Sound The Trumpet : Why Sin Cannot be Condoned By State

Must Listen

Must Read

What Art Thinks

Pre-Millennialism

Today's Headlines

Sorry... Not Available

Locally Contributed...

Audio

Video

Special Interest

Commentary

8668

“Why Sin Cannot be Condoned By State”
by WND - Joseph Farah
November 24th, 2009

Homosexual behavior has been successfully marketed as a "rights" issue.

For instance, if you dare to oppose homosexual marriage, even though the vast majority of Americans do and have demonstrated in referendum after referendum, those in the public eye run the risk of vilification and ostracism for articulating such positions.

On Friday, more than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration reaffirming their opposition to homosexual marriage on the basis of protecting religious freedom.

While I agree that government's granting of special "rights" based on aberrant sexual behavior is a religious freedom issue, it's not the main reason for concern by Christians and Jews.

The Bible clearly identifies homosexual behavior, as opposed to homosexual thoughts or predilections, as sin.

The issue Christians and Jews should be focused upon is whether it can ever be acceptable for the government to condone sin – or, worse yet, encourage it by making it a "right."

I don't believe government can do that without dire consequences.

In Romans 1:18-32, a Hebrew scholar named Shaul, known to Christians as the Apostle Paul, wrote the following:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

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.

What is he saying here?

He's saying something to which every Christian, every Jew and every American should pay close attention:

God has revealed to all men the difference between right and wrong. You may not like God's rules, but we are all without excuse as to what those rules are.

If you don't obey God's rules, your heart becomes darkened to the truth. You might think you know better than God, but you are actually a fool if you do.

When a whole society rejects the One True God and begins worshipping false gods, it opens the society up to judgment.

Those judgments include the following: more unrighteous behavior, sexual immorality, meanness, greed, envy, violence, conflict, lies, gossip, hate for God, pride, self-centeredness, mercilessness and disrespect for parents by children. Notice that No. 1 on that list is homosexuality. However, also notice, it's not just homosexuality, but an increase in those who take pleasure in the exhibition of homosexual behavior that comes as a judgment on a society rejecting God.

Does this sound like any societies you know?

America is being judged by God.

The biblical proof text is Romans 1.

I am not stating the obvious here – that individuals will be judged for their behavior in the afterlife. What I am saying is we are already being judged in the here and now for rejecting God and one of those judgments is the explosion of homosexuality in our culture and the absolute explosion in the number of people accepting it, condoning it and even rejoicing in it.

Whether you are a believer or not, this affects you. It shapes the world in which you and your children live. If you think your society is depraved now, you have seen nothing yet.

There's plenty of empirical evidence to prove it even to the most skeptical observer.

When societies accept, condone and embrace sin, they are judged.

That's the forceful case that thoughtful Christians need to make in our world. Why? Because it's truth. Why? Because it's self-evident. Why? Because it leads people to God. Why? Because we can all live a happier and more fulfilled life on this planet if we listen to our Creator and obey his rules.

The founders of this once-great country understood that "rights" came not from government, but from God. They are unalienable. They cannot be granted or taken away by man.

While it is certainly true that God gave us free will, he also warned us all of the judgments that come with certain kinds of behavior.

Our world is a laboratory for proof that God exists, is sovereign and means what He says.

It's time for people of faith to be bold in their proclamations of that truth and, without being shamed, to call a sin a sin.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13