Category: Columns
God’s creative intent for sex and marriage
This is the third in a series of columns about same-sex attraction, adapted from the new MBC resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Same-Sex Attraction,” available in print at mobaptist.org/apologetics and in Kindle format at Amazon.com.
The best place to begin a Biblical analysis of same-sex attraction is, well, in the beginning. The first three chapters of Genesis introduce us to God, reveal His eternality, instruct us in His sovereignty, suggest His triune nature, and demonstrate His power and purpose in creation.
He created man and woman as the crown of His handiwork (Gen. 1:26). He created us for exclusive intimacy with Him; that is, He shares His glory with no other god and is jealous for our full devotion to Him.
He also made us for exclusive intimacy with our spouses, and gave us an expression of His creative power through procreation in the context of monogamous, life-long, heterosexual marriage.
Note that God allows Adam to discover he is alone and in need of a helper. The animals are not suitable helpers for the man – not because they lack utilitarian value, but because they are unable to help Adam carry out God’s command to “fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28).
Eve, however, satisfies this role. Together, the first two human beings procreate, engaging in sexual intimacy that results in other humans who bear the image of God.
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7 Biblical truths about sex and marriage
This is the second in a series of columns about same-sex attraction, adapted from the new resource, “What Every Christian Should Know About Same-Sex Attraction,” available in print and Kindle editions.
Scripture provides at least seven truths about sex and marriage. We’ll explore key passages in detail in future columns.
1. The Bible condemns all forms of sexual behavior outside the bonds of heterosexual, monogamous, life-long marriage.
Homosexuality is not a special class of sin that makes it any more or less an act of rebellion against God than premarital sex, adultery, polygamy, pornography, or other sexual sins.
We do injustice to God’s Word, and to those struggling with same-sex attraction, when we make homosexual conduct a special class of sin.
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What every Christian should know about same-sex attraction
This is the first in a series of columns based on the just-released book, “What Every Christian Should Know About Same-sex Attraction.”
Order the book in print or Kindle format.
In May 2015 Ireland became the first country to legalize gay marriage by popular vote after a referendum found that 62 percent of voters favor changing the constitution to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
As of today, 19 other nations have approved same-sex marriage, most recently the U.S.
Response to the Irish vote varied from euphoria (“It’s our Berlin Wall!”) to despair (a “defeat for humanity”).
The church is divided on the issue, with some denominations sanctioning gay marriage, others blessing same-sex unions, and still others remaining staunchly opposed to any sexual conduct outside the confines of lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual marriage.
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How can 5 billion people be wrong?
The world’s population stands at more than 7.1 billion people. According to Adherents.com, this number includes 1.5 billion Muslims, 1.1 billion nonreligious people, 900 million Hindus, nearly 400 million Buddhists, and millions of followers of other faiths.
The website also reports there are 2.1 billion “Christians,” a broad category that includes Catholics and Protestants, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and so-called “nominal” Christians. If the exclusive claims of Jesus are true, and even if everyone who claims to be a Christian really is, then roughly 5 billion people still stand outside the kingdom of heaven.
By all appearances, these people are sincere. They want to know the truth and believe they have found it. So, how can 5 billion people be wrong? One way to approach the question is to understand the Biblical descriptions of the lost.
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Is the Holy Spirit like electricity?
A recent survey by LifeWay Research, as reported in Facts & Trends magazine, reveals that 59 percent of American evangelicals believe the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being, and another 10 percent are not sure.
This lack of understanding of the divine and personal nature of the Spirit is more at home in counterfeit forms of Christianity like the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, whose adherents are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Our JW friends promote a “holy spirit” that is neither personal nor divine. A teaching guide called Aid to Bible Understanding explains, “The Scriptures themselves unite to show that God’s holy spirit is not a person but is God’s active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will.”
Some JWs liken the “holy spirit” to electricity – a powerful, unseen force under the sovereign control of Jehovah.
But is that truly the Holy Spirit of the Scriptures? Or does the Bible present a Holy Spirit who is personal, divine, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son?
Let’s explore two simple truths from Scripture.
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