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NASB | Romans 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 1:21 For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. |
Subject: Active Homosexuals: Truly Christian? |
Bible Note: Long road to sanctity. Why do we think homosexuality is any different from other sins? It is always included in a long list of other failings, including sins as common as greed. We do not expect people to be perfect BEFORE they come into the church --- if a gay couple enter the church, seeking, we should not shun them. It could take years of following Jesus for them to sort out how to be faithful. The sanctifying process takes time, as God exposes layer after layer of our darkness IN HIS TIMING. Think about being an alcoholic. There is a mixture of personal choice and genetic predisposition. We have sophisticated support networks to help alcoholics change. We understand how hard their struggle is -- and if they fall off he wagon, we help them back on. Why, then, do we treat our brothers and sisters who struggle with homosexuality with either silence or scorn? This is hypocracy. We have all fallen short, and continue to do so. We are all in utter need God's grace. I am glad the Exodus program exists. I like what Leanne Payne has written as well. Let us learn to understand the struggles of homosexuals, so that we can be effective disciplers and prayer partners. |