Friday, September 1, 2023

THE POPE ON HOMOSEXUALITY

 

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, also known as Pope Francis, is from Argentina and is recognized as the first Jesuit pope the Catholic Church has ever had.  He has been in office now for about ten and a half years and his reign has been a highly controversial one.  For one thing, his views on homosexuality have been in dispute.

In an interview with the Associated Press on January 25, 2023, concerning gays, he stated:

“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity.  Being homosexual is not a crime.  It is not a crime.” 

The pope does acknowledge that homosexuality is a sin, but He added:

“It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”  See this link:

https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/pope-clarifies-remarks-about-homosexuality-and-sin

But let’s unpack his comments to see what the pope is really saying. 

Child of God or Child of the Devil?

First of all:

He says that “we are all children of God.”  But that’s just false.  We are indeed all part of His creation, but so is the devil.  So, by that same reasoning, shouldn’t God be obligated to love the devil and call him His child, as well?  Of course not. 

It is also true that humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and we have to recognize and respect that truth, but simply being made in the image of God doesn’t stop the majority of humans from missing Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14).

So, no, we are not all children of God.  The apostle John tells us:

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)

Just because you were born into the human race doesn’t mean you are a child of God.  Those who have NOT received Him nor believed on Him are NOT His children.

No Need to Change?

The second point: 

Pope Francis says that “God loves us as we are.”

Yes, He loves us all in the general sense; that’s why He came to die for the sins of mankind:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). 

But you are not an object of His affection (in the sense of being His child) if you insist on staying in your sins.  He is longsuffering and loves you enough to chastise you for your sin and to give you time to seek Him.  But Jesus also tells us that we are to repent of (turn away from) our sins (Luke 13:1-5), not look for an excuse to stay in them.  Yet, the pope seems to be “helping” homosexuals to do exactly that – to find an excuse to continue in that lifestyle.

Yes, God loved us “while we were yet sinners, and died for us” (Romans 5:8), but that love can, and will, turn to judgment if we ignore or trivialize God’s commandments.

Twisted Honor

Third point:

The pope said that God loves us “for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity.”

The word “dignity” means “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect” (Oxford dictionary, online):

https://www.google.com/search?client=avast-a-1&q=dignity+definition&oq=dignity&aqs=avast.1.69i57j0l7.506323276j0j15&ie=UTF-8

But there is nothing “honorable” or “respectable” about unrepentant sin, whether it is homosexuality or any other sin.  What the pope is saying sounds good, but it is deceptive and, due to his worldwide influence, will certainly cause many to end up in Hell.

So You’re Not a Criminal…

Fourth point:

He says that “being homosexual is not a crime.”  That’s true (in America, at least), but you can’t always defend something simply on the basis of it being “legal.” 

Because of the pope’s statements, many people will no doubt reason in their hearts that if it’s not a crime, then it’s ok to do.  But that line of reasoning fails when considering the sin of abortion.  Abortion (until just recently) had not been considered a crime since 1973 when it became legal in the U.S.  Ever since then, the Catholic Church rightly seems to have been officially against it.  Actually, most Catholics would have been up in arms if someone had said that abortion was ok since it was “not a crime.”

Consider also Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror in Germany.  He “legally” established the Holocaust, and it was the law of the land to turn Jews (and others, including homosexuals) over to the authorities to be exterminated.  But the great majority of people today see that as greatly sinful, even if it was “legal” in Germany.

So, you can’t soften the impact that homosexuality has on society simply by saying it’s “not a crime.”  In fact, it is indeed a sin/crime in God’s eyes, just like every other sin. 

True Love Corrects

And the fifth and final point:

Pope Francis said, “It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”

Here, the pope is basically saying “You are a Christian and you are supposed to be showing love to gays instead of condemning them!”  This is usually the type of response that people use when their sin is exposed and then they demand, “Don’t you judge me!  Even Jesus said not to judge!”  But we don’t want to see people in error, and see them pay the consequences.  The fact is, if we really love them, we will try to correct them.

Ok, so why does the sin of homosexuality seem to demand more “charity” from Christians than other sins?  It seems that you don’t see nearly as many adulterers, drunkards, or thieves go out of their way to demand that you show them charity, doesn’t it?  I think that this is because they know what’s expected of them and they know that what they’re doing is wrong – that’s why they try to hide it.  But it seems that many in the homosexual community just don’t want to admit the “wrongness” of their lifestyle.  They no longer hide it, and continue in their sin openly, even cheering others on who do the same:

“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:32)

Yes, Christians are indeed supposed to show mercy and love (charity) to those who are caught up in this sin (or any sin), lest we ourselves fail to live up to God’s standards (1 Corinthians 10:12).  But if there is no repentance involved, there is no obligation for the church to coddle them in their sins.  Again, Jesus gave us a model to follow in dealing with unrepentant people in the church (Matthew 18:15-17).  And we should use this model for all types of sin, homosexuality included.

Many people still don’t believe that the LGBT lifestyle is actually a sin.  So right now I will turn to the Scriptures to demonstrate the sinfulness of homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, the transvestite lifestyle, etc, etc.  I know that there are other designated letters/numbers to add to the LGBT title, but I am simply using “LGBT” to cover all the bases.

Homosexuality is Indeed a Sin

At the risk of sounding cliché, I want to be clear that we should love the sinner, but hate the sin, as the Bible tells us.  I, personally, have a number of friends who are gay/lesbian.  Most of them are basically “good” people (according to worldly standards), some of whom would help you any time you asked.  They are generally nice, friendly and giving.  To their credit, the ones that I am friends with do not try to shove their sinful lifestyle down anyone’s throats.  They mind their own business and mostly remain friendly.  I have had discussions with them concerning their lifestyle.  Some are less open than others, and it grieves me that they don’t always want to listen to the gospel.  But I pray that every single person in that lifestyle who reads this, does so prayerfully and with an open mind, to remove any doubt as to whether God sees homosexuality as sin or not.

Genesis 18:20 – The angels who visited Abraham tell him that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah (homosexuality) is great, and they go to visit the city of Sodom.

Genesis 19:1-10 – We all know the story of how God destroys the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (and their neighboring cities – Jude 7).  It is obvious what the sin is: the men of the city want to have relations with the two newcomers in town (angels mistaken for men), and they threaten Lot if he doesn’t turn the two over to them.  The city is then completely destroyed and only righteous Lot and his two daughters escape safely.

Some people argue that the sin of Sodom was not homosexuality, but a refusal to be hospitable to the angels.  They’ll say that the people were only guilty of wanting to FORCE themselves onto their targets.  They tell us that it would have been ok if it would have been CONSENSUAL homosexual sex.  But Scripture, taken together as a whole, tells us otherwise.

Leviticus 18:22 – Male to male sex is an abomination to God.

Leviticus 20:13 – Same as above, but adds the death penalty for both of them.  Note that no one is advocating the legal killing of homosexuals today (at least they shouldn’t be).  These civil laws were specifically given for the Jews, and for that specific period in history (the Old Testament).  It does not mean that they must be punished civilly today in the same way as they were back then.  Thank God for grace! 

However, not only was this sin condemned in the Old Testament, but the recognition of its depravity is also carried over into the New Testament.  Yes, God still considers this sin an abomination, just as He did then. 

First of all, Jesus was very clear concerning God’s intention for mankind and sexuality from the beginning:

Matthew 19:3-6

v. 3 - “The Pharisees also came unto Him, tempting Him, and saying unto Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?’ 

v. 4 - “And He answered and said unto them, ‘Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

v. 5 - “And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

v. 6 - “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

Again, Jesus makes it clear that God’s intention from the very start was for one husband (male) to have one wife (female).  These two would be “one flesh,” joined together by God.  Two males (or two females) will never be considered “one flesh” in the eyes of God, nor can they produce children.  This sin is totally unnatural and would eventually cause society to unravel and crumble, as it has already done in other cultures.

Romans 1:26-27 – Clearly talks about forbidden sexual relations between men with men, and women with women – calling it unnatural /indecent/shameful acts and dishonorable/degrading/vile passions.  It doesn’t get much clearer than this.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – This passage lists homosexuality with many other sins (fornication, sodomy, idolatry, adultery, theft, drunkenness, reviling, covetousness and extortion).  They are deceived and unrighteous and THEY WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.  Their destiny is very clear.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 – Again, homosexuals are listed with the lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinners, unholy, worldly, murderers (even of parents), sexually immoral, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever is contrary to sound doctrine.  Note that the sin of homosexuality (considered “mild” today) is in the same camp as murder!  You cannot say it is not sinful!

Jude 7 – It says that Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in sexual immorality/perversion/fornication/unnatural vice and they went after “strange flesh.”  They (the people who engage in this sin) are headed for eternal fire.  Note that Jude 4-14 is speaking of the condemnation of those who rebel against God’s stated design and purpose.  This is exactly what homosexuality is about.

There may be more verses on this issue, but these pretty much sum up God’s attitude on this topic.

The Church is a Hospital for Sinners

It would be different if a person is struggling with the sin of homosexuality, and trying to get out of that lifestyle.  Then we (the church) should have mercy on him and do what we can to help him.  Just like any other sin, a person may occasionally have a lapse and fall into that sin, but if he is indeed a Christian, he will definitely have an inner conflict and be earnestly fighting to overcome that sin. 

But if he loves the sin and doesn’t really care what God thinks about it, willing to stay in it and even do it openly, then that’s a problem.  The rest of the church should approach him and treat him as an outsider (if he remains unrepentant), as Jesus instructed (Matthew 18:15-17). 

But if he is indeed repentant, the rest of the church should lovingly help and encourage him, to get him back on the right path (Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20).

Conclusion

According to one source, the pope wants gays to feel welcome in the (Catholic) Church.  Furthermore, the pope has even told one gay man, “God made you like this.” 

See here:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/20/pope-juan-carlos-cruz

We just saw the list of sins of which homosexuals are a part.  Would the pope also say to the murderer, “God made you like this”?  Or to the liar, idolater, or drunkard?  God does not make a person gay, just as he doesn’t make him with any other sinful characteristics.  Sin is something each of us chooses to do.  You can’t blame God for your sinful condition.  If God “made them that way” then why should they feel the need to repent?

It looks as though the pope is trying hard to protect unrepentant homosexuals and let them feel ok about their sin.  There is plenty homosexuality within his own Church and he knows it.  He knows that this is a sin, but it seems to bother him that the Church has always (officially, at least) been against homosexuality.

Again, what the pope is saying is deceptive, and he will have to answer for that.  And so will many others who live in and promote this sin.