1 Corinthians 5 - Should the Church Bless Same Sex Committed Relationships?
"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Apparently sexual scandal in the church is nothing new in the church. Chapter 5 starts out an issue in which a man is sleeping with his father's wife. This would indicate that the woman was his stepmother. The fact that the verse (v.1) says "sleeping", shows it is an ongoing relationship. While in any situation this is immoral, Paul is most upset by the fact this is happening in the church. In fact, even among the pagans of the time, this act would be condemned but the Corinthians have embraced this situation. Rather than being transformed by Christ, the Corinthians had conformed to the pagan practices of the world, and worse yet, they were even boastful about it.
Importantly for the topic I will write on today are the words, " I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people." Verse 11
We could make a strong case that this is directly corrleated to our modern day church, as many have accepted homosexual behavior as okay and not regard it as "sexually immoral". Some churches even champion this cause and are proud of it like the Corinthians church. They are the "progressive" church, and are truly the ones who show the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Other Christians should be as enlightened as they are for this new understanding on this subject.
But the problem is receiving and forgiveness from God in Christ assumes that one is going to repent of their sin and not do it again. In "same sex, committed relationships" today, there is usually no intention of stopping what the Paul describes as "sexually immoral behavior" (I will point out the passage where Paul teaches this and also from Leviticus) . We have bought into the lie that if two men or two women are "committed to each other and have no other partners", it nullifies the prohibition of homosexual behavior in the bible. I say "behavior" because having homosexual inclination is not sin in itself, but the practice of it.
Some may think I am being harsh with this interpretation of the text today. They might ask, "Haven't I understood that this was only for biblical times not for our day". It is slippery slope to say that a clear prohibition in the bible has changed because of the "times". Some people will argue that the prohibition of same sex behavior in the Old Testament were for that day only. After all we are not under the Law but grace.
I realize this is very controversia issuel in the ehurch today. In my own Lutheran, church there was a huge fallout with the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) in the late 90' and into this centry, as as this issue was hotly debated and put forward by the denomination. Many ELCA churches starting accepting homosexual practice and conducted "same sex marriages" on the grounds noted above.
The church I was a pastor at then, and the two subesquent churches I have served, all left the ELCA over this issue, and specify how it undermined the authority of the bible. Why? All of the consitutions churches use say that all authority we have in the church comes from the authority of the Word of God.
Is is the direct quote from the ELCA consitution all ELCA church must be in alignment with,
"This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life."
Officially since the constitution does not openly prohibit homosexual behavior, they say it is a matter for each congregation and pastor to decide using "bound conscience" to guide their practice.
For me, as I was ordained pastor as a pastor in the ELCA, my conviction is never to teach anything out of alignment with the Word of God. If I believe homosexual behavior is okay and want to teach it in the church, I should have to found a church and a denomination that approves of it officially. Since the ELCA accepted homosexual practice, 7 actively gay "bishops" have been ordained in the ELCA. Therefore, if is not just a "wink and a nod", but goes right to the top of the ecclesiastical structure in the church. The ELCA openly and intentionally endorses homosexual as it is practiced only in "same sex committed relationships".
The 3 churches I have served who left the church did not leave because we "hated gay people", or had a double standard with homosexual and heterorsexual sin. But because we believed that scripture is clear that marriage is ordained by God to be enjoyed between one man and one woman. After all, if God designed two men or two women to be married, don't you think at least one passage in the 66 books of the Old and New Testament would treat the issue positively. There is not one positive proscription in the bible for homosexual behavior whether in committed same sex relatioships or not.
I am now part of the Lutheran churches in Mission for Christ (LCMC). This is their stance on the issue,
According to the official LCMC Statement of Faith and Constitution, the church adheres to a pastoral admonition that human sexual expression should only take place within heterosexual marriages. As a result, the denomination does not perform same-sex marriages or ordain clergy in same-sex relationships.
What does the bible specifically say about this issue.
Here is what the Levitical law given directly from God to Moses says on two occasions,
Leviticus 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination".
Leviticus 20:13, "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death".
Some might say, "Well, that is the Old Testament and part of the old covenant, but Jesus brought in the new covenant."
But Jesus said, "I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it." Matthew 5:17
The Levitical law had two parts. The ceremonial law, which had to do with the temple purity laws and how sin was atoned for. The innocent lamb was killed and its blood was shed at Passover for the sins of the people. The moral laws given to Moses, as summarized by the Ten Commandments, never change. God gave them to Moses to give to the Israelites to separate them from the pagan nations around them. God is holy and calls us to be holy
"Be ye holy, as I holy". 1 Peter 1:16, Leviticus 11:44, and 19:2
Jesus did not come to abolish the moral law, but to actually distinguish between the mere letter of the law, and the Spirit of the law. He addressly this very clearly in the Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5 through Matthew 7) For instance, He did not change what it meant to commit adultery, but said, "If someone lusts after a woman (or man) they have committed adulery in their hearts." (Matthew 5:28) He upped the ante on this one!
But there are also passages in the New Testament which prohibit homosexual behavior.
1 Corinthians 6:9–10: In a list of unrighteous behaviors, Paul uses the Greek words malakoi and arsenokoitai. These terms are often translated as "male prostitutes" and "men who practice homosexuality" (or sodomites).
1 Timothy 1:9–10: Paul again uses the term "arsenokoitai", listing it alongside other practices considered contrary to sound teaching and the law.
Some who will to permit homosexual behavior, will argue that these Greek words meant something else back then. Or are only to "perverse behavior" not our "same sex committed" relationships.
For me the most compelling and clear passage on this comes from Romans 1:24-27. I simply cannot get around it as a pastor whose calling is the preach the gospel and be true to the Word of God.
"24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual 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 shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."
Note, the context of this passage, as Paul is describing various aspects and behaviors of the sinful nature. This will lead to the verse in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God", which will lead to Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus."
All sin is the same in the sight of a holy and righteous God. God doesn't rank sins. My sin is as bad as those who practice homosexual behavior. For example, if a heterosexual man continually watches pornography and is not willing to stop, he is also guilty of sexual immorality. He is guilty adultery if he is married. We can't have a different stand here for heterosexual and homosexual sin, which is hypocrisy.
But the key word is "repentance". When we sin, we are called to repent of it. We don't appease God and ask for forgiveness, and then turn around and do the same thing the next day. The bible warns that the idea of sinning with no intent to turn from it, is a dangerous place to be. It indicates a sealing of the heart from the power of the Holy Spirit.
In closing, on a pastoral note, I have wrestled with this issue all of my life. I have have close friends who have chosen this lifestyle. We have talked about it in depth. Some grew up in Christian homes and would consider themselves to a be Christian. That is not for me to judge, only God can judge a human heart. I go by the motto, "Seek first to understand then be understood!"
I rarely address this subject in the church, because I never want to the world, (I.e. non Christians or new guests) to think we are all about what we aree against. In Sunday worship we preach the gospel which is for sinners of all brands. Even Paul said the judgement for the incest in the Corinthian church he saw, was because they were Christians, not for those in the world.
But we live in a time, where churches had either started to, or have fully been conformed to the values of the world, even it they go against biblical values. This especially in the area of sexuality and what has become known as the LGBTQ# movement.
The homosexual friends I have gotten to know, which are all men, have said they were born with an attraction to men and not women, thus intimating it was a genetic thing not a choice. This is also at the root of the argument for many, especially in the church. After all,m would God prohibit someone with homosexual inclinations from birth from ever having intimate sexual relations.
There are a lot answers to that question some good and some bad. But suffice it to say this is one of the questions I look forward to God answering in heaven. But as for me, despite my feelings and compassion for those who struggle with this aspect of their sexuality, I have to stand on God's word not my feelings.
This is a very difficult issue, and I think there needs to be great sensivity for the issue. Remember Jesus' words, "Whoever is without sin can throw the first stone". John 8:7 Remember the context is the Jewish leaders were looking to stone a woman caught in adultery. They did in a spirit of judgment and hypocrisy, but they had plenty of sin in their own life they were oblivious to.
How do you feel about this? I would love your feedback in the form of an email to pastormike@ctkfb.org.
Finally, remember it is by grace we hve been saved by faith so that no one can boast. Romans 6:23. Therefore, we need to humble as we deal with this issue in the church.
Jesus, help us to obey your Word, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. We trust in Your Word, because it is the same Word which brought us to you. We know you are the Word made flesh, and you came full of "grace and truth". May we be full of grace and truth as we seek to be your faithful followers and not conformed but be transformed by the renewing our minds. Amen.
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