Barack Obama spoke to Gay/Lesbian Marriage (he's against it - sort of) and abortion (he's for it - sort of). Honestly, BNS is less likely to hold him accountable for flim flamming on those issues. But what about an "obscure passage in Romans"?
BNS wonders if someone might want to grab America's sweetheart and tell him he's going down a path from which he cannot return. Who decides what verses are obscure?
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Obscure is not necessarily a bad thing to say about a verse. It simply means
ReplyDelete"shrouded or not clearly seen or easily distinguished"
...and there are certainly more than a few verses that could be considered obscure by many Christians.
Read for yourself below whether or not Romans 1:27 is obscure.
But, maybe you just have to label things stronger for some folks. I wonder if Mr. Obama or others consider this one to be obscure as well:
1Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
I hardly think that could be considered obscure. Now judge for yourself on the Romans passage:
Rom 1:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Rom 1:27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
Rom 1:30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
Rom 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
I cannot leave here without letting folks know the rest of the story. Many of us fell into the list described by 1 Corinthians 6:10, Many of you are still living in that list
But praise God! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO STAY ON THAT LIST!!
Read the very next verse...
1Corinthians 6:11 And such WERE some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Believe that God sent Jesus, His son to take your punishment for rebelling against Him. Believe that Jesus died and rose again by God's power. Call Jesus to be your Lord and Savior (lord=master). Stop rebelling and turn to Him and receive eternal life.
Stop believing the lie that you cannot change. Nothing is impossible with God. All things are possible to him who believes.
Here's another "obscure" passage from Romans:
Rom 10:9-13 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME."
Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Rom 10:13 For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."
The name of the Lord is Jesus. Confess=say. Say Jesus, you are MY Lord. Say Jesus save me. He will be rich to you.
many christians consider anything not in the 4 gospels to be 'obscure' unfortunately. it comes from a complete lack of theological leadership from their pastors, or many times a misunderstanding of basic christianity. it may sound unorthodox, but i believe there is more relevance in the epistles of Paul to the christian living in the 21st century than in the words of Christ recorded in the gospels. why? Paul claims to have received his revelation from the resurrected Christ himself. whereas the gospels are an excellent record of the historical Christ in the context of 1st century judaism.
ReplyDeletenow how does a biblical condemnation of homosexuality relate to public policy? i would argue that it doesn't. while something like 'civil unions' would undoubtedly be condemned if we were living in a theocracy, in a secular society we cannot expect people to bend to our values.
abortion is another matter - i believe that abortion will be looked back on by future generations as a barbaric and ignorant 'medical procedure' - like ice pick lobotomies. and we should do everything in our power to support alternatives to abortion until such time as the medical community and U.S. voters wake up and officially ban it.
I would suggest that the arguments in the first comment are contradictory. On what basis are you saying that the killing of babies is barbaric, if not on the basis of the commandment Thou shalt not kill? And if you are using that standard to condemn abortion, then why leave out God's commandment against sexual perversion? The truth is, God's law is not only applicable to those who recognize and abide by it, but to everyone.
ReplyDeleteWe have been given the gift of living in a democracy, where we have been able to meet and know Jesus as our Savior and Judge. Now as Christians in a Democracy, it is an act of our faith in God to uphold that which He has taught and commanded, through our support and voting to uphold those truths. We are not accountable to any societal conscience concerning equal rights or any political policy. We are accountable to God. God is the Judge, not history, or society, or even our government. It's that simple.
renee: for me it is a consistent ethic of life. ie. a baby growing in the womb, having been "knit together" by the very hand of God and having been ensouled by God to project His image... that is a much more meaningful ethic than "protecting marriage."
ReplyDeletelook at it this way: God's provision of marriage is only meaningful to a christian. when two atheists get married - is that union any more "holy" than the union (civil or otherwise) of a gay couple? i would argue not. or what about when someone is remarried after a divorce? another practice specifically forbidden by scripture. and yet nonchristians get married all the time. as do christians who have been divorced. so are we saying that "all marriage" is holy and sacred -- but only if it is heterosexual? this is hypocrisy. i would argue that only marriage between two christians is holy and that the political institution of marriage is a cultural construct. therefore i say let a nonchristian marry another nonchristian, whether they are same sex or not does not matter. it is the condition of their relationship with God that matters.
does this mean that two gay christians can have a holy marriage before God? no. again - it is plainly forbidden by scripture.