbrecht)

Jesus Christ & your sexual orientation

A  Revelation

'And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  " (John 8:32)

For many gay Christians, and non-Christians, the question of their sexual orientation has been a matter of considerable torment, anguish and a lot of uncertainty.  For the gay Christian, the questions raised as a result of institutionalised dogmas with regard to their sexual orientation and their faith, are far more complex.  The Bible teaches that the Just (God's children) shall and should live by faith.

"The Just shall live by Faith!" (Romans 1: 1 7b)

Faith, very simply put, is the Truth that has been revealed by God's Spirit to an individual.  This means that we need to revert to living by His Spirit and not live by a single verse here and there or randomly opening our Bibles and pointing to a single scripture.  This is not God speaking to us or revealing His Will for our lives in this way.  We need Revelation knowledge Greek: RHEMA.

"There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever so that we may obey these words of the /aw " (Deuteronomy29: 29)

"You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not." (Matthew 13:1 1)

In the above Scripture, Jesus tells His disciples that they have the Revelation Knowledge about certain things which others, who were not believers, did not have knowledge of.  Therefore, in order to understand God's Will and Purpose for your life, you need to understand that He will reveal Himself to ALL HIS CHILDREN!

Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.  For some are eunuchs because they were born that way,- others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven.  The one who can accept this should accept it. (Matthew 19:11-12)

Here, Jesus Himself speaks to all His disciples disputing the claim that "homosexuals are not born that way".  It is a known fact, in both biblical times and today, that there are babies who are born hermaphrodites with both male and female genitals or even born impotent and or infertile.  Why would Jesus make such a profound and dramatic statement by saying: "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given." Especially seen in the context of Matthew 19, which speaks about the marriage between a man and a woman.  Impotence and infertility does not determine ones sexual orientation.  Jesus teaches His disciples that there are people who are born incapable of marriage in the traditional male-female sense.

Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,

'The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.   And let not any eunuch complain,

'I am only a dry tree.  " (incapable of producing fruit) For this is what the L ORD says:

'To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant (Speaking of God'schildren; born-again Christians) to them / will give within my temple and its walls (The Body of Christ Living Church) a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; / will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. (Isaiah 56 3b-5)

God, through the prophet Isaiah, prophesies right into the heart of the New Testament, saying to the Eunuchs* that He grants to them a place and a name in His Kingdom

* New King James Bible Spirit Filled Bible: The eunuch symbolizes all those that the Law (Lev 21:20) had excluded from worshipping with God's people.

God also tells us here that born-again Christians are not "Dry Trees" i.e. fruitless people.  Gay

Christians too are not fruitless people as the fruit you bear is not necessarily physical children but gay Christians can lead others to Christ, thereby producing "spiritual children" and being fruitful in the Kingdom.  God gives all people a great command "Go forth and multiply" meaning go and make more spiritual children for His kingdom.  He surely did not say go forth and be fertile.

B  Anti-Gay Scriptures

Let's take a brief look at some of the most commonly used and well known presumed Anti-Gay scriptures:

Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-25)

The cultural-historic background of these cities should also be known in order to fully understand the reasons for God's wrath.

This is by no means, shape or form a homosexual story but one of Idolatry (the worship of idols) and Adultery.  These cities were so deeply involved in Idolatry.  Their materialistic lives were far greater than their Spiritual lives for God.  They no longer worshipped God but fell into the clutches of earthly pleasures and shunned His laws and decrees.  The citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah had so deeply fallen into idolatry and adultery that they wanted to perform the unforgivable- the forbidden, they wanted to have intercourse with fallen angels (verse 1 says "and two angels came to Abraham).

'And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.  They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.  "(Jude: 6-7)

Jude tells the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in a nutshell.  The people of these cities lusted after fallen angels (the Greek word used here is Heteros: meaning of uncertain affinity, other, different, altered, else, next one, another, some, strange also a word from where Heterosexual is derived).  The men from all corners of Sodom (not only the supposedly 10% whom we now would surmise were homosexuals) came and demonically enthused, inspired to gang-rape God's Holy angels as to humiliate God.

What then is the sin of Sodom?

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and herdaughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned, they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did *detestable things before me. Therefore l did away with them as you have seen. (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

* The word used here is often used in the Bible in the context of Idol worship!

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: / will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. (Ezekiel 16:59)

Our God is a God of the Covenant!  He detests it when we break our covenant with Him to run after other gods.  He is a jealous God.  Sodom and Gomorrah rejected God and followed and worshipped the devil.

Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable".  Leviticus 18:22

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.  They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.  Leviticus 20:13

God, in His infinite wisdom, forbade the believers to participate in open "free-for-all" sexual practices such as those used in the rites of Baal worship (Satanic worship).  The reason for this is that in the sexual act, a transference of spirits can take place and by being lured into the open sexual practices of Satanic worship, one gives oneself up to easier acceptance of evil spirits.  God instituted this law at this time as a result of growing idolatrous practices of the heathen people on earth, i.e. Egyptians, Philistines etc. (who, consequently also ran Harlem's where same sex partners were sold or abused for their sexual pleasures in exchange for favours or monetary favours).  Over and above this, open free-for-all sex and orgies defies the gift of sex that is between two committed people in a covenant relationship, the very beautiful gift that God gave us.

The Strong's definition of the word "lie", used in the Leviticus Law means: To lie down(for rest, for sexual connotation, decease or any other purpose):- at all; cast down; lodge; ravish; make lie.

The above acts are acts of force.  In other words rape(ravish),not acts of love between two consenting adults.  In prisons, for example, stronger inmates(usually heterosexual)force themselves sexually on to weaker inmates.

NOTE that Leviticus says nothing about women, only men. Woman were very much inferior to men in this male dominated society.

So, in other words, Leviticus says: Don’t treat men disrespectfully by forcing yourself onto them sexually, degrading them and treating them like women.

NB! Adding to this: Scholars must be very careful that they do not pick out verses in Leviticus randomly just to suite them.  If you want to open Pandora’s Box by condemning Gay Christians with two verses, what about numerous other verses. Verses condemning the touching of leather, eating shellfish etc.  There is no small sin and big sin.  Sin is sin and that is why mankind needed a Saviour

Reference to the term SODOMITE as from the King James Bible

There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor asodomite of the sons of Israel.  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.  Deuteronomy 23:17-18

And there were also sodomites in the land: and they didaccording to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.  1 kings 14:24

 

And he took away the sodomites out of the land, andremoved all the idols that his fathers had made.  1 kings 15:12

And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.  I Kings 22:46

And he broke down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.  IlKings23:7

Let us take a look at the word Sodomite:

The Strong's Dictionary defines the word as:

1)  Hebrew = Qâdêsh meaning a (quasi) sacred person, i.e. (techn.) a (male) devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry: - Sodomite, unclean.

2)  Hebrew = Qedêshâh meaning feminine of above.  A female devotee (i.e. prostitute): - harlot, whore.

As we can clearly see, the word sodomite has absolutely no connotation or proof to homosexual or gay relationships or living, but rather to prostitution for the sake of adulterous worship.  Please refer to the New International Version Bible to see the above Scriptures in it's context and true translation.  Both the male and female version of the word or term sodomite is a reference to idol worshipping prostitutes.  Even at a stretch of our imagination, we cannot deduce that these sodomites were homosexual.  Male prostitutes on their own, are not necessarily homosexuals but perform either homo- or heterosexual favours for remuneration.

Romans 1: 1 -32

NB!  This entire chapter must be read in context and in it's entirety.  This chapter sketches two profiles:  On the one hand; those declared righteous by faith in Christ and on the other hand those that refused to worship God but chose rather to worship ”The Creature”(Satan) .

It is in this context that two significant scriptures are always singled out wrongly and used wrongly to condemn gay believers.

Because of THIS God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.  Romans 1:26-27

This sounds a lot like a sexual orgy which was a very common practice in Roman-Greco culture of the day.  Men and woman would, as an act of worship to some or other idol god, get together to have an orgy.  They would overeat and consume copious amounts of alcohol.  Drunk and full of demonic lust, they would oil each other up and have sexual intercourse: men with woman, woman with men, men with men, woman with woman.  All of this in the context of a idol worship.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and EXCHANGED the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

THEREFORE,GOD gave them over in the sinful desires oftheir hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of theirbodies with one another.  They EXCHANGED the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised.  Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.     

In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.  Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile toretain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.  They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful, they invent ways of doing evil, they disobey their parents.  Romans 1:21-30

The above passage clearly shows that these were not God loving, God fearing, born-again, Spirit-lead Christians but God haters who preferred idol worship.  That is the shameful sin.  Verse 26 and 27 also shows that men and woman alike gave up their natural ways, and prostituted themselves for their god-less worship.  They were the shrine prostitutes.  God does not want any of His children to give up the natural way in which He made them, being gay or straight, to take on unnatural ways for which they were not created.  By defying the natural way in which He created you, you would be symptomatically showing God that His creation is by no means good enough, therefore, nor is He.

I Corinthians 6:9-10

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor *homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

* Strong's: 733

Greek = Arsenukoites = A sodomite: abusor of (that defiles) self with mankind

Strong's 730 + 2845

Greek = Arsen = male, man = Koite couch; by extens, Cohabitation; by impl.  The male sperm: bed, chambering, x conceive

From the above extract from the Strong's Dictionary, we can see that the original word which the translators translated as homosexuals is actually a sodomite, and this we have seen means a temple prostitute.  The man described here is also an abuser, abusing his own body in his dealings with mankind (male and female?)

This certainly is not a man or woman living for Jesus, dedicated to one life committed partner.

lTimothyl:10

For the fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers

Again, the original word Paul used here was Arsenukoites.  We cannot deduce much from the word alone so let us take a look at its context.

The lawless and the insubordinate, for the ungodly and for the sinners, for the unholy and the profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for the fomicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers

1 Timothy 1:9-1 0

Could a born-again gay Christian be a murderer of mother and father?  The above are all ungodly, violent acts that a Spirit-filled person could not perform.  They are non-consenting non-loving acts that a Spirit-filled person could not perform.  They are non-consenting non-loving acts between two people who do not love the Lord and don't follow God's Living Word!

N B The Apostle Paul had recourse to many highly descriptive and accurate words in the rich Greek language.  If he wanted to condemn homosexuality in general, he could have done so very easily.  Furthermore, why did none of the other Apostles say anything to bring about 100% clarity?

What did Jesus say?

The final test is to find out what Jesus Himself said about homosexuality.  Born-again Christians are followers of Christ and thus need to know what the Master said.  The truth is, after much research and breaking down of sentences and sentence structures, and using words written and various means of translations, we cannot find any reference or a single word that Jesus used to denounce homosexuality and or gay relationships.  This is a very significant thing to note as homosexuality existed at the time when Jesus walked the earth.

Except for Jesus telling His disciples in Matthew 19:1 1 12 that some people are born that way, He is otherwise silent on the subject.  Jesus does make mention of Sodom and Gomorrah in Matthew 10:15 and in Luke 10:12 where He tells His disciples that if cities rejected the Gospel, it would be more intolerable at judgment day for those cities than what it was for Sodom and Gomorrah.  Nothing is said about being gay or about homosexuality!

I find this very important as Jesus makes strong mention to everything that is important in life.  He strongly condemns that which must be condemned, He strongly praises that which is good.  He never said a thing on being gay.  Jesus clearly said that things are either in the light or in the dark, either black or white so there is no grey.  The church today, calling themselves followers of Christ seem to make much noise of something Jesus Himself never uttered a word on.  The church organizations seem to have moved what they feel should be unacceptable into the sinful nature, and also what is acceptable into the light irrespective of Jesus' teaching.

The Mission Statement of the Trinity!

God's Mission Statement

"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He(even)gave up His only-begotten(unique)Son, so that WHOEVER believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on)Him shall NOT perish-come to destruction, be lost-but have eternal (everlasting) life.

John 3:16 (AMP)

Jesus' Mission Statement

"For God did NOT send the Son into the world in order to judge-to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on-the world; but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

He who believes on Him-who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him-is NOT JUDGED(he who trusts in Him NEVER comes up for judgment; for him there is NO REJECTION,NO CONDEMNATION; he incurs NO DAMNATION).But he who does not believe(not cleave to, rely on, trusts in Him)is judged already;(he has already been convicted; has already received his sentence)because he has not believed on and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God.-He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.

John 3:17-18(AMP)

The Holy Spirit's Mission Statement

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you (John 16:13-14)

Do all need Jesus Christ?

Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 16:6)

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:18-19)

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in hisname, he gave the right to become children of God ;children born not of NATURAL descent, nor of HUMAN decision or a husband's will, but born of GOD(John 1:12-13)

everyone who is called by my name, whom I CREATED for MY glory, whom I FORMED and MADE.

(Isaiah 43:7)

Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.(Isaiah49:lb) 

 

But when God, who set ME APART from birth and called me by His Grace,

(Galatians 1:15)

But indeed, o man, who are you to reply against Gods Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, why have you made me like this?  Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honour and another for dishonour?

Rom 9:20+21

Can gay Christians be sanctified, justified and declared righteous'?

"to open their eyes and tum them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

(Acts 26:18b)

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all thoseeverywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ their Lord and ours:  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1:2-3)

But You were washed, You were sanctified, you werejustified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by theSpirit of our God.

(1 Corinthians6:11)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (11 Corinthians 5:21)

No person, irrespective of race, creed and sexual orientation is sanctified and justified or righteous in themselves.  That is why we need a Saviour.  Jesus had no sin and He went to the cross innocently to take our sins and iniquities, pain and disease, on Him.  He was the Lamb led to the slaughter for us!  So when anyone receives Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, they make a covenant with Him and by association, covenant, are saved, sanctified, justified and made righteous!

Summary and last thoughts

God separated the first Adam into male and female.  He created sexual organs for the purpose of procreation and commissioned Adam and Eve to multiply (physically) and to fill the earth.  The emphasis was never on the sex or sexuality but on the multiplication and on their covenant relationship with God.

When Adam listened to Satan, he actually rejected God and God's Word.  This plummeted all of Adam's seed: mankind, into sin and separation from God.

The second Adam, Jesus, brought restoration and forgiveness.  Mankind could now return to God's Graces and His presence through and only through Jesus Christ.

NB !There is a purpose for your life.  You are not a mistake.  You have been formed and made the way you are for a reason.  Gods reason; for His purposes.  Don’t deny your purpose for living by trying to be who you’re not.  Be who God made you, without shame but receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and start living a purposeful life in God.

The church, through Jesus Christ, also now had a great commission:

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to allcreation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned"

(Mark 16:15-16)

The Church (all believers baptized into Jesus) must now procreate spiritually: lead souls to Christ.  This is our chief mandate!  Sexual orientation is not our prime criteria, but our covenant with Christ is!  You have now been shown that Jesus had never denounced homosexuality.  He did not come into the world to condemn it but through Him the world will be saved.  We have taken a look at most of the so-called "antigay" scriptures and we saw that in the original text and context, they by no means condemned homosexuality but rather exposed idolatry.  We have now also seen that to conclude a covenant with Jesus Christ is essential and to conclude a covenant with each other is necessary.

Now proven that homosexuality is not the "abominable sin" and that born-again Christians who are gay and are in a gay partnership/relationship, should conclude a covenant (life commitment/Holy Union/Marriage), we must also take note that as a gay Christian, you too are subject to the moral standards and principals that Jesus had set for all people.  We cannot condone promiscuity and living in sin.  As a Christian who is actively gay, you must also strive to live a righteous and holy life in accordance with God's Word.

Believer's Prayer

Please pray this prayer if you do not know Jesus

Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

Father God, I come to you now in the Name of Your

Son, Jesus Christ as Your Word says that no one can

come to the Father but through Him.  I believe that

Jesus was crucified, He died and was buried and rose

again on the third day so that I may have everlasting

life.  I know that He took my sins to the cross with

Him so that I may come to You and confess my sins

and ask You to forgive me and cleanse me with His

Blood.  Father, I confess that I am a sinner and ask

You now to forgive me of my sins.

I welcome You, Jesus Christ, into my life as my Lord

and Saviour and I make You King of my life.  Take

over every part of me Holy Spirit and fill me with

Your love.  Use me Father as an instrument of Your

love.

Thank You Lord for accepting me into Your family

through Jesus Christ, as Your Word says that "All

who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved"

AMEN!