![]() ![]() In that manner then, this article will detail the Biblical-Christian view of homosexuality. Regardless, this article is intended to be a gracious, loving, and truthful resource. This would perhaps be the person identifying as a Christian, as a homosexual, or as a homosexual Christian. The topic might not personally affect them, but since it is a current issue it is of interest. This would perhaps be the person who is neither a Christian, nor a homosexual. Debates, discussions, arguments, and, very sadly, sometimes even violence occurs from interactions on this issue.įor some this issue of the Biblical perspective on homosexuality has a merely academic attraction. For many it is also a religious and moral issue because it is addressed within the Bible. For some it has become an equal rights issue to legalize same-sex marriage. Your job and my job, as we learn to follow Jesus step by step, includes reconciliation because the message of Jesus is that we all belong with God, together-no separation, no difference in status or worth.Homosexuality is a controversial issue in many societies. As His representatives, we have the opportunity to share how the life-changing message of the Gospel creates a healthy relationship with God and healthy relationships between people, no matter who they are. If we belong to Jesus, we are part of His movement to bring more reconciliation between people and God ( 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). He’s done it with us and He can do it between us and our neighbors-whether black, white, Latino, or otherwise. God brings peace where there was once strife, and kindness where there was once animosity. The Gospel is, at its core, a message of reconciliation. That’s called reconciliation: the removal of prejudice and the restoration of a relationship to healthy understanding and appreciation for each other. God restores our relationships with people and groups we’ve mistreated. It also means we’re brought near to the people we once considered so different from ourselves ( Ephesians 2:13). That good news-the Gospel-doesn’t just mean that we’re brought near to God. Jesus made it possible for anyone to be included in the people and promises of God ( Galatians 3:28). God isn’t about separation, but inclusion and unity. Jesus removes hostility and introduces harmony ( Ephesians 2:14-18).About the age to come, we see a heavenly picture: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” ( Revelation 7:9-10)."If you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers” ( James 2:9)."We were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” ( 1 Corinthians 12:13)."God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right" ( Acts 10:34-35).God cares about people regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, and social status ( Deuteronomy 10:17-19).He makes no distinction between the inherent value of one race or ethnicity over another. God cares how we treat each other because we’re all created in His image ( Genesis 1:27). What the Bible Says About Race and Favoritism Other people don’t determine our value God does. We see this echoed later when Philip, also a leader of the church, helps an Ethiopian eunuch understand part of the Bible and begin following Jesus ( Acts 8:26-40). Rather than telling Christians to ignore the discrimination against Gentiles, Paul addressed it head on: “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him” ( Romans 10:12). They argued that to be a good Christian, they had to do all the right Jewish religious activities, too. Some Jews who had joined the movement of Christianity were trying to force non-Jewish (Gentile) believers to perform the Jewish rituals. Foreigners would often be employed in bonded labor (enslavement to pay off debts, like Jesus mentioned in Matthew 18:21-35), making it difficult or impossible to live freely.Īt that time, one of the primary divisions in the church was between Jews and Gentiles. Foreigners, women, and children were generally regarded as property owned by the male heads of households and local rulers. In first century AD, it was common to assign different values to different races and ethnicities. Paul, one of the early church’s leaders, wrote about divisions caused by racism. It’s an issue today, and it was an issue throughout history, including when the Bible was written. Racism is a problem we can’t ignore or run away from. Racism is about making quick judgments on the characteristics of a race to rate them as inferior or superior-demonstrating partiality or bias.
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