Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 12/7/2011

Question
Dr. Carpenter,

I'm currently a college student at a state university and, as expected, I've been faced with many opportunities to defend my faith and views on social issues and the like. I'm in the midst of a long-running debate with my roommate on the topic of homosexuality. He is also a Christian, but is a very kindhearted person and his vision tends to be clouded by his view that everything in life, including God, should be 'fair'. For a long time, that was his entire argument, but I recently challenged him to come up with something concrete upon which to base his position. He believes that, since God causes people to be born into homosexuality (another issue we've debated), then it must not be a sin, because God wouldn't create someone in the position where he/she has no option but to sin. Of course, I explained that it is the action, not the temptation, that constitutes sin, and that all people have the option not to act upon their sinful tendencies. In any case, when confronted with all the Biblical evidence of the sinfulness of homosexuality, he came up with this:

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/christian-discussion/84710-homosexuality-not-s

The author of this blog has produced some sort of evidence that, he suggests, proves that the verses condemning homosexuality were mistranslated from the original Hebrew/Greek. I obviously have no background in either so I can't perform an evaluation of his claims. My response was that I personally believe that scripture is infallible and that a translator with pure intentions would have been divinely inspired to produce an accurate translation of the text, but he wants more. I'd appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks, Ben.

Answer
Hi Ben,

Thank you so much for this great question.  This is the oldest trick in the Book.  Satan started out in the garden of Eden by casting doubts on exactly what God said  "hath God said...?"  Now we have this blogger doing the same thing.  First of all, there is absolutely no truth to this mistranslated argument.  I have had 3 years of Greek, but I went to other sources such as Strongs and AW Robertsons word pictures and several other sources and the word translated "abusers of themselves with mankind" literally means sodomites.  I Corinthians 6:9

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (AV)
9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.


The Old Testament is so crystal clear about this sin.  Notice that this perversion is clearly just as twisted as bestiality.

Leviticus 18:22–23 (AV)
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.


Now as to men being born homosexual... the Bible tells us that Homosexuality comes when you suppress truth and God allows your mind to be perverted.

Romans 1:18 (AV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;


Hold the truth in unrighteousness literally means to hold down the truth.  When people forcefully deny God and the Bible, God judges them by allowing their minds and bodies to run free following whatever twisted and destructive lust human depravity offers.  Look at the three times God "gave them over" in this chapter. in verse 24, 26, and 28

Romans 1:24–32 (AV)
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 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. 26 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: 27 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. 28 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; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 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.


Notice verses 26-27... there is no other way to translate this... it was not just rape or pedophilia... it was homosexuality that was condemned.  


Do not be rocked by this blogger.  As the Day of the Lord approaches, more and more people will try to reason away their sin and perversion, but the simple matter is that the Bible says what it says, and we must just simply comply.  

Here is a great web site that will provide a great deal more detail about this important subject.  http://www.sbministries.org/members/sbm

I hope that this is a help to you.

In Christ
Pastor Don