Misquoting the Bible: John 3:16

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:14-18).

John 3:16 is probably the greatest misquoted and misinterpreted verse in all of Scripture, with 2 Peter 3:9 close behind. This verse began to be largely corrupted and perverted through Billy Graham's ministry, which is why pretty much the entire world knows this verse. But the way in which this verse is represented by the majority of believers who have been influenced by such erroneous teachings could not be further from the truth. If you have read my previous blog entry titled The Word "World", you will have learned that the word "world" has over eight different possible usages throughout Scripture. It rarely ever means each and every individual on the entire planet without exception. It does not mean such here either.

In verses 15 and 16, the word translated as "whoever" ("whosoever," KJV) is the Greek word pas (πας—the same word we examined in the blog entry 2 Peter 3:9) and means:

1. individually
1. each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything
2. collectively
1. some of all types

In 2 Peter 3:9, this word is translated as "all." Replace "whoever" with "all" and re-read these verses. You might read it like this: "that all believers may in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that all believers in Him should not perish, but have eternal life"; or like this: "that all that/who believe may in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that all that/who believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." "Whoever" is not an optional statement. It is a declarative statement. It is saying "the one that does believe," "those that do believe," "all that do believe." Those who are those that.

Arminianist-based faiths treat "whoever" as if it is offering an option, which it is not. It is not saying "whoever wants to believe," but is declaring "the ones that do believe." Man does not want to believe. Man hates God (John 3:19-20; 7:7; 15:18). Man is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Man does not seek after God (Rom. 3:11b). Man rejects God (Rom. 1:18-19). Man cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). Man is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23). Man is lawless, rebellious, unholy, and profane (1 Tim. 1:9). Man is a child of wrath (Eph. 2:1). Man does not choose God (John 15:16). Man will not believe unless he is part of Jesus' flock (John 10:26). If God merely made an offer of salvation to mankind and left the decision to be saved up to man, no one would ever be saved! Why? Because we cannot alter our original state. If someone comes and preaches the Gospel to us, there is nothing in and of ourselves that can change our spiritual blindness, to regenerate us and make us born again, to give us a heart of flesh, to make us love God, etc. God must do that before we are able to respond to His call, and after He has done it we will respond to His call. Read my blog entry Faith Is A Gift. If all these things are true of man, and they are, then man will never come to God by himself. God must first change man's heart by regenerating him and drawing him to Himself, at which point man will freely accept Jesus as Lord. If Jesus is not your Lord, He cannot be your Saviour. A regenerated man will never and can never reject Jesus. Only the unregenerate can do so. Those who claim to have been regenerated and now reject Jesus demonstrate that they were never regenerated to begin with. They merely put on a show for all to see, imitating what they saw and heard. But they never belonged to Jesus (Matt. 7:15-23; John 6:66; 1 John 2:19).

If "world" in verse 16 is supposed to mean each and every individual without exception, then the same logic must be applied to verse 17. Therefore, each and every individual will not be judged but will be saved through Jesus. Trying to force the meaning "each and every individual without exception" onto the word "world" results in support for the heresy of Universalism. If one is going to argue that "world" must mean "each and every individual without exception" in one verse, he must use that same argument for all verses. The fact of the matter is that the word "world" is rarely used this way in the Bible and has over eight different uses. Ignorance wants to force a single meaning upon a word when the word is clearly used in different contexts throughout Scripture and the whole of Scripture contradicts such a forced meaning of the word.

Verse 18 tells us that the one that does not believe "has been judged already." Past tense. Compare this to John 5:24 where it says the one that believes "does not come into judgment." Future tense. One has already been condemned while the other will not be condemned. Revelation states clearly that there are those “whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundations of the world” (17:8; cf 13:8). These vessels of wrath (Rom. 9:22; Prov. 16:4; 1 Pet. 2:8) were "long beforehand marked out for this condemnation" (Jude 4; cf. 2 Pet. 2:3).

John 3:16 is a verse about God's elect. God so loved His chosen people that He sent Christ Jesus to be a propitiation for their sins. All of Scripture supports this correct interpretation. Jesus came to save His own people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Jesus gave His life for His own people—His sheep (John 10:11, 15), the church (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27). He accomplished redemption for His own people (Luke 1:68). Scripture never mentions mediation for any other except His own! His people consist of believing Jews and Gentiles. All people—each and every individual without exception—have not been given to Christ Jesus as an inheritance (John 6:37; Eph. 1:18). No one can come to God unless the Father has given him to Jesus and draws Him (John 6:44, 65). If all mankind is being drawn to God, then they will all come to Him, which again is support for the heresy of Universalism. The fact and truth of the matter is that Jesus came to redeem those whom the Father gave Him, of which all will come to Jesus in faith (John 6:37).

Jesus' Teachings On Love

It is truly and utterly amazing the number of biblically illiterate Christians who keep referencing "the teachings of Christ on love" when such teachings practically do not exist. Jesus had very little to say on the topic of love. In fact, everything He had to say in regard to the topic of love can be found in these passages:

Matthew 5:43-48

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matthew 22:37-39; cf. Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37
"But when the Pharisees heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they gathered themselves together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.""

Luke 6:27-36
"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

John 13:34-35

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 15:13
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

The individual who gave the most weight to the topic of love, as far as the written word is concerned and as understood by most Christians, was the Apostle Paul. But to those individuals who call themselves "Christian" all the while belonging to a cult that teaches Paul was nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing, the entire teaching on love becomes invalidated, which leaves them with nothing to preach on the issue.

Furthermore, the individuals who repeatedly refer to "the teachings of Christ on love" have no clue what His teachings on love actually were, nor do they adhere to them the way they keep insisting others do. The "love" they are referring to, which they falsely attribute to Jesus, or even the Apostle Paul, is a false love. It is an idol in their lives that they worship. They go around spouting "love, love, love" without the faintest inkling of true biblical love. They have turned their false concept of love into a god, and their concept of love is acceptance of everyone and everything regardless of anything else God's Word has to say. Start reading your Bibles, people!

Amused, Entertained, Seduced

S. Houghton

The fact is that theatrical performances, in order to be paying propositions, must pander to the baser passions in unregenerate men and women. They must be a reflector of the world—the world that lies in the Wicked One. This, say some, is their merit—they are a mirror of life, and as life includes the foul and the sordid, so too must the theater.

We grant that the playwright sets out to mirror life. So too does Holy Scripture. No book is so revealing as to human nature! No book better portrays human sin! But if the theater and the Book do one and the same thing, then wherein lies the vast difference between them? And why may not one be the handmaid of the other?

For a variety of reasons; but principally for this—that, whereas the Book shows . . .
  sin in its true evil colors,
  sin in its devilish origin,
  sin in its downward course,
  sin in its dreadful wages,
  sin in its awful and eternal consequences;
on the other hand the theater displays sin that men may be amused, entertained, and alas, all too often seduced! The Book smites the conscience and leads a man to say, "Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!" It causes him to cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"

But the theater tends in another direction altogether. As it sets out to entertain, so also it blurs a man's sight of that which is truly spiritual and divinely holy; as it aims to amuse, it dulls a man's ability to examine himself in the pure light of revealed truth.

One of the Broadest Avenues That Lead To Destruction

Hannah More, 1745-1833

I do not hesitate for a moment to pronounce the theater to be one of the broadest avenues that lead to destruction! Fascinating no doubt it is, but on that account the more delusive and the more dangerous. Let a young man once acquire a taste for this species of entertainment, and yield himself up to its gratification, and he is in great danger of becoming a lost character, rushing upon his ruin. All the evils that can . . .
  corrupt his morals,
  blast his reputation,
  embitter his life,
  and destroy his soul—
lurk in the purlieus of the theater! Vice in every form lives and moves and has its being there. Myriads have cursed the hour when they first exposed themselves to the contamination of the theater. 

Light and darkness are not more opposed to each other, than the Bible and the theater. If the one is good, then the other must be evil. If the Scriptures are to be obeyed, then the theater must be avoided. The only way to justify the theater, as it is, as it has ever been and is ever likely to be, is to condemn the Bible—the same individual can not defend both!

(Editor's note: Hannah More's words have certainly come true in our generation. Our American "entertainment" has perhaps done more to corrupt our society than anything else. We Christians would do well to evaluate our entertainment choices by God's Word.)

If the World Loves Us, Smiles On Us, and Speaks Well of Us

by James Smith (1891)

The concern of Jesus for the safety and happiness of His people, is both great and astonishing! He had watched over His disciples while He was with them, and being about to leave them He would make them the special care and charge of His Father, and thus He prays, "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, KEEP through Your own name, those whom You have given Me!" John 17:11

Notice the circumstances in which we are placed: "They are still in the world." They are chosen out of it, are raised above it—and yet are left in it, for holy and important purposes.

The world to the believer, is a place of trial. Every principle he has, as well as the profession he makes, will be tried here.
Storms will arise, and often suddenly and unexpectedly.
Labors have to be performed, and self-denying labors too.
Persecutions must be endured, and at times these are fiery and long-continued.

This world is . . .
   a treacherous environment,
   a field of labor,
   a weary land,
   an enemy's country!

The world to the Christian is a place of DANGER. He has foes both within and without. From some he must escape by fleeing, and from some by resisting.

"The corruption in the world caused by evil desires" (2 Peter 1:4) is defiling, debasing, and disturbing! It must be overcome; we must cleanse ourselves from it, and escape from its contagion!

Then we have to do battle with . . .
   the god of this world—the prince of the power of the air;
   the powers of the world—or ungodly, persecuting men in authority;
   the men of the world—or the masses surrounding us;
   the things of the world, especially . . .
     the lust of the flesh,
     the lust of the eye,
     and the pride of life!

In such a world, surrounded by such evil elements and diabolic agents, we must be in danger, and shall be severely tried!!

Hence Jesus pleads with His Father; He fixes on the holiness of His nature and character, and cries, "Holy Father!" His grace, or His mercy, or His pity, more generally attracts us, because we feel unworthy, or miserable, or weak. But His holiness fixes the eye on His obedient Son, and our great High Priest!

He prays for their preservation: "Holy Father, KEEP through Your own name, those whom You have given Me." Keep through Your own name, that is, keep them . . .
   in the knowledge of Yourself and of Your truth;
   by Your power, mercy, and providence;
   to show forth Your truth, Your mercy, and Your love.
The Lord's people, therefore, will be kept by God's power through faith unto salvation.

Beloved, if Jesus thus prayed for us, then our preservation is certain, and our perseverance is sure. We shall be kept, in answer to the prayer of our great High Priest . . .
   to His gratification,
   for His honor, and
   to the Almighty Keeper's glory!

Whatever storms may arise,
whatever foes may assail us,
whatever trials may come upon us,
our Heavenly Father will keep us, in honor of His Son.

Kept by the all-seeing eye and all-powerful hand of Jehovah we shall persevere, though . . .
   the road is rough and treacherous,
   the journey is long and dangerous,
   and our strength is but small.

Let us in every season of danger . . .
   when foes and fears beset us,
   when our hearts misgive us, and
   the cross lies heavy upon us,
then let us hear Jesus praying for us, "Keep through Your own name those whom You have given Me!"


Reader! Are you OF the world or are you one of Christ's redeemed people IN the world? Saints in the world are like . . .
   pure lilies among stinging thorns,
   precious diamonds among filthy pebbles,
   harmless sheep among ravenous wolves!

If the world loves us, smiles on us, and speaks well of us, then we are certainly OF it! And if of the world, we shall certainly be damned along with it.

But if the world is to us a place of trial, and a place of danger; if we feel that we are not at home in it; if we are longing and preparing to leave it, that we may go home and dwell with Jesus in His Father's house forever, then all is well with us, and will be well forever!

Just Convert Already!

Let me ask you a question.

Whose responsibility is it to convert someone?

That is right.

God's!!!

So why do many Christians behave in such an unsightly manner by trying to impress their beliefs upon others and force them to convert? Why do they act in such a way as if the conversion of a person relies entirely upon them?

News flash! There is nothing that you or I can say or do in order to convert another person. Absolutely nothing! Our job is simply to preach the Word and answer their questions, doubts, and skepticisms. Until you learn Who God is, and come to terms with His sovereignty, you will forever be doing evangelism wrongly by doing it in your own power.

I learned long ago that no matter what I say or do I will never be able to convert a single soul to Christianity. Why? Because it is God who must change their heart in order for them to respond to the Gospel. When I am talking with people, I will make it known to them early on that while I would love to see them saved and born again, I am not trying to convert them because it is not in my power to do so. I cannot convert a single being. If they have questions, I will answer them; if they have doubts, I will provide the facts and evidences; if they have skepticism, I will correct them; and I will share the Gospel. That is all I can do; provide answers to the best of my ability. If they want to end the discussion and move along, I oblige them. I have planted the seed and/or watered it. The rest is up to God.

Christians who keep hounding an individual and pounding them with their beliefs are doing a huge disservice to the individual and making the whole of Christianity look bad. If the individual walks away, do not keep following after him/her casting your pearls before swine. No matter how many times you say something, or how many different ways you say it, or how much more information you try to give them in order to attempt to persuade them, you will never convert them! Conversion of a soul is not your responsibility, nor is it in your power to do so. Stop trying to be God!

When I read through my Bible, I see Jesus and the Apostles doing precisely what I have learned to do. When the rich young man came to Jesus and asked how he might inherit eternal life, Jesus did not keep adding more and more information on top of what He had already said in hopes of making a conversion. He said what needed to be said and left it at that. All hounding an individual is going to get you is a false conversion just so you were able to put a notch on your belt. You may never see a person genuinely converted because of something you said or did, but when you get to heaven you might be surprised to find out all the people God converted using you. But when you try and force conversions, keeping record of how many you supposedly saved, when you get to heaven you will be devastated to learn that none of them were converted by God and every single one of them ended up in Hell because you felt the need to force a conversion to appease your ego.

God is the only person who can convert a soul. Stop trying to play God by doing what only He can do. You do what you are responsible for doing and leave the rest in God's capable hands. When unbelievers know you are not trying to convert them, even though you wish to see them saved, they will be more relaxed when speaking to you about these things, even if they disagree entirely with everything you have to say or share. They may even get angry at some of what you have to say, but they will continue conversing because they do not feel as if you are trying to force something down their throat. Our job is to simply give them the truth; provide them with answers. God will deal with how that truth is shaped within their lives. God can take a single nugget of truth you shared and use it to bring about a conversion. You do your work and leave God to do His.

"Salvation is from the LORD." Jonah 2:9c

How To Identify Counterfeits

Let me ask you a question. How is it that federal agents and the like are able to identify counterfeit money? The answer is simple. They train by studying the original intensely. When a counterfeit bill is presented, the flaws will be obvious because they have spent countless hours looking at the authentic.

Let me ask you a follow-up question. How ought Christians (every Christian) to be able to identify counterfeit religions and sects of Christianity? Once again, the answer is simple. They ought to train themselves (2 Tim. 2:15), like the Bereans, by studying the Bible intensely. The Bible is God's Word, after all. As Christians, ought we not to desire to know its contents inside and out? To know the mind of our Creator, God, Lord, Saviour, and King? To know more of Him? "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2). "...Walk as children of Light...trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord" (Eph. 5:8c, 10). "...That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9).

You see, we can (and ought to) know the mind of God because He has given us His written Word. If I want to know God's mind on controversial subjects such as abortion or homosexuality, all I need to do is turn to God's Word. I should know God's Word so well—know God's mind so well—that when controversial subjects come up, I should already be standing firmly—unable to budge. I should not need to hum and hah about it not knowing where I ought to stand.

This is not a task meant only for specific types of Christians (e.g., preachers and teachers). This task is meant for every Christian! Every Christian is going to encounter resistance from the enemy, the devil, and his children. Every Christian is going to encounter counterfeit teachings and teachers in their every day life. Every Christian ought to be equipped to be able to answer these. "Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Pet. 3:15). "Let your speech always be with grace, as though season with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Col. 4:6).

If counterfeit religions such as the Mormons or the Jehovah's Witnesses come to your door, you are not going to be able to ask your pastor or your theologian friend for answers. God has ordained the meeting between you and them. You ought to be well-seasoned enough in the Word to be able to reason with them and give a response to their false teachings and doctrines. If all you do is rely on others, then you will never be anything more than a spoon-fed parrot. You will simply repeat what you have been told and it will never become real to your own soul; something you know intimately because you have spent hours studying and meditating upon it.

Christians are supposed to be in God's Word daily, because that is where we hear from God and learn God's mind. If you never open your Bible ever, how can you claim to be a Christian? You apparently do not enjoy hearing from the One you claim as your Lord and Saviour. If your husband/wife wrote you a book about himself/herself, would you not pour over it so that you may know them inside and out? So ought every Christian to do with the Bible. Every Christian should train themselves (or be trained) to identify counterfeit religions and sects of Christianity by studying God's Word—the Bible—intensely. That way, when the counterfeits are presented they will be so obvious because the Christian has spent countless hours studying the authentic.

"Now [the Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so." Acts 17:11

"[Study] to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching (what's right), for reproof (what's wrong), for correction (how to get right), for training in righteousness (how to stay right); that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Matthew Vines' Greatest Fallacy

On page 178 of his book God and the Gay Christian, Matthew Vines says, “As more believers are coming to realize, [affirming same-sex relations as moral] is, in fact, a requirement of Christian faithfulness.”

Can anyone spot the fallacious argument made in that statement by Matthew Vines? There are actually several fallacies found here, but one big one in particular. Do you see it? He is saying that if you do not affirm same-sex relations then you are an unfaithful Christian. The gullible and easily influenced Christians will read that and think to themselves, "I don't want to be an unfaithful Christian, so I better affirm same-sex relations." Vines constantly and consistently employs pervasive use of logical fallacies, forces false choices, assumes conclusions, makes faulty appeals to authority, makes false analogies, etc., throughout his entire book. Not only that, but when he shares his story, he does so via emotional manipulation, employing the Appeal to Pity and Appeal to Sympathy fallacies. He has to resort to deceptive tactics and manipulation (like all homosexuals) because he does not have the truth and the truth undermines him and condemns him once and for all time.

Affirming same-sex relations as moral is not a requirement of Christian faithfulness and has nothing to do with Christian faithfulness whatsoever. Contrary to Vines' false declaration, more believers are not coming to the realization of his fallacious statement. Same-sex relations are immoral, unhealthy, and unnatural. They are perversions of the created order, as anyone who stops to use their brain knows full well. When they are manipulated via emotional blackmail and fallacious logic they forget their brain and succumb to the idiocy. But let them stop and think, making full use of their brain's capacity (something many people rarely do any more these days because they do not like to think, otherwise they are faced with issues they do not want to deal with), and they know full well that homosexuality is a perversion of both human and sexual natures.

On pages 31 and 32 of God and the Gay Christian?: A Response to Matthew Vines, it has this to say:

"Answering a question about divorce in Matthew 19:4–5, Jesus quotes Genesis 1:27, “male and female he created them,” then Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man. …” Significantly, Jesus attributes the words of Genesis 2:24 to the one who made them male and female. Jesus asserts that God himself declared that what happened between Adam and Eve was determinative for mankind in general. When Vines argues against the idea that Genesis 1–2 teaches that procreation is a fixed standard for marriage (137–41), and when he argues that sexual complementarity is not required for the one flesh union (144–48), he sets himself against the understanding of Genesis 1–2 articulated by Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus said that God the Father created them male and female (Gen 1:27), and Jesus said that God the Father concluded from the union of Adam and Eve that man should leave father and mother and cleave to his wife, the two becoming one flesh (Gen 2:24; see Matt 19:4–5). Matthew Vines does not interpret Genesis 1–2 the way Jesus did. The interpretation of Genesis 1–2 provided by Jesus is the one that binds the conscience of Christians.
Prior to sin, prior to the curses spoken in Genesis 3:14–19, God instituted marriage as a permanent, exclusive covenant between one man and one woman, and the one flesh union of their bodies brings about a biological miracle neither could experience without the cooperation of the other: the begetting of children, procreation. Marriage is referred to as a creation ordinance because God made it in the garden prior to sin as a moral norm for all humans at all times in all places."

Matthew Vines stands against and in direct contrast to Christ Jesus. Vines makes arguments in his book that are contradictory to the very words of Jesus. Jesus affirmed both gender complementarity (that men and women, although equal in value, dignity, and worth, have different roles) and sexual complementarity (that one man and one woman only form the bonds of marriage, and no other union), both of which Vines and other homosexuals want people to dissolve.

Vines also attempts the old "divide and conquer" with the 6 main passages of Scripture that condemn homosexuality. He attempts to remove them from their immediate context, as well as from the context of the rest of Scripture, and then attempts to destroy the understanding held for 2000 plus years by reinterpreting them. He claims that he took a year off school to study this subject, which is another blatant lie. Had he actually studied it, he would have read the opposing side and not merely non-scholarly books that support his position and further tickle his itching ears. Contrary to Vines' self-deception, he is not a Christian and will find himself in hell (like every other homosexual) if he does not repent and turn to the true Jesus (not the one he has created as an idol who accepts and affirms his homosexual choices).

If you would like to learn more about the truth concerning homosexuality and the biblical passages that condemn it, see these blog entries:

1.) "Homosexuality" (The facts and evidences from nature.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2012/01/homosexuality.html

2.) "Exegeting Homosexuality, Part 1" (An in depth look at Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, and Romans 1:26-27.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2012/10/exegeting-homosexuality-part-1.html

3.) "Exegeting Homosexuality, Part 2" (An in depth look at the words Malakoi [Mαλακοι] & Arsenokoiai [Aρσενοκοιται] from 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2012/10/exegeting-homosexuality-part-2.html

4.) "Exegeting Homosexuality, Part 3" (An in depth look at Genesis 19, Judges 19, 2 Peter 2:6-8, and Jude 7.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2012/10/exegeting-homosexuality-part-3.html

5.) "Exegeting Homosexuality, Part 4" (An examination of several translations in various languages for 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2012/10/exegeting-homosexuality-part-4.html

6.) "Leviticus 18" (Exposing Alex Haiken's crude handling of the Word of God as he is caught with his hand in the cookie jar.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2012/10/leviticus-18.html

7.) "Handling the Word of God Deceitfully" (Answering the homosexuals' recent translation of the Bible.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/01/handling-word-of-god-deceitfully.html

8.) "Bow Down and Worship" (Demonstrating how homosexuality is attempting to make the rest of the world bow down and worship it.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/01/bow-down-and-worship.html

9.) "The Creation Account vs. Homosexuality" (Demonstrating God's design and intentions for ALL humanity.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-creation-account-vs-homosexuality.html

10.) "Genesis 19: What the Bible Really Says Were the Sins of Sodom"
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/09/genesis-19.html

11.) "Romans 1: What Was Paul Ranting About?"
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/09/romans-1.html

12.) "Why No One in the Biblical World Had a Word for Homosexuality" (A deliberately misleading title to the article as the biblical world has both words and descriptions for the acts of homosexuality, contrary to the lies of homosexuals and homosexual advocates.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/09/biblical-word-for-homosexuality.html

13.) "Leviticus 18 and 20" (An examination of the contexts of both chapters.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/09/leviticus-18-and-20.html

14.) "The Bible and Homosexuality" (A thoroughly sound exegetical response to Alex Haiken's erroneous arguments.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-bible-and-homosexuality.html

15.) "Why Christians Should NOT Re-think "Gay Marriage"
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2013/12/why-church-should-not-re-think-gay.html

16.) "Illogical Homosexual Arguments" (The many foolish things they use to argue with.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/01/illogical-homosexual-arguments.html

17.) "A Letter to Harry Knox"
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-letter-to-harry-knox.html

18.) "Does the Bible Forbid Homosexual Behaviour and Not Homosexuality?" (A response to some erroneous statements made by William Lane Craig.)http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/03/does-bible-forbid-homosexual-behavior.html

19.) "Temptations: The Truth Behind Homosexuality" (What is the the real drive behind people being homosexual?)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/03/temptations-truth-behind-homosexuality.html

20.) "Pais (παις): A Young Male Lover?" (A response dealing with the false interpretation of the Centurion passage.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/04/pais-young-male-lover.html

21.) Ezekiel 16 and Sodom's Sin (A response to Alex Haiken's eisegetical interpretation of Ezekiel 16.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/09/ezekiel-16-and-sodoms-sin.html

And for facts and evidence regarding the behaviours, ploys, tactics, and agenda of homosexuality, please see these following links:

1.) "The True Objective Of `Gay Rights' - Total Domination!"
http://prolife.ath.cx:8000/plae117.htm

2.) "Homosexual Tactics: Anything Goes!"
http://prolife.ath.cx:8000/plae118.htm

3.) "The Real Homosexual Agenda"
http://www.truenews.org/Homosexuality/real_agenda.html

4.) "Crafting 'Gay' Children: An Inquiry Into the Abuse of Vulnerable Youth Via Government Schooling & Mainstream Media"
http://www.defendthefamily.com/_docs/resources/6390601.pdf

And to see how homosexuality is indeed harmful to not only the individuals, but to others and to society as a whole, see this link:

1.) "The Risks of Gay Sex" (Written by a doctor.)
http://bereansdesk.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-health-risks-of-gay-sex.html

Here are some books I encourage you to read in order to educate yourself better on the truth of the matter:

1. The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics by Robert A. J. Gagnon
2. The Same Sex Controversy by James R. White and Jeffrey D. Niell
3. The Gay Gospel? How Pro-Gay Advocates Misread the Bible by Joe Dallas (a former practicing homosexual)
4. A Queer Thing Happened to America by Michael L. Brown
5. The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principle Threat to Religious Freedom Today by Alan Sears and Craig Osten

Honeymoon

The definition of "honeymoon" is as follows:

1. a period of harmony immediately following marriage
2. a period of unusual harmony especially following the establishment of a new relationship
3. a trip or vacation taken by a newly married couple

While today, the term "honeymoon" has a positive meaning, the word was originally a reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon. The term originally described the period just after the wedding when things are at their sweetest; it is assumed (note the word "assumed" here) to wane in a month. The "honeymoon" was the period when newly wed couples would take a break to share some private and intimate moments that help establish love in their relationship. This privacy in turn is believed to ease the comfort zone towards physical relationship, which is one of the primary means of bonding during the initial days of marriage.

Typically, the excitement of love in a marriage is at its highest peak at the beginning of a marriage, and then love "settles in" and begins to wane to something consistent (not high, not low). While this is true of most marriages, it is not necessarily the rule for all marriages. For Christians, the more they seek Jesus and find their fulfillment in Him and in each other, the excitement and height of love can remain for years and years. It is not unheard of to see couples in their later years, having been married for 30 or 40 years, still having the same spark as they had when they were younger. This is the kind of marriage I desire for myself, and I will work toward it each day.

If we examine marriage and "honeymoons" back in the early 1900s, 1800s, and earlier, people could not afford the luxurious and lavish expensive vacations and holidays that married couples typically take today. After they married, there was one of three things that happened.

1. They would travel around, sometimes accompanied by friends or family, to visit relatives who were unable to attend the wedding.
2. They would travel to a nearby city and spend a few days at the local hotel.
3. They would return to their new home to begin their life together.
   

In the mid-1900s, married couples would leave midway through the reception to catch a late train or ship. Today, many couples will not leave until 1–3 days after the ceremony and reception in order to tie up loose ends and/or simply enjoy the reception to its fullest and have a relaxing night afterwards to recover, before undertaking a long journey. In fact, it is not unheard of today for many couples to postpone their honeymoon for many months or years because they cannot afford to take a vacation or holiday (or their jobs get in the way and they cannot get the time off to do so).

Today, couples will spend over $10,000 on their wedding day and honeymoon vacation (a down payment on a house) only to end up fighting about money problems for the next three to five years and end up divorcing because they were constantly fighting about money problems. The traditions that we see in marriages and honeymoons today were never traditional 100 years ago. Marriage and honeymoons have become money-making schemes (as well as funerals), and people have ignorantly bought into the foolishness of modern traditions. I have talked to several couples who have gotten married for under $2,000 (in both Canada and the USA). That is also without anybody else contributing anything. The wedding receptions back in the early 1900's and 1800's and earlier were basically potlucks. All the guests would bring something and everybody would enjoy a common meal together. Today, guests mooch off the newly wed bride and groom, expecting them to pay for their meal. Whatever happened to friends and family supporting the newly wed couple so that they did not start their new life broke?!? In fact, whatever happened to friends and family supporting the newly wed couple in any capacity? Nobody cares about the struggles others go through any more. The love of people sure has grown cold...

Whether other people like your wedding and reception or not is of little consequence. It does not matter whether they enjoy it or not. It is not for or about them. It is for and about you (plural, meaning both husband and wife–it is not "her day" alone)! If they think it is the most boring and uneventful wedding in the history of weddings, that is their problem. Not yours. Watch older movies from like 50 years ago and watch how weddings were done in those days. They were nothing like you and I see today in our cultures. We need to smarten up and use our heads when planning our weddings and honeymoons. There is no need to spend exorbitant amounts of money on both. You need that money to start your life together. Use it wisely!

Ezekiel 16 and Sodom's Sin

Alex Haiken says, "In Ezekiel chapter 16...the prophet spells out explicitly what God calls the sin of Sodom: 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord … this was the sin of your sister Sodom:  She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.' (Ezekiel 16:48-50)"¹

As usual, Mr. Haiken is being deceptively dishonest. He is begging the question and failing to address the whole context of what the prophet is saying. Mr. Haiken fails to notice—or chooses not to address—a significant connection between Genesis 19, the two passages in Leviticus, and Ezekiel 16:48–50. Behold:

"Ezekiel, who makes abundant use of the book of Leviticus, describes various sins of Sodom (Ezek 16:48–49), then concludes, “They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it” (16:50). This indicates that the “abomination” committed by Sodom led to their destruction. Ezekiel’s reference to Sodom’s “abomination” uses the singular form of the term toevah, and that term is used in the singular only twice in the book of Leviticus, when same-sex intercourse is called an abomination in 18:22, and when the death penalty is prescribed for it in 20:13. The four other instances of the term in Leviticus are in the plural, making it likely that Ezekiel uses the term from Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 to reference the same-sex intentions of the men of Sodom."²

By the statement "committed abomination before me" (Ez. 16:50), our minds should be brought to Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, where we find the term "abomination" used to describe homosexual behaviour. The Hebrew word translated "abomination" here is to'ebah (תועבה), the very same term used to describe homosexual activities/relationships in the Holiness Code. To'ebah properly refers to something morally disgusting. Mr. Haiken attempts to dismiss this and sweep it under the rug, but the fact it is a viable correlation between the two can be seen in how 2 Peter 2:6-8 and Jude 7 refer to the sins of Sodom as gross immorality. Proper exegesis arrives at the conclusive fact that Genesis 19 informs us of the homosexual behaviour that the Sodomites were guilty of.

The Sodomites were guilty of many sins, but only one sin in particular lead to their destruction, as attested to by God Himself:  “They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it” (16:50). Sodom was destroyed because of the rampant homosexuality that had enveloped and engulfed it. Make no mistake about it, homosexuality is immoral, unhealthy, and unnatural. It is a perversion of both human and sexual natures, and abomination of the created order.

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¹ Alex Haiken, Genesis 19: What the Bible Really Says Were the Sins of Sodom.

² Albert Mohler, God and the Gay Christian?: A Response to Matthew Vines, p.35.