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):
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.
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