Expert: Scott Talbot - 11/11/2004

Question
Hello,

The following is an excerpt from an email i received from a reverand, in respond to Christians having the right and duty to point out that homosexuality is a sin.  I am troubled by the quote, "God may reverse what is being taught in the bible as we speak right now."  Can you please give me Biblical references to support or refute this statement?  Thanks!

Michael
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I am more concerned about the mindset of the person who's saying "right and wrong."  To us, human beings, there is no "absolute" right and wrong.  The only being that can be absolutely sure of what something is right, and what something is wrong, is God,and only God.  Scripture reveals to us a great hint of how God would judge what is wrong and what is right.  So, of course, we can use the scripture to discern for ourselves, what "may" be right, and what "may" be wrong.  However, it is also scripturally true that what God judged to be right in a certain time of history, was revoked in later time in history, by God's self.  Noah's story is a good hint of this. What God judged to be the right thing to do, to wipe out the entire human race, is what God judged NOT to do for the rest of eternity. And you know what, even if that's what it says in the Noah story,nothing we can do to stop God from doing that again because God "changes" God's mind.  Another way to explain this is that God only reveals to us a certain part of God's will (in timeless history of God's mind), and in the ultimate part of God's will, God may reverse what is being taught in the bible as we speak right now.  We just don't know.
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Answer
Hi, Michael. Thanks for the question.

I have serious problems with what this guy said. God does not change, and His Word does not change.

The fact that God does not change is shown in passages such as Hebrews 13:8, Hebrews 1:12, Psalm 102:27, Numbers 23:19, James 1:17, I Samuel 15:29, and on and on.

The fact that God's Word does not change is shown in Psalm 119:89,144, 111:7-8, Matthew 5:18, I Peter 1:25, etc.

The Bible says that God hates acts of homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:18-32 [esp v. 27], I Corinthians 6:9-11). He didn't just say don't do it. He said it's "detestable," an "abomination." God doesn't change. It was detestable to Him then. It's detestable to Him now. The Bible clearly describes acts of homosexuality as the acts of one who chooses to rebel against God in an extreme way.

Right and wrong are absolute, because they're rooted in God's nature. God never changes, so morality never changes. And God NEVER changes His mind. God may change how He deals with mankind at any given point in time (i.e., God's destruction of the human race during Noah's time). That is His prerogative. But His standards never change. His holiness never changes. His morality never changes. His attitude towards sin never changes. If something was sin thousands of years ago, it is sin today, and it will be sin a thousand years into the future.

It sounds to me that someone is trying to feign allegiance to God and to the Bible while simultaneously trying to condone something which God VERY CLEARLY condemns. To do this is to compromise God's Word and to tread on very dangerous ground.

What should our attitude be? We should hate the sin but love the sinner, as God does. We should understand that the person who should most despise homosexuality is the one who has been sucked into the addictive lifestyle of homosexuality. While such acts are on offense to God's holiness, it's also important to realize that that person is also being victimize.

"Gay" people are not really gay. They're miserable. They're looking for fulfillment in a place that cannot provide it, and their quest for satisfaction leads them deeper and deeper into a lifestyle which will produce only emptiness, pain, and ruin.

If you know anyone caught in this sticky web, point them in the direction of hope. There are organizations such as Focus on the Family and others that have resources for people who are looking to escape this lifestyle. Many have been delivered, and they can be, too. They just need to be open to God's working in their lives.

I hope this helps, Michael. Feel free to write back if I you would like to discuss further.

Scott