Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Is Being Gay A Sin? Part Three - Better Run Tell Somebody


Is Being Gay A Sin?
We are still in Part Three of the blog series, "Is Being Gay A Sin?" I wanted to see what God, or Jesus, actually might have said or meant as times and positions changed in the political and socio-economic world that was changing with Jesus. I have other theories to write concerning Jesus as a political activist, but that is another story, and another time. But, we do have clear statements that God changed what was "abominable" and "unclean" for his people as times changed and as the possibility of salvation was presented to Gentiles... Please don't forget, dear Reader, middle to upper class white men were NOT God's first choice - poor, agro-rural brown Middle Eastern males were. And as times have changed, you see more and more of the wealthy, right wing white people acting as though God called them first and to be the example. Gentiles and NON-Jews were allowed in only after God gave the Jewish people a chance to accept his son, Jesus as their Savior. Paul opened this amazing salvation up to the rest of the world. As a Christian, it is our duty to prayerfully study and understand what God was trying to communicate to His people, not only in ancient Hebrew times, the more recent Greek and Roman times, but througout ALL time.

Please read:

They will help you in reading this work in context and in the flow it was intended.


Part Three - Acts 8:26-39 - Better Run Tell Somebody…

Acts 8:26“Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) Acts 8:27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship Acts 8:28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

Acts 8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." Acts 8:30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Acts 8:31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Acts 8:32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. Acts 8:33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

Acts 8:34 The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Acts 8:35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" Acts 8:37 Acts 8:38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. Acts 8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

In this passage an Ethiopian Eunuch [remember a group specifically excluded for sexual reasons from membership in the people of Israel by Deut 23:1] is baptized by Philip. This entire passage [which has Philip also preaching to Samaritans] is about the including disenfranchised groups in the Church of the excluded - First a racially/ethnically excluded group, then a sexually excluded individual.

The verse in Genesis dates from approximately 920 BCE although it is probably older. The verses in Leviticus were probably inscribed onto parchment around 500 BCE, when the highest level of technology available was the war chariot. The verses in Romans and 1 Corinthians date from approximately 60 CE. The verses in 1 Timothy probably date from approximately 90-120 CE.

Anyone who claims to be a Christian, however, is compelled to ignore these verses altogether, since they are superseded by the two Great Commandments: to love God with all one's heart and mind and soul and strength, and to love other human beings as much as you love yourself.

Period.

No exceptions. Jesus did NOT say, “except black people, except women, except homosexuals, except left-handed people, except children, except Romans (or Roman Catholics), except feminists, except liberals.” Jesus said EVERYONE.

If you just said, “Yes, but—”, just stop right there.

“Yes, but” is NOT Christian as it applies to this theory and scripture. These passages in Acts are part of the very cornerstone and foundation for allowing other races and ethnicities to enjoy and partake in Christianity. If you are seething about the race, gay, or gentile thing... Maybe some time in prayer is for you so that God can speak to you and show you that HE loves everyone.
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