(Rebuttal II to Todd Morris' Pitt News column: "My sexuality is not something I can choose or change")
Ramesh C. Reddy
Editor in Chief
Mr. Morris did not just feel God hated him but he knew that God hated homosexuals and he used the reference of 1st Corinthians 6:9 to make that point. But there is more to it than just verse 9.
“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)
It does not end there but there is hope in the following verses:
“And that is what some of you were. 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.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)
The key word is WERE. They WERE but not anymore! That includes those who were homosexual offenders. That means help is available! If God hated them as Morris thinks God does, why would have God even bothered to intervene in their lives but there was intervention by the Lord to help all of them and not just homosexual offenders.
To think God hates people who miss the mark is just bad theology and no wonder people who think they are living a bad life don’t even give God a chance in their lives to be helped.
Mr. Morris and all who think like him should not just hold on to 1 Corinthians 6:9, as he quoted but need to know what Mark 2:16-17 says.
“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The key word is SINNERS. Jesus loves us so much that he came for all of us who are born in sin and who act out our sinfulness in our daily lives. It does not matter what that sin is, for Jesus came to show love and reach out to us in our sin. We need to accept the help that is offered remembering no matter what we have done or do, we are never out of His love and He reaches out to us. We will find His love when we seek Him with our whole heart. When we do wrong the Lord does forgive us and help us as we are sorry and repentant asking for forgiveness. He is always there to forgive and help when we seek Him.
But there is a misconception about ‘love’ and ‘hate’. It is assumed when 1 Corinthians 6:9 mentions the wicked not inheriting the kingdom of God, it is because God hates them. That is far from the truth. God’s love was shown even to them through Jesus Christ and change was seen in their lives.
We need to remember that God is a Holy God. In His Holiness, He cannot allow sin to enter into His presence. All of us are sinful and we cannot enter God’s presence on our own.
In rebuttal I, I shared about babies being born addicts because of a parent's actions. In the same way, we all have been born into sin and have sinful tendencies because of the actions of Adam and Eve. For it is then that sin entered humanity.
But, God in His ultimate love for the world sent His only begotten Son into the world that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life (John 3:16). Jesus became the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sake of humanity. It is because of God’s love for us! When we accept what Jesus did for us on the cross and receive His forgiveness for the remission of our sins, we are washed, sanctified, and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God.
Now when God looks at us, He does not see us in our sinfulness but Christ’s cleansing blood, the LAMB OF GOD slain for humanity covering over us. In this way, God’s judgment shall PASSOVER us and we will not DIE ETERNALLY but LIVE ETERNALLY with the LORD JESUS.
1 Corinthians 6:9 says ‘some were’ because others were not willing to take what the Lord Jesus wanted to offer them. The Bible says that Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost and give His life as a ransom. But people have to accept it and be willing to be helped by Jesus and not give up. Even when we do give up and go to Him, He is able to forgive us and help us.
What happens to others? They won’t inherit the kingdom of God but sadly spend eternity in hell. We need to remember just because there are consequences does not take God’s love away.
Do you think it gives God pleasure to see people rot in Hell? Of course not! He loves each of us and has given us a way out. The question is in our sinfulness will we be willing to accept what God wants to provide us through Jesus and let the Spirit of God help us in our lives or will we continue the path we are in and accept the consequences?
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” (2 Peters 3:9)
Mr. Morris is loved and the Lord reaches out to him too. I am as much a sinner as he is though my sins are different. I pray and seek the Lord’s help in areas I need to change whether I was born with those tendencies or acquired them through living in a sinful environment. None of us knows when we will die and the day of the Lord to judge humanity would come like a thief in the night but we can be secure in Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peters 3:17-18)
The only secure position we can be in is with Jesus Christ!
Those who feel like Mr. Morris I want to say it does not have to be this way for there is help available and the Lord Jesus loves you so much for you to even contemplate hating yourself. Once you hate yourself, you carry so much baggage with you and the days do get harder and you don’t even have time to think about tomorrow because you are so consumed in hating yourself. When we feel we are doing wrong and have done wrong, guilt can make us hate ourselves so much. Many times that guilt is our conscience telling us it was wrong and we need to keep away from that action. Satan is the one who wants us to hate ourselves and live in that hatred. The devil loves people to take the easy way out and just give in. But you don’t have to.
Do you remember the story of Pinocchio? There was Jimmny Cricket, Pinocchio’s conscience and when he messed up his nose showed that. I bring that point because it reminded me of Jesus Christ (JC) who becomes our Guiding Light pointing us in the right direction. When we do mess up there can be a tendency to hate and think, ‘how could I have done that?’
Being remorseful for our actions is one thing but hating ourselves to the point of condemnation is another thing. Jesus wants us to be remorseful for our sinful actions and turn to Him for help but not let the enemy deceive us into thinking, “What’s the use, I am going to do it anyway, why bother with God, for He cannot love me and help me is wrong”
“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God---through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25)
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)
I have compassion for Todd and what he is going through but giving in to action and giving up on God is not what God wants for Todd or anyone else. In closing when it comes to sexuality we all have a choice in how we are going to act. It is not as if someone is putting a gun to our head and forcing us to engage in sex. Having urges is not a sin if it is not acted upon! Don’t you see if there is force involved when having sex than it is not a choice and is called RAPE! Also, when a person is not in his/her right mind and someone has sex with them w/o their knowledge that is RAPE too because that person did not have a choice in the matter. Rape is not a sin but a violent act against another person that is so heinous and power driven.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; but you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)