Homosexuality

Homosexuality involves sexual relations between two persons of the same sex, or lusting after someone of the same sex. Male homosexuals are often referred to as gays and females as lesbians. It is a sin which creates tremendous emotional, physical and social problems. People who are involved in this sin often regard themselves as “free” and are now demanding rights for themselves to live as they like and not be thought of as unusual and anti-social. For some of them these demands are a cover, because underneath they feel guilty, but there are probably many who have lost all sense of sin and do not care about God at all.

Those who allow this kind of thing in their churches seem to have lost sight of God’s standards of holiness and are more concerned about pleasing people and having a good image in the world, than about what God thinks. It is true that we need to love people who are sinners, but we are not to tolerate their sin. The Gospel must be preached to bring people out of sin and into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).

The Bible is very clear on what God thinks of homosexuality. It sees it as rebellion against God’s original plan of one man and one woman united together for life (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-5). This practice is forbidden in the Old Testament because God hates it (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). However, the people still did it and Paul describes in Romans 1:21, 24-28 what God thinks of these things and what the results are to the people who do them. Their minds are corrupted. Paul also says that people who do these things together with other shameful sexual sins will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). That means they cannot be saved while they carry on in this rebellion against God.

Of course if they repent and turn away from this sin they will be forgiven, but they will need to change their pattern of behaviour. That starts with the thought-life. A person should ask God to control his/her thoughts and then keep away from temptation and concentrate on praising God and learning from his Word. If the thoughts are under control, then the body and its acts can also be controlled (Romans 6:11-14, 22). Some of the Christians in Corinth had this lifestyle before becoming Christians, but they were liberated from it by the power of the Holy Spirit and cleansed of their sins (1 Corinthians 6:11).

So there is hope for you, too. Come to God with your weakness, and his strength will be at your disposal (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

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You ask what you should do with the baby you had outside of marriage and before you were a Christian, if you now want to marry another man.

As you probably realize, when Jesus forgives our sins, He does not always take away the consequesces of our sin. This child who has come into the world, even if it was through your sin, is still a person who is created in God’s image. (He/she is a person who will be able to talk to and listen to God.) He/she is your responsibility and needs to be loved and cared for by you. You need to think very carefully before considering marriage now. You would have to ask the man if he is willing to adopt him/her as his own. If he is, he will be showing a very real love for you, because it will not be easy. On the other hand, if he rejects him/her, you should question how much he loves you, because your child is part of you.

If, however, for some reason, it is really not possible, he/she could be given out for adoption, but then you would have to give him/her up. Foster care is another possibility, but that is not always a happy solution. You need to think about what effect your actions will have on your child, and do what is best for him/her.

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What is a polygamous marriage? (brides price)?

When we discuss the subject of “marriage” we often use terms which some people don’t understand. In this letter we wish to clarify some of the terms so that people can understand what it means.

A polygamous marriage is a marriage where one man has two or more wives. The term comes from the Greek which means “a plural marriage”. To distinguish between the two specific kinds of plural marriages we get polyandry (literally: “many men,” where one woman has more than one husband). This is however very rare. The other form is polygeny (= “many women”). This is one man married two or more women. The last form is prevalent in the Middle East where the sheiks have a seraglio or harem where all the wives and concubines live.

This marriage is recognised as a form of marriage, but please note that it is not the marriage which God instituted. The Biblical, God-approved marriage is the monogamous (“single marriage”) where one man marries only one wife, and one wife marries one man. This is the Christian marriage and church leaders are warned that they must be a man with one wife only. See the following passages in your Bible: Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-5; 1 Timothy 3:2; 3:12.

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Must a Christian pay “lobola” (brides price)?

According to the Bible it was not necessary for Adam to pay “lobola” for his wife Eve (Genesis 2:22-24). We can argue by saying: Yes but there were no families to agree on any lobola, and no responsibilities as regards the children, that made such a contract imperative. That is true. But in the first marriage on earth God brought two people together and gave the wife as a present and a helpmeet to the man. Love was to be the bond.

We read in the Bible that lobola was paid on different occasions. But the conditions applicable to modern “lobola”, that is articles of agreement, were totally absent. For example: There were no stipulations declaring that the children are children of the man’s family, or that if the woman proved to be barren the loss of lobola by the husband’s family must be paid back in another way like the “seantlo” custom, where the wife’s sister must bear children for her.

Another occasion worth mentioning is Genesis 34:12, where Shechem offered to pay lobola for Dinah the daughter of Jacob, whom he had raped. He paid for his sin by death. Another is where Saul demanded a dowry from David for his daughter Michal (1 Sam 18:25). But it must be stressed that none of those marriages proved to be really happy.

We can therefore say: it is not necessary for a Christian who marries a Christian, to pay lobola. Two Christians who want to marry because they love each other, should not be hindered by asking “lobola”. “Lobola” can cause people who cannot afford it, to live together in sin – this is against the will of God.

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When Paul talks about covering the head, does he talk of all females, or only of married women?

It would seem that he is referring to all women. He uses the illustration of husband and wife to show that the man had the greater responsibility and was head of his family. (See 1 Corintians 11:2-16.)

However, the woman was not inferior to the man in God’s sight. What Paul says in verses 2-16 is because of the society in which they lived. Corinth at that time was a very sinful city and women who had no covering on their heads, were known to be immoral. Paul did not want the Christian women to appear like them. He wanted them to be seen to be different. A woman wearing a veil was respected, whereas, without a veil she could be insulted by anyone. It was a principle Paul was concerned about here. He wanted the Christians to be respected and seen to be behaving well and respectfully even when they were worshipping.

The same principle applies today. Christians must be seen to be reverent before God and behave themselves well. It does not mean that in places where customs are different and in all different times women should wear hats, but they should be seen to be following their Saviour and Lord.

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How to know what your Spiritual gifts are

This is an important question for every Christian because God has put us in the world to witness for Him. Therefore He has made sure that each of us has at least one gift we can use for His glory. We must use what He has given us to help build up the church of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12).

If we really want to find out what God has given us, He will surely show us. Firstly, we should pray and give ourselves to Him. God wants us before He wants our gifts, like the people of Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8:5.

Then we should remember that every gift God has given is useful to Him, whether it is small or big (Matthew 25:14-30). This means there should be no pride or selfishness in using our gifts.

Sometimes the gift God has given us is seen in the things we like to do, or what we do naturally. If we find we can serve God by doing this, we should do them well, develop them and do them without a thought of being seen by others or publicly thanked (1 Corinthians 10:31).

But you can be sure of one thing: if you are a true Christian, God has given you one or more spiritual gifts. He wants you to use them in the church (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). You do not receive a gift for selfish purposes, but “for the common good”. And it is the Holy Spirit who decides who should receive what gift. We receive our gifts, not because we deserve them, but by God’s grace. Identify the gift you have received, develop it and use it to God’s glory. You don’t have to be like anybody else. Each one of us received a different gift.

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Where is heaven?

In the first place, the Bible teaches that heaven is not only a state of glory, but it is a particular place in the universe. Whoever is there, will experience eternal glory.

In the second place the Bible teaches that heaven did not always exist, but that God created it “in the beginning,” in the same way that he created the earth (Genesis 1:1). Just like the earth, heaven therefor is a specific heavenly body or a place in the large and infinite creation of God. Scripture often depicts heaven as a city, a dwelling place, a community, a state, a kingdom, where God and his angels live forever, and where his children will also have everlasting communion with Him and with one another.

But where is heaven in this great universe? Some people think that heaven is very near to us. When we die, we will immediately live in this new condition, that spiritual world which has ever been around us, but which we could not see. Others believe that heaven is very far from the earth, far beyond the most distant stars. But speculation about these things is to no purpose. Our honest answer is: we do not know where heaven is, simply because this is not revealed to us in the Bible.

The word “heaven” has three meanings in Scripture:

1. The part of heaven where the clouds are, in other words the atmosphere nearest to us; the blue sky;

2. The stars we see at night, which are outside earth’s atmosphere;

3. The place where God lives.

Eventually heaven and earth will become one, as we read in Revelation 21:1-4.

The important question is therefore not: where is heaven? for heaven is at the end of a Christian’s life, but rather: Am I on the way to heaven? This important question can only be answered by those who put their trust in Christ and His Word. Without Christ there is no hope of heaven (1 John 5:10-13).

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Is it wrong to have sex before marriage if you are sure that you will marry?

Sex outside marriage is always wrong. God gave sex as a gift to enjoy. But with the gift He gave certain definite instructions on how the gift should be used. It is intended to be practised by a man and his own wife only.

In Genesis 2:24 we read: “a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife and they become one.” Please note: he is united with his wife and after that, they become one. When they have their first sexual intercourse after marriage, they become one. That is the order God instituted.

To use this gift with anyone else is sin. It is adultery: Exodus 20:14; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 9; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Proverbs 5:2-4; 6:32.

Now people say: But we love one another and we are getting married anyway. What is wrong with that?

We know that the sex drive is very strong. Because of this, young couples who are engaged, often find themselves in sexual difficulties in their love-relationship. They know that it is intended to find full expression within marriage, but still they want the pastoral advisors to give them the green light to have sex before they are married. They want us to make an exception of their case. Of course we are sympathetic BUT we cannot tell people to commit sin even if people base their argument on the fact that they love each other.

But let us briefly examine this argument: Christians who love God will always respect His law. Love comes from God and now they want to desecrate it by committing a sin.

God gave the girl a very, very valuable gift which she must safeguard for her future husband (her virginity). If the man in her life is a Christian, he will not expect her to give herself to him entirely before he lawfully marries her. If he really loves her, he will respect her too much to have sex with her. It sounds like a very high moral standard, I know, but it is true.

On the other hand, there is an element of uncertainty in such an experiment:

1. We don’t have our lives in our hands. If the young man dies before the wedding the girl is the one who is spoiled and must face life as a degraded “virgin”.

2. She may become pregnant – and he may turn his back on her.

3. Statistics show that many a girl has lost her boyfriend after having had sex with him, because his interest in her changed (see what happened to Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:12-15). The girl who wants to “buy” the love of her boyfriend by giving in to his demands – even if he promised marriage – plays with fire. (Of course Tamar was raped, but the after-effects on Amnon is fairly general).

4. Some marriages are unhappy and often lead to divorce because the couple had sex before marriage. They start their marriage which could be an exciting experience, with a feeling of guilt which leads to stress and strife.

So please be obedient to God, who knows people better than they know themselves and who has a very good reason to say: “I give you a very beautiful gift of sex, but please use it only when you are married!” It is not a physical unity only, but a very complex psychological experience which has its roots in the whole personality of the man and woman. The girl, especially, must remember that sex for her is not the same as what it means for her boyfriend. It is possible for him to degrade it to a mere fleshly connection only. For his girl it is a part of her whole emotional set-up.

Please wait until you are married. God will reward you. He always knows best.

If you have trespassed this law of God, remember that if you truly repent and want to live as a real Christian you can go to the Lord and ask His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 is a promise to everyone who repents and wants to live a new life. The Lord will forgive and cleanse you. But then He will say to you what he said to the woman in John 8:11: “Go, and sin no more.”

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Who is the Holy Spirit?

The God we worship is the Supreme Being in the Universe. He is greater than anything or anyone else. He is Spirit (John 4:24) and in the Old Testament he was regarded as great and mighty, but most of the time, as far away from people.

Even though the word Trinity is never used in the Bible, in many places in the Old Testament we get hints that God is not one, completely on his own. He is, within Himself, three persons, but at the same time those three are a unity. It is difficult to understand, but if you think of the 3 sides which make up one triangle, you may find it easier. We hear God saying in Genesis 1:26: “and now we will make …” and in many places we read of God’s Spirit.

The three persons in the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is all-powerful and has everything under his control. God the Son is the one who took on a human body and became a man in Jesus who lived nearly 2000 years ago in Palestine. He was God’s special messenger whose coming was prophesied many times in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 18:15; Isaiah 52:13 – 53; Malachi 3:1; Acts 3:18-24).

Jesus was a man for just a short time and we read of all He did in the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He gathered followers around him so they could teach people after He went away, but His main purpose in coming was to die. There had to be someone who was perfect – sinless, who could take the punishment for the sins of the whole world. As perfect man and as God He died in our place. But he could not remain in the grave, because He was God, and so He rose again from the dead, gave further instructions to His disciples and then ascended to heaven.

Before He died He promised His disciples that He would send another Helper to them, to be with them, to teach them and to help them live as He wanted them to live. This is the Holy Spirit (John 15:26).

The Holy Spirit was recognized in the Old Testament, but possibly thought of more as a power than a person (1 Samuel 16:13-14; Isaiah 63:11-13). The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that the Spirit would later come to many more people than the few special ones we read about earlier (Ezekiel 39:29; Joel 2:28-29; Zechariah 12:10).

When we come to the New Testament, we are told of one person who would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth: John the Baptist (Luke 1:15-17). He was to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus (God the Son). When Jesus came to John for baptism, the Holy Spirit had been with Him all His life already, but came to Him in a new way, anointing Him with power for the unique work He had come to do (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10 and Luke 3:22). After His baptism He was led by the Spirit to the desert to be tempted (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1-2). Then He began His ministry in the power of the Spirit (Matthew 12:18; Luke 4:14).

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Him and follow Him (Mark 13:11; John 14:15-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15). It was this gift of the Holy Spirit who was given to the believers after Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 2:4 and 38-39; 8:14-17; 9:17; 10:44; 11:17). As various groups of people came to repentance of their sins and faith in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit came to them.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict people of their sinfulness (John 16:8-9) and to bring them into a new relationship with God. This is expressed in various ways. Through the Spirit we are:

put right with God 1 Corinthians 6:11
given eternal life Titus 3:6-7
given new birth John 3:3-8
given new spiritual life John 6:63

Because God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit are so completely bound up in each other, none of these things can happen without the death of Jesus the Son, who gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin which is demanded by a Holy God (1￿20Timothy 1:15; 2:5-6).

When we believe in Him and repent of our sin, we receive the gift of salvation. This salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us in our new life, is received by us through faith (Galations 3:14). It may seem difficult to understand, but when our faith is exercised and we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit then gives us understanding and teaches us more about God and the Bible.

One day representatives of every nation will gather around His throne to praise Him, because they have become children of God (Revelation 7:9-10). Make sure that you are not left behind!

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Who is a heathen?

The Hebrew word for heathen in the Old Testament (gojim) means “nations”. They were people who worshipped idols, while Israel worshipped the true, living God. Heathens do not know or serve the true God. The difference between those that serve God and the heathens is clearly written down in Psalm 115. In other words, a heathen is a person who does not serve the Lord, but serves other idols and things. Heathens can of course become converted if the true Gospel is preached to them. Naaman, the Syrian Military commander who had leprosy, was a heathen before he was healed (2￿20Kings 5). Ruth, the Moabite was a heathen who became a believer in God. She even became an ancestor of David and Jesus the Messiah (Ruth 1:16; 4:18-22).

Heathenism has nothing to do with the colour of a person’s skin. A heathen is not a religious person in the true sense of the word, and can be a human being of any skin colour: White, coloured, brown, yellow, black and red. If he does not know God and serve Him, he is a heathen.

But the good news is that Jesus cares about heathen. Therefor he commanded his disciples to share the good news with all nations (Luke 24:47). And one day representatives of every nation will gather around His throne to praise Him, because they have become children of God (Revelation 7:9-10). Make sure that you are not left behind!

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