The following program discusses sensitive issues 00:00:01.36\00:00:03.13 related to sexuality. 00:00:03.16\00:00:05.00 Parents are cautioned 00:00:05.03\00:00:06.37 this presentation may be too candid 00:00:06.40\00:00:08.64 for younger audiences. 00:00:08.67\00:00:10.07 Welcome to Intimate Clarity. 00:00:30.89\00:00:32.29 I'm Jason Bradley, 00:00:32.33\00:00:33.66 and I'm here with Jennifer Jill Schwirzer, 00:00:33.70\00:00:35.66 and she is a licensed professional counselor, 00:00:35.70\00:00:38.27 and today we're going to discuss a topic 00:00:38.30\00:00:40.20 that is sensitive in nature, 00:00:40.24\00:00:42.27 but it's a conversation we need to have. 00:00:42.30\00:00:44.64 Jen, what does homosexual be... 00:00:44.67\00:00:47.24 What does the Bible say about homosexual behavior? 00:00:47.28\00:00:50.05 Yeah, I wanted to spend 00:00:50.08\00:00:51.71 at least one segment addressing that 00:00:51.75\00:00:53.92 because I'm trying to live by the Bible, 00:00:53.95\00:00:56.38 I'm trying to be a follower of Jesus, 00:00:56.42\00:00:58.09 and so I have to wrestle with things like this, 00:00:58.12\00:01:01.42 moral issues like this, 00:01:01.46\00:01:02.82 even though it's not my particular issue, 00:01:02.86\00:01:05.29 I help a lot of people, 00:01:05.33\00:01:06.66 and I feel as a mental health provider, 00:01:06.70\00:01:08.66 and as minister of the gospel, I should have something to say 00:01:08.70\00:01:11.80 about this really pressing issue. 00:01:11.83\00:01:14.54 But I have to say I'm very self-conscious about it, 00:01:14.57\00:01:17.41 I'm worried about offending people, 00:01:17.44\00:01:19.84 I'm afraid of offending people, 00:01:19.87\00:01:21.64 and I'm afraid of discouraging people 00:01:21.68\00:01:23.78 that are experiencing same sex attraction 00:01:23.81\00:01:26.28 because oftentimes when people start to experience 00:01:26.31\00:01:28.28 same sex attraction 00:01:28.32\00:01:30.19 and they read the things in the Bible 00:01:30.22\00:01:32.02 about what God says about homosexuality, 00:01:32.05\00:01:34.72 they personalize it, 00:01:34.76\00:01:36.62 and they think that God feels that way toward them. 00:01:36.66\00:01:39.39 And they end up in situations where they are depressed 00:01:39.43\00:01:42.90 and even sometimes suicidal. 00:01:42.93\00:01:44.33 So I never want to contribute to anything like that. 00:01:44.37\00:01:46.94 At the same time, I think I have to be fair with the data 00:01:46.97\00:01:49.87 and sexuality is sacred 00:01:49.90\00:01:52.47 and God has built it a certain way, 00:01:52.51\00:01:55.54 to function it certain way, 00:01:55.58\00:01:56.91 and when we break those boundaries, 00:01:56.95\00:01:58.98 and compromise that design, there are consequences to that. 00:01:59.01\00:02:02.48 So I'm walking a real fine line here. 00:02:02.52\00:02:05.19 There are only six texts in the Bible 00:02:05.22\00:02:07.66 that really directly address homosexuality, 00:02:07.69\00:02:11.06 and yet every time you see it mentioned, 00:02:11.09\00:02:13.63 the Bible is a univocal, 00:02:13.66\00:02:15.76 there are some issues 00:02:15.80\00:02:17.40 that the Bible will say something on one side 00:02:17.43\00:02:20.04 and then seem to say something 00:02:20.07\00:02:21.40 that kind of, not contradicts it, 00:02:21.44\00:02:24.11 but complements it on another side. 00:02:24.14\00:02:26.31 And you can be kind of ambivalent about something 00:02:26.34\00:02:28.64 'cause you're not quite sure what the Bible is saying, 00:02:28.68\00:02:31.75 but with homosexuality, 00:02:31.78\00:02:33.82 everything that is said is what we call univocal. 00:02:33.85\00:02:36.82 It always says the same thing 00:02:36.85\00:02:38.19 and there's really no affirmation 00:02:38.22\00:02:40.66 for homosexual behavior in the Bible, 00:02:40.69\00:02:44.23 and there are several texts 00:02:44.26\00:02:45.59 that really strongly denounce it. 00:02:45.63\00:02:47.93 And so I want to look at them one by one. 00:02:47.96\00:02:49.46 Okay. 00:02:49.50\00:02:50.83 One that is used, 00:02:50.87\00:02:52.20 and it's called the clobber text, 00:02:52.23\00:02:53.57 'cause it's one of those texts that Christians will hit 00:02:53.60\00:02:56.40 gay people over the head with is the thinking 00:02:56.44\00:02:59.27 and why it's called the clobber text. 00:02:59.31\00:03:00.64 Well, one that's used that I don't think should be used 00:03:00.68\00:03:02.01 in the discussion much at all is Genesis 19, 00:03:02.04\00:03:06.31 the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. 00:03:06.35\00:03:07.88 Okay. 00:03:07.92\00:03:09.25 To give the story in brief, some angels come into town, 00:03:09.28\00:03:12.05 Lot invites them home, 00:03:12.09\00:03:13.66 the men of Sodom believe 00:03:13.69\00:03:15.46 that the angels are human beings, 00:03:15.49\00:03:17.33 they come to Lot's door, 00:03:17.36\00:03:18.69 they say, "Give those men to us. 00:03:18.73\00:03:20.43 We want to basically gang rape them." 00:03:20.46\00:03:22.36 Horrible story, there's more detail than that, 00:03:22.40\00:03:25.80 but that's not dealing 00:03:25.83\00:03:27.97 with consensual monogamous same sex relationships, 00:03:28.00\00:03:31.77 and that's the question on the table today 00:03:31.81\00:03:34.28 in church circles. 00:03:34.31\00:03:35.64 Is it okay for people to engage in same sex, 00:03:35.68\00:03:39.31 monogamous consensual loving relationships? 00:03:39.35\00:03:42.48 That's clearly not what's going on in Sodom. 00:03:42.52\00:03:44.49 There, that's gang rape, 00:03:44.52\00:03:45.85 so we're not really dealing with homosexuality alone there. 00:03:45.89\00:03:49.02 We're dealing with gang rape. 00:03:49.06\00:03:50.39 So I kind of feel like that one is off the table, 00:03:50.43\00:03:52.86 but then if we go forward, we find in Leviticus 18:22, 00:03:52.89\00:03:57.73 and Leviticus 20:13, 00:03:57.77\00:04:00.47 two verses that are part of 00:04:00.50\00:04:01.87 what's called the holiness code. 00:04:01.90\00:04:04.17 The holiness code is the section of the Torah 00:04:04.21\00:04:06.68 that deals in specific with moral issues 00:04:06.71\00:04:10.45 that I believe are timeless issues, 00:04:10.48\00:04:13.68 that really coincide with the Ten Commandments. 00:04:13.72\00:04:16.22 Okay. 00:04:16.25\00:04:17.59 And the reason I say that is because in the New Testament, 00:04:17.62\00:04:19.99 you remember what the Christian church was wrestling 00:04:20.02\00:04:23.29 with one of the laws of Moses to retain 00:04:23.32\00:04:27.13 and which of those laws to leave behind. 00:04:27.16\00:04:28.50 Yes. 00:04:28.53\00:04:29.86 Because of the new conference were being required 00:04:29.90\00:04:31.83 to be circumcised. 00:04:31.87\00:04:33.54 And so there was a big debate about that. 00:04:33.57\00:04:35.30 So they had what was called the Jerusalem Council 00:04:35.34\00:04:38.41 and we see in Acts 15 00:04:38.44\00:04:40.31 that the result of the Jerusalem Council 00:04:40.34\00:04:42.24 was that they retained three things, 00:04:42.28\00:04:46.82 inhibitions on idolatry, they prohibited idolatry, 00:04:46.85\00:04:51.52 they prohibited sexual immorality, 00:04:51.55\00:04:54.16 and thirdly the eating of blood. 00:04:54.19\00:04:56.02 So those are the three things, 00:04:56.06\00:04:57.39 they kind of boiled 00:04:57.43\00:04:58.76 the perpetual aspects of Moses Law 00:04:58.79\00:05:01.73 down to those three things. 00:05:01.76\00:05:03.10 Okay. Okay. 00:05:03.13\00:05:04.47 And go over those three things again. 00:05:04.50\00:05:05.83 And those are idolatry, 00:05:05.87\00:05:08.50 the sexual immorality, and the consuming of blood. 00:05:08.54\00:05:10.47 Okay. 00:05:10.51\00:05:11.84 And we see those three things 00:05:11.87\00:05:13.21 really unpacked in the holiness code. 00:05:13.24\00:05:14.88 So there seems to be sort of a resonance 00:05:14.91\00:05:16.91 between the holiness code of Leviticus 17-20 00:05:16.95\00:05:20.82 and the document that came out of the Jerusalem Council. 00:05:20.85\00:05:24.39 So it seems to be saying 00:05:24.42\00:05:25.75 that these are perpetual principles that you live by. 00:05:25.79\00:05:28.36 So basically in Leviticus 18:22 it says, 00:05:28.39\00:05:32.39 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, 00:05:32.43\00:05:34.70 it is an abomination." 00:05:34.73\00:05:36.06 That's pretty straight forward. 00:05:36.10\00:05:37.43 Yeah, I mean, that's pretty clear cut to the point. 00:05:37.47\00:05:39.47 Leviticus 20:13, 00:05:39.50\00:05:40.97 "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, 00:05:41.00\00:05:43.34 both of them have committed an abomination, 00:05:43.37\00:05:45.61 they shall surely be put to death, 00:05:45.64\00:05:46.98 their blood shall be upon them." 00:05:47.01\00:05:48.34 There's heavy stuff here. 00:05:48.38\00:05:49.71 Yeah. This is heavy stuff. 00:05:49.74\00:05:51.21 And so people that argue for accepting 00:05:51.25\00:05:56.18 loving consensual monogamous 00:05:56.22\00:05:58.59 homosexual relationships in church 00:05:58.62\00:06:01.09 will say that this is not referring to that. 00:06:01.12\00:06:03.86 This is referring to male cult prostitution 00:06:03.89\00:06:07.56 which was very common in the ancient near East, 00:06:07.60\00:06:10.23 but you see nothing in the text 00:06:10.27\00:06:12.27 to indicate that that's what it's talking about. 00:06:12.30\00:06:13.64 No. 00:06:13.67\00:06:15.00 If there was something in the text that indicated 00:06:15.04\00:06:16.37 that, we could come to that conclusion. 00:06:16.40\00:06:17.84 Yeah, you see how a lot of people will try 00:06:17.87\00:06:19.84 and manipulate scripture and manipulate religion 00:06:19.87\00:06:23.14 or whatever the case may be to fit their lifestyle 00:06:23.18\00:06:26.01 and their preferences 00:06:26.05\00:06:27.38 rather than shaping their lifestyle 00:06:27.42\00:06:28.88 and their preferences 00:06:28.92\00:06:30.25 around the solid principles that are found. 00:06:30.29\00:06:33.19 Let me just say that's exactly what I'm doing here. 00:06:33.22\00:06:35.19 I am molding my ideas to God's Word 00:06:35.22\00:06:37.29 rather than thinking, "I think it's fine to be 00:06:37.33\00:06:39.76 if you're in a loving consensual..." 00:06:39.79\00:06:41.43 'Cause that's how my humanity would go. 00:06:41.46\00:06:42.83 I don't like restricting people 00:06:42.86\00:06:44.90 from anything they want to do to find love. 00:06:44.93\00:06:47.24 This is not how I am. 00:06:47.27\00:06:48.60 But then I look at the Word of God 00:06:48.64\00:06:49.97 and I have to be honest with it. 00:06:50.01\00:06:51.64 Romans 1:26-27, 00:06:51.67\00:06:54.88 Paul starts out the passage by mentioning the creation. 00:06:54.91\00:06:58.71 And in the context of creation, he says, 00:06:58.75\00:07:01.08 "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions 00:07:01.12\00:07:03.62 for even their women exchanged the natural use 00:07:03.65\00:07:05.92 for what is against nature." 00:07:05.95\00:07:08.12 Pay attention to that phrase, "Against nature." 00:07:08.16\00:07:10.39 "Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman 00:07:10.43\00:07:13.06 burned in their lust for one another, 00:07:13.09\00:07:14.73 men with men committing what is shameful 00:07:14.76\00:07:16.93 and receiving in themselves 00:07:16.97\00:07:18.30 the penalty of their error which was due." 00:07:18.33\00:07:20.17 So that against nature phrases very telling. 00:07:20.20\00:07:23.04 We're talking about the context of creation. 00:07:23.07\00:07:25.77 God is saying here's the design 00:07:25.81\00:07:28.21 and what these individuals are doing 00:07:28.24\00:07:29.91 is against the design, against nature in that sense 00:07:29.94\00:07:32.98 because what's being said 00:07:33.01\00:07:34.35 is that it's against their personal nature, 00:07:34.38\00:07:36.22 they're heterosexual normally, 00:07:36.25\00:07:37.99 and they get in a party situation 00:07:38.02\00:07:39.65 or whatever, 00:07:39.69\00:07:41.02 and they have a same sex encounter. 00:07:41.06\00:07:43.53 But it's not talking about 00:07:43.56\00:07:44.89 against their individual nature, 00:07:44.93\00:07:46.26 it's talking about against the natural process, 00:07:46.29\00:07:51.57 the way the God created the natural world. 00:07:51.60\00:07:53.67 That's the divine design. That's right, the divine. 00:07:53.70\00:07:55.60 It's not hard to really come to that conclusion 00:07:55.64\00:07:58.01 when you look at the body parts involved 00:07:58.04\00:07:59.87 and how they fit, 00:07:59.91\00:08:01.24 it just doesn't work in the same sex encounter. 00:08:01.28\00:08:04.38 We won't be going into too much detail about that, 00:08:04.41\00:08:06.61 but let's also talk about 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10, 00:08:06.65\00:08:10.32 it mentions, effeminate malakoi, 00:08:10.35\00:08:12.55 the word malakoi in the Greek, 00:08:12.59\00:08:14.19 and homosexuals arsenokoites 00:08:14.22\00:08:16.56 along with another list of people of lifestyles 00:08:16.59\00:08:20.90 that lead people to be left out of the Kingdom. 00:08:20.93\00:08:24.20 And those words refer to the soft effeminate partner 00:08:24.23\00:08:28.24 in a same sex relationship, malakois, and arsenokoites, 00:08:28.27\00:08:32.51 it simply means male bed, it's talking about sleeping, 00:08:32.54\00:08:36.75 a male sleeping with a male. 00:08:36.78\00:08:38.48 There are a lot of arguments about what these words mean, 00:08:38.51\00:08:42.05 some people claim that they mean pederasty, 00:08:42.08\00:08:44.82 pederasty was common in Greek and Roman culture, 00:08:44.85\00:08:49.56 also in certain Asian cultures, 00:08:49.59\00:08:52.26 pederasty is man-boy love, and it was common that, 00:08:52.29\00:08:55.96 you know, for instance in Rome, 00:08:56.00\00:08:57.53 educated affluent men would have male concubines, 00:08:57.57\00:09:01.74 and it would be, you know, a very close relationship. 00:09:01.77\00:09:04.97 There's all kinds of layers of that, 00:09:05.01\00:09:07.21 but it was common in Roman culture, 00:09:07.24\00:09:09.24 and really very accepted, 00:09:09.28\00:09:10.85 but that doesn't seem to be what this is talking about. 00:09:10.88\00:09:13.62 The word arsenokoites means males sleeping with males, 00:09:13.65\00:09:17.62 not men sleeping with boys necessarily. 00:09:17.65\00:09:21.22 So I want to end 00:09:21.26\00:09:23.56 with a different thought though, 00:09:23.59\00:09:25.13 gets clear as the Bible is in its regard of homosexuals 00:09:25.16\00:09:30.13 or gay behaviors, it enlists us to love. 00:09:30.17\00:09:33.84 And I become saddened 00:09:33.87\00:09:35.64 when I see that Christians are so caught up 00:09:35.67\00:09:39.84 in really countering 00:09:39.87\00:09:41.21 the political agenda of the left, 00:09:41.24\00:09:43.41 that they end up being so invested 00:09:43.45\00:09:45.75 in the political agenda, 00:09:45.78\00:09:47.15 this issue becomes so politicized 00:09:47.18\00:09:49.65 that they shed more tears 00:09:49.68\00:09:51.39 about the legalization of gay marriage 00:09:51.42\00:09:54.02 than they shed over the gay neighbors 00:09:54.06\00:09:58.36 that don't know Jesus, 00:09:58.39\00:10:00.90 the gay neighbors that feel hated by Christians. 00:10:00.93\00:10:05.37 We need to shed tears over that. 00:10:05.40\00:10:07.60 And just as faithful as we are to Scripture, 00:10:07.64\00:10:10.01 we need to be faithful to the other parts of Scripture 00:10:10.04\00:10:12.97 that say reach out and love 00:10:13.01\00:10:14.81 to people that are different than you. 00:10:14.84\00:10:16.18 And I think also part of our maturity in Christ 00:10:16.21\00:10:19.38 is not to make enemies out of people 00:10:19.41\00:10:22.12 that think differently about this issue than we think 00:10:22.15\00:10:25.52 and to be willing and secure enough in God 00:10:25.55\00:10:29.02 to where we're willing to be challenged 00:10:29.06\00:10:33.09 and to think this through again and again and again. 00:10:33.13\00:10:36.70 Yeah, I think that it's important to realize that, 00:10:36.73\00:10:39.87 you know, Jesus hates... 00:10:39.90\00:10:42.30 God hates the sin but not the sinner. 00:10:42.34\00:10:46.07 And so, you know, 00:10:46.11\00:10:47.64 there we have to love the person, 00:10:47.68\00:10:51.11 we may not condone the behavior, 00:10:51.15\00:10:52.71 but we love the person. 00:10:52.75\00:10:54.92 And the fact that God can give you 00:10:54.95\00:10:57.12 the victory over anything that you're struggling 00:10:57.15\00:11:00.26 that goes against His word. 00:11:00.29\00:11:02.02 If it's some kind of sin, transgression of His law, 00:11:02.06\00:11:05.79 then He can help you get the victory over that. 00:11:05.83\00:11:09.06 The very head of the passage that I was reading from 00:11:09.10\00:11:11.53 in Romans 1 starts in verse 18, and it says, 00:11:11.57\00:11:14.24 "The wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness 00:11:14.27\00:11:18.51 and unrighteousness of men." 00:11:18.54\00:11:20.51 But it doesn't say the wrath of God 00:11:20.54\00:11:21.88 is revealed against the men. 00:11:21.91\00:11:23.88 It's revealed against their ungodliness 00:11:23.91\00:11:26.11 and unrighteousness. 00:11:26.15\00:11:27.48 God is holy. 00:11:27.52\00:11:28.85 He cannot help but have, can I call it, 00:11:28.88\00:11:31.02 a visceral response, 00:11:31.05\00:11:32.39 an intense response to sin in any form 00:11:32.42\00:11:35.16 because He knows the violation of His design 00:11:35.19\00:11:37.99 will lead to the destruction of the very beings 00:11:38.03\00:11:40.70 for whom He laid down his life. 00:11:40.73\00:11:42.06 Yes. 00:11:42.10\00:11:43.43 So God, by his very nature, can't help but be angry 00:11:43.47\00:11:45.73 against any kind of violation of His design 00:11:45.77\00:11:48.54 which upholds life, 00:11:48.57\00:11:49.90 but it's against the violation of the design 00:11:49.94\00:11:52.37 and not the people that are violating it. 00:11:52.41\00:11:55.04 It's God's grand purpose in the world today 00:11:55.08\00:11:57.85 is to separate sin from sinners 00:11:57.88\00:11:59.91 so that He can ultimately destroy the sin 00:11:59.95\00:12:02.95 and preserve and save the sinners for eternity. 00:12:02.98\00:12:06.45 And we need to find a way to communicate that 00:12:06.49\00:12:10.13 to our gay neighbors, 00:12:10.16\00:12:12.83 to our affirming brothers and sisters in the church, 00:12:12.86\00:12:16.43 people that believe it's okay 00:12:16.46\00:12:18.40 even though we feel kind of at odds with them 00:12:18.43\00:12:20.34 in the way we interpret the scriptures, 00:12:20.37\00:12:22.67 we need to not enter into unnecessary debate 00:12:22.70\00:12:26.01 over it or get nasty, like stay off of Facebook 00:12:26.04\00:12:29.78 when you're talking about stuff like this 00:12:29.81\00:12:31.35 'cause it's only going to go down that rabbit hole, 00:12:31.38\00:12:33.35 if you know what I mean. 00:12:33.38\00:12:34.72 And just maintain our dignity and our Christ-like spirit 00:12:34.75\00:12:37.52 in discussing these things 00:12:37.55\00:12:38.89 'cause it's only going to get hotter. 00:12:38.92\00:12:40.69 This issue is heating up. It is. 00:12:40.72\00:12:42.82 And I mean, you see it being, 00:12:42.86\00:12:44.86 you know, the Bible says train up a child the way he go. 00:12:44.89\00:12:47.40 And when he grows old, he won't depart from you. 00:12:47.43\00:12:49.00 Well, you see people trying to train these children up 00:12:49.03\00:12:51.90 in sexual immorality 00:12:51.93\00:12:53.74 and all kinds of different things. 00:12:53.77\00:12:56.57 The enemy is getting to children 00:12:56.60\00:12:57.94 at younger and younger ages and indoctrinating them 00:12:57.97\00:13:02.51 in, you know, 00:13:02.54\00:13:03.88 things that are not in the Word of God, 00:13:03.91\00:13:06.08 but what do we expect 00:13:06.11\00:13:07.82 from public school for instance? 00:13:07.85\00:13:09.85 They don't have the grounding, 00:13:09.88\00:13:11.49 they don't have the guidance of the Word of God, 00:13:11.52\00:13:13.12 so we really can't expect anything different, 00:13:13.15\00:13:15.32 but what we can expect is that some of those people 00:13:15.36\00:13:17.83 will be hungry for something better. 00:13:17.86\00:13:19.19 Yeah. 00:13:19.23\00:13:20.56 And if we're so busy being their political enemies, 00:13:20.60\00:13:22.10 we won't be able to pick up those cues 00:13:22.13\00:13:23.87 and really minister to them in an effective way 00:13:23.90\00:13:26.40 when they're ready to receive what God has to say to them. 00:13:26.43\00:13:29.67 Yeah, so we need to love, first and foremost, love, 00:13:29.70\00:13:33.14 and that love leads us to speak out 00:13:33.17\00:13:34.94 against things that are genuinely harmful, 00:13:34.98\00:13:37.15 it does. 00:13:37.18\00:13:38.51 But it also leads us to love and have affection for people 00:13:38.55\00:13:41.75 in a very real and in a way that they can sense. 00:13:41.78\00:13:45.62 Yeah. Challenging. 00:13:45.65\00:13:46.99 And it's definitely a delicate topic, 00:13:47.02\00:13:49.12 it's sensitive. 00:13:49.16\00:13:50.49 Do we ever talk about anything but delicate topics? 00:13:50.53\00:13:53.13 I don't think so. No, I don't think we do. 00:13:53.16\00:13:56.56 Dude, I hope you sleep tonight, I don't know if I'm going to... 00:13:56.60\00:14:00.04 Yeah. Well, we shall see. 00:14:00.07\00:14:02.27 Yes, we shall. Yes, absolutely. 00:14:02.30\00:14:04.04 Well, it's been a pleasure once again. 00:14:04.07\00:14:05.97 I can't believe our time is just about up. 00:14:06.01\00:14:08.68 Can you believe it? 00:14:08.71\00:14:10.08 Well, if you want more information, 00:14:10.11\00:14:11.98 please go to IntimateClarity.tv and check out the website, 00:14:12.01\00:14:16.08 check out resources, 00:14:16.12\00:14:17.45 and make sure that you join us next time 00:14:17.49\00:14:19.29 on another episode of Intimate Clarity. 00:14:19.32\00:14:21.46