Itchy Ears

I was watching a video in my Issues in Science and Society class, on the topic of homosexuality.  In the video there were two men who were giving their stories.  One man told the story of being raised in a very conservative Baptist home and being disfellowshipped from his family due to his choice to live a homosexual lifestyle.  The other man, coming from a non-religious home, decided to live out his homosexuality, but after reading a Gideon Bible, concluded that God does not bless homosexual marriages.  Therefore he had to choose to continue to act on his feelings, or to submit himself to the Word of God.  He decided to commit himself to a life of celibacy and submit to the Word of God.  Toward the end of the video, the practicing homosexual who is “married” to a man, gave his rationale for his choice.  He said who can really know for sure what the Bible says since it was written hundreds of years ago.  He said the word “homosexual” is not even a word that existed and is only put into scriptures by people who are biased.  Then he said “men lying with men and women lying with women,” is not what the Bible says in the original language.

Then I remembered an article that I also had to read for this class, written from the perspective of a homosexual where the author states that the prohibitions against homosexuality was a cultural thing and doesn’t apply to today.  Also, the issue that Paul address in Romans isn’t in regards to loving and committed homosexual relationships, but is in regards to homosexual prostitution.

As I listened to his argument, it sounded so familiar to me.  The same rationale used by this homosexual to support his lifestyle, is the same rationale that people use to refute the Sabbath.  There are people who know about the 7^th day Sabbath, but ignore it because they say, it doesn’t matter.  They say the Bible was written a long time ago by human beings, so how can we say it’s accurate.  They say that Sabbath really doesn’t mean Sabbath.  They say that it’s a cultural issue and that it doesn’t apply today because Jesus rose on Sunday. They say that “The Lord’s Day,” in the original language means Sunday.   

Are we as Christians really paying attention to how closely and subtly the prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled.  My issue with the homosexual community, aside from the fact that it’s a sin, is that they having done a fantastic job of using love and tolerance to attack Christian doctrine:  The Gospel, the power of God, the authority of the Bible, etc.

But it’s not just a homosexual problem…..it’s a sin problem that leads us down this path.

How convenient it is to argue that the Bible was written millions of years ago, when we don’t want to be held by its standards and told that our behavior is wrong.

How convenient it is when we want to twist scriptures of the Bible to fit our lifestyle and make us feel comfortable.

How convenient it is to become a Hebrew and Greek scholar, when we want things to mean what only WE want them to mean.

How convenient it is to say that the Bible cannot be trusted, when the reality is, WE can’t be trust.

1 Timothy 4:2-4 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with ^[a]great patience and instruction.³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴ and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths”

What is being said in this passage has been happening, but it’s happening even more boldly now.  The homosexual community has been very successful with persecuting those who don’t say what they want to hear.  But it’s not just them.  The stage has been set where people want to hear words, music, messages, and preaching that makes them feel comfortable and soothes their ears.  Taking away the authority of the Bible, takes away the awareness of sin…….or so we think.

I am so glad that God is a genius and that He’s not a manmade god.  That His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts because aside from the Bible, and aside from the preaching of the Word, and aside from the witness of His people, God says in Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them, After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,”

Let’s not be people with itchy ears, and harden ourselves against the convicting, saving power of the Holy Spirit.