Ministering to Homosexuals in a Post-Christian Culture

Gospel Truth and Compassion; Ministering to Homosexuals in a Post-Christian Culture

By Jay Wegter

PPT’s – Title, Natural Law, the 3 idolatrous expressions, result of the 3, homo-cosmology.

OBJECTIONS:

Is homosexuality an identity or a behavior, a practice, and an activity? Definitions are so vital.

Was the sin of Sodom a lack of hospitality? (See Jude 7; Ez 16:49, 47-50; Lev 17-20; see also Lev 20:13—homo death penalty.) How could homosexuality be a serious sin if Moses in the same book of the Pentateuch forbids two kinds of fabric in the same garment—wouldn’t that make homosexuality the same level of sin (i.e. ‘minor;) (higher rung of ladder of sin—all the way to the level of an abomination—Lev 18:22-23).

The issue is exchange—the natural function for what is unnatural—a truth-suppressing exchange contrary to God’s design (DeYoung, p. 55-56). ‘Natural desire’ speaks to the state of divine design (Rom 1:26). Homo’ is sinful because it violates the divine design (Teleology, Teleology II, Marriage Cords) of creation EVEN if the homo’ claims to his or her being ‘true to his feelings’ (desires). They have suppressed God’s truth in unrighteousness and exchanged the ‘fitted-ness’ of M-F relations for those contrary to nature. There is no possible pro-homo’ stance that is derived from the exegesis of Scripture.

What about the sins toward which the church seems to turn blind eye: gluttony, adultery, immodesty, fornication, rampant divorce, no fault divorce? Aren’t conservative Christian churches singling out homosexuality for repentance so as to judge selectively? (DeYoung, pp. 91, 93,).

FACT: the church is a place of broken people. God saves people out of immorality, including saving out of homosexuality (1 Cor 6:11). Are we really singling out homosexuals as the most needy candidates for repentance? Not really. Actually, regret over personal sin is very common. What is not common is true repentance. Many people agree with biblical truth; but few die to self so as to obey the truth (Gal 5:24; James 1:21-27). True repentance is a change of mind about God, your sin and your life. And it is a change which translates into newness of life and transformed living (Ibid, pp. 97-100). Homosexuality is cited by the Apostle Paul as an Index Sin (PPT) in Romans 1:26-28—by ‘index’—how far a culture has moved into nature worship—how far a culture has moved under the present revelation of wrath—as well as ‘what time it is’ in that culture in terms of facing the judgment of God as a civilization.

Isn’t marriage equality a just argument for civic fairness? Aren’t believers out of step with this change in the acceptance of homosexual marriage—aren’t Christians on the wrong side of history, much like the South during the civil war? Aren’t Christians regressive, stuck in the past, biased, judgmental, discriminatory, blockers of civil rights? (After all, if the shoe fits, where it.)

One of the myths of the Enlightenment is that of endless progress—but this is willful blindness to man’s nature. The question is: will man’s use of science usher in a utopian existence? Among constitutional governments this myth of endless progress shows up as optimism about the endless progress of democratization—new freedoms. This theory of endless progress runs parallel to Darwin’s theory of endless progress in evolution—a companion of utopianism (the belief that mankind has the potential to create social conditions that are increasingly ideal for human flourishing). NOTE: Peter Jones’ ‘one train hides another analogy’ warning in Europe. We are ushering in paganism at warp speed in the name of endless democratization (add God of Sex quote, ‘train example’ on left margin).

Why would God allow same sex attraction then call its expression an abomination? Why would God forbid SSA romance calling it sin? Thus, is it God’s will for those with SSA to stay unmarried and unfulfilled the rest of their lives? Many who experience SSA claim that celibacy is an unbearable burden, and that its repression is misery.

Sometimes we want wrong things—the heart is filled with self-deception and wickedness (Jer 17:9). Our own sense perceptions of pleasure, desire, yearning, pain, etc. are not self-validating. People choose erroneous worldviews in order to free up their lusts (Del Tackett PPT slide) (Eph 4:17-21). (See the Williams Translation on Romans 8:5-8). The claim that SSA celibacy is a burden too great to bear assumes that desires cannot be changed by God. It assumes that in order for those with SSA desires to be legitimized or acknowledged, they must be expressed sexually.

Scripture is utterly clear—there is a pronounced divide between the Lesbian’s heart and the Word of God. The heart can tell us that something feels natural when God says it is destructive to us and others (see Romans 1:27 (“receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error”) (Ibid, pp. 110-117).

Can’t a Christian be a practicing homosexual? That is answered fully in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 13). Three slides on The Body is for the Lord PPT.

Our culture has given sexual relations an incredibly exalted status. Jesus was fully human, yet He was sexually celibate. The ultimate bliss in heaven will not be from marital relations. Marital intimacy in the grand picture is an unfinished poem—a shadow if you will of Christ’s relation to His church. So what are people with SSA to do? ANSWER: God sets the lonely in families—in which there is structure, love, productivity, discipline, order, communion, and belonging.

The evaluation of our lives is from God’s infallible perspective. He has determined what constitutes ‘good fruit’. The condition for that is only by doing the will of God—no matter what you feel. Jesus stated that only good trees (healthy trees) bear good fruit. A ‘good tree’ is an individual who has been restored through Christ to function as the image of God (Mt 7:16-20). Jesus was fond of saying hard things. There is a yawning gap between confessed faith and genuine faith—“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord’. . . .” (Mt 7:21-22). Genuine faith is always that of a true disciple of Christ—His true followers deny themselves and take up their cross daily (Luke 9; Titus 2:11-14) (Ibid, pp. 117-119).

Shouldn’t the biblical phrase, “God is love” settle this whole issue? Shouldn’t the people of God practice love instead of judging homosexuals? After all, how could it be ‘love’ when Christian parents refuse to attend the wedding of their homosexual son or daughter, nephew or niece?

The subject of God’s love is vital, but His love does not swallow up His other attributes. God’s essence is also His goodness, mercy, justice, wrath, jealousy, holiness, and power. These attributes are not merely qualities; they are His very essence. God is love, light, spirit, and consuming fire. We do not rank His attributes. We can’t be tolerant of what God hates. We must love what God loves, and hate what God hates. The church in Thyatira (one of the seven churches of Asia addressed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 was loving and accepting, but they were not exercising holy love. Church members were blindly affirming—they tolerated false teaching and sexual immorality. Jesus speaking to this church through John warns them that their tolerance is not love, but it is unfaithfulness (Rev 2:20-23).

Heterosexual monogamous marriage is a wonderful gift to mankind, but it not of the same magnitude of the gift of eternal life in Christ. The summum bonum (highest possible good) of human experience is not two becoming one flesh in marriage. Marriage brings with it great sacrifices and the demand for self-denial and unselfishness. There are often many conflicts to be settled and resolved. There are many griefs, groans, sufferings, longings, sickness, and eventually death and bereavement. This is all evidence that since the fall into sin, things are not normal. The highest possible good is life in Christ, now and eternally.

Doesn’t homophobia hurt hearts and damage lives. Christians who vehemently preach that homosexuality is wickedness are actually giving young people the opportunity to practice bullying on school campuses. It is a great offense to have those around you judge your sexual orientation as abnormal and wicked—it can seriously mar your life—even contribute to suicidal thoughts.

A rant is not an idea, and hurt-feelings do not form an argument (see political cartoon PPT slide). Offended-ness is not proof of the coherence or plausibility of any argument. We need clear thought and careful definition. Jesus would have had no ministry at all if He had edited out every truth that offended people (Jn 7:7—‘the world hates Me because I testify that its deeds are evil’). We cannot build a theology upon what makes us look nicer (agreeable, relevant, etc.) Working for the approval of men rather than the approval of God cancels out the ability to believe says Jesus (John 5:44). The Word of God is unbreakable (Jn 10:35). Be careful of false dichotomies such as: “love is more important than religion,” or, “harmony is the result of removing everything that divides us.”

Christians pose a major hurdle to the freedoms as homosexuals because of their intolerance.

The new tolerance is socially dangerous and certainly intellectually debilitating (overturning the historic definition of tolerance). Why is the new tolerance inherently intolerant? The new tolerance suggests that actually accepting (‘tolerating’) another person’s position means believing that person’s position to be true, or at least as true as your own. This is a shift from accepting the existence of different views to the acceptance of different views themselves. Contemporary tolerance is intrinsically intolerant (D. A. Carson, The Intolerance of Tolerance, pp. 2-3) (PPT. Tolerance—three slides).

The new tolerance asserts that all beliefs and truth claims are equally valid. In this fallen, broken world of massive idolatry and religious confusion, God has so ordered things that conflict, idolatry, confrontation even about God Himself persist. We ought to distinguish between legal and social tolerance. Christians should defend legal tolerance (toleration without coercion/violence). But social tolerance in a multicultural society demands that people of different religions mix together without slights and condescending insults, without one wit of social superiority to others (Ibid, pp. 4-5).

The three pillars of the old tolerance. There are three assumptions in the old view of tolerance. Number one, there is objective truth out there, and it is our duty to pursue the truth. Number two, the various parties in a dispute think they know what the truth of the matter is, even though they disagree sharply, each thinking the other wrong. Number three, nevertheless, they hold to the best chance of uncovering the truth of the matter, or the best chance of persuading people to reason and not with coercion, is the unhindered exchange of ideas no matter how wrongheaded some of those ideas seem (and we might add, and no matter who is offended) (Ibid, pp. 6-7).

The new tolerance argues there is no one view that is exclusively true. Strong opinions are nothing more than strong preferences for a particular version of reality. Obama’s 2013 inaugural speech: “Don’t mistake absolutism for principle.” The new tolerance functions as the supreme moral virtue. What we are seeing today is the elevation of this new tolerance to the supreme position in the hierarchy of moral virtues. The supreme sin now is intolerance but that has taken on a new definition. Intolerance today is no longer a refusal to allow contrary opinions in public, but is understood as questioning or contradicting the view that all opinions are equal in value and that all worldviews have equal worth and that all stances are valid. To question such postmodern axioms is by definition intolerant.

The United Nations Declaration of Principles of Tolerance in 1995 asserts: “Tolerance involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism.” Does this mean that we have no right to hold conflicting things to be dogmatically true? The national Lambda Chi Alpha position says, “The definition of the new tolerance is that every individual’s beliefs, lifestyle, and perception of truth claims are equal. There is no hierarchy of truth, your beliefs and my beliefs are equal and all truth is relative.”

Structure your life around this and liberty is lost. The new tolerance demands that a person must be morally arbitrary in order to be tolerant (i.e. there is no transcendent authoritative Law-giver; therefore there is no universal transcendent moral code). How did moral ambiguity become the moral high ground—ANSWER: see the exchanges of Romans chapter one (Ibid, pp. 11-12).

The issue in the new tolerance is not about substance; but that no one should be offended. Today’s political correctness suggests that it’s not a matter of being intolerant of substance, but of intolerance itself. They believe that intolerance is wrong because no one deserves to be offended. The old tolerance draws its limits on the basis of substantive arguments about truth, goodness, doing harm, protecting society and its victims, while the new tolerance draws its limits on the basis of what it judges to be intolerant, which has become the supreme vice (Ibid, pp. 13-14).

Reductionist sophistries always tend to frame the issues within their worldview without owning their worldview. Jesus warned that the world hates those who are committed to holiness (Mt 5:10-13). There is a great difference between ‘God is love’ versus affirming our culture (and its understanding of love— lawless love—love without justice). Love keeps God’s commands (Jn 14:15). God’s moral law is the safeguard of love (Rom 13:8-10). Love does not write its own ethics. Love does not make sexual sin ‘acceptable’. Homosexual sex is sin no matter whether a life commitment is involved or not. It is still sexual immorality no matter the level of commitment between partners (DeYoung, pp, 126-129).

But Jesus did not specifically preach against homosexuality.

Christ affirmed the moral absolutes of the Law of Moses. There is therefore no argument from silence in Jesus’ ministry for permitting homosexual relationships. Jesus declared the righteousness of the Law (Mt 5:17), but did not expound every moral element of the Law; He did not speak directly about polygamy and incest—though they are forbidden. All of Scripture is the Word of Christ (Ibid, pp. 130-131).

WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THE NORMALIZATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY Now that homosexual marriage has become the law of the land, the biblical moral logic of heterosexual monogamy is at stake. Once we accept that love consists of feelings to be validated that must be expressed sexually—and that those engaged in consensual sexual activity have the constitutional right to marry—it opens the door to a host of marital permutations. The door once opened, cannot be shut. (See Peter Jones on sexual perversion born of pagan worldview is moving our culture to forget the transcendence of God Almighty—God of Sex quote.)

Liberalize one area of sexual ethics and the rest gets liberalized (we are seeing this with the move toward pansexuality and omnigendered sexuality—FB has 51 gender options—gender fluidity is revolt against our Creator that He has made the image of Himself to be male and female). One cannot engage in sexual immorality and also celebrate the Bible’s high calling to personal holiness (Ibid, pp. 130-131).

The authority of the Word of God is at stake. An increasingly common occurrence is the rejection of biblical truth about the immorality of homosexuality because a close friend or family member ‘comes out’ as homosexual. This ‘new take’ on biblical texts (the rejection of the historic biblical view) so often is the result of a personal experience. In other words to extend full acceptance to the practicing homosexual in your immediate sphere (and their lifestyle) many professing Christians are adopting a version of the view of the Bible which contradicts their former view. This change can be described as a ‘kind of conversion’ (“we have been delivered from fundamentalism, we were blind but now we see”)—what they have come to believe is through their experience. But the Scriptures are not a nose of wax that can be twisted into the shape of one’s own liking. At the heart of Eden’s Lie is that mankind has the right to choose right and wrong without eternal consequences (Ibid, pp. 131-132).

The grand redemptive narrative of Scripture is at stake. The economic Trinity is the basis for gender roles in marriage (1 Cor 11:3-16) (See Holy Trinity PPT slide—3 slides). Redemption accomplished and applied means that the hierarchy in the Holy Trinity is revealed in our redemption: the Father planning salvation; the Son executing salvation; the Holy Spirit applying salvation. Salvation is knowing God as He truly is—the Father sent the Son (Jn 17:3). We know God savingly through the ‘division of labor’ among the Godhead in our redemption. The agenda of sexual politics (in attacking divinely established gender as hate speech) militates against the knowledge of God expressed in our redemption. The advance of religious liberalism operates by denying the absolute authority of the WOG and instead adapting biblical truth claims to the trends of the day in the name of social relevance.

The cross of Christ is not primarily an example of love, but love’s objective accomplished (Lu 19:10). The gospel is an account of what happened—what God did through His Son. The narrative of Christ the Redeemer of sinners summons us to faith and repentance—the ultimate consummation of which will enable us to enjoy God in His presence forever. But in order for this hope of glory to take place, we through Christ receive holiness from God in order to live holy lives by the power of His indwelling Spirit (Rom 6:22). The climax of God’s glory story will take place at the consummation of history when the promise is fulfilled: “I will be their God and they will be My people” is realized face to face in the new heavens and earth (Rev 21) (Ibid, pp. 133-134).

A pro-homosexual spirit—what is at stake in this issue in terms of a threat to the freedom of religion and the integrity of the family pales in comparison to how pro-homosexuality will negatively impact the message of redemption. 20 years ago some feminists at a seminary I will not name in the Pasadena area suggested that any member of the Holy Trinity could have incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth (and other feminists argue: as either gender, a man or a woman). (In essence these ‘Christian’ feminists wanted to re-baptize the heresy of modalism in the name of women’s rights.)

The patriarchal authority of God the Father is central to redemption. In theology we study the ontological Trinity (the one-ness of God though tri-personal), and the economic Trinity (in which a hierarchy exists within the Godhead, a division of labor in redemption and in authority and glory—1 Corinthians 11:3-19ff.; 15:24-28). Anti-genderism is making a concerted effort to flatten out the distinction between genders (in the name of equality). This endeavor is a push for the omni-gendered utopian society imagined by the progressives. (Our former Madam Secretary of State worked against the oppression of women in developing countries—good to some degree. But, to destructively attack all patriarchy as the cause of the oppression of women is quite another thing.) Hillary Clinton’s War for

Women’s Rights Gayle, Tzemach Lemmon March 5, 2011—said the following:
Patriarchy is powerful, but it is also fragile, and transgender people confound
its simple dichotomies.

Southern Baptist Convention: Trans People Don’t Exist Jay Michaelson June 11, 2014

• Feeling entitled to power, leadership, and control is a general description of patriarchy.
• That patriarchy is lived out in Christian culture to this very day.

#Yes All Women Should Have the Church On Their Side Gene Robinson May 31, 2014

• We show (expose) gender injustice, we catch missioners of patriarchy.

The Theistic Conception of the World B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Cocker

• In this we seem to have the savor of a system of patriarchy.

Transgenderism is not solely a push for redefining sexual and gender boundaries, it is not only the rejection of God-ordained chromosomal gender identity (M and F as the image of God); it is also a philosophy about destroying patriarchy. This error also strikes at the heart of the gospel—propitiation. “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:14) (Believers know God Almighty as the atoning and the atoned for God.)

The formation of Adam’s bride, Eve prefigures Christ forming His bride, the church. Adam underwent a deep death-like sleep in order that he might give the flesh of his side (flesh of his rib) for his bride’s origin and her life. So also, Christ gives His flesh to raise the church to life. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (Jn 6:51). “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph 5:25-27).

Gender is near and dear to the heart of God—for gender is involved in the mystery of redemption in revealing and making God known savingly to believing sinners. “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church” (Eph 5:32). “The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and 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, because she was taken out of Man” (Gen 2:22-23). This glorious redemptive love is made possible only because of distinctions inherent in God’s design in creation (and in the distinction between God and us His creatures).

Christ’s substitutionary death is the sphere in which our spiritual resurrection takes place (cocrucifixion, co-burial, co-vivification, co-resurrection, co-glorification—Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:11-14). This is all about complementarity—the fitted-ness of one for the other. Christ and the church, man and woman—union is possible because of complementary differences—the fitted-ness of one for the other. Think just how much our adoration of Christ turns upon His fitted-ness to recover, rescue, and raise His Bride dead in her sinful corruptions. So much genuine Christian piety involves exalting Christ by continually matching His perfect suitability for every aspect of our ruin. It is complementarity from start to finish. The consecrated saint is always about the business of matching the dimensions of Christ’s Saviorhood with our sinnership—His work of redemption with our ruin.

The greatest love story in time or eternity is unfolding in redemptive history. God Almighty has chosen a bride for His Son. In eternity past—before the creation of the universe there was a covenant among the members of the Godhead. The Son of God will be given a people without number from every tribe, tongue and nation. These individuals will be formed into a new humanity—fit for God—to be ‘wedded’ to God. But there will be a problem. Your bride will hate you My Son, and will be dead in sin and corruption. The only way for you to win, and woo, and redeem her is to become the ‘last Adam’ and take on her legal guilt, her death, separation and deserved wrath (in a guilt and penalty transfer). You will have to go so low as to be tormented and killed on a Roman cross. You will go so low as to become a human corpse carried to a stone tomb by sinners. But, your death will be her life. You will draw out her love forever. You will be able to say to her: you are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. For, indeed, the church was taken out of the side of Christ. Brethren, this is why gender matters so very much. It is central in the narrative of divine redemption.

We will not effectively engage our post-Christian culture with merely a barrage of ‘thou shalt nots’. Don’t get me wrong, the moral law of God is good, wise, perfect, spiritual—as well as the revelation of God’s righteousness. What I mean is this, the entire movement of ‘one-ism’ has its own cosmology—its own theology (of nature worship) (the theory of evolution is co-dependent bedpartner). Our counter, in which we bring truth to bear upon error, calls us to unfold the full-orbed gospel. That is, a comprehensive biblical theism in which God’s ‘glory story in Christ—His plan of the ages is proclaimed. The gospel is both an account of what happened historically, and the gospel is God telling us what He did through His Son’s death and resurrection (Acts 17:30-31). Kuyper Quote PPT WV. We need to become competent at communicating the grand redemptive narrative—a robust theology of God giving Christ first place in everything so that He is sovereign over creation, redemption, and judgment (Col 1:15-21).

The church is in for tough times ahead—pressure will increase to accept homosexual behavior among ‘committed partners’. (EX. The frog in the kettle can be cooked without complaint if the temperature is consistently raised ever so slightly). A pro-homosexual spirit cannot help but gradually undermine orthodox doctrine. One cannot live a dichotomized worldview indefinitely (EX. the mountain PPT. means that sexuality forces down one side of the mountain or the other—toward theism or toward monism. The reason why is because our spirituality defines our sexuality argues Paul in Romans one).

The unnatural use of our sexual bodies argues Paul is due to exchanges which have taken place in our thinking (theology) and our worship (spirituality). Therefore, one cannot live a dichotomized worldview for long—for it is impossible to reconcile biblical theism and pagan monism—they will always be mutually exclusive. One exchange leads to the next—those who worship and serve the creature and the creation are given over by God (Rom 1:25-26). That is serious bad news when a person is given over in his or her mind, spirit, and body.

By contrast, when our minds and consciences are educated by the Word of God we learn that to live by the flesh instead of by grace is to be ruled by our sinful passions (nothing is easier than that). But what is difficult but necessary is the self-denial and hard work required to develop the Christian virtues commanded by God (2 Pet 1:5-8) (see The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis).

The freedom of the church and the integrity of the family are at stake. Same sex marriage as the law of the land significantly weakens/threatens the integrity of the family and freedom of the church. The homosexual political agenda may argue, “Who do you think you are as Christians to tell Americans who they can love!!” “It is hate and bigotry when you do so.” The issue is not who a person may love. The law has nothing to do with that. The issue is: what sort of union does the state recognize as marriage? Marriage is a pre-political institution—the first instituted by our Creator. Pro-homosexual marriage cedes to the state vast amounts of power (see Kuyper PowerPoint slide). The state distinguishes, makes exclusions in recognizing what constitutes marital union. The state will not grant marriage licenses to 8 year olds, or to brother and sister, or to 3 people who wish to marry each other. But, a most serious question is this: does the state in defining what constitutes a lawful marital union—have the right to redefine the most essential relationships? (Ibid, pp. 138-139).

The true church is going to be marginalized—that will happen when she is forbidden to publicly define life and relationships as God does in His Word. The region of society in which the true church is allowed to publicly be the ‘pillar and ground of the truth’ (1 Tim 3:15) is being reduced to private piety solely. This is what is meant by the marginalization of the true church.

Should marriage be regarded as having replaceable moving parts (gender of partners does not matter)? In so doing, (by redefining marriage) there is a ‘re-engineering’ of the major unit of society—a re-engineering of social life (re-engineered so that gender in parenting is relegated to the unimportant— re-engineered so that procreation in marriage is relatively insignificant). Historically the state recognized marriage in the first place and positively sanctioned marriage out of concern for the protection of children and the well-being of society.

Traditional marriage was ordered for the welfare of the child. But under the new morality, marriage is oriented to the emotional bond of the couple. Same-sex marriage is not merely private—for it devalues traditional marriage BECAUSE the only way to enshrine same-sex marriage is by changing the meaning of marriage. The legitimization of homosexual marriage means the de-legitimization of traditional marriage and the nuclear family as the building block of a just society. Persecution: the real church (those united to Christ who are ruled by His infallible Word) will be marginalized as an impediment to the progress of society (Ibid, pp. 139-142).

THE TRUTH AND COMPASSION OF THE GOSPEL

How can believers compassionately counsel those who wonder if SSA is sinful in itself—even if a person is committed to living a celibate life? Jesus tells us in the SOTM (Mt 5:28) that wishing that you could have sex with a particular person other than one’s monogamous heterosexual marriage partner is ‘heart adultery’. That is the starting point. SSA is a human problem since the fall, not solely a homosexual problem. Why? The problem is not unique, because being controlled by sexual lust is a failure to desire to walk in holiness. Wishing one could have sex with a particular person (if one could get away with it) is not the same thing as admiring someone’s beauty (Ibid, pp. 144-146).

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus is Friend of sinners. He beckons those to Himself who know that they are not what they ought to be. Jesus intercedes for believing sinners as their sympathetic High Priest. He knows what it is to be tempted and tried. God works through our limps and thorns for our good and His glory. He can use our struggles to bless us. Now it is true that disordered desires can arise in us uninvited (unbidden). SSA does not destine a person to a lifetime of guilt and self-loathing. Christ transforms minds and hearts.

Many of the SSA people who may be associated with the church (potential counselees) tend to define themselves by their desires. Therefore it is important to be clear and careful about definitions (gay, homosexual, gay community, gay camaraderie, friendship). The issues are emotionally charged and verbally complex. Acceptance and understanding are deep values with SSA persons (Ibid, pp. 146-147).

When we preach the gospel, we must tell the truth about all sins in order to guard the truth of the Word of God. Every sinner needs the new birth, faith, and repentance. The moral law of God is the great revealer of what we owe God as His moral image (see Romans road for 21ˢᵗ C.). The universal human condition is that we are all ‘truth suppressors’ outside of salvation in Christ. For the natural man is a tireless and studious truth-suppressor; raising up fortresses against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:3-5). That suppression cycle involves choosing worldviews which free up our lusts. Man’s love of darkness means that he will ardently defend his worldview of human autonomy and self-sufficiency in order to justify his sin (Jn 3:19-21; Ps 2:2-3; Jer 17:9).

The good news of the gospel is that sinners are bidden to come in their brokenness, pain, corruption. Jesus saves the sexually proud, polluted, and enslaved. He saves idolatrous, adulterous sinners. God is immutable—He does not change. Endless democratization is a cruel myth. We must view our lives in light of God’s character (see Jeremiah 2:13—living water versus polluted cisterns. God warns about the loss of ability to be ashamed of our sin—Jeremiah 3:2; 3:25; 5:3. The oceans of the world obey God-ordained boundaries; people do not—Jeremiah 5:21-24. Departure from the Word of God is the self-destruction—Jeremiah 5:30-31; 6:10. Solution—ask for the ancient paths—Jeremiah 6:16).

Selfism is a cruel trap (it is Satan’s own sentiment cast as a lie for the human race). Hell’s best kept secret—one’s primary tormentor in hell will be the conscience. Self-love makes mankind an enemy of God. Selfism in its final form is hell (a mirror of Lucifer’s own rebellion). Self-love is self-worship (see PPT slide—the real you is not the self—as psychology would have us believe; the real you is determined by what you worship). Those who walk in their own light and not the light of the Word of God will lie down in misery (Is 50:10-11).

God is the source of all true light, love, truth, beauty, meaning, belonging, righteousness, enduring family, community. Heaven is partaking of those blessed ideals in God’s presence forever. But we must be changed by the work of Christ in order for that to happen. Our idolatrous hearts must be changed by regeneration. To be changed into true worshippers requires a transforming miracle of God (Titus 3:5). Sin deceives, enslaves, darkens, twists, fragments, and degrades. Self-love makes us moral cowards—it makes us lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Tim 3:4). Once a person is born again—there is a willingness to be ruled by the Word of God. God’s will for every believer is renewal and transformation by the Word of God (Rom 12:1-2). For we have remaining sinful desires which must be mortified by Spirit-enabled replacement behaviors (Rom 8:12-13; Col 3; Eph 4).

Speaking to cultural elites—boldness, and courage
Struggles with SSA in church—patient sympathy and exhortation
Those mistreated—winsome humility (but by the grace of God)
Shaky Christians—persistent persuasion (stick with Christ)
Opposition to the WOG—straightforward earnestness
Belligerent Christians—clear corrective

A POINT OF WISDOM FOR CHRISTIAN YOUNG ADULTS Here is a caution directed at young adults (rising generation and millennials): it is easy to be blind to the reality that the biblical definition of marriage is inseparably connected to human flourishing. (Why is religious freedom the foundational freedom to all other freedoms?) Many young adults are drawn to themes such as social justice and societal transformation. But they have not exercised critical thinking about the error of endless democratization—because within that false philosophy we are seeing the advocacy of pansexuality and omni-genderism. (Note how this push for gay rights can hide the ‘train’ of advancing paganism).

Kevin DeYoung fears that younger Christians don’t have the stomach for disagreement or critical thinking/mind for careful reasoning. The Bible does not make us bigots. And reflecting on the times in light of God’s unbreakable Word does not make us relevant. In fact our relevancy is only stable and real if we do not compromise what God says in His Word—only then do we have the words of life and knowledge of God our Redeemer to offer to ruined sinners.

God created us to be worshippers—He made us for relationship—to know and to be known—we long for intimate communion. Only Christ at the center of our lives can properly order our sexual desires to the glory of God. Piper slide on Orbit of planets and the sun PPT.