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Oh Really Cliff Diving Free Fall Part I
Oh Really Cliff Diving Free Fall Part I
Oh Really Cliff Diving Free Fall Part I
onse,uen e of man follo#ing his o#n emotional leanings an! self(formulate! prin iples rather than )o!*s reation an! ovenant prin iples% In +eviti us 12 )o! for$i!s any inter ourse #ith next(of(kin $esi!e one*s o#n spouse or #ith any one outsi!e the family realm% 0The expression Bto un over some one*s nake!ness* as use! in the text means Bto have sexual inter ourse%*5 :p to an! in lu!ing verse 1< the +or! on!emns the natural sexual a tivity $et#een man an! #oman exer ise! outsi!e the $on! of marriage% /o#ever& in the Creator*s ethi al purvie# the situation among the inha$itants of Canaan $e omes parti ularly a$omina$le #hen the reation $oun!ary $et#een the t#o sexes is #ipe! a#ay an! men #ith men an! #omen #ith #omen engage sexually% The loa!ing of the #or! Ba$omination* in verse 77 a tually unpa ks something morally !isgusting% Can has at that point gone in to moral free fall% The next phase in to that voi! is $estiality 0verse 745& a further violation of the natural in stepping over the line #hi h )o! !re# #hen /e reate! all Bafter their kin!* 0)enesis 1371(7A5& setting man nota$ly apart as /is image $earer% The land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants 0verse 7=5. Catthe# /enry #rites& >The very groun! they #ent upon !i!& as it #ere& groan un!er them& an! #as si k of them& an! not easy till it ha! !is harge! itself of these enemies of the Lord 0Isa% 137<5% This $espeaks the extreme loathsomeness of sin- sinful man in!ee! drinks in iniquity like water $ut the harmless part of the reation even heaves at it& an! rises against it% Cany a house an! many a to#n have spe#e! out the #i ke! inha$itants& as it #ere& #ith a$horren e%? The very environment a ts like a heaving stoma h #hi h nee!s to vomit out a poison $efore it infe ts the intestines an! the rest of the $o!y% /omosexuality an! les$ianism are serious sins in )o!*s sight as !emonstrate! in +eviti us 12 0an! $y the punishment allotte! the perpetrators in hapter 795& $e ause they !efy /is naturally or!aine! or!er an! sho# man in his ruthless ,uest for autonomy voi! of )o!*s reation prin iples% )o! !oes #arn /is hosen ones not to go that path- /e also tells them that they an only avoi! this moral !e line $y /is gra e% For /e !i! not give them the lan! $e ause of their #on!erful !emeanour- rather they #ere /is tool of "usti e on the #i ke! in the lan! 0Deuteronomy ;31(<5% 8a!ly& history sho#s that also among /is people these things #oul! happen 0 f% 1Dings 1<37<& >An! there #ere also so!omites in the lan!3 and they !i! a or!ing to all the a$ominations of the nations #hi h the +ORD ast out $efore the hil!ren of Israel?5 an! the +or! uses the 'a$ylonians as /is tool of "usti e an! orre tion& as a ro!& on Israel 0/a$akkuk 13@(;5& "ust as /e uses Israel against Canaan% This liff !iving free fall is a mark of many great iviliEations in the past% An ient Rome& for instan e& !i! not even have #or!s to !istinguish $et#een hetero( an! homo( sexuality% Fhatever people hose to !o they oul! !o 0a Roman man #as not to $e the su$missive partner #ith a non(Roman inferior- that #as !eeme! inappropriate5% 'efore 6ulius $e ame Caesar& a olleague ni kname! him Gueen of 'ithynia& $e ause of his pe a!illoes #ith the ruler there% The sexual exploits an! orgies of .mperor Ti$erius are too luri! for !es ription here% Rome has $een sai! not to fall to the hor!es from a ross the $or!ers& $ut to its o#n moral perversity first an! foremost% CorteE foun! similar attitu!es among the tri$es of Central an! 8outh Ameri a as these pra tise! their religious fertility rites prior to their un!oing%
For the Chur h the issue ontinues to $e highly relevant as hur h lea!ers an! ivil la#makers seek to make this sin an a epta$le phenomenon in so iety at large an! in the Chur h in parti ular% There is no la k of larity in 8 ripture as to ho# the +or! of the Chur h 0an! of this universe5 regar!s this sin% The ethi al stan!ar!s are learly set forth% 8erious tampering #ith the 'i$le has alrea!y le! to a hange of these ethi al stan!ar!s in or!er to make the !e lare! sin a normal type of $ehaviour 06% Dallas& 799A& The !ay !os"el#5& an! many !enominations have su um$e!% In on lusion& #e nee! to make a !istin tion $et#een the formal& "u!i ial stan e #hi h Christians& nota$ly Christian lea!ers& ought to take #hen hallenge! on the ivil or e lesiasti al platform on the one han! an! Christian in!ivi!uals in intera tion #ith homosexual an! les$ian fello#( itiEens on the other% In the former ase it is vital to protest learly an! oherently against the efforts to san tion sexual relationships that are on!emne! $y 8 ripture- the line in the san! must $e !ra#n% In the latter ase& ho#ever $oth 6oe Dallas an! Rosaria Champagne 'utterfiel! make this point emphati ally Christians are to live out the #or!s #hi h the Apostle Paul spoke to the Chur h of Colossae& >Falk in #is!om to#ar! them that are #ithout& re!eeming the time% +et your spee h be al#ay #ith gra e& seasone! #ith salt& that ye may kno# ho# ye ought to ans#er every man? 0Colossians <3=(@5% In 6ohn 2 6esus invites those #ho are #ithout sin to ast the first stone at a #oman aught in a!ultery% They all !epart an! 6esus tells the #oman to $e on her #ay& but sin no more% 8in is una epta$le to the +or! of the Chur h& $ut /is people are exhorte! to $e #insome in their !ealings% As 6oe Dallas states& ranting from the pulpit or else#here !oes not !ra# sinners into !ialogue an!& $y )o!*s gra e& unto repentan e& $ut rather an attitu!e of ompassion is alle! for% The +or! sho#s su h ompassion to those #hom /e alls without shifting the ethi al goal posts% Rather /e gently lea!s them back into the realm of ethi s #here /is image $earers an $e truly happy an! at home% It ertainly $rought Rosaria $a k% Cay others follo#%