Is God Homophobic?
South African Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in July 2013, "I would not worship a God who is homophobic ...", and would not want to go to a homophobic heaven, but would prefer "the other place".
Is God homophobic?
If so, it presumes that God is "phobic" - afraid, fearful. Yahweh God is not fearful. Of whom shall He fear? Who or what is greater than He? What can pose any kind of threat to Him?
This comment completely disregards the fact that God's Word condemns homosexuality in both the Old and New Testaments - even if it was never recorded as having come directly from the lips of Jesus. Homosexuality is specifically, directly identified as sinful behavior that God does not tolerate.
If God is homophobic, then He is sin-ophobic. He is afraid of sin, and this is the real reason He sent His Son to die on the cross - not to save people from their sins, paying the price for their sins, eradicating their sins because sin is unholy and an affront to God. Apparently, God has been lying to us all along (by omission?). He is really (ahem) AFRAID of sin!
Yahweh God is terrified of sin, and therefore sinners. So the God of the Bible is homophobic, gossip-phobic, lie-aphobic, etc.
He's the big Scaredy-Cat in the Sky.
Now THAT is a God I wouldn't worship.
But the REAL God is not a homophobe. He is not afraid of sin.
Let's stop calling resistance of sin FEAR.
Though the phrase is old and tired, perhaps, it still rings true -- hate the sin, love the sinner. Want absolutely nothing to do with the sin, but love the person who is caught in the sin.
No matter the sin. No matter the sinner.
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." [Jude 1:21-3, HCSB]
"'This is the most important,' Jesus answered: '"Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength". The second is: "Love your neighbor as yourself". There is no other command greater than these'." [Mark 12:29-31, HCSB]
"Love your enemies." [Luke 6:35a, HCSB]
"For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person--though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" [Romans 5:6-8, HCSB]
"For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!" [Romans 5:10, HCSB].
Jesus died for us "while we were still sinners", "while we were enemies", because He loved us [John 3:16]. Then He commanded us, "love your neighbor" and "love your enemies", having "mercy on others", "hating even" clothes stained by sin. This is all for one purpose: "Keep yourselves in the love of God", "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
Let us show the same mercy God showed us - while were yet sinners, He loved us. But He loved us too much to leave us like we were. He changed us, from the inside out.
It was His job then, and it is only His now. It is our job to introduce those who need mercy to the Mercy Giver.
This comment completely disregards the fact that God's Word condemns homosexuality in both the Old and New Testaments - even if it was never recorded as having come directly from the lips of Jesus. Homosexuality is specifically, directly identified as sinful behavior that God does not tolerate.
If God is homophobic, then He is sin-ophobic. He is afraid of sin, and this is the real reason He sent His Son to die on the cross - not to save people from their sins, paying the price for their sins, eradicating their sins because sin is unholy and an affront to God. Apparently, God has been lying to us all along (by omission?). He is really (ahem) AFRAID of sin!
Yahweh God is terrified of sin, and therefore sinners. So the God of the Bible is homophobic, gossip-phobic, lie-aphobic, etc.
He's the big Scaredy-Cat in the Sky.
Now THAT is a God I wouldn't worship.
But the REAL God is not a homophobe. He is not afraid of sin.
Let's stop calling resistance of sin FEAR.
Though the phrase is old and tired, perhaps, it still rings true -- hate the sin, love the sinner. Want absolutely nothing to do with the sin, but love the person who is caught in the sin.
No matter the sin. No matter the sinner.
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." [Jude 1:21-3, HCSB]
"'This is the most important,' Jesus answered: '"Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength". The second is: "Love your neighbor as yourself". There is no other command greater than these'." [Mark 12:29-31, HCSB]
"Love your enemies." [Luke 6:35a, HCSB]
"For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person--though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" [Romans 5:6-8, HCSB]
"For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!" [Romans 5:10, HCSB].
Jesus died for us "while we were still sinners", "while we were enemies", because He loved us [John 3:16]. Then He commanded us, "love your neighbor" and "love your enemies", having "mercy on others", "hating even" clothes stained by sin. This is all for one purpose: "Keep yourselves in the love of God", "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
Let us show the same mercy God showed us - while were yet sinners, He loved us. But He loved us too much to leave us like we were. He changed us, from the inside out.
It was His job then, and it is only His now. It is our job to introduce those who need mercy to the Mercy Giver.
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