Lies and False Messages in Rap Song Lyrics: "Same Love"

Below are the lyrics to a song that is being played in over-abundance on various radio stations, trying to brainwash and indoctrinate people into believing there is nothing wrong with homosexuality. I have put its lyrics in green to represent the poison that these words speak. I have tagged key lies and false messages throughout the lyrics and then provided an answer to them in the column on the right.

[Verse 1: Macklemore] When I was in the 3rd grade I thought that I was gay Cause I could draw, my uncle was And I kept my room straight I told my mom, tears rushing down my face She's like, "Ben, you've loved girls since before Pre-K!" Tripping, yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she? A bunch of stereotypes all in my head I remember doing the math, like "Yeah, I'm good at little league" A pre-conceived idea of what it all meant For those that like the same sex had the characteristics The right-wing conservatives think it's a decision1 And you can be cured with some treatment and religion2 Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition3, playing God Ahh, nah, here we go America the brave still fears what we don't know4 And "God loves all his children" is somehow forgotten5 But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five hundred years ago6 I don't know7	1Homosexuality is a decision. Just like it is a decision to commit incest, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, rape, etc. Just like it is a decision to commit murder. 2Like all sins that people commit and embrace, homosexuality can be cured through genuine repentance and faith. Mere behavioural modification will not cure a thing. When Paul lists homosexual participants among those unrighteous who "will not inherit the kingdom of God" in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, he reveals in verse 11 that "Such were some of you." Were. Past tense. They are no longer homosexual participants. They repented of that wicked lifestyle and practice and began living the way God had intended all along: one man and one woman united as one body for life. This standard was referred to and upheld by both Jesus and Paul when they directed their audience back to the beginning and referred to the marriage of one man and one woman as being God's intention for all mankind (Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31). 3Nobody is "pre-disposed" to homosexuality. That is like saying a person is "pre-disposed" to incest, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophelia, rape, etc. Or that murderers are "pre-disposed" to murder. Boys naturally gravitate toward girls, and girls naturally gravitate toward boys. The typical factors most often found in close association with homosexuality are the lack of a father figure and/or sexual abuse as a child by a male figure; events or information that confuse the individual and cause them to consider things their own conscience informs them are unnatural. 4America does not fear anything in regard to homosexuality. No fear exists in speaking out against something that is morally unnatural, perverse and degrading. There is no such thing as "homophobia." That is a term coined by homosexuals in order to try and silence those opposed to their lewd behaviour. 5Each and every person on the face of this Earth is not God's child. "It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants" (Rom. 9:8, cf. Gal. 3:7, 16, 29). Only those who have been regenerated, born again, and have repented and forsaken their sins, having been bought by the blood of Christ Jesus, are the children of God. Those are who God loves, for "[God hates] all who do iniquity" (Ps. 5:5) and is angry with the wicked "every day" (Ps. 7:11-13). 6Quoting what the Bible says literally is not "paraphrasing." This guy might want to look up the word "paraphrase" and educate himself. God is the same "yesterday and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8). He "does not change" (Ps. 15:4). His Word does not change either because He and His Word are one. His words are a reflection and extension of His holiness. 7That would be the honest thing for you to say: "I don't know." Then be humble enough and teachable to allow others to educate you as to the truth of the matter. Trying to espouse the same lies homosexuals are already spreading only serves to make you look like a fool.
[Hook: Mary Lambert] And I can't change8 Even if I tried Even if I wanted to And I can't change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to My love, my love, my love She keeps me warm [x4]	8Yes, you can, but you do not want to. You want to embrace your sin rather than to forsake it. There are thousands of ex-homosexuals out there who are willing to testify that you can change, and that a life truly changed by Christ Jesus can and does result in change. Like a man who does not want to give up his pornography addiction, you do not want to give up your disgusting habit.
[Verse 2: Macklemore] If I was gay I would think hip-hop hates me Have you read the YouTube comments lately? "Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily We've become so numb to what we're saying9 Our culture founded from oppression Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em Call each other faggots Behind the keys of a message board A word rooted in hate9 Yet our genre still ignores it "Gay" is synonymous with the lesser It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment The same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference10 Live on! And be yourself! When I was in church they taught me something else If you preach hate at the service, those words aren't anointed11 That Holy Water that you soak in has been poisoned When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen10 I might not be the same but that's not important No freedom til we're equal10 Damn right I support it12	9In the past, men who engaged in sexual activity with other men were labeled "faggots." The word was never rooted in "hate." Likewise, women who engaged in sexual activity with other women were labeled "lesbians." The women have obviously embraced their title, whereas the men are trying to accommodate a title to themselves that is generic for both groups. "Gay" does not refer to men only. "Gay" refers to both homosexual men and homosexual women. It is a redundancy to say "Gays and Lesbians." It is akin to saying, "Humans and Women." Sadly, two perfectly good words have been perverted and used in conjunction with the disgusting behaviour of homosexuality. The word "gay" used to mean "happy," and you can find it used in the theme song to The Flintstones. The term "queer" used to mean "strange," and you can find it used in the 1980's Alice in Wonderland TV movie with Natalie Gregory. 10Homosexuals have never had any rights stolen from them. You cannot compare homosexuality to slavery. This is a false comparison. Homosexuality is not an ethnic minority. Homosexuals have never been bought and sold in America; they have never been denied the right to vote; there are no gay and straight classrooms or drinking fountains; and they have always had the right to hold property and participate in the political process. Homosexuals have always had the same rights all Americans have had. The same sure cannot be said about African-Americans. 11It is not "hate" to preach against the acts of wickedness. Next thing you know, it will be considered "hate" to preach against incest, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, etc. This rapper throws the word "hate" around ignorantly, obviously ill-educated as to what the word means and what actually constitutes hate. Disagreeing with something is not "hate." If you want to see what true hate looks like, look no further than to the homosexual community who threaten and attack people for disagreeing with them: threatening to donate HIV contaminated blood; threatening to blow things up; trespassing on church properties and abusing their parishioners; sending "tweets" that suggest someone who disagrees with them go and kill themselves; etc. Is it "hate" to speak out against murder and rape? 12You support a morally bankrupt perversion that nature itself condemns? Homosexuality is a perversion of both human and sexual nature. The plug was perfectly designed to be used in an outlet. The nut was perfectly designed to be used on a bolt. Likewise, the penis was perfectly designed to enter the vagina and the vagina was perfectly designed to receive the penis. Furthermore, it is the only way with which to produce progeny. It is impossible to do so with homosexuals; they will die without having produced a subsequent generation. You support something unnatural and illogical.
[Trombone Interlude] I don't know13 [Hook]	13Again, that would be the honest thing for you to say: "I don't know." Then be humble enough and teachable to allow others to educate you as to the truth of the matter. Trying to espouse the same lies homosexuals are already spreading only serves to make you look like a fool.
[Verse 3: Macklemore] We press play, don't press pause Progress, march on! With a veil over our eyes, we turn our back on the cause 'Til the day that my uncles can be united by law14 Kids are walking around the hallway Plagued by pain in their heart A world so hateful Some would rather die Than be who they are And a certificate on paper15 Isn't gonna solve it all But it's a damn good place to start No law's gonna change us14 We have to change us Whatever god you believe in16 We come from the same one16 Strip away the fear, underneath, it's all the same love17 About time that we raised up!	14This brings us to the crux of the issue. The reason he writes this song and believes what he believes is because he has two "uncles" who are gay. Just because something hits close to home, no matter how much you love the individual, it does not suddenly make their actions okay. If they are a murderer, a rapist, a pedophile, a homosexual, or guilty of committing any other sins, you do not get to excuse them and make excuses for them just because you love them. You can love them without accepting their wicked actions, no matter how close to home it hits. Whether they are united by law or not, it is still not a marriage. A marriage, as defined by God, is one man and one woman united as one body for life. No other definition will suffice. You cannot change what God has ordained. Such a law being passed is no law at all, and I will never submit to such a law because it goes against conscience and common sense. Just because we do not have a law saying something, does not mean something is right or wrong to do; and just because we do have a law saying something, does not mean something is right or wrong to do. Homosexuality is still wrong and unnatural regardless of how many laws are passed trying to approve of it and make it acceptable. Next they will be trying to get laws to support incest, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, rape, etc. 15A certificate on paper is meaningless because two homosexuals are not married. Two homosexuals do not constitute a marriage, no matter what man-made laws might say. God's laws are what matter, and if man's laws go contrary to God's laws, man's laws are not to be obeyed. 16As a human being, homosexuals were created in the image of the God of the Bible. However, homosexuals do not belong to the God of the Bible: "It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants" (Rom. 9:8, cf. Gal. 3:7, 16, 29). "[God hates] all who do iniquity" (Ps. 5:5) and is angry with the wicked "every day" (Ps. 7:11-13). "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Matt. 7:21-23). "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:4-10). 17No, it is not the same love. The "love" between homosexuals is not the same love as between heterosexuals. There is nothing loving about condoning the sins of another person and encouraging them to continue in that sin. Heterosexual love is "like-opposite," loving something "similar" yet "different" from yourself. Homosexual "love" is a mirror-image and is the same as someone loving themselves through masturbation.
[Hook] [Outro: Mary Lambert] Love is patient, love is kind Love is patient (not crying on Sundays) Love is kind (not crying on Sundays) Love is patient (not crying on Sundays) Love is kind (not crying on Sundays) Love is patient (not crying on Sundays) Love is kind (not crying on Sundays) Love is patient (not crying on Sundays) Love is kind (not crying on Sundays) Love is patient (not crying on Sundays) Love is kind (not crying on Sundays)	Perhaps you need to cry on Sundays, coming to terms with the realization of the fact of just how wicked and depraved you truly are (just like the rest of us) and just how much your soul needs Christ Jesus to save you from your sins and cleanse you from them. Embracing something God has clearly condemned in all its forms, when all of Scripture upholds the standard of heterosexuality, only increases the wrath of God that is already stored up for you (and every other sinner) on the day of judgment. You will not get a free pass. God set the standard for human relationships with one man and one woman, and condemned homosexuality in all its forms (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:8-11). Today is the day of salvation. Repent, or you will likewise perish.

Homosexuals are people, too, and should be treated as such; but as sinners, like the rest of us, their sin should not be made light of and impressed upon others to accept and approve of. Sin is sin, and when God has labeled something as sin, we would be wise to accept His assessment thereof and agree with Him. Homosexual sin is not greater than any other sin, but it should also not be treated any lesser than any other sin. Sin is sin in the eyes of God, and whether it is homosexuality, incest, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, rape, murder, theft, lying, etc., all sin carries the same condemnation and judgment. Yes, treat homosexuals as human beings, but, no, do not give way to their immoral perverted behaviour and practices. Sin is sin. Love the sinner, but hate the sin. If homosexuals do not repent, they will perish in their sin like every other sinner. Pray for them to come to the knowledge of saving faith in Christ Jesus.

Why No One in the Biblical World Had a Word for Homosexuality

Dear Readers,

The title of this blog entry is misleading. I titled it this way on purpose because of a Jewish homosexual named Alex Haiken that my friend Jerry and I have been conversing with; a man who erroneously considers himself to be a Christian. Alex makes this claim himself (that the biblical world did not have a word for homosexuality), but the reality is quite the opposite of what he wishes were true. Alex constantly and consistently laces his e-mails, blog articles, and responses with error, misinformation, inferences, presumptions, assumptions, conclusions drawn on assumptions, pretext, front-loading, and eisegetical interpretations based on his feelings and opinions. His dealing with this issue is no different.

Alex argues that the biblical world did not have a word for homosexuality. Part of his simplistic argument is based on the fact that "The word 'homosexual' did not appear in any translation of the Christian Bible until 1946." "But, we have to acknowledge that you don't translate a word from Hebrew and Greek into the English if there is no English equivalent. So, using the term "homosexual" in the English Bible could not have occurred until after the word had entered the English vocabulary."¹ Alex's argument is simplistic for the very fact that the word "homosexual" is an English word, so obviously it would not have existed during biblical times. Alex is committing an Exegetical Fallacy by demanding the Bible spell out in modern words—"h-o-m-o-s-e-x-u-a-l-i-t-y"—its condemnation of homosexuality. All any intelligent and educated reader has to do is pay attention to what Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; and Romans 1:26-27 say and they will easily conclude that the Bible is condemning homosexuality. The Golden Rule of Hermeneutics states, "If the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense." A child reading these passages would conclude that the Bible is condemning homosexuality, also. Apparently Alex is not as wise as a child. The old English word used long before the word homosexual came into existence was the word "bugger."

Canadian Oxford Dictionary:

bugger n. slang a person who commits buggery.
buggery n. 1 anal intercourse. 2 bestiality.
sodomite n. a person who engages in sodomy.
sodomy n. anal intercourse performed between two males or a male and a female.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary:

¹bugger n. sodomite.
²bugger vt. to commit sodomy with.
buggery n. sodomy.
sodomite n. one who practices sodomy.
sodomy n. [the homosexual proclivities of the men of the city in Gen 19:1-11] 1 copulation with a member of the same sex or with an animal. 2 anal copulation with a member of the opposite sex.

Prior to this word being used, from the 6th century A.D. onward, homosexuals were referred to as "Sodomites," because they committed the same sin that Sodom was guilty of committing. The word "Sodomites" appears in the 3rd century B.C. translation of the Hebrew manuscripts into Greek, the Septuagint. So do not let anyone try to tell you that such a word did not exist in biblical times. They would be wrong.

Alex thinks that the biblical world did not have a word for homosexuals, but he is wrong on two accounts. First, a description is necessarily the same as the word, so whether a specific word exists or not is irrelative to the facts and evidence of reality. These three passages spell it out clearly and concisely:

"You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)

"If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." (Romans 1:26-27)

What are these passages describing? For the honest and truthful individual, he/she will have to admit they are describing homosexuality. Second, we have the compound Greek word arsenokoitai (αρσενοκοιται) that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which comes from the use of their root words found side-by-side in the Septuagint in the Holiness Code of Leviticus 20:13 (both words also appear in Leviticus 18:22, though not side-by-side). So you see, the biblical world did have definitions for homosexuals, whether by words or by descriptions. Alex Haiken is merely being willfully deceitful because the homosexual agenda is at stake. He knows he has no foundation, no arguments, nothing to back him up. The facts and evidence are against him. He argues out of stubborn pride, even though he knows he has lost the battle.

Why no one in the biblical world had a word for homosexuality? Because a description thereof was just as good as a word. However, the evidence shows that they had both words and descriptions. So claiming they did not have such words is incorrect, and a very futile argument. But such is expected from a man who lies through his teeth about what passages of the Bible truly say. The next time someone claims no Bible prior to 1946 had the word "homosexual" in it, or that they even spoke of homosexuality, take them on a little education trip through older versions of the Bible and translations in other languages:

THE WYCLIFF BIBLE (1380):
Whether ye witen not, that wickid men schulen not welde the kyngdom of God? Nyle ye erre; nethir letchours, nether men that seruen mawmetis, nether auouteris, nether letchouris ayen kynde, nether thei that doon letcheri with men, nether theues, nether auerouse men, nethir `ful of drunkenesse, nether curseris, nether rauenours, schulen welde the kyngdom of God.
MODERN ENGLISH:
Whether ye know not, that wicked men shall not wield the kingdom of God? Do not ye err; neither lechers, neither men that serve maumets [neither men serving to idols], neither adulterers, neither lechers against kind, neither they that do lechery with men, neither thieves, neither avaricious men [neither covetous men, or niggards], neither men full of drunkenness, neither cursers, neither raveners, shall wield the kingdom of God.

Letchery: offensive sexual desire; lustfulness

THE TYNDALE BIBLE (1530):
Do ye not remember how that the vnrighteous shall not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not deceaved. For nether fornicators nether worshyppers of ymages nether whormongers nether weaklinges nether abusars of them selves with the mankynde, nether theves nether the coveteous nether dronkardes nether cursed speakers nether pillers shall inheret the kyngdome of God.

THE MATTHEWS BIBLE (1537):
Do ye not remember how that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived. For neither fornicators, neither worshippers of images, neither whoremongers, neither weaklings, neither abusers of themselves with mankind, neither thieves, neither the covetous, neither drunkards, neither cursed speakers, neither pillers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

GENEVA BIBLE (1560):
Knowe ye not that the vnrighteous shal not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not deceiued: nether fornicatours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor watons, nor bouggerers, nor theues, nor couetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extorcioners, shal inherite the kingdome of God.

GENEVA BIBLE (1599):
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor (♣) wantons, nor (♠) buggerers, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

(♣) Immoral or unchaste, lewd.
(♠) Someone who engages in anal copulation (especially a male who engages in anal copulation with another male.)

KJV (1611):
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, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

NASB (1971):
Or 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 (1978):
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

NKJV (1979):
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

ESV (2001):
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality (*), nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

(*) The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts

LATIN BIBLE (VULGATE):
an nescitis quia iniqui regnum Dei non possidebunt nolite errare neque fornicarii neque idolis servientes neque adulteri neque molles neque masculorum concubitores neque fures neque avari neque ebriosi neque maledici neque rapaces regnum Dei possidebunt
TRANSLATION:
Do ye not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God is not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor liers with mankind nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God

GERMAN BIBLE (Luther 1534):
Wisset ihr nicht, daß die Ungerechten das Reich Gottes nicht ererben werden? Lasset euch nicht verführen! Weder die Hurer noch die Abgöttischen noch die Ehebrecher noch die Weichlinge noch die Knabenschänder noch die Diebe noch die Geizigen noch die Trunkenbolde noch die Lästerer noch die Räuber werden das Reich Gottes ererben.
TRANSLATION:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Let not seduce you! Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers [of themselves with mankind], nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor are revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

GERMAN BIBLE (Schlachter 1951):
Wisset ihr denn nicht, daß Ungerechte das Reich Gottes nicht ererben werden? Irret euch nicht: Weder Unzüchtige noch Götzendiener, weder Ehebrecher noch Weichlinge, noch Knabenschänder, weder Diebe noch Habsüchtige, noch Trunkenbolde, noch Lästerer, noch Räuber werden das Reich Gottes ererben.
TRANSLATION:
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 homosexuals, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

GERMAN BIBLE (Schlachter 2000):
Wisst ihr denn nicht, dass Ungerechte das Reich Gottes nicht erben werden? Irrt euch nicht: Weder Unzüchtige noch Götzendiener, weder Ehebrecher noch Weichlinge, noch Knabenschänder, weder Diebe noch Habsüchtige, noch Trunkenbolde, noch Lästerer, noch Räuber werden das Reich Gottes erben.
TRANSLATION:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will inherit the kingdom of God is not to be? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

GERMAN BIBLE (NGU):
Muss ich euch daran erinnern, dass die, die Unrecht tun, keinen Anteil am Reich Gottes bekommen werden, dem Erbe, das Gott für uns bereithält? Macht euch nichts vor: Keiner, der ein unmoralisches Leben führt, Götzen anbetet, die Ehe bricht, homosexuelle Beziehungen eingeht, stiehlt, geldgierig ist, trinkt, Verleumdungen verbreitet oder andere beraubt, wird an Gottes Reich teilhaben.
TRANSLATION:
Must I remind you that those who do wrong, no share in the kingdom of God will receive, the inheritance that God has for us? Never mind before: No one who leads an immoral life, idol worship, adultery, arrives homosexual relationships, stealing, being greedy, drinking, or other spreads slander is robbed, participate in God's kingdom.

GERMAN BIBLE (HOF):
Habt ihr vergessen, dass für Menschen, die Unrecht tun, in Gottes neuer Welt kein Platz sein wird? Täuscht euch nicht: Wer verbotene sexuelle Beziehungen eingeht, andere Götter anbetet, die Ehe bricht, wer sich von seinen Begierden treiben lässt und homosexuell verkehrt, wird nicht in Gottes neue Welt kommen; auch kein Dieb, kein Ausbeuter, kein Trinker, kein Gotteslästerer oder Räuber.
TRANSLATION:
Did you forget that for people who do wrong will be no place in God's new world? Do not be deceived: those who take illicit sexual relationships, worshiping other gods, adultery, who can be driven by his desires and perverted homosexual will not come into God's new world, nor a thief, not a sweatshop, not a drinker, not a blasphemer or robbers.

SPANISH BIBLE (RVR 1960):
¿No sabéis que los injustos no heredarán el reino de Dios? No erréis; ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los afeminados, ni los que se echan con varones, ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los maldicientes, ni los estafadores, heredarán el reino de Dios.
TRANSLATION:
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, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom God.

SPANISH BIBLE (RVR 1995):
¿No sabéis que los injustos no heredarán el reino de Dios? No os engañéis: ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los afeminados, ni los homosexuales, ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los maldicientes, ni los estafadores, heredarán el reino de Dios.
TRANSLATION:
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 homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

SPANISH BIBLE (RVA):
¿No sabéis que los injustos no poseerán el reino de Dios? No erréis, que ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los afeminados, ni los que se echan con varones, Ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los maldicientes, ni los robadores, heredarán el reino de Dios.
TRANSLATION:
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, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

SPANISH BIBLE (RVC):
¿Acaso no saben que los injustos no heredarán el reino de Dios? No se equivoquen: ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los afeminados, ni los que se acuestan con hombres, ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los malhablados, ni los estafadores, heredarán el reino de Dios.
TRANSLATION:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Make no mistake: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor those who lie with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor foul-mouthed, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

SPANISH BIBLE (Traducción en lenguaje actual):
No se dejen engañar. Ustedes bien saben que los que hacen lo malo no participarán en el reino de Dios. Me refiero a los que tienen relaciones sexuales prohibidas, a los que adoran a los ídolos, a los que son infieles en el matrimonio, a los afeminados, a los hombres que tienen relaciones sexuales con otros hombres, a los ladrones, a los que siempre quieren más de lo que tienen, a los borrachos, a los que hablan mal de los demás, y a los tramposos. Ninguno de ellos participará del reino de Dios.
TRANSLATION:
Do not be fooled. You well know that wrongdoers will not participate in the kingdom of God. I mean those who have sex prohibited, those who worship idols, who are unfaithful in marriage, to effeminate, to men who have sex with men, to thieves, who always want more than they have, to drunkards, to those who speak ill of others, and to cheats. Neither of them will participate in the kingdom of God.

FRENCH BIBLE (LOUIS SEGOND):
Ne savez-vous pas que les injustes n'hériteront point le royaume de Dieu? Ne vous y trompez pas: ni les impudiques, ni les idolâtres, ni les adultères, ni les efféminés, ni les infâmes, ni les voleurs, ni les cupides, ni les ivrognes, ni les outrageux, ni les ravisseurs, n'hériteront le royaume de Dieu.
TRANSLATION:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

FRENCH BIBLE (La Bible du Semeur):
Ne savez-vous pas que ceux qui pratiquent l'injustice n'auront aucune part au *royaume de Dieu? Ne vous y trompez pas: il n'y aura point de part dans l'héritage de ce royaume pour les débauchés, les idolâtres, les adultères, les pervers ou les homosexuels, ni pour les voleurs, les avares, pas plus que pour les ivrognes, les calomniateurs ou les malhonnêtes.
TRANSLATION:
Do you not know that those who practice injustice will have no part in the kingdom of God? Make no mistake: there will be no share in the inheritance of the kingdom for fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, perverts or homosexuals, nor thieves, covetous, nor for drunkards, slanderers or dishonest.

FRENCH BIBLE (SEGOND 21):
Ne savez-vous pas que les injustes n'hériteront pas du royaume de Dieu? Ne vous y trompez pas: ni ceux qui vivent dans l’immoralité sexuelle, ni les idolâtres, ni les adultères, ni les travestis, ni les homosexuels, ni les voleurs, ni les hommes toujours désireux de posséder plus, ni les ivrognes, ni les calomniateurs, ni les exploiteurs n'hériteront du royaume de Dieu.
TRANSLATION:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither those who live in sexual immorality, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor transvestites, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the men still want to have more, nor drunkards, nor slanderers nor exploiters will not inherit the kingdom of God.

RUSSIAN BIBLE:
Или не знаете, что неправедные Царства Божия не наследуют? Не обманывайтесь: ни блудники, ни идолослужители, ни прелюбодеи, ни малакии, ни мужеложники, ни воры, ни лихоимцы, ни пьяницы, ни злоречивые, ни хищники--Царства Божия не наследуют.
TRANSLATION:
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 homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners - inherit the kingdom of God.

RUSSIAN BIBLE (SZ):
Разве вы не знаете, что неправедные не наследуют Царства Божьего? Смотрите, чтобы вам не обмануться. Никакие развратники, никакие идолопоклонники, нарушители супружеской верности, пассивные и активные гомосексуалисты-мужчины, воры, корыстолюбцы или пьяницы, клеветники или мошенники Царства Божьего не наследуют.
TRANSLATION:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? See that you are not deceived. No sexually immoral, idolaters, no, adulterers, passive and active homosexual men, thieves, drunkards, or covetous, slanderers or swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

---

¹ http://carm.org/word-homosexual-english-bible-1946.

Romans 1: What Was Paul Ranting About?

Dear Reader,

My friend, Jerry Sheppard, and I have been conversing for several months with a Jewish homosexual named Alex Haiken, who erroneously considers himself to be a Christian. Apparently Alex failed to read where Jesus says "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12) and where it testifies that "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we [are liars] and do not practice the truth" (1 John 1:6) and where it states that "Everyone who names the name of the Lord must depart from wickedness" (2 Timothy 2:19). Alex constantly and consistently laces his writings with error, misinformation, inferences, presumptions, assumptions, conclusions drawn on assumptions, pretext, front-loading, and eisegetical interpretations based on his feelings and opinions.

Alex fails to "Study to show [himself] approved, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Instead, Alex relies on the unscholarly works of such homosexual/homosexual advocating authors such as John Boswell, Jack Rogers, Dale Martin, and Justin R. Cannon (to name a few). These men have absolutely no credibility whatsoever, and, like Alex, their works have been exposed to be filled with sloppy and dishonest scholarship, blatant plagiarism, copy errors, selective citations, truncated quotations of text, and creative editing. Alex delights in ripping verses and passages from their context and habitually neglects to apply the rules of hermeneutics (the science and art of biblical interpretation) and engage in honest, responsible, sound biblical exegesis. Alex talks a good game concerning exegesis, plagiarizing the definitions from authors who have spoken on the subject without giving them due credit, but constantly fails to actually practice responsible exegesis. We are now going to engage in honest, responsible, sound biblical exegesis in determining what Romans 1:26-27 is dealing with.

Romans 1:26-27 says, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

In the Greek, it reads: "Δια τουτο παρεδωκεν αυτος ο Θεος εις παθη ατιμιας αι τε γαρ θηλειαι αυτων μετηλλαξαν την φυσικην χρησιν εις την παρα φυσιν ομοιως τε και οι αρσενες, αφεντες την φυσικην χρησιν της θηλειας, εξεκαυθησαν εν τη ορεξει αυτων εις αλληλους, αρσενες εν αρσεσι την ασχημοσυνην κατεργαζομενοι, και την αντιμισθιαν ην εδει της πλανης αυτων εν εαυτοις απολαμβανοντες."

θηλειαι = "female, woman"

αρσενες, αρσεσι = "male, man"

χρησιν = "employment, i.e. (specially), sexual intercourse (as an occupation of the body)"

ορεξει = "excitement of the mind, i.e. longing after: lust"

αρσενες εν αρσεσι = "men with men, i.e. homosexuals"

ασχημοσυνην = "an indecency; by implication, the pudenda: shame"

Xρησιν clearly delineates sexual intercourse. "Women [exchanging] the natural function" speaks of women abandoning natural sexual intercourse for woman-on-woman perversion. This fact can be seen from three evidences: (1) "in the same way" or "likewise", this lets us know there is a comparison taking place; (2) "natural function of the woman", this lets us know that the former was speaking of women abandoning the natural function of the man; and (3) "men with men", this lets us know that women with women is in view. It clearly states these "men abandoned the natural function" of sexual intercourse, "[burning] in their [lust] toward one another". Lust (ορεξει) is sexual desire of the mind. The fact it states αρσενες εν αρσεσι puts the nail in the coffin on the fact it is speaking of man-on-man perversion.

Now, the context is quite clear. "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them" (Rom. 1:24). Then we receive the description of how they were dishonouring their bodies amongst themselves in their lusts (Rom. 1:26-27), which ends stating the fact that they "[receive] in their own persons the due penalty of their error". The Golden Rule of Hermeneutics states, "If the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense." The Direct Statement Principle of Hermeneutics states, "God says what He means and means what He says." What are the words saying? What are the words describing?

In his commentary on Romans 1:26-27, St. John Chrysostom wrote:

"ALL these affections then were vile, but chiefly the mad lust after males; for the soul is more the sufferer in sins, and more dishonored, than the body in diseases. But behold how here too, as in the case of the doctrines, he deprives them of excuse, by saying of the women, that “they changed the natural use.” For no one, he means, can say that it was by being hindered of legitimate intercourse that they came to this pass, or that it was from having no means to fulfill their desire that they were driven into this monstrous insaneness. For the changing implies possession. Which also when discoursing upon the doctrines he said, “They changed the truth of God for a lie.” And with regard to the men again, he shows the same thing by saying, “Leaving the natural use of the woman.” …For genuine pleasure is that which is according to nature. But when God hath left one, then all things are turned upside down. And thus not only was their doctrine Satanical, but their life too was diabolical." (Emphasis mine.)

Looking at one of the words translated "natural" in this passage, Alex Haiken performs what is called "collapsing context" by trying to relate the passage to Romans 11:24 merely because they share a similar word. By doing so, he makes an argument that if homosexuality is unnatural, so is our salvation. His argument is both right (unknowingly) and wrong, as we shall discover. Let us examine both passages:

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural [aj5446; phusikos, φυσικος] function for that which is unnatural [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις], and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural [aj5446; phusikos, φυσικος] function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." Romans 1:26-27

"For if you were cut off from what is by nature [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural [pre2596; kata/an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] branches be grafted into their own olive tree?" Romans 11:24

5446 phusikos, φυσικος; adjective. Natural, as established by God in nature.
5449 phusis, φυσις; anarthrous noun. Nature, natural birth or condition; natural disposition.

Alex Haiken knows nothing of the Greek language, so you will have to excuse his ignorance and his typical assumptions and conclusions drawn from assumptions. As we have already established, Alex argues that if homosexuality is unnatural, so too is our salvation. The problem is, he does not seem to realize that there are two words translated as "natural" in Romans 1:26-27. The Greek word he is attempting to tell us appears in both passages, based on his argument, does not. The Greek word that does appear in both passages has nothing to do with what is unnatural, but with nature; natural birth or condition, natural disposition.

Alex was right about one thing (although unwittingly so), and that was that our salvation is not natural to us. It is not in accordance to our birth condition and natural disposition. We are born in sin and are deservedly heading toward hell. We do not deserve salvation.

Homosexuality is unnatural [aj5446; phusikos, φυσικος] because it exchanges what was established by God in nature [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] for that which is against [pre3844] nature [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις]. Notice that salvation is not unnatural [aj5446; phusikos, φυσικος], but is not our natural [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] disposition. We are by nature [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), just as every man and woman are by nature [an,nn5449; phusis, φυσις] heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual and act out homosexual activities.

As you can see, Paul's "rantings," as Alex puts it, were quite clear. The fact is, Alex cannot make up his mind what he wants to believe Paul is speaking about in Romans 1:26-27. In one e-mail he attempted to tell me it spoke of pederasty. In a more recent response, he attempts to tell me it spoke of cult prostitution. Alex is attempting to latch onto any excuse just so he does not have to face the facts and evidence of what this passage is truly saying. Alex could learn a thing or two about honest, responsible, solid biblical exegesis.

It does not matter whether it is homosexual gang rape, homosexual prostitution, pederasty; whether there is a significant age difference or the ages are relatively the same; whether it is a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man or it is a "committed, faithful and loving monogamous partnership;" or whatever other brush one wants to attempt to paint the picture with, homosexuality is still homosexuality. Homosexuality is a moral perversion and bankruptcy of human nature and sexuality that is condemned by God because it is unnatural and goes against His created order and what is to be expected. All nature, biology, science, and logic prove that homosexuality is an unnatural perversion of both human and sexual nature. There is no issue regarding homosexuals who want to marry because such a union does not constitute marriage and it never will. A marriage constitutes one man and one woman. Period.

Genesis 19: What the Bible Really Says Were the Sins of Sodom

Dear Readers,

My friend, Jerry Sheppard, and I have been conversing for several months with a Jewish homosexual named Alex Haiken, who erroneously considers himself to be a Christian. Apparently Alex failed to read where Jesus says "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12) and where it testifies that "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we [are liars] and do not practice the truth" (1 John 1:6) and where it states that "Everyone who names the name of the Lord must depart from wickedness" (2 Timothy 2:19). Alex constantly and consistently laces his writings with error, misinformation, inferences, presumptions, assumptions, conclusions drawn on assumptions, pretext, front-loading, and eisegetical interpretations based on his feelings and opinions.

Alex fails to "Study to show [himself] approved, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Instead, Alex relies on the unscholarly works of such homosexual/homosexual advocating authors such as John Boswell, Jack Rogers, Dale Martin, and Justin R. Cannon (to name a few). These men have absolutely no credibility whatsoever, and, like Alex, their works have been exposed to be filled with sloppy and dishonest scholarship, blatant plagiarism, copy errors, selective citations, truncated quotations of text, and creative editing. Alex delights in ripping verses and passages from their context and habitually neglects to apply the rules of hermeneutics (the science and art of biblical interpretation) and engage in honest, responsible, sound biblical exegesis. Alex talks a good game concerning exegesis, plagiarizing the definitions from authors who have spoken on the subject without giving them due credit, but constantly fails to actually practice responsible exegesis. We are now going to engage in honest, responsible, sound biblical exegesis in determining what Genesis 19 is dealing with.

"Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young (נצר) and old (זקן), all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.' But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, 'Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.' But they said, 'Stand aside.' Furthermore, they said, 'This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.' So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door." (Genesis 19:4-9)

From the underlined words we can see how every argument Alex makes is completely and utterly dismantled and destroyed. Regarding the theory that pederasty is in view, the phrase "both young and old" rips it to shreds. Both young men and old men wanted to have sexual relations with the men (not boys) being sheltered by Lot. These men are told "do not act so wickedly," to which they accuse Lot of being their judge. A little logic and common sense goes a long way. If hospitality and friendliness were in view here, how would anyone rightly call it wickedness, and why would the people accuse that person of being their judge? Furthermore, why would God destroy a city or nation for wanting to be hospitable and friendly? This theory is asinine and ludicrous. Their actions are described as being foolish and vile. The fact that women were offered to these men and they declined, wanting the men instead, demonstrates powerfully the reality that they wanted to have sexual relations with the men. Individuals who try and tell you otherwise are bankrupt morally, mentally, spiritually, and intellectually.

Alex has even attempted to argue that the Hebrew word for "men" in Genesis 19:4 is inclusive of women, an argument he obviously received from Justin R. Cannon: "If you look at the original Hebrew text, and even early Greek translations, the word translated into English as 'men' can be inclusive of the women as well."¹ Therefore, he urges, the men and women of the city wanted to "gang rape" the two angels. However, this is false. The first flaw in his argument is with the Hebrew word אנושׁ (enowsh). It is not inclusive of women. It is a masculine noun meaning man. The plural of this word often serves for the plural of אישׁ (iysh), which "does not indicate humankind but the male gender in particular."² The second flaw in his argument is that the word used for the "men" of the city is also the same word used when demanding Lot to bring out the "men" (v.5). If it is inclusive of women, when Lot offered his daughters, why did they not take advantage of them? The third flaw in his argument is with the Greek word ανηρ in the Septuagint. It is not inclusive of women. This is a masculine noun meaning man or husband. As you can see, Alex is lying through his teeth yet again, trying to forge support for his perverse behaviour.

The Bible informs us that even after they were all struck with blindness, the men of the city still continued to grope for the door, wearing themselves out; exhausting themselves. Why? When you are blind, you cannot participate in gang rape because you cannot see who it is you might be raping, and these men were after Lot's guests. However, if you are blind, you can still engage in sexual activity. Any sane person in their right mind immediately struck with blindness would stop what they were doing because the realization that they were now blind would have kicked in. God goes so far as to inform us that even after they were blinded, these men did not stop. Homosexuals today bear the same character, attacking churches and doing things to its members that no rational human being would ever do to another human being. Homosexuality makes people irrational in their thoughts and in their behaviour.

What is even more interesting about the Genesis 19 passage in the Septuagint is the usage of the word σοδομιται in verse 4. Alex insists that there is no Greek word for "sodomites", yet, here it is; and it is plural masculine. The Greek word for Sodom is Σοδομα. Σοδομιται refers to the inhabitants of Sodom, i.e., the Sodomites. This is precisely what the word meant in biblical times. The primarily sexual meaning of the word sodomia for Christians did not evolve before the 6th century A.D. Roman Emperor Justinian I, in his novels no. 77 (dating 538) and no. 141 (dating 559) amended to his Corpus iuris civilis, declared that Sodom's sin had been specifically same-sex activities and desire for them. Nevertheless, despite this word not taking on its primarily sexual meaning until later, Christians earlier than Justinian are also seen to denounce same-sex relations. Philo of Alexandria (20 B.C. - 50 A.D.) and Methodius of Olympus (260-312 A.D.) attributed homosexual relations to Sodom, as did St. Augustine and many others. Thus, "sodomites" refers to homosexuals. Here are some quotes:

"The land of the Sodomites, a part of Canaan afterwards called Palestinian Syria, was brimful of innumerable iniquities, particularly such as arise from gluttony and lewdness, and multiplied and enlarged every other possible pleasure with so formidable a menace that it had at last been condemned by the Judge of All…Incapable of bearing such satiety, plunging like cattle, they threw off from their necks the law of nature and applied themselves to…forbidden forms of intercourse. Not only in their mad lust for women did they violate the marriages of their neighbors, but also men mounted males without respect for the sex nature which the active partner shares with the passive; and so when they tried to beget children they were discovered to be incapable of any but a sterile seed. Yet the discovery availed them not, so much stronger was the force of the lust which mastered them. Then, as little by little they accustomed those who were by nature men to submit to play the part of women, they saddled them with the formidable curse of a female disease. For not only did they emasculate their bodies by luxury and voluptuousness but they worked a further degeneration in their souls and, as far as in them lay, were corrupting the whole of mankind." —Philo (Emphasis mine.)

"As for adultery, Moses forbade it entirely, as esteeming it a happy thing that men should be wise in the affairs of wedlock; and that it was profitable both to cities and families that children should be known to be genuine. He also abhorred men’s lying with their mothers, as one of the greatest crimes; and the like for lying with the father’s wife, and with aunts, and sisters, and sons’ wives, as all instances of abominable wickedness. He also forbade a man to lie with his wife when she was defiled by her natural purgation: and not to come near brute beasts; nor to approve of the lying with a male, which was to hunt after unlawful pleasures on account of beauty. To those who were guilty of such insolent behavior, he ordained death for their punishment." —Flavius Josephus (Emphasis mine.)

"But we do not say so of that mixture that is contrary to nature, or of any unlawful practice; for such are enmity to God. For the sin of Sodom is contrary to nature, as is also that with brute beasts. But adultery and fornication are against the law; the one whereof is impiety, the other injustice, and, in a word, no other than a great sin. But neither sort of them is without its punishment in its own proper nature. For the practicers of one sort attempt the dissolution of the world, and endeavor to make the natural course of things to change for one that is unnatural; but those of the second son — the adulterers — are unjust by corrupting others’ marriages, and dividing into two what God hath made one, rendering the children suspected, and exposing the true husband to the snares of others. And fornication is the destruction of one’s own flesh, not being made use of for the procreation of children, but entirely for the sake of pleasure, which is a mark of incontinency, and not a sign of virtue. All these things are forbidden by the laws; for thus say the oracles: Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind. For such a one is accursed, and ye shall stone them with stones: they have wrought abomination." —Methodius (Emphasis mine.)

"They who have committed sodomy with men or brutes, murderers, wizards, adulterers, and idolaters, have been thought worthy of the same punishment; therefore observe the same method with these which you do with others. We ought not to make any doubt of receiving those who have repented thirty years for the uncleanness which they committed through ignorance; for their ignorance pleads their pardon, and their willingness in confessing it; therefore command them to be forthwith received, especially if they have tears to prevail on your tenderness, and have [since their lapse] led such a life as to deserve your compassion." —St. Basil (Emphasis mine.)

"Can it ever, at any time or place, be unrighteous for a man to love God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind; and his neighbor as himself? Similarly, offenses against nature are everywhere and at all times to be held in detestation and should be punished. Such offenses, for example, were those of the Sodomites; and, even if all nations should commit them, they would all be judged guilty of the same crime by the divine law, which has not made men so that they should ever abuse one another in that way. For the fellowship that should be between God and us is violated whenever that nature of which he is the author is polluted by perverted lust." —St. Augustine (Emphasis mine.)

Even the Qu'ran, written around 632 A.D., clearly understood the sin of the Sodomites in Genesis 19 to be that of homosexuality. Surah 7:80-81 reads: "We also (sent) Lut: he said to his people: Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practise your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." Surah 26:165-166 reads: "Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, and leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!" Surah 29:28-29 reads: "And (remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: 'Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye indeed approach men, and cut off the highway?—and practise wickedness (even) in your councils?' But his people gave no answer but this: they said: 'Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth.'" Surah 11:77-79 reveals their understanding of Genesis 19: "When Our Messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: 'This is a distressful day.' And his people came rushing towards him, and they had been long in the habit of practising abominations. He said: 'O my people! here are my daughters: they are purer for you (if ye marry)! Now fear Allah, and cover me not with disgrace about my guests! Is there not among you a single right-minded man?' They said: 'Well dost thou know we have no need of thy daughters: indeed thou knowest quite well what we want!'"

Now, Alex Haiken is keen on turning to Ezekiel 16:49 in order to attempt to tell us what the sins of Sodom supposedly were: "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy." This is where Alex stops because of his pretext, "an effort or strategy intended to conceal something." Alex stops here with his quotation because he is dishonest and willfully deceitful. He is the son of his father, the devil, and so his tactics should not be surprising in the least. When Satan was tempting Jesus, he stopped his quotation of Scripture short of the verse that spoke of his own destruction. Alex does the same thing. If we continue with our quotation of Scripture, Ezekiel 16:50 reads, "Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it." The Hebrew word translated "abominations" here is to'ebah (תועבה), the very same term used to describe homosexual activities/relationships in the holiness code (Leviticus 20:13). To'ebah properly refers to something morally disgusting.

Alex Haiken attempts to twist and malign Ezekiel 16:49 in order to garner support for his homosexual behaviour. He hopes to conceal the truth of what the Bible really says were the sins of Sodom. However, the Bible spells it out for us on a number of occasions. Isaiah 3:9 informs us of how Sodom made shameless proclamation of their sin (the same shameless proclamation that homosexuals demonstrate today): "The expression of their faces bears witness against them, and they display their sin like Sodom; they do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves." 2 Peter 2:6-8 also inform us as to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah: "and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds)" Likewise, so also does Jude 7: "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire."

As you can see, the Bible does indeed tell us what the sins of Sodom really were. In fact, the whole of history backs up this factual understanding of the passage. Alex Haiken, on the other hand, attempts to willfully deceive those who would give any credence to his venomous lies.

It does not matter whether it is homosexual gang rape, homosexual prostitution, pederasty; whether there is a significant age difference or the ages are relatively the same; whether it is a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man or it is a "committed, faithful and loving monogamous partnership;" or whatever other brush one wants to attempt to paint the picture with, homosexuality is still homosexuality. Homosexuality is a moral perversion and bankruptcy of human nature and sexuality that is condemned by God because it is unnatural and goes against His created order and what is to be expected. All nature, biology, science, and logic prove that homosexuality is an unnatural perversion of both human and sexual nature. There is no issue regarding homosexuals who want to marry because such a union does not constitute marriage and it never will. A marriage constitutes one man and one woman. Period.

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¹ Justin R. Cannon, The Bible, Christianity, and Homosexuality, 12.

² Warren Baker, Eugene Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament, 46 (see 75-76).

We Are Not Saved By a Creed!

by J. R. Miller

That which makes one a Christian is not . . . the acceptance of Christ's teaching, the uniting with His church, the adoption of His morals, the espousing of His cause—but the receiving of Him as our personal Savior, the entering into a covenant of eternal friendship with Him as our Lord and Master.

We are not saved by a creed which gathers up the essence of the truth about Christ's person and work, in a few golden sentences. We must have the Christ Himself, whom the creed holds forth, in His radiant beauty and grace.

A good many people think that being a Christian is . . . to pray a few moments morning and evening, to read a daily chapter or two in the Bible, and to attend church on Sundays. These duties are important as means of grace—but they are not vital religion.

True religion is living out the principles of Christianity in one's ordinary week-day life. It is getting the Bible and the prayers and the services—into thought and act and character!

We must not cut our lives in two and call one part secular, governing it by one set of principles—and regarding the other part as sacred, to be controlled by another set of rules. All of life is to be made religious, in the sense that everything is to be done in such a way as to please God, under the direction of His counsel. We have just as much religion, as we get into our week—your life, and not a whit more!

Trembling At God's Word

by Charles Spurgeon, "Trembling at the Word of the Lord"

There are men abroad nowadays—I grieve to say some of them in the ministry—who take the Bible, not that it may judge them but that they may judge it. Their judgment weighs in its balances the wisdom of God Himself. They talk exceeding proudly and their arrogance exalts itself. O Friends, I know not how you feel about the prevailing skepticism of the age but I am heart-sick of it! I shun the place where I am likely to hear the utterances of men who do not tremble at God’s Word. I turn away from the multitude of books which advocate doubt and error.

The evil is too painful for me. If I could be content to be an Ishmaelite and have my hand against every man, I might seek this company, for here I find every faculty of my being called to warfare. But as I love peace, it sickens and saddens me to meet with the enemies of my soul. If I knew that my mother’s name would be defamed in certain company, I would keep out of it. If I knew that my father’s character would be trailed in the mire, I would travel far not to hear a sound so offensive. I could wish to be deaf and blind rather than hear or read the modern falsehoods which, at this time, so often wound my spirit.

I feel more and more a tenderness for the Truth of God of the same sort as I would feel for the good name of my wife or my mother. I wish the modern revilers would have some compassion upon us old Believers to whom their talk is such torture. They might keep their doubts for home consumption. When a man was going to swear, a wise person bade him wait till he was further away from the town so that nobody might hear him—it might cause grief to a Christian ear. When a man has anything to say against the eternal Truth of God, let him speak it to those who love to hear it—to his mates and admirers. But as for us, we are determined we will not be tortured by this kind of thing—we cannot endure it. And we will not remain among those who bespatter us with it.

“Oh but surely you are open to conviction?” they say. We are open to no conviction that shall be contrary to the Truth of God that has saved us from going down to the pit. We are open to no conviction that shall rob us of our eternal hope and of our glorying in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not deliberate, for we have decided. To be forever holding the Truth of God as though it might yet turn out to be a lie were to lose all the comfort of it. To be forever prepared to desert our Lord and Master to follow some brand new philosopher would be perpetual disloyalty. No, we have not come thus far at a guess. We have known our Lord and His Truth for these forty years and it is not maybe, or maybe not, with us now. We neither speculate nor hesitate. But we know whom we have believed and by His Grace we will cleave to Him in life and in death. . .

[Those who tremble] are people who do believe that there is a Word of God. There are plenty of persons who profess and call themselves Christians and yet do not believe that this sacred Book is the very Word of God. Say that it is inspired and they answer, “So is the Koran and so are the Vedas.” They talk after this fashion—“This is the religious book of the ancient Hebrew nation. A very respectable book it is, but infallible, certainly not—the very Word of God, certainly not.”

Well, then, we distinctly part company with such talkers. We can have no sort of fellowship with them in any measure or degree with regard to the things of God. They are to us as heathen men and publicans. If we are to come under the head of those that tremble at God’s Word, we must believe that there is a Word of the Lord to tremble at, as we do most assuredly believe, let others talk as they may.

Following Paul's Arguments

DECLARATIVE STATEMENT (frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted): "The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21)
RHETORICAL QUESTION: "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?" (Romans 6:1)
STRONG DENIAL: "God forbid!" (Romans 6:2)
EXPLANATION OF THE STATEMENT: "How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:2-14)

DECLARATIVE STATEMENT (frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted): "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14)
RHETORICAL QUESTION: "Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?" (Romans 6:15)
STRONG DENIAL: "God forbid!" (Romans 6:15)
EXPLANATION OF THE STATEMENT: "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter." (Romans 6:16-7:6)

DECLARATIVE STATEMENT (frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted): "For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death." (Romans 7:5)
RHETORICAL QUESTION: "What shall we say then? Is the Law sin?" (Romans 7:7)
STRONG DENIAL: "God forbid!" (Romans 7:7)
EXPLANATION OF THE STATEMENT: "On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COVET.' But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." (Romans 7:7-12)

DECLARATIVE STATEMENT (frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted): "for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me." (Romans 7:11)
RHETORICAL QUESTION: "Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me?" (Romans 7:13)
STRONG DENIAL: "God forbid!" (Romans 7:13)
EXPLANATION OF THE STATEMENT: "Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." (Romans 7:13-8:9)

Context, context, context, brothers and sisters! Our personal experiences must never interpret Scripture. Paul was not addressing whether Christians will sin or not. Romans 7:14-25 has nothing to do with the believer. The context informs us of as much, and an examination of the Greek words used solidifies that fact beyond the shadow of a doubt. Typically, those who want to hold to Romans 7:14-25 speaking of whether Christians will sin or not do so in order to find excuses for their sin. They do not do so from an honest, exegetical study of the passages and context (immediate, surrounding, and canonical), because such will not support them.

Paul makes four declarative statements, realizes that people are going to misunderstand what he has just said, asks a rhetorical question of them, provides a strong denial, and then continues on with an explanation to answer his initial statement. Paul is following a pattern here. He does not answer his rhetorical question in Romans 7:13 with the remainder of verse 13 and then switch gears to address something that has nothing to do with the course he has set, only to return to it again with chapter 8. Forcing that kind of interpretation upon the text is called eisegesis; it is reading into the text what the individual wants to get out of it.

If you understand what Paul is getting at with Romans 7:7-12, then you will have no problem whatsoever understanding the statements made in Romans 7:15 and 7:19. When you examine the Greek words used in these two verses, and the fact they are used in reverse order from each other, it becomes even more apparent what is actually being said and what it applies to. The context of Romans 7:14-25 is first found in Romans 7:7-12, and then in Romans 7:13-8:9. The surrounding context outside of Romans 7:7-25 contradicts the false notion that Romans 7:14-25 is speaking about the Christian's struggle with sin. The passage has nothing to do with that and is not speaking about it. Everything else Paul wrote (as well as everywhere else in Scripture) contradicts such a false notion, too. Your feelings and opinions do not matter here. Facts trump feelings and opinions every time. Everyone can have their own opinion about something, but once fact enters and comes into play, it is no longer an opinion and any opinion contrary to the fact is in error. It is as simple as that.

Paul said, "I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COVET.' But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead" (Romans 7:7-8). So, the Law said, "Do not covet," but all Paul could do, in trying to obey the Law, was covet. So when Paul says, "for I am not practicing what I would like to do [not coveting], but I am doing the very thing I hate [coveting]" (Romans 7:15), and "For the good that I want [not coveting], I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want [coveting]" (Romans 7:19), it becomes apparent what he is speaking about. He is talking about a man under the conviction of the Law, because a man free from the Law (Romans 8:2) and dead to sin (Romans 6:11) cannot live the life expressed in Romans 7:14-25 and especially by verses 15 and 19. It is impossible! In verse 15, the two Greek words are found in this order: prasso and poieo. In verse 19, the two Greek words are found in the reverse: poieo and prasso. Poieo is to purpose to do something. Prasso is to habitually practice something. So in verse 15, Paul said, "I am not habitually practicing what I would like to do, but I am purposing to do the very thing I hate." In verse 19, Paul said the complete reverse: "For the good that I want, I do not purpose to do, but I habitually practice the very evil that I do not want." In other words, a combination of the statements made in both verses is this: "I am not habitually practicing what I would like to do, but I habitually practice the very evil that I do not want." This is not a Christian!

Brothers and sisters, stow your feelings and opinions and read/study the Bible for what it actually says. Forget your pre-suppositions, forget how you have been raised, forget what you have been taught, and allow Scripture to speak for itself through the teachings of the Holy Spirit. Do not claim the Holy Spirit is teaching you something that is contrary and contradictory to what the Scriptures actually say, because then you are making the Holy Spirit out to be schizophrenic. The Holy Spirit has taught you no such things. You are attributing your own pre-suppositions, feelings, opinions, how you were raised, what you were taught, and what you want to find in the Scriptures to the Holy Spirit. Everybody makes the same claim, and all these claims cannot be true simultaneously. All can be wrong, but only one can be true. Most people attributing things to the Holy Spirit are liars and are self-deceived. Leave yourself at the door and honestly seek for the Holy Spirit to teach you the truths of God's Word. Only when you are entirely open to the possibility that you could be wrong and are willing to conform to the truth will that truth be revealed to you. For example: if you want to believe you evolved from a monkey in contradiction to the evidence, then what would be the point in the Holy Spirit trying to teach you the truth when you have already made your mind up and are unwilling to admit your errors and allow for corrections? The Holy Spirit does not convict/convince two believers of two contrary and contradictory things. Either one of you is wrong and the other is right, or both of you are wrong; but you cannot both be right. The Holy Spirit wants to teach all of us, but most people close themselves off from His desire to teach them. They are too stubborn and proud to admit their errors and allow for change.

Just because all the commentaries agree does not make them right. The works of men are not infallible. Preachers and theologians are not infallible. Only the Word of God is infallible: all the time, every time. If you honestly study something in depth and all the commentaries disagree with you, it does not mean they are right and you are wrong, but it also does not mean you are right and they are wrong. It depends on much. I do not agree on the assessment most commentaries make on Romans 7:14-25, and I do not agree on the assessment most commentaries make on Galatians 6:6. In both cases the majority are wrong. I am sorry, but that is the reality. No matter how godly you are, you can arrive at wrong conclusions in your studies if you are not extremely careful, and this applies to the great, godly men of the past, too. You have to pay very close attention to what is being said, and you have to compare Scripture with Scripture and let Scripture be its own best interpreter. Remember that the English translation is just that—a translation. It is not perfect—in any of the versions. Not even the KJV.

When you are going to study the Word of God, leave yourself and all your baggage—your pre-suppositions, feelings, opinions, ideas, how you were raised, and what you were taught—at the door. If you want to see what happens when you do not do this, read Ezekiel 14:4. Read the passage at hand—in context—and compare it with the rest of Scripture. Re-read it several times and seek—honestly—for the Holy Spirit to reveal its true meaning. You cannot make heads nor tails out of any passage of Scripture apart from the Holy Spirit. He must be your Guide. When you do not leave yourself at the door with all your baggage, you push the Holy Spirit aside and make yourself and your own "intuition" your guide. Do not blame the Holy Spirit for something that is entirely your fault. Be like the Bereans. 2 Timothy 2:15 has never been more true: "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."

A Christian Is One Who Follows Christ

by J. R. Miller, "Young People's Problems"

You must receive Christ as your Master and Lord.A Christian is one who follows Christ. This means the surrender of the whole life to Him. The heart must be given up. There can be no Christian life, without love to Jesus. Jesus demands the first place in the affections of His followers. If anyone loves father or mother, brother or sister, wife or child, more than Him—he is not worthy of Jesus, and cannot be His disciple.

But the most perfect obedience, if the heart is not in it, would not make one a Christian. We might devote our life and strength to Christian work, toiling unweariedly in the service of the church, giving our money lavishly for the advancement of Christianity or for the relief of suffering—and yet not be Christians. Love for Christ must be the motive at the heart of all our work for Christ.b"Do you love Me?" is the test.

But the heart draws the whole life after it. If we truly love Jesus—we will obey Jesus. "If you love Me—keep My commandments." "You are My friends—if you do whatever I command you."

We cannot accept Christ as our Savior—and not at the same time accept Him as our Lord and Master. We must begin at once to obey Him. Our obedience must be without reserve, without condition, without question. It must also be cheerful and glad-hearted—not compulsory, reluctant, or constrained.

Christians are soldiers of Christ—and the soldier's first duty is to obey. Whether the will of Christ is made known to us in His Word, through our own conscience, or in providence —we should always promptly and cheerfully accept and obey. It may not be always easy—it may be very hard and costly; but when the will of our Master is made known, if we are His followers—we can only obey, and our obedience should be sweet with love.

We love Him—because He first loved us. We know Him—because He first calls us. Christ is ours—and we are Christ's. Being a Christian is living out His same life of love, obedience, surrender, and service, through all the days.

As Christians, we are to live out the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

True faith will make us more gentle, more patient, more unselfish. A Christian life is a new Christ-life lived out in this world—we are to be Christ to others!

The heart of the Christian should be a well of living water, a fount of holy and blessed influences, whose streams flow in all directions—carrying comfort, cheer, encouragement, help, and gladness to every other life they reach. Mere orthodoxy of belief does not make one a Christian, nor does attention to church rituals and rules. A Christian is one in whom the life of Christ pulses, and the love of Christ glows and burns!