Scripture Does NOT Affirm LGBT Behavior (Or Any Other Sin)

 


We are not born LGBT any more than we are born liars, thieves, adulterers, fornicators, drunks, druggies, porn-addicts, murderers, idolaters, blasphemers, perverts, or anything else deemed sinful and evil and yet the claim that they were “born that way” has been a common justification for LGBT behavior and the demand that it should be affirmed and celebrated, even within the Church.
 
Some, such as R.A. Vernon, Pastor of The Word Church located in Cleveland Ohio and which also has also planted several other churches and established campuses affiliated with his ministry throughout North East Ohio, even go so far as to claim that scripture proves that people can be born LGBT.  For example, Vernon cites Psalm 51:5 as evidence that people are born LGBT [1].  The Psalmist states in the passage, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” (Ps. 51:5) but neither the Psalmist nor any of the contributing authors to the divinely inspired scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16) ever deemed the fact that we are born into sin as a justification for living in sin, including engaging in LGBT practices because the same authors of what is the Bible who, under the direction of God, wrote about the present condition and nature of man, also under the inspiration of that same God repeatedly instructed any and all reading the scriptures to pursue godliness and righteousness and to avoid that which is evil and sinful in the sight of the Lord for to persist in pursuing and living a life of sin, as the scriptures repeatedly warn, will only serve to invite eventual judgment upon the unrepentant sinner and lead their soul into eternal damnation where they will be tormented day and night without relief.
 
Now to be clear, despite making what appears to be LGBT behavior affirming statements, Vernon has admitted that the official position of his church and ministry is that LGBT behavior is sinful. [2] 
 
But if that is the official position of his ministry, then Vernon should be calling LGBTs to repentance and to turn away from their sinful living which, if they persist in doing so, will lead them into a Christless eternity in Hell and for those who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions and gender dysphoria, he should be offering what help and support he can to them in subduing and even eliminating their LGBT tendencies and disciple them in godly and righteous living that they may be raised up as faithful obedient servants to the God they profess to serve, living lives worthy of His name, and always seeking to abide in His truth and in the authority and instruction of His Word by which the Gospel of salvation is delivered.  Otherwise, he is going against what he claims to be the official position of his church and ministry.  Vernon is not doing his congregants or anyone any favors by riding the fence on the matter.  He needs to be on one side of the issue or the other as there are many other religious leaders who have dared to take one side on LGBT issues or the other.  Some have rightly taken the side of scripture which clearly condemns LGBT behavior in all its forms and therefore have taken a bold and steadfast stand for the authority of scripture and righteousness but there sadly are many others who have, in defiance of scripture, have sought to appease the sinful culture in the name of so-called love and tolerance by affirming that which God has declared to be sinful and some, like Pastor Vernon, are even perverting the scriptures to claim that LGBT behavior is not a sin and thus leading their congregants and audiences on the broad wide path to eternal damnation.
 
In all fairness to Pastor Vernon, however, despite appearing to affirm LGBT behavior, he has not gone so far as to claim that such behavior is not sinful, but others, like Rober Allen Hill, who is a professor of the New Testament and pastoral theology at Boston University, have declared that such behavior is not a sin.  In a commentary piece that Hill submitted to MSNBC, Hill cited the passage of Galatians 3:28 as justification for LGBT behavior. [3] The passage states that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” But what Hill, and others like him, seem to ignore is that the author inspired to write that verse was neither justifying nor affirming the behavior they claim him to.  In other epistles he wrote, he did the opposite.
 
In his epistle to the Romans the Apostle Paul, who also wrote the epistle to the Galatians which Hill claims to affirm LGBT behavior, stated:
 
 
 
Because…when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…For this cause God gave them up to vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And like wise also the men, leaving then natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one towards another; men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in them that recompense of their error which was meet. (Rom. 1:21-22, 26-27)
 
 
 
And to be even more clear, in his first epistle to the church in Corinth, he warned:
 
 
 
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor idolaters, nor effeminate [transgenders and cross-dressers] nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [homosexuals] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10)
 
(Emphasis in bold and definitions added)
 
 
But nevertheless there are those who insist on twisting his words “as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16) and to the damnation of those whom they mislead and deceive.
 
They who would be true to the faith will not purposely lead their followers, congregants, or audiences astray, neither will they water down the Gospel to avoid offence, nor avoid hard truths and doctrines to gain favor with men, but will instead value the favor of God above that of man, (Mk. 10:30) and fear His disfavor more than the disfavor of man, (Mt. 10:28) remaining steadfast in the faith and unwavering in courage against even the most fiercest and most violent of persecutions, trusting and knowing that a reward awaits them for an unrelenting faithful service to the Kingdom of God, (Mt. 5:11-12) always seeking to store up treasures for themselves in Heaven instead of treasures on earth, (Mt. 6:20) ever determined to only preach that which is in accordance with the divinely inspired scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16) by which the Gospel of salvation is delivered, dedicating themselves to the diligent study thereof that they may show themselves a qualified servant of God (2 Tim. 2:15) ever ready to give an answer for the faith and hope that is within them (1 Pet. 3:15) and to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3) in order to uphold doctrinal purity and godliness amongst the ranks and congregations of the saints, and furthermore, ready themselves to, in whatever form or fashion they may take, to take down every stronghold, wicked imagination, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, to bring into obedience to Christ every thought (2 Cor. 10:5) so that professing saints may be kept sound in the faith, and their confidence in the authority of the scriptures by which the Gospel in which they profess faith, may not be shaken, and so that they who are lost may be left without excuse for their unbelief and unrepentance, but instead may be persuaded with every reason to believe and repent that they be delivered in Christ from what would otherwise be a fearful and terrifying judgment of everlasting torment.
 
It is far better to have an audience of five on a social media platform or to pastor a congregation of ten dedicated to faithful obedience and service to Christ and committed to walking uprightly before him and living a life worthy of His name, and determined to abide in nothing more than in the truth that comes from Him and in the doctrine and instruction of His Word than to pander to a multitude who have no sincere interest in coming to repentance and who desire only that which appeases their carnal nature and be responsible for causing them to be led into an everlasting perdition that they might have otherwise avoided if only there had been someone who had the courage to preach to them soul-saving truth which if received by their audience, would have admitted them into the Kingdom of God.
 
And it is far better to be used of God to frighten and shame men into Heaven that they might escape judgment than to be used by the Devil to lull them into eternal damnation with false assurances by making them feel comfortable in the things by which they stand condemned before God Almighty if they should persist in them.
 
For the man who is shamed and frightened into Heaven will be ever grateful that he was made to fear God enough to turn away from his evil and sinful ways and thus be delivered from an everlasting damnation but there will be those who will come before God condemned in their sins wishing that someone had the courage to at least persuade them to repentance even if any attempt to persuade them might have caused a temporal offense.
 
Everything that God is against, we were not created to be, but rather sin made us, by nature to be contrary to that which God created us to be and influences not just our actions and speech but also our very thoughts, motives, attitudes, and the condition of our hearts from where sinful actions and speech are produced and it also produces in us affections that, before sin had entered into man, had not been.
 
God created men and women to be drawn to each other and to be intimate companions only towards one another but sin produced unnatural same-sex attractions.
God created man to be content with what they are provided and given, but sin produces in us covetousness and thievery.
God created men to be honest, but sin causes us to lie, even to those closest to us.
God created spouses to be content and satisfied in one another, but sin produces within us an adulterous and promiscuous nature.
God created us to love one another, but sin breeds hate.
God created us to treat each other fairly, but sin has birthed prejudice.
God created us to regard each other as equals in His sight, but sin produces within us prideful feelings of supremacy to those different from us.
God created us to live in harmony with one another, but sin brings needless division, even between those who might otherwise be close friends.
God created us to value life but sin produces murderers
God created us to be selfless, but sin makes us selfish.
God created us to honor and respect those in authority over us, but sin produces rebels.
God meant for positions of power to seek the welfare of those subjected thereto, but sin turns the seat of authority into an instrument of oppression, wickedness, cruelty, and self-seeking interests.
God created men to be of a stable and sound mind, but sin causes us to seek after those things that make us unstable and unsound in our minds.
God created men to be free in Him, but sin causes man to make merchandise of and a slave out of his fellowman.
God created men to be productive, but sin causes laziness.
God created us to be builders, but sin turns us into destroyers.
God created men to be generous with their substance, but sin causes stinginess and greed.
God created men to worship Him alone since He is their Maker, but sin causes men to worship anything else but the God who made them.
 
And yet men, including they who claim to know God, justify their sinful living by claiming they were “born that way” and even claim that God “made them that way” but far be it from God to create a man to be what He has condemned and which keeps men from inheriting the Kingdom of God, for the God who made us is a loving and merciful God who calls us daily to repent of the things that are contrary to what He created us to be for He takes no pleasure in punishment but in love and mercy and He is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance and thus be delivered from eternal damnation. (2 Pet. 3:9)
 
A God of love would create a man to be that which places upon Him the sentence of death and damnation because if He did, then He would neither be loving nor merciful, but He would be a God of cruelty and malice.
 
Therefore, if God is kind, loving, merciful, and desiring to forgive the sins of all willing to repent thereof, then it can be nothing more than an assault upon His character to claim that He made men to be what He has commanded them to not be and to be that which He, in His written Word condemns.
 
And if we are to buy into the lie of the LGBTs who have infiltrated the body of Christ that God made them that way, then what is to stop the adulterer, the pedophile, the drunkard, the druggie the rapist, the murderer, the tyrant, the corrupt businessperson or politician, the wife-beater, abusers of children, slave-traffickers, liars, fraudsters, rioters, fornicators, incestuous, lazy, perverse, vile, the racist, misogynist, misandrist, chauvinist, depraved, lawless, and rebellious, and they who lust for violence from claiming the same?
 
If we justify one sin, even in the name of God, then what is to prevent the justification of other things deemed evil, not just in the eyes of God, but even in the sight of man? And how many evils do we excuse until law, morality, order, and justice become meaningless and decide that governing authorities of any sort are no longer needed but are instead regarded as useless?
 
Would we not then be given over to even the most base and corrupt instincts and to the most perverse, vilest, and darkest of passion and desires and would that not then lead mankind into eventual ruin and destruction? If left unrestrained, that would be the result of sin left unchecked and unchallenged as such is also the aim of sin for the aim of sin is the is the same as that of the spirit who caused it to come into the world to begin with and that is the destruction of men and the eternal damnation of the soul but before sin came into the world perhaps even before the creation of the world, the spirit who caused it to enter into the world was an angel, more specifically, the guardian of the cherub who had once served at the throne of God, but he was lifted up in pride against his Maker and thought to make himself equal with God and even take for himself that which belonged to God alone and as a consequence he, and they who sided with him against God lost their places in Heaven. (Is. 14:11-21, Ezek. 28:12-19) They then took their animosity and war against their Maker to a newly created world where that age-long war would become a war for the hearts, minds, and souls of men as it is to this day.  But before evil entered into the world God had created, the world was created to be a place of life, light, peace, joy, contentment, love, happiness, and a perfect unity and harmony between God, man, and nature.  Man had been given dominion and authority over all life on earth (Gen. 1:26) and nothing was withheld from them except one thing and that was the fruit from a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and man was warned that in the day that they ate the fruit from that tree, they would surely die. (Gen. 2:16-16, 3:3)
 
But that wicked angel, whom is called Lucifer and better known as Satan or the Devil, came as a serpent into the garden in which the first man Adam and the first woman Eve, the wife of Adam, were placed to live and tend.  He then deceived Eve into disobedience by telling her that neither she nor Adam would die, but that they would increase in wisdom and become divine (Gen. 3:4-5) and so after having eaten of that forbidden fruit, gave some to Adam who was with her, and he ate as well (v. 6) but rather than becoming more wiser, shame came upon them, (v. 7) and instead of becoming divine, they were reduced to a state inferior to that in which they had been created, and instead of being spared death, the sentence of death came upon them as they had been warned of God (v. 19) and eventually, they did die, but the sentence of death did not cease with Adam and Eve, for it was then extended to all of mankind because the sin that entered into them when they had eaten of the fruit that they were told not to eat from, was then passed down to all of mankind since all of mankind are descendants of Adam and Eve (Rom. 5:12) and therefore the sin that brought death to Adam and Eve also brings death to all of mankind because of sin inherited which causes all to sin and as a consequence all to die because as it is written, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) but the consequences of sin did not stop with man, but affected all of creation as well with a curse and it is because of the curse that has come upon all of creation due to sin that the entire creation groans and travails in pain to this day (Rom. 8:19-22)
 
And so by a lie did Satan cause man to eat that forbidden fruit that caused sin to enter into him.
By a lie did he cause death through sin to come upon man.
By a lie did he subjugate all of creation to a slow death and destruction.
By a lie he diminished the dominion given to man and claimed lordship over the kingdoms of the earth (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why he is called the prince of this world. (Jn. 12:31, 16:11)
And by a lie has he caused mankind to become estranged from their Maker by way of sin and has caused all born into this world to be set, by way of sin, on a path to eternal damnation.
 
And by that lie did Satan become the father of lies (Jn. 8:44) the murderer of man, (Jn. 8:44, 10:10) a thief through the usurping of that which God had given to man and a destroyer of lives, souls, and creation itself. (v. 10)
 
And just as he convinced Adam and Eve that there was no danger of judgment, so he continues to falsely assure as many as possible that there is no danger of judgment by blinding them to the danger of eternal condemnation that their sin has placed them in for by blinding them to the danger of eternal damnation, he then removes from them any need for redemption and when he is not deceiving man into outright thinking that there is no such thing as sin, into denying the existence of a God before whom they must be held to account, or that they can obtain salvation by their own good merit, keeping a certain moral code, (i.e. the Ten Commandments) or faithfully performing a certain set of rituals, or by assuring them that some of the things that God has called sin are no sins at all, and even going so far as to delude their minds and hearts with the nonsense of being “born that way” as an excuse for taking pleasure in the very sins that will only send them into perdition, because if their eyes are opened to their sinful condition and if they understand how pervasive sin is and that it is not merely confined to outward acts and behavior, but that sin is the corrupted condition of our inward nature influencing not only our actions, but also our thoughts, motives, and the attitudes of our hearts, that they might then see the eternal danger that they are in, see their need for redemption and earnestly seek the God who is able to give it for if they understood what sin actually is, that it taints, defiles, perverts, twists, corrupts, and even destroys all that it touches, including the soul itself, then they might understand how it is that God cannot allow sin into His Kingdom lest the Kingdom of God be defiled as this material universe presently is and that even their own goodness, due to sin being ever present within them, will never be able to buy them salvation and escape from an eternity in Hell, as it falls short of the goodness of God (Rom. 3:23) but that in order for them to be redeemed, it is going to take a goodness greater than their own; a perfect goodness and a perfect mercy and love on their behalf.  And when one finds themselves falling short of the glory of God through an honest self-examination, this is not only a most humbling experience, since even seemingly good people who are persuaded to examine themselves before Almighty God will find themselves falling short, but it can also be a most terrifying experience knowing that all sin and all evil must face eventual punishment and elimination, which means the judgment of any remaining in their sins, unless they are redeemed, not by an act on their part, but by that of the one paying the demanded penalty of sin on their behalf and there is such a Redeemer who, on our behalf, and out of an immeasurable love for us, and in a desire to grant mercy and forgiveness of sins, He came into the world as a man that He might take away the sins of the world and this man, who is called Jesus Christ, lived as one of us and dwelt among us, and like the rest of us, was tempted in all points, but unlike the rest of us, He was without sin (Heb. 4:15) and therefore refused and rebuked every temptation known to man, and because there was no sin in Him, (2 Cor. 5:21) He was able to be that perfect sacrifice (Heb. 7:26-27) to be offered up on our behalf and it was by His death on the cross upon which He was crucified and it was through the shedding of His blood on that cross that the demanded penalty was satisfied and redemption purchased on our behalf that mercy and forgiveness for all sins could be granted, and it was after His death that He was raised again from the dead that we, placing our trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins and for the salvation of our souls, may be justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) if we will but in sincere repentance and in genuine faith call upon His name for salvation. (Rom. 10:13)
 
For in Christ Jesus are we cleansed of our sins and by Him are we reconciled unto Father God (2 Cor. 5:18) through the removal of sin and with the removal of sin we are made anew, (2 Cor. 5:17) for when we are cleansed of our sins, we are spiritually transformed and it is this transformation that causes us to no longer desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but after those things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven,
to no longer take pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ Almighty, no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, (Mt. 6:25-33) recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God,
to no longer fear what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
 
And just as our souls are cleansed from sin and liberated from what would otherwise be a fearful judgment consisting of nothing more but eternal damnation and everlasting unrelenting torment beyond imagining, but so one day do we look forward to the day when we will be made free from bodily death when that which was born into sin is changed into a form incorruptible and in which no sin dwells (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) for wherein dwells no sin, dwells no death and then creation itself will be liberated, when Satan who presently claims lordship over the nations, kingdoms, and peoples of the earth, is cast out of the world upon the return of Christ Almighty (Rev. 19-20:1-3) and given his final sentence by which his defeat will be made final, (Rev. 20:10-15) and creation itself is made anew with the old being done away with and a new heaven and earth put in its place in which dwells no sin, no death or decay, nor any curse, nor any evil, pain, grief, sorrow, misery, hardship, or adversity of any sort, but in which dwells only light, life, contentment, peace, joy, happiness, and a perfect harmony before the Lord God Almighty. (Rev. 21-22)
 
And if you have not done so today, and would like to be forgiven of all of your sins and are ready to begin living a life of godliness, truth, and righteousness before God Almighty, and to commit yourself to a steadfast and faithful service to Him, then I urge you to call upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins today.  It is but a simple sincere faith-filled prayer of repentance away:
 
 
 
“Lord Jesus I need you.
 
 
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
 
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
 
 
Amen.”
 
 
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
 
 
 
End notes:
 
 
 
1.  Leonardo Blair, “Citing Psalm 51, prominent Pastor RA Vernon claims Scripture proves some gay people are born that way,” Christian Post, January 17, 2023
https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-claims-scripture-proves-some-gay-people-are-born-that-way.html?clickType=link-most-popular
 
2.  Ibid.
 
3.  Robert Allen Hill, “How a schism can unite U.S. Methodists,” MSNBC, December 31, 2023
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/methodist-church-anti-lgbtq-christian-schism-rcna131606
 
 
 
Scripture references:
 
 
 
1.  Psalm 51:5
 
2.  2 Timothy 3:16
 
3.  Galatians 3:28
 
4.  Romans 1:21-22, 26-27
 
5.  1 Corinthians 6:9-10
 
6.  2 Peter 3:16
 
7.  Mark 10:30
 
8.  Matthew 10:28
 
9.  Matthew 5:11-12
 
10.  Matthew 6:20
 
11.  2 Timothy 2:15
 
12.  1 Peter 3:15
 
13.  2 Corinthians 10:5
 
14.  2 Peter 3:9
 
15.  Isaiah 14:11-21
 
16.  Ezekiel 28:12-19
 
17.  Genesis 1:26
 
18.  Genesis 2:16-17
 
19.  Genesis 3:3-7
 
20.  Genesis 3:19
 
21.  Romans 5:12
 
22.  Romans 6:23
 
23.  Romans 8:19-22
 
24.  Matthew 4:8-9
 
25.  Luke 4:6-7
 
26.  John 12:31
 
27.  John 16:11
 
28.  John 8:44
 
29.  John 10:10
 
30.  Romans 3:23
 
31.  2 Corinthians 5:21
 
32.  Hebrews 4:15
 
33.  Hebrews 7:26-27
 
34.  Romans 4:25
 
35.  Romans 10:13
 
36.  2 Corinthians 5:18
 
37.  2 Corinthians 5:17
 
38.  Matthew 6:25-33
 
39.  Revelation 21-22
 
40.  1 Corinthians 15:51-55
 
41.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
 
42.  Revelation 19-20:1-3
 
43.  Revelation 20:10-15