Can a homosexual be saved? (published 8-16-14)
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Can a homosexual (or lesbian) be saved?
Can an adulterer or fornicator be saved?
God
groups homosexual, adulterer, fornicator together in the following
scripture along with idolaters, abusers of themselves with mankind (those who deceive others for personal gain as worldly people often do), thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners.
I
Cor. 6 ... Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
(To
define "effeminate" ... NIV translates the KJV word "effeminate" as
follows: "men who have sex with men... I Cor. 6:10-11 NIV ... Do you
not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers
nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards
nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that
is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit
of God.)
The homosexual, adulterer, fornicator, drunkard will no longer continue in his sin if he is born again.
When we are born again, we are changed immediately. And we are given
the Spirit of God at that time. We are not the same person as we were
before. Now things of God are real to us and we care about that which
God says. We are born again, a new creature. And the past sins are
viewed in shame and sorrow by us. We do not want to speak of those
sins, nor should we. The shame prohibits us from speaking.
When we have the Spirit of God in us we will no longer participate in those past sins which are against God.
Some homosexuals do not realize it is sin. By the Bible we know it is sin.
Romans
1 ... 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;
19Because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they
knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the
lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed
for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that
which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men
with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves
that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
(Notice in the next verse God begins to speak of fornicators ...)
29Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without
understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure
in them that do them.
A man might be born a "eunuch" , unable to perform sexually, and that is not a sin. Jesus speaks of eunuch's in Mt.
19:12 ...12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their
mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of
men (castrated by men) : and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. (Paul did not marry although Paul had a right to marry.) Jesus said: All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. Paul
speaks of this in I Cor. 7 advising against marriage but Paul also says
you would have to be called of God not to marry and this is what Jesus
said in Mt. 19.
But a homosexual is different from a eunuch. The homosexual is attracted to other men in a sexual attraction as the lesbian is attracted to other women. They both perform perversions of the sexual act. That is not natural. It is against nature. (Romans 1) Paul explained they were turned over by God to this "vile affection".
They live in that way of life just as the fornicators and adulterers
lives in the sins of their sexual acts driven by their own fleshly
desires without restraint of God. Then for some, God reveals
HIMSELF and when this happens they no longer continue in that way. (God
has mercy on whom HE will have mercy ... Romans 9)
So
if God chooses to reveal Himself to a homosexual or lesbian, they will
be born again, a new creature. They will be different, no longer
pursuing unnatural acts. God will give that person a new mind made in
the image of Christ.
I was acquainted with a woman who
was a lesbian. She told the following remarkable story. She went into
hospital for operation. The night before the operation a nurse came to
her room. The nurse said: "After this operation you are going to be
different." The lesbian replied, "Yes, I know that." (The lesbian had a
medical background and was a pharmacist.) The nurse said, "No ... I
mean you are going to be changed. You will find you will no longer be
able to stand those women you once loved." After the operation, Peggy
said she was totally changed. She put away her lesbian lovers. She
sought out church people for friends. She had been almost totally crazy
before and now she had a sound mind. Sounds like a born again
situation. (When Peggy realized she had been changed, she tried to
find the nurse who had carried her the message that she would be changed
after the operation. There was no such nurse at that hospital.)
I once thought you could not recover from a reprobate mind. And of our own selves we might not be able to do so. But God can recover us as HE wills just as HE turned the person over as HE willed.
For a season a person might be turned over to a mind without the
judgment of God but God can certainly give that person judgment when HE
chooses to do so.
Nevertheless, those who continue in acts of homosexuality, or fornication, or adultery, or extortion, or drunkeness will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(I Cor. 6) Paul says do not be deceived into thinking otherwise. (I
Cor. 6) ... and those who are changed by God will no longer continue in
these sins.
====================
Homosexuals: What the Bible teaches (published 3-21-13)
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
KJV ...I Cor. 6
... Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of
God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you: but ye
are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
NASB ... I Cor. 6 ... Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
NIV
... I Cor. 6 ... Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 1 explains: Because
that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart
was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like
to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the
lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed
for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that
which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men
with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves
that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without
understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure
in them that do them.
Homosexuals are in
category with adulterers and fornicators and they will not inherit the
kingdom of God unless God reveals Himself to them and they repent and
renounce their evil doing and no longer participate in these evil
deeds.
Jesus said we would know the end times because
the leaves on the trees would announce the season just as leaves on
trees announce summer drawing near. Mt. 24 ... Now learn a
parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33So likewise ye, when ye
shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Rampant iniquity announces the end and the second coming of Jesus and the judgment of God.
When
we see iniquity abound we look for such. We have seen dramatic
increases in open iniquity in our lifetime. In 1960's in USA it was
illegal to practice homosexuality. Police arrested the openly
homosexual men. Today the police are forced to protect them and the law
is trying to require they be upheld. They are trying to pass a law in
USA legalizing marriage between two men.
Several years ago, I received a prophesy concerning the end ... It was "look for the homosexual trumpet". This would be a signal showing us the closing in of God's judgment.
April 28, 2013, a professional basketball player in USA announced he is homosexual. This is the first time in the 4 major sports in USA that anyone has announced this. One of the commissioners made statement prohibiting players from speaking against homosexuals to news media.
The
USA military once prohibited homosexual from being in the various armed
services. Now they are accepted into the military under a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
If homosexual marriages are legalized in USA, the military will be
required to pay benefit to homosexual mates just as benefits are
provided for wives of servicemen. This will likely happen soon.
All this shows the judgment leaves, spoken by Jesus, Mt. 24, surfacing on the tree as the worldly iniquities become more open and more accepted.
While
none of us like this as real Christians and we recognize it for the
abomination it is, we also know it signals for us the closeness of the
return of Jesus. We need to be even more diligent to keep ourselves in peace, without spot and blameless, as Peter told us to do as we see the day of the Lord approaching. II Peter 3
How can we live in peace in the midst of the wickedness of this world?
First,
we know this world is not our kingdom. Peter says we look for new
heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness ... II Peter 3 This
present world will never be righteous.
Second, we know this wickedness signals the end of this present world and the return of Jesus for the righteousness.
So we can live in peace as we focus on truth from the Bible.
Also as we see the end approaching we increase the exhortations in the church to help the church.
An example of the judgment of God is seen by looking at the story of Sodom.
Genesis
19 ... And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the
gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed
himself with his face toward the ground; 2And he said, Behold now, my
lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all
night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your
ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and
entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake
unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4But before they lay down,
the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round,
both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5And they called
unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee
this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. (have sex with them)6And
Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7And
said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8Behold now, I have two
daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out
unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men
do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 9And
they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to
sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee,
than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came
near to break the door. 10But the men put forth their hand, and pulled
Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11And they smote the
men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and
great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12And the
men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons,
and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out
of this place: 13For we will destroy this place, because the cry of
them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent
us to destroy it.
Notice in this
account, the men came from "every quarter" of the city. They came to
have sex with the two men who visited Lot. The homosexuals were rampant
in Sodom.
Gen. 19 ... And when the morning
arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and
thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity
of the city. 16And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his
hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two
daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth,
and set him without the city. 17And it came to pass, when they had
brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not
behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain,
lest thou be consumed.
Gen. 19 ...
Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast
magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life;
and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one:
Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall
live. 21And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this
thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast
spoken. 22Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till
thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24Then
the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from
the LORD out of heaven; 25And he overthrew those cities, and all the
plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon
the ground.
26But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27And
Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before
the LORD: 28And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the
land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up
as the smoke of a furnace. 29And it came to pass, when God destroyed
the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out
of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which
Lot dwelt.
I Thess. 5 ... But of the
times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then
sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape. 4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of
light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us
watch and be sober. 7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they
that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8But let us, who are of the
day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an
helmet, the hope of salvation. 9For God hath not appointed us to wrath,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us,
that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
===========
Can a homosexual be saved?
Of course a homosexual can be saved. If God chooses to speak and reveal
sin to that person, the person is then in a position to repent and be
saved.
It is like the woman caught in adultery. Jn. 8 She was brought before Jesus and after she was forgiven Jesus said to her: Go and sin no more. (Jesus was saying to her do not continue to live as you have been living in adultery ... to the homosexual Jesus would say do not live that way again ... to the drunkard, Jesus would say do not live in drunkenness again ... to the thief Jesus would say, Do not steal again. Whatever the sin you once committed, stop.)
The
homosexual's salvation is like our salvation. After God reveals
Himself to us we are changed. We no longer do as we once did. And we
are changed again and again as long as we live on this present earth.
God gives us the Holy Spirit to live in us and by the Holy Spirit we are
shown the will of God as we go from one issue to another issue in this
present life. And each time we hear God by His Spirit and take
appropriate action in the matter at hand, we are changed into the
"image" of God. We change into the image of God as we do the word of
God in the situations at hand.
==========
When referring to homosexuals what do we call them?
When referring to homosexuals I never speak of them being "gay". We always speak of them being homosexual.
In the dictionary the word "gay" means:
- happily excited, merry
- keenly alive and exuberant
- having or inducing high spirits
- bright lively
- given to color
and now the definition "homosexual" is added to "gay" in dictionary.
They like to use the word gay to describe what they are because it seems to make them look good and it seem desirable.
But the Bible calls them sodomites:
I
Kings 14:24 ... And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did
according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast
out before the children of Israel.
I
Kings 15:9 ... And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the
LORD, as did David his father. 12And he took away the sodomites out of
the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
I Kings 22:46 ... And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.
II
Kings 23 ... And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the
priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth
out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal,
and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them
without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them
unto Bethel. 5And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of
Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of
Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned
incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and
to all the host of heaven. 6And he brought out the grove from the
house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned
it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the
powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. 7And he
brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the
LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. 8And he brought all
the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places
where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake
down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the
gate of Joshua the governor of the city,
When Pam Padgett prayed about this, asking God what to call homosexuals, she heard: "Call them homosexual or sodomites."