Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 205

Pat Robertson does it again, this time attacking adoption

Last year I expressed my opposition to Pat Robertson’s horrific statements about encouraging a man to divorce his wife with Alzheimer’s so he could have a meaningful relationship with another woman. I followed up with a second blog after receiving notes from many people saying it was inappropriate for me to “judge” Pat Robertson.

A few weeks ago Pat Robertson did it again...a “family values” advocate undermining biblical family values. At first I thought I wasn’t going to comment. But it continues to bother me that a supposed spokesperson for the Christian faith continues to make remarks that are so contrary to the gospel of Christ. And it troubles me that many of his followers continue to defend him. This time it’s on the subject of adoption:

Russell Moore expresses my take on this, and since I couldn’t have said it better, I refer you to his article. I especially agree with the connection between Pat Robertson’s skewed perspectives and his prosperity theology. In a health and wealth gospel worldview, God’s children aren’t supposed to have to put up with things like the suffering involved in caring for a mentally disabled spouse, or children who may prove very difficult to raise.  In a biblical worldview, God calls us to take up our cross daily and serve Him and others by willing sacrifice, for God’s glory and the good of others.

Yes, I realize Pat Robertson followed up with a statement to the effect that “it didn’t come out the way I intended.” But at some point we have to recognize that Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). In other words, it’s not as simple as saying “I didn’t mean it that way” when you continue to say things that dishonor our Lord.

When you are a pastor or a teacher with a large sphere of influence, you need to recognize you will be held to a higher standard: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). I believe that as a writer and speaker, I will be held to a higher standard, and given his much larger sphere of influence, Pat Robertson will be all the more.  

If there are those out there, and sadly I believe there are many, who are still looking to Pat Robertson as a spokesman for evangelical Christianity, please realize that his words have undermined his credibility. I hope this will be seen as a demonstration of the ugliness and cruelty of the health and wealth gospel and where it takes people. For those who will say again that I am judging Pat Robertson, let me point out that he is publically making these unbiblical statements and misleading many. If he was quietly thinking such things or saying them privately, that would be wrong, but not so hurtful and misleading.

This is about whether adopted children from other cultures and of other races should be considered just as legitimate as children born into one’s own family. Should God’s people remain silent when the weak and needy are being marginalized rather than defended?

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.
(Proverbs 31:8-9, ESV)

      

Robertson photo credit | children photo credit

Universalism: Will Everyone Go to Heaven?

One of our EPM staff members is Julia Stager. Julia, age 24, is currently a student at Western Seminary, and has made a great contribution to EPM. I find her to be an insightful student of God’s Word. I asked Julia to address the subject of universalism. Here are her thoughtful perspectives and the Scriptures she bases them on.

—Randy

Universalism: the belief that everyone will eventually go to Heaven.

The logic behind it goes something like this:

God loves everyone and desires all to be saved.
Nothing can suppress the love or will of God.
Therefore all will be saved.

A common verse cited in support of Universalism is 2 Corinthians 5:19, “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” Other verses cited by Universalists are: Ezekiel 33:11, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9, Romans 11:32, and 1 John 4:8.

If these were the only verses in the Bible referring to the inclusion and/or exclusion of souls in the after-life, the Universalist’s argument could be persuasive. But that is not the case. In Matthew 25:46 Jesus says, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Other verses refuting Universalism are: Matthew 7:13-14, 8:12, 10:28, 13:40-42, 18:8, Mark 3:28-29, 9:43–48, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, and Jude 7.

The Bible taken as a whole presents a much stronger case against Universalism than for it.

A partial truth is no truth at all. Universalism promotes its partial truths at the expense of the complete biblical truth. Christ himself refutes Universalism every time he speaks of Hell, and he spoke about it more than anyone in Scripture. Since Christ clearly taught that not everyone will go to Heaven, and that some will go to Hell, it is logically inconsistent to claim to follow Christ and also be a Universalist.

Personally, I don’t like believing anyone will suffer in Hell for eternity. But because I take God at his Word, and trust that God is good whether or not I understand how everything fits together, I must not try to improve on what Christ said. To not believe in an eternal Hell is to deny the truth God has revealed to us through his Word. It betrays a personal lack of faith in him as the Good and Sovereign Creator. We think of Hell as unfair, when in actuality God is far more fair than any of us. He is infinitely gracious while being infinitely just. Since we now can only see dimly and in part (1 Corinthians 13:12) we are in no position to displace the Bible with our own understanding of what fairness demands. Who are we to try to hold God to our own fallen standards?

One thing that has helped me understand the eternality of Hell is this: people in Hell will most likely continue sinning against God – thereby eternally sealing their destiny. It’s not that a finite being gains infinite punishment for a finite sin, but that repeated sins (i.e. rejecting God over and over, continuing in pride, etc.) lead to ever-ongoing punishment. D.A. Carson articulates this concept well in his book How Long, O Lord?, which Randy quotes from in his book If God is Good.

One danger of Universalism is that it diminishes the gravity and necessity of spreading the gospel and striving for holiness in this life. (Legalism and dogmatism can hinder the spread of truth and the Christian life as well, but that’s not what we’re addressing here.) Sharing the power of the gospel with nonbelievers is something clearly commanded in the Bible (Jude 23). If I believe that eventually everyone will be saved, I will neither comprehend nor regard the importance of exhorting the saved or unsaved in the way of truth.

The Scriptures do say God is love, but our understanding of love is easily perverted. It’s popular today to tolerate and accept various heresies that claim to be true love. Love is exalted (rightly) while holiness is glossed over (wrongly). Ignoring the problem of sin and its consequences in the name of “love” does not actually solve anything. Theological discussions are frowned upon as divisive. People resist a faith they have to defend because, after all, who could argue against love? Why should we debate doctrine when we could just love each other instead? Doesn’t God win when love wins?

Yes, he does – just differently than how the Universalists think of it. God wins when truth wins. God is love and truth. Love does not and cannot exist apart from truth. By truth and love we are to encourage each other in the way of righteousness (Hebrews 10:24), save people as out of the fire (Jude 12-13), warn them against apostasy that leads to death (Hebrews 6:4-6), explain the consequences of not obeying the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8), and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

I must recognize that I did not create the world and therefore have no authority to criticize the Creator’s actions but should thank him for his infinite blessings to those who believe (Ephesians 3:14-19). After all, what authority does the clay have over the Potter (Jeremiah 18)?

A lot of life is about trusting God. Growing in our relationship with the Lord will continually bring us into greater understanding of how good he is and how he alone is perfect, holy, and glorious. True wisdom and true knowledge are founded in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10).

May we fear God and trust him, and believe rather than deny his love and truth as revealed in His Word!

Julia Stager
EPM Research and Communications Assistant 

Conception to Birth, Visualized

A mathematician discusses and illustrates the extraordinary process of how a human being is conceived and develops. Fascinating. And God gets the credit for the "magic”, the miracle of life.

 

      

Scottish or Irish?

I am Scotch-Irish (or some prefer Scottish-Irish), descending back to three Alcorn brothers who lived in Belfast long ago. There are indications the three brothers came from Scotland.

When I was a kid my dad told me my ancestors came from Ireland, but never mentioned they were Scottish, so I grew up believing I was Irish. When I was thirty or so I found out from my cousin James Alcorn, the family historian, that I was really Scottish. I looked at my dad and said, “You told me we were Irish.” Dad shrugged and said, unfazed, “Guess not.” Every Saint Patrick’s Day since then, and every Irish Spring commercial, I say to Nanci, “I used to be Irish.”

Some get confused between the Scottish and the Irish. Here is a quick and entertaining clarification.

      

Seminar at The Cove: "Four Central Truths of a Biblical Worldview"

This October 2-4, I’ll be speaking at The Cove, Billy Graham’s mountain retreat center in Asheville, NC. The seminar is titled "Four Central Truths of a Biblical Worldview." We’ll be covering the topics of Heaven, evil and suffering, stewardship as God's money managers, and living a life of grace and truth. Learn more at www.thecove.org/Alcorn. If (and only if) it’s what God has for you, I hope to see you there!

The Least of These: Street Children

Today we’re launching a new blog series (every few weeks we’ll share a post) that addresses social justice issues that affect the most vulnerable people in the world today. Each blog will focus on a specific, often overlooked, people group in need both physically and spiritually. Also, at the end of each post, there will be further information and ways for you to get involved and make a difference. (My thanks to EPM staff Julia Stager, Kathy Norquist, and Stephanie Anderson for assisting me with these.)

This first blog focuses on child poverty in urban areas. Though many groups through the centuries have reached out to suffering children, the breadth and depth of poverty is only increasing. In the past, children who lived in or near cities were usually better off than poor children in rural areas, but that dynamic has dramatically shifted. Today, children (many of whom have at least one deceased parent) are living on the streets and in slums. This puts them in serious danger of malnutrition, exposure, disease, violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child labor. (Unicef’s 2012 “State of the World's Children” report provides more statistics and information.)

Watch this insightful 1.5 minute video about children in crisis from ACTION International, a ministry that has been laboring for decades to reach street children for Jesus:

I’m also sharing a blog from Covenant Ministries, one of several ministries that supports street children. It’s a poignant account of the Lord’s provision and a little boy’s path to a better life.

Reclaiming the Innocence and Opportunity of Childhood

by Covenant Mercies

Many large African cities are faced with the challenge of street children. When families are decimated children lose hope for their future, and they often end up on the street begging and stealing. The streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia are replete with examples of this tragic loss of childhood’s innocence and opportunity.

Most children living on the streets have relatives nearby who might be minimally capable of putting a roof over their heads. However, antisocial behaviors learned on the streets aren’t easily broken, and this can make the task of reconnecting children with their families quite challenging. Such was the case with a young boy in our program named Bereket. After years of fending for himself on the street Bereket was befriended by Tesfaye Melaku, our Program Coordinator in Addis Ababa (whom we introduced in last year’s Sponsorship Program Update.) Tesfaye was quickly able to find a relative willing to take Bereket in, so we assigned him a sponsor and started supporting him in the context of his extended family.

However, things didn’t go well at first. Instead of going to school, Bereket returned to his friends on the street. He stole from his family and soon wore out his welcome. With no other relatives willing to take him in, Bereket was back on the street again. But Tesfaye continued visiting him regularly. He found a family in our program who agreed to include Bereket in their meals, then set out prayerfully to find him another home.

In time, Tesfaye found a guardian in our program who was willing to give Bereket another chance. The grandmother of a young girl named Meskerem agreed to take him in, as long as he would receive the same nutritional, medical, and educational support her granddaughter was receiving. This represented a wonderful opportunity for Bereket. He now had a chance to claim a different kind of life; far from the area of town where he might be tempted to rejoin his old friends on the street.

As of this writing, Bereket has lived for almost a year in his new home. He has adjusted well to family life, and developed a genuine love for his guardian and young foster sister. He has made friends in his new neighborhood, including some older boys (also sponsored in our program) who have been a positive influence on him.

Bereket has made a good educational adjustment as well, despite the fact that Tesfaye needed to convince the school administration to accept a 13 year-old who had never attended school. Bereket’s academic aptitude appears to be strong, and he finished his first year ranked near the middle of his class. He is in Grade Two this year, and we are looking for ways to provide extra tutoring to help him catch up with other students his age.

Bereket is learning that we serve a God of second chances. In one way or another, this is the story of every child in our program. We pray that all our children will make the most of this opportunity for a second chance at childhood, and we are grateful for each and every sponsor whose generosity is making it possible.

How Can You Get Involved?

Pray

Set aside a time and place to pray specifically for children living on the streets and in slums. Medical Teams International has listed these helpful seven ways to pray for the poor:

1. Ask God to provide food, shelter, water, and health to those without income or resources.

2. Ask God to touch your own heart, making you sensitive to the needs of the poor.

3. Pray that churches serving those affected by poverty will be able to provide spiritual comfort and physical help to people in their communities.

4. Pray that God will touch the hearts of political leaders to make decisions in the best interests of the poor.

5. Pray that God will protect those who are poor from abuse and exploitation by others who have greater power or resources.

6. Ask God to call His people to demonstrate His love for the poor—both in our own communities and around the world.

7. Pray that God will help the poor gain the understanding and power needed to improve their own circumstances.

Raise Awareness

Share this blog, or others that address children in crisis, with your friends!

Support an Organization

Every Christian must ask, “What am I doing to feed the hungry and help the least of these? What am I doing to secure justice for the poor? What am I doing to uphold the cause of needy children?” Sentiment is not enough. Why not determine a salary to live on, then give back to God every dime he entrusts to us beyond that, so every day we work and earn income is a day that will help the poor and reach the lost.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. . . . Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

—Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:40, 45)

Below are some organizations EPM recommends that reach out to children living in poverty.

A Future and a Hope/Kenya  (home for orphaned girls)
www.afutureandahope.net

Compassion International 
www.compassion.com

Covenant Mercies 
www.covenantmercies.org

Dalit Freedom Network 
(partnering with Operation Mobilization in India)
www.dalitnetwork.org

Home of Love Orphanage/Uganda
Action International Ministries 
www.actionintl.org

Kasana Children's Centre 
www.newhopeuganda.com/programs/kasana-childrens-center

Make Way Partners Sponsorship-Sudan
www.makewaypartners.org/child-sponsor-main.php

Shaohannah's Hope (engages churches in reducing barriers to adoption) 
www.shaohannahshope.org

May God one day say of us what he said of King Josiah: “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” (Jeremiah 22:16)

      

photo credit

Will there be books and reading on the New Earth?

My friend said, “I don’t see why there shouldn’t be books in Heaven. But you will find that your library in Heaven contains only some of the books you had on earth.” “Which?” I asked. “The ones you gave away or lent.” “I hope the lent ones won’t still have all the borrowers’ dirty thumb marks,” said I. “Oh yes they will,” said he. “But just as the wounds of the martyrs will have turned into beauties, so you will find that the thumb-marks have turned into beautiful illuminated capitals or exquisite marginal woodcuts.” –C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock

We know that sixty-six books, those that comprise the Bible, will be in Heaven—”Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Presumably, we will read, study, contemplate, and discuss God’s Word.

There are also other books in Heaven: “I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:12).

Malachi 3:16-18 is a remarkable passage that tells us God documents the faithful deeds of his children on Earth: “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’ “

I believe that on the New Earth, we’ll also read books, new and old, written by people. We’ll have strong intellects, great curiosity, and unlimited time. It’s likely that books will have a greater role in our lives in Heaven than they do now. The libraries of the New Earth, I imagine, will be fantastic.

We’ll have no lack of resources to study and understand. I once helped a young friend search for her biological mother, going through old court records, looking for just the right clue. We finally found it. I had the privilege of introducing them to each other. It was a taste of Heaven—where not all reunions will happen all at once, I imagine, but as eternity unfolds.

Every biblical genealogy is a testimony to God’s interest in history, heritage, and the unfolding of events on Earth. Will God lose interest in Earth? Will we? No. The New Earth’s history includes that of the old Earth. But a new history will be built and recorded, a new civilization, wondrous beyond imagination. And we who know the King will all be part of it.

Books are part of culture. I expect many new books, great books, will be written on the New Earth. But I also believe that some books will endure from the old Earth. Any book that contains falsehood and dishonors God will have no place in Heaven. But what about great books, nonfiction and fiction? Will we find A. W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy, J. I. Packer’s Knowing God, John Piper’s Desiring God, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim's Progress, and Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps on the New Earth? I’ll be amazed if we don’t find them there, just as I’ll be amazed if no one sings John Newton’s “Amazing Grace” in Heaven.

Perhaps those of us who are writers will go back to some of our published works and rewrite them in light of the perspective we’ll gain. Maybe we’ll look at our other books and realize they’re no longer important—and some of them never were. The New Earth, I think, will confirm many things I’ve written in this book. It will completely dismantle others. “What was I thinking?” I’ll ask myself. (If I knew which parts those were right now, I’d cut them out!) And I’ll marvel at how much better the New Earth is than I ever imagined.

Consider comedy that makes you laugh but not at the expense of another. Reflect upon poetry that brings tears to your eyes, paintings that put you in raptures, music that gives you goose bumps, . . . Do our aesthetic adventures depend upon sin for flavor? I think not.

–Arthur Roberts, Exploring Heaven

      

Calvin Miller, author and Christ-lover, with the Lord

Five days ago a friend and author, poet, artist, speaker and professor Calvin Miller exited this world and entered a better one. The first time I met Calvin, I told him how his classic Singer trilogy had shaped and influenced me and charged my imagination as a teenager, a brand new Christian in the 70’s. (I’m sure he’d heard that hundreds of times, but seemed as thrilled by it as he’d probably been every other time.)

When I saw him periodically over the decades, and talked on the phone, we spoke of Jesus, his grace and Heaven. I love this man. What a joy to be with.

Years ago at Mount Hermon conference center, Calvin and I shared the keynote sessions at their annual writer’s conference, where I read from some of his writings to those attending , including a favorite poem I’ll cite below, which is included in Heaven and two of my other books. I saw Calvin at various places over the years, and always there was heartfelt warmth, picking up right where we left off. He was a very genuine brother, with a deep love for Jesus (and all the more so now). What higher compliment can I pay?

Five years ago when he asked me to endorse one of his books, I wrote something that didn’t just characterize that book but his life: “Calvin Miller baptized my imagination when, as a young Christian, I read his Singer trilogy. Once Upon a Tree is poetic craftsmanship infused with grace. Miller opens the window. Breathe deeply. He shines the light on Jesus. Open wide your eyes.” (Calvin’s website has a great video of him, a trailer for his latest book Letters to Heaven, which I enjoyed watching.)

In the final book of the Singer Trilogy, The Finale, Calvin wrote: “The world is poor because her fortune is buried in the sky and all her treasure maps are of earth.”

I’ll conclude with his poem I quote in Heaven and which I’ve read at several memorial services, and would love to have read at mine:

I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,
When it was but the end of pulse and breath,
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.
Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.
And dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.

Calvin Miller, The Divine Symphony (Minneapolis: Bethany, 2000), 139.

Over the years, whenever I’ve thought of Calvin, I always smile. I can’t wait to see him again when, by God’s grace, I make it through that doorway. I look forward to taking long walks with him and others together on the New Earth, laughing and rejoicing, and seeing unfiltered the love of Jesus on Calvin’s face and a myriad of others. And of asking Jesus to walk with us, knowing and celebrating the fact that all we are and have and will ever enjoy, we owe to Him.

      

George Verwer: Prolife Hero

I have the greatest appreciation for George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization (OM) and an advocate for worldwide missions.  We have long supported George and OM in funding special missions projects all over the world, and providing books to sell and give away on their ships.

Some years ago George contacted me, saying God had laid on his heart the plight of unborn children. I was grateful to hear this, but wasn’t sure whether this vision would last given the fact that many people, Christians included, object to hearing about it. Well, George is a man who listens to God rather than voices that don’t tolerate speakers who address abortion. He has given away thousands of copies of my book, Why Pro-Life?, in English and spearheaded its translations into other languages all over the world. EPM has donated to Operation Mobilization over 89,000 copies of the book.

Last year George wrote to his supporters, “My heart breaks for the unborn... I have in my hands just in from India samples of Why Pro-Life? in 4 more major Indian languages...huge quantities have gone out on the ship as 100,000 visitors came to the ship In Cochin in a couple weeks.”

I’m grateful for George’s partnership in sharing the truth about the unborn worldwide, and also for his example in serving Christ wholeheartedly. (A fun fact about his worldwide travels: OM reports that this year United Airlines awarded him for flying a million miles.)

George was recently presented with the “pro-life hero” award by SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) in London. I love what John Smeaton, director of SPUC, wrote, especially because it exemplifies that concern for the unborn is not some isolated issue, but is intertwined with helping all needy people groups:

George continues to travel around the world preaching about Christ and about seven people lying at the side of the road which include: children at risk, abused women, the extreme poor, the HIV/Aids patient, people with impure water, the unborn, and the environment.

Here’s what George said about the unborn in his recent article about “the people lying on the side of the road”:

Some estimates put the number of children who have been aborted at 500 million. The numbers are staggering, and in many ways I would rather ignore them. But I know that I cannot. I confess, when my close friend Dr. Francis Schaeffer decided to put so much effort into the pro-life movement towards the end of his life, I thought he had gone a little extreme. I no longer feel this way, and repent of my own inaction. In some countries there are more abortions than births, and the laws in some nations allow abortion until the day before birth. How can this be?

With so much abortion taking place, let us not consider it a lost cause and give up. No, many battles have been won, and every battle is a victory; every saved life a real person. I believe that there are thousands alive today who otherwise would not have been without pro-life action. Are not these saved lives worth the effort? Yes, they are!

So let us be people of vision, action and especially grace—grace for the mothers, for those in the pro-choice camp, and for fellow Christians who disagree. Recommended reading: Why Pro Life? by Randy Alcorn.

This isn’t about my book, though I’m delighted George circulates it. Rather, this is an example of a man whose life is focused on one central kingdom cause—world missions—but who has been touched by God to now frequently speak in defense of unborn children. In the context of missions, the unborn are seldom spoken of, and prolife efforts are sometimes considered a distraction from the main thing. (See an article I wrote whether prolife issues are a distraction from the Great Commission, or part of it.)

I know George well, and he has become unpopular in some circles for including the unborn on his otherwise fully acceptable list of people in need. And to speak about the unborn at missions conferences? It's utterly unheard of. (I believe missions should be spoken of at more prolife conferences too.) But George, arguably the greatest missions proponent on the planet, who has spoken at hundreds of missions conferences all over the world, sees no dichotomy between them. All those in need are worth our attention. Not only the unborn, but not excluding the unborn either.

I join my friend George Verwer in appealing to people to, on the one hand, not consider unborn children the only just cause, but to INCLUDE the unborn on that short list of critical "love your neighbor" issues crying out for our attention. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and. Let’s make room in our hearts for both already-born people and pre-born people. God is their Creator, and He calls upon us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

      

 

 

"Are homosexual sins worse than other sins?"

Recently when I posted an article from Tony Reinke about homosexuality and idolatry on my blog, I received a thoughtful question from a reader asking if homosexuality is a “worse” sin than others in God’s view. Here’s my answer.

The point isn’t that homosexual sin is worse than other sins, but that it’s a result of and related to idolatry.

Romans 1:22-27 says:

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Ezekiel 16:48-50 is a passage that is widely used now to defend the position that God doesn’t hate homosexuality. Those who cite it to defend this position say that Sodom was destroyed not because of homosexual sin, but rather because they were proud and didn’t care for the poor.

As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. (Ezekiel 16:48-50)

Ezekiel is not saying God didn’t hate the homosexual lust in the Genesis account (see Jude 7 below), but rather that the sin of Israel “whoring after other gods” was worse than the sins of Sodom. (Ezekiel 16 pictures Israel as a young woman who God protected and provided for but then she turned away from his love to seek other lovers more brazenly than a prostitute.)

Sodom was “haughty and did an abomination” (the abomination likely includes homosexual actions) before the Lord, but Israel’s sin was far greater because it included the rejection of the covenant they made with God in the days of Moses, specifically that they would not have any gods before him (Exodus 24:7, Jeremiah 11:10, Hosea 6:7).

This act of Israel, we are told, is beyond the sin of Sodom. Sodom wasn’t in a covenant relationship with God; so no matter how despicable their actions were, it would be impossible for them to commit the same sin of Israel. Thankfully, despite Israel’s rejection, God remained faithful to his promises and fulfilled them in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 explicitly says there is something different about sexual sin—ALL sexual sin—not just homosexual acts:

18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

One of the things I say to homosexuals is that I have many inclinations, including sexual ones,  which I must daily say no to. (I realize that sounds lame because I’m married and therefore can sometimes say yes to my sexual impulses.) Furthermore, many heterosexual believers are not married and many are in marriages where disabilities and other problems mean they cannot EVER say yes to their sexual impulses. Unfair? Perhaps, and certainly unequal. But consider a thousand other kinds of unfairness where some people can have and do what others can't.

I have godly friends who continuously say no to homosexual temptations (beginning with lust) and others who continuously say no to heterosexual temptations (beginning with lust). We are also to say no to greed, envy, pride, temptations to theft and slander and many other things, and are to say yes to the righteous nature of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to resist sin. This is often difficult, but not impossible, by the grace and power of God.

It’s interesting to note that the list of seven deadly sins articulated in Proverbs 6:16-19 (pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth) does not include homosexuality. This shows that other sins are as serious as homosexuality, though of course it doesn’t imply that homosexual relations (and heterosexual immorality) are not grave sins. Scripture says this:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 7)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:5)

But there is good news—the Bible also records the transforming power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Notice how Paul addresses the Corinthians in past tense. Some of these people were living ungodly and unfulfilled lives, but through the hope and power of the gospel they have now been washed, justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus. That is good news and a testimony of the true hope, joy and fulfillment that abide in a relationship with Christ.  I personally know those who have lived as homosexuals for many years before repenting, turning to Christ and turning away from their homosexual lifestyle. They are now living faithful lives in which they say no to temptation, as heterosexual believers should say no to their temptations.

It is a hard calling to take up our cross daily and follow Christ, but the rewards are immense, not just later, but now. Consider Matthew 16:25: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” In other words, the one who does what he wants to do will lose his life, while the one who will lose his life in submission to Christ, doing what HE wants him to do, will find it. 

In the finding of life we discover what we're meant to be and what WILL make us happy, not what we and the world have told us (falsely) would make us happy. Of course, all this must be done by His grace and empowerment, and not merely by our labors of self-discipline, which will ultimately fail without Christ.

An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices. (Proverbs 29:6)

      

Made in God’s Image: Paul Smith, Ingenious Artist

Reading this story and seeing this art reminded me of what it means to be created in God’s image. And also what lies within us, including in the severely disabled, that glorifies God when we find creative ways to give it expression. Consider these passages, then read the story of Paul Smith:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

“And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs…” (Exodus 35:31-32).

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23).

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Paul Smith lived at Rose Haven Nursing Home in Roseburg, Oregon. He was born on September 21, 1921. 

He had no formal education as a child due to his severe spastic cerebral palsy, a disability that impeded his speech and mobility. But he taught himself to become a great chess player and a master artist.

"When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one. Since he couldn't press two keys at the same time, he almost always locked the shift key down and made his pictures using the symbols at the top of the number keys. In other words, his pictures were based on the characters @ # $ % ^ & * ( )_ .  Across seven decades, Paul created hundreds of pictures. He often gave the originals away. Sometimes, but not always, he kept or received a copy for his own records. As his mastery of the typewriter grew, he developed techniques to create shadings, colors, and textures that made his work resemble pencil or charcoal drawings." 

Paul passed away on June 25, 2009, leaving behind a collection of typewritten artwork that included the following:

(If you are reading by email, go to the blog post to see the slideshow.)