Am – The Rejection by the Pagan Gentile 1: 24-27

The Rejection by the Pagan Gentile
1: 24-27

The rejection by the pagan Gentile DIG: Why does God give people up to their own desires? What happens when God lets people go their own way? How does their “freedom” actually become a trap? What does the Bible have to say about homosexuality? Jeremiah 29:13 says, “When you seek Me, you will find Me.” Why, then, do the pagan Gentiles reject God?

REFLECT: Can you hate the sin but love the sinner? Yeshua associated with prostitutes (Luke 7:36-50) and sinners (Matthew 11:16-19; John 8:1-11). What kind of relationship should you have with the pagan Gentile? Has God given them up eternally? Does the pagan Gentile have any hope of redemption in this life? What does that have to do with you?

Sin takes you further than you want to go, costs you more than you wanted to pay, and makes you stay longer than you wanted to stay.

Therefore, refers back to the reasons Paul has just given (to see link click Al – The Evidence Against the Pagan Gentile). God has given them up, literally, God handed them over (as punishment for rejecting the general revelation that is available to them) to the vileness of their hearts’ lusts, to the shameful misuse of each other’s bodies (1:24). There comes a point of no return. YHVH will not violate the free will of the pagan Gentile and force him to do something he does not want to do. And after the Ruach Ha’Kodesh has wooed someone, and that person says, “No,” and hardens their heart over and over and over and over again. ADONAI finally says, “Alright, this breaks My heart, but I am going to accept that you want nothing to do with Me.” And like Pharaoh, Ha’Shem hardens his heart (Exodus 9:12). Ha’Shem doesn’t condemn anyone to hell. But they end up there because they have chosen their own destiny by rejecting the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Em – Whoever Blasphemes Against the Holy Spirit Will Never Be Forgiven).

They have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. And after a while they couldn’t discern the truth from the lie of the Adversary. Scripture often speaks of God as being the Truth, as Yeshua described Himself (John 14:6). To reject YHVH, the Father of Truth, is to become vulnerable to Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44). Paul goes on to say that when people turned from God and His truth, they then worshipped and served created things, rather than the Creator. Perhaps unable to continue discussing such vile things without “coming up for air,” as it were, Paul inserts a common Jewish doxology about the true God, the Creator, praised be He forever. Amen (1:25). He could not resist adding that refreshing thought in the sea of filth he was describing. That word of praise to ADONAI served, by utter contrast, to magnify the wickedness of idolatry and all other ungodliness.

Dear Heavenly Father God, How extremely terrible deceit is! People are smart enough that something looks or smells bad, then they stay away from it; but if the bad thing looks attractive, then discernment is turned off and enticement to come close is turned on. When you are driving down a narrow, mountain road with a steep drop off to the side, you know to go slow and to stay far away from the edge; but if there is heavy rain, or low hanging clouds obscuring your view, you will not be able to see where the drop off begins. Your discernment will not work, for you will be blinded by the situation, even though your eyes can see. Sin works that way. May you open our eyes to see sin in our lives that we may turn from sin towards Your love. May we read Your Word often and meditate on it so that we will have a discerning heart.

May You open the eyes of the hearts of our family and friends to see the wonderful hope of heaven and joy of an eternal relationship with You, when they turn from sin and wisely follow Your love as our Lord and Savior. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the richness of His glorious inheritance in the kedoshim, and what is His exceedingly great power toward us who keep trusting Him – in keeping with the working of His mighty strength (Ephesians 1:18-19). In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

From idolatry to immorality is just one short step. Homosexuality was rife throughout the first-century Roman Empire, as it is today. This is why the “Gay Liberation movement” can gain wide acceptance as it seeks equality, and approval of homosexuals and their behavior. It is why the Metropolitan Community Church, with tens of thousands of members in the United States, can refuse to condemn homosexual behavior as sin, yet seek acceptance as a Christian denomination. It is why unbelievers condemn the Christian community when it rejects MCC’s claim and refuses to recognize homosexuality as an “alternative lifestyle.”

Multitudes of activists have succeeded in their goal of transforming society. As public relations campaigns go, it’s been an unqualified success (see The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian). But, because of the mitzvot in the TaNaKh, homosexuality has never been accepted as a part of Judaism (see the commentary on Leviticus Ae – The Bible and Homosexual Practice). Nevertheless, direct quotes from the Bible regarding homosexuality are routinely condemned as “hate speech.” Their campaign will not end until believers and other traditionalists opposing homosexuality are shut up, discredited, and utterly silenced – and all because of a little factor they’ve forgotten about in their cleverness, namely, there is something wrong with homosexuality. Simply put, it is unnatural and self-destructive.³⁹

For this reason, because of mankind’s rejecting the true God for false gods of their own making, God has given them up to degrading passions, so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural. And likewise, the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with lust for one another, men committing shameful acts (1:26-27a). There is a burning level of lust among homosexuals that defies description and is rarely known among heterosexuals. The homosexuals of Sodom were so passionately consumed with their lust that they ignored the fact that they were struck blind while still trying to get to the two angels to have sex with them (Genesis 19:11). Those ancient people were so morally perverse that in the Bible the name Sodom became a byword for immoral godlessness, and sodomy, a term derived from the name, became throughout history a synonym for homosexuality and other forms of sexual deviation.⁴⁰

Today homosexual theology starts with the undeniable truth that everyone, and in particular homosexual men and women, are included in God’s love. But then homosexual theology parts ways with the truth by its application. Like the men of Sodom, they preach a Gospel of inclusiveness (Galatians 1:1-9). The homosexual church cannot tell this truth: While the Gospel is for everyone and must be proclaimed to everyone, it does not include everyone. The ugly truth is that most will hear the Gospel, but never accept it. In his book, The Triumph of Mockers, F. Connor Cason gives us four key scriptures from the teaching of Jesus to emphasize this point:

1. For I have come to turn a son against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household (Matthew 10:35-66). The Gospel divides. The way between those who believe and submit and those who refuse is clear. This is the root of contention between the true believer and those who live a homosexual lifestyle and have not submitted to Yeshua Messiah. There will always be a conflict between true believers and the world around them.

2. A farmer went out to sow his seed . . . Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no moisture or root . . . other seed fell among the weeds, which grew up with it and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain (Mathew 13:3-7; Mark 4:3-7; Luke 8:5-7). This aspect of the Gospel was so important that Messiah not only gave the parable, He went to great lengths to interpret it for His apostles. The conclusion? Some will hear and not believe. Some will not be included in the Kingdom. It is important to understand that this parable is not about the seed, the Gospel, which is good, but about the heart of the hearer, which is hard. This is not an inclusive Gospel, but a Gospel that divides (First Peter 2:8).

3. When the young rabbi heard this, his face fell and he became very sad (I am sure it saddened Jesus as well). His hopes were dashed and his response was telling. He went away sad (but not sad enough to change) because he had great wealth (Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22; Luke 18:23). After this interaction with Jesus, this young man turned his back on the Son of God and the Gospel He was preaching. This would still be the case today.

4. Enter through the narrow gate. In Yeshua’s Kingdom, the gate to life is not easy, but narrow. But wide is the gate and broad is the way of the world that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Therefore, there are many people on their way through life, yet only a few on the more difficult way of Christ. But narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14 DBT). This teaching of Jesus is clearly not inclusive. In fact, it is just the opposite: only a few find it. So much for slogans and politically inspired theology.

Rabbi Sha’ul said: Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. And that is what these men of Sodom were doing, mocking ADONAI. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature he will reap destruction (Galatians 6:7-8a, also see Job 4:8; Proverbs 1:31-33 and Hosea 8:7, 10:12). The Bible calls homosexuality sin. There is no homosexual gene. That’s the big lie of today. If there were a homosexual gene then homosexuals wouldn’t have to take any responsibility for their depravity. How convenient, I wonder who thought that one up? They want to play the persecuted minority instead of facing their wickedness. Make no mistake, as we approach the last days this shameless, evil epidemic of homosexuality will do nothing but increase. Like the men of Sodom, they will force you to make a stand. I beg you to make your stand with God and His Word.

Before I finish, I would like to say a few words about forgiveness. Homosexuality is not the unforgiveable sin. But it must be seen as sin. This is not a civil rights issue; it is a sin issue. But don’t insist on a checklist of conditions that have to be met before a homosexual can be saved. Forget about changing them. That’s the ministry of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. Just love them and do not retreat from the Word of God. Before the Lord can forgive anyone for their sins four things must happen.

First, sin must be seen clearly as sin. It cannot be rationalized away. People recovering from alcoholism talk about “a moment of clarity,” actually seeing or being fully aware that they are powerless over alcohol. When engaged in ongoing sin, there must be “a moment of spiritual clarity,” when sin is not sugar coated, but seen for what it really is. And not only that, but it must be acknowledged that they are powerless over it and cannot escape it alone.

Second, sin must be confessed. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us (First John 1:8-10).

Third, sin must be repented of. Repentance means going in a different direction. It is as if you were walking in one direction and you turned right around and started walking in the other direction. So, there needs to be a change of action. You don’t think about turning, you actually turn and walk in another direction. We all have sinful urges, but it doesn’t mean we have to act on them. We all must choose to believe God’s Word – then act on it. We must never forget that feelings are the caboose of our lives, not the engine.

And forth, a new pattern needs to be established. Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves: Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like (James 1:22-23). This is the evidence that God the Holy Spirit has changed us. We are not talking about perfection here, but holy living must become a pattern of your life.

Most people think that the scriptures pertaining to homosexuality are only seen in the TaNaKh. However, both the TaNaKh (Genesis 19:1-11; Leviticus 18:22, 29-30 and 20:13; Judges 19:16-24; First Kings 14:24 and 15:12; Second Kings 23:7) and the B’rit Chadashah (here in Romans 1:24-27; First Corinthians 6:9-11; First Timothy 1:8-10; Jude 7) condemn homosexuality in the strongest terms.

All people are born in sin, and individuals have varying tendencies and temptations toward certain sins. But no one is born a homosexual, any more than anyone is born a thief or a murderer. People who become a habitual and unrepentant thief, murderer, adulterer or homosexual does so of their own free will. Any attempt to justify homosexuality is both futile and wicked, but to attempt to justify it on biblical grounds, as do many misguided church leaders, is even more useless and vile. To do that is to make God out to be a liar –
and to love what He hates and justify what He condemns.

Ha’Shem despises homosexuality so much, that He has determined that the disgraceful, shameful acts that women commit with women, and men commit with men, would result in their receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion (1:27b). They would be judged by the self-destructiveness of their sin. The appalling physical consequences of homosexuality are visible evidence of God’s righteous condemnation. Their lust becomes a continuous, avenging, and fertile ground for its own punishment.⁴¹