Abusers of Themselves with Mankind

by Bill Byrne
Lubbock, Texas

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. {2} But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2)

Indeed, I have meditated on the subject of this study a great deal. Although this is a very sensitive subject, the need for making this study is so compelling that I would be delinquent in my duty if I didn’t continue. Due to the sensitive subject matter, some of you may feel uncomfortable, but I believe it is important enough that I am willing to risk your discomfort in order that we all (especially our young parents) are alerted to the dangers involved.

To introduce the subject, please read 1 Cor. 6:9-11. There are a number of serious offenses named in this reading, any one of which can place our eternal welfare in jeopardy. I will not attempt to include all of them, only a few with special emphasis on the last named in verse 9. "Abusers of themselves with mankind." In our day it is called homosexualism, or the gay/lesbian life style. In weighing the pros and cons of addressing such a subject, there was one deciding factor; and, that is that the Bible itself deals with it extensively. I shall try to deal with it as objectively and as sensitively as the Bible does.

It is unnecessary to remind you that we live in an age of "easy morals." Exposure to the unseemly elements of society has become ordinary. Subjects that were not talked about in the past are now talked about openly, with little or no embarrassment. However, considering the times in which we live, it is necessary to explore the Bible perspective on these matters.

As any parent knows, children hear (and retain) everything, even when parents don’t think they are listening. So, they are going to hear things about which they will be curious. It is the parents’ responsibility to provide the right answers when that time comes. But rest assured, parents, someone is going to talk to them, if you don’t. It may be a peer, a sympathetic teacher, or it may be a gay activist whose sole intent is to package his agenda in such a deceptive way that the young hearers will wonder how their parents and church teachers could be so ignorant and unaware.

There is a widespread, organized effort by these activists to make you believe that being a homosexual is just as natural as being tall, or short, or heavy or skinny - in the genes sort of thing - and that one is born to this condemnation and there is not one thing that can be done to change it any more than one can change any other gene that shapes his life and makes him or her who they are or what they are. This is a false premise and everything taught in support of that doctrine is of necessity false, which I will prove by God’s word. So, that is one of the things I want to try to shed the light of God’s word on. There will be others, if time permits, that are equally important.

The liberal viewpoint on this subject is that one can be both a Christian and a practicing homosexual and that God loves them unconditionally. I don’t question that God loves them. Paul said in Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Indeed he loves the adulterer, the thief, the extortionist, the effeminate, and the abusers of themselves with mankind. But, listen to the Apostle Paul from 1 Cor. 6:9-11. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, {10} Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. {11} And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." The account does not say "and such are some of you." It says "and such were some of you," which is an entirely different meaning. But you are made clean by being washed by the blood of Christ. You will notice that the word "but" is used in every case, which emphasizes the contrast between their present state and their past, and the consequent demand which their changed condition makes on them. "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. {18} Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Rom 6:17-18)

Of course, God loves us, but he saves us on the condition of our obedience to His word just as He saves all sinners, homosexuals included, if we hear His word and believe, if we repent, if we confess him, and are buried with him in baptism and arise to walk a new life. When a liberal says that God loves man unconditionally, he means God will save him unconditionally and that doctrine is not found in God’s word.

I mentioned earlier that while my focus would be on those who "abuse themselves with mankind," there are other offenses named in 1 Cor. 6:9-11 that are just as dangerous. These are just as serious and controversial as those who "dishonor their own bodies between themselves." (Romans 1:24) In fact, these several practices are named in the same context, all of which will disinherit us of the kingdom of God. So, that I do not neglect them, but give them the attention that they deserve, I will expand on some of them now, although not as much as they deserve. You will remember that 1 Cor. 6:9-11 starts off with the exclusion of those who practice the offenses mentioned. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?" Then Paul goes on to list things that will prevent us from inheriting the kingdom of God and warns them to not be deceived.

Many religious bodies are struggling with these questions today whether to accept in their fellowship those who practice such things. Sadly, but not surprisingly, they are deceiving themselves under the umbrella that God loves man unconditionally. That is the way gay activists want us to believe in reference to homosexualism. They are worming their way into our public institutions, such as public schools, and even in legislative bodies, where there is a backlog of legislation to give gays, not just equal, but protected status in our society. Should we be concerned about such things? Do we have a choice? We don’t live in a bubble. This is the world that your children and mine will grow up in. The least we can do is prepare ourselves for the battle. Occasionally, we may hear of students being promoted to a higher grade "unconditionally," that is, without meeting the academic requirements for promotion to a higher level. For whatever reasons considered advisable by the teacher they are promoted anyway "unconditionally." In the context of this study, I cannot find that word or concept in God’s holy word. It is just not there.

That doctrine is "not in the mind of Christ." (Phil 2:5) On the contrary, the bible is filled with conditions set by the Holy Spirit that one must meet, if he is really serious about inheriting the kingdom of God, four of which I will notice in addition to the main subject of this study. The first is fornication. And, there again the world turns hand springs about "safe sex," but never mentions that it is wrong, wrong, wrong and that it is to be avoided, because there are life long consequences of sex outside of marriage. There is no such thing as safe sex outside of marriage. The next named is adultery - a more serious offense, because through it the family is affected and a third person is injured. Then, effeminate - not a term that we hear very much about, but what it means is important and prevalent in today’s society. It is only used in its English rendering one time, but the same word in the original language is used in Matthew 11:8 and rendered "soft raiment." In moral terms it implies those who are self-indulgent and like a life style that nearly always progresses into wantonness and sensual pleasures - just a step away from homosexualism. And, finally, abusers of themselves with mankind, which is the very offence I am focusing on in this study.

Does God love those who are guilty of committing such offenses? Of course, He does. Does that mean he will reward them with the eternal inheritance of heaven even if they don’t repent and abstain from this unrighteousness? If the language of the bible means anything at all, certainly not. Paul warned the Corinthian church to not be deceived by believing such a thing. And, I am sure that warning is just as fresh on the mind of Christ as the day the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write it.

Another tool that the gay activists use to desensitize the public on this issue is to label anyone who opposes their propaganda as hate mongers, bigots and homophobic and try to make their opposition appear ignorant and shrill. And, only recently has it become apparent that a war is being waged against the "righteousness" that Paul speaks of in the text. Does that seem harsh to describe it as a war? It shouldn’t.

Paul taught us how to prepare for such a war beginning in Ephesians 6:11. "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." And then in the following verses, he tells us how and with what we should be equipped - The Word of God, which is called the sword of the Spirit. We know all that. The danger is not in a lack of knowledge, but it is in the apathy that prevails in the whole church. We don’t want to "rock the boat." It is to easier to fall in step with the politically correct, to talk about nice things, than to speak out against this evil.

Paul further taught in verse 12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." From this we may conclude that many times our spiritual wars are not fought against great armies but one on one. If we can influence just one person and maintain our stand for the truth, as one wrestler stands against another, we have grasped the lesson of Paul’s teaching. Indeed we must engage in the warfare which the apostle says the word of God prepares us for.

Where and against whom is the battle being waged? Not against equals, but against the weak and defenseless. The activists recognize that the older generation would be hard to overcome. So, they focus on the children. In schools, in public libraries, on television and movies children are being exposed to a constant propaganda effort to plant in their minds that "Gay is OK." There are some very subtle means being used to de-sensitize children, who have been taught against this insidious offense. Pressure is being put on television stations, including PBS (which incidentally is tax supported) and obviously making some headway. In a recent program called "Puzzle Place" the statement was made to the children listening that "there are many different kinds of families, including same-sex parents." Contemplate that!

It is plain to see that the homosexual movement is out to change society. One of their leaders said, "Children should be a special target for gay rights activists in the attempt to change society even if it takes a whole generation to do it." To augment their effort to gain acceptance through our children, organized activists have made a pro-gay video targeting the nation’s public schools. Although portraying itself as a video that merely teaches children to respect differences, this video called "It’s Elementary" depicts adults, especially parents, as the wellspring of ignorance, bigotry and hate. Christians particularly are held up as hateful bigots, who advocate violence, even death to those who disagree. This video has already been accepted in the schools in the third largest city in the nation, Chicago, and will be used to train its teachers. It has also been accepted in 200 other school districts across the country.

Here is another shocker. The National Education Association , the nation’s largest teachers union, made this pronouncement through its president, Mr. Bob Chase. "Schools cannot be neutral when dealing with homosexual issues. I’m not talking about tolerance. I’m talking about acceptance." Then he goes on to say , "It’s Elementary is a great resource for parents, teachers, and community leaders, working to teach respect and responsibility to America’s children." Brethren, I am not just making this up. These facts are quoted from the American Family Association Journal, a reputable organization that could not afford to expose themselves to being sued for libel by their adversaries, who would welcome the chance, if it were not true.

I am sure you are aware that the pro-gay (and lesbian) agenda has worked its way into the government, into corporations, into the public media and into entertainment circles, although the latter could just as well be called "pornography circles," considering the content. So, if any of you parents are interested in keeping this trash off your tax supported Public Broadcasting Stations, write or call your local PBS station and ask them kindly to refuse to air the video "It’s Elementary." They have that option.

Going over these statistics sounds more like a political speech than a Bible lesson, but they are incidental to what follows. What is really important is, "What does God’s word say about all this?" Are we left to our own reasoning about our sexual orientation? Not at all. In fact it is one of the first things addressed in His word. Gay activists are fond of saying, "We are not created as heterosexuals. God created us the way we are. How can we go contrary to our own nature?" That is a false premise. But, they depend on the general public’s apathy and ignorance of God’s word. If I were trying to support their views, that is what I would do, too, because the vast majority of people will not open God’s book to seek whether or not He deals with the question of sexual orientation. He does and His word should not leave anyone wondering what a Christian’s position should be.

Look at Genesis 1:27, 28 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..." Since homosexuals do not procreate and are so clearly condemned in God’s word, God obviously did create us heterosexual - male & female. He does not create in ways that go against His own will. Nor does He give us blessing to do anything for which we will be condemned. God’s laws are unfailingly consistent.

When man tries to bend God’s laws to fit his own purpose, he is mocking God - and God will not be mocked. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Gal. 6:7, 8.

I spoke previously of how consistent the word of God is. Back to that thought for another point. Christ was in the beginning with God. Without Him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3) So, you see how active Christ was in the creation. Peter said of the word in 1 Peter 1:23 "...which liveth and abideth forever." So says Isaiah 40:8 "...but the word of our God shall stand forever." But the promoters of this godless way of life say the opposite - "that there are few references to homosexuality in the Bible and the original context may not be anti-gay at all." To come to such a conclusion requires patent dishonesty on their part and a blind dependence on the general public’s ignorance of God’s word.

Psalm 5:5 tells us that "God hatest all workers of iniquity." Leviticus 18:22 states that sexual relations between men "is an abomination to God." That is why, even in this day of liberal thought, that this sin is described in many state statutes as the "detestable and abominable crime against nature." Again, in Judges chapters 19 and 20 is the account of the war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel because Benjamin would not surrender the deviant men of Gibeah for punishment. From Leviticus 20:13 we read that this abominable sin against nature is punishable by the death of both persons.

This sin is described in the New Testament, too, bringing it under condemnation in both the law of Moses and the law of Christ. In addition to the text of 1 Cor. 6:9, Paul writes the same to Timothy. Beginning with 1 Tim. 1:9-11, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust." There are at least nine practices that Paul condemns. How can any one of these be arbitrarily dropped from the list and still be the word of God? To say the scripture does not explicitly condemn the gay/lesbian lifestyle is indeed a mockery of God and, as already noted, "God will not be mocked."

CONCLUSION

Several times during the course of my preparation of this lesson, I almost changed my mind due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter. Then I could picture myself taking a marks-a-lot and marking out these many scriptures that condemn the gay/lesbian lifestyle, which is in effect what I would be doing, if I scrapped my plan. Also, I would have been giving in to the pro gay activists that freely advance their pernicious doctrine from every forum: from the U.S. congress down to the local P.T.A. meeting. Even in religion, I’m sorry to say, they seem to be gaining ground on every front.

In view of this, how can we not speak out against this evil, especially to our children? We need to keep up with what they are being taught at school, (It might surprise us.) because the activists are concentrating their efforts there. They are quite smug about the progress they have made. One of them said, "There’s a group of older people that will never accept it (the gay lifestyle), but there are a lot of empty cemeteries, and when they are filled, the world will be more tolerant."

I believe the church has the responsibility to advance the cause of truth on every moral subject - no exceptions. Paul told Timothy, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." I hope you will consider the scriptures used in this lesson for your "instruction in righteousness."