What Do You Think About Same-Sex Marriage Being A Good Idea?
Attention Reader! This is a transcript of an interview with Rev. Dr. P.C. Akubueze. We are aware that the topic of same-sex marriage is a controversial one that deeply affects the personal lives of many. We, as Christians, strongly reiterate the teaching of the Bible to “Love your neighbor as yourself ” (Matthew 22:39; John 13:34). And that all people, irrespective of their religions, sexual orientations, skin colors, and genders, must be treated with respect and dignity, with love and compassion. The publication of an interview concerning this subject is solely intended to enhance and to clarify the position of the Bible as concerns relational, family, and social foundations of society. It’s never intended to incite hatred of any kind toward homosexuals.
Is Same-sex marriage a good idea for a people, a community, or a nation? I’m Verra, welcome back to the talk show.
ASP: Pastor, many people say it’s not written in the Bible. Truly speaking, is it written in the Bible that same-sex marriage isn’t a good idea?
P.C. AKUBUEZE: You see, those who say it isn’t in the Bible are ignorant of God’s Word, and of God’s intents. To those who say so have they forgotten Leviticus 20:13 in which God says ” If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death“? That’s talking about homosexuals. Should such a death sentence be passed unto an adherent of a good idea? And please, don’t say that was the old Testament because the New Testament hasn’t changed a thing about the intent of God concerning homosexuals.
Moreover, there are several places I could show you in the Bible that same-sex marriage is not a good idea either from God’s lips directly or from His reaction toward it.
ASP: Please, Go ahead Pastor.
P.C. AKUBUEZE: Number One, It cannot be a good idea yet God calls it unnatural.
The only natural relation we have in the Bible as created by God is between a man and a woman. But God’s word identifies homosexual relations as “unnatural ones.” We read Romans talk about the unnaturalness of same-sex marriage that “women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another” (Romans 1:26-27).
When women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones, what does that basically tell us? It tells us that women aren’t attracted to men but to other women which is a same-sex relationship. And if men abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for other men, that too is same-sex relation. However, these are unnatural according to the Bible, and what is unnatural cannot possibly be a good idea for natural people.
Number Two, It cannot be a good idea yet it robs one of the Royal rights to divine inheritance.
ASP: I didn’t get that, sir! What did you mean by the “Royal right to divine inheritance”?
P.C. AKUBUEZE: What I mean is that God lists homosexuals among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9), because their Royal rights have been robbed.
ASP: How do you mean?
P.C. AKUBUEZE: You see, it’s a biblical fact that every person, as created by God, has a right to know God. Although man sinned and has fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), the death of Jesus Christ, who died for the whole world (John 3:16), has made it possible for all to come to God. Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life itself (John 14:6). No one goes to God except through Jesus Christ, the Bible adds. But an interesting picture comes to light when we read what John 1:12 says. It says to all who received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that the right to become children of God is given to them because they believed.
There’s a right to become children of God which is a Royal right because God is a King and has a kingdom. This right is never voted for but given unto us by God whenever we believe in the Name of Jesus.
And everyone has an equal opportunity to believe in Jesus’ Name for He died for all (John 3:16). But not everyone truly gets to know Jesus, and one of the reasons is that of the same sex idea issue. It robs people of the right to enter their divine inheritance; to enter God’s kingdom.
The Bible clearly tells us what we should know. It says “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? … Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders …will inherit the kingdom of God.”
In this context, the Bible wants us to know that although God had made it possible to have the Royal right into His kingdom, into heaven’s inheritance, homosexual practices, as cited among other sins, might still rob us of that Royal right. But this is not by the will of God but rather by our own sinful actions. Something like same-sex relations can’t be a good idea at the same time robs you of your Royal right to divine inheritance.
ASP: Are you saying that this Royal right is given to people to enable them to believe in Jesus?
P.C. AKUBUEZE: No no no, that’s not correct. It’s not what I am saying. The Royal right is given to those who have believed in the Name of Jesus and not before but after (John 1v12). The confession comes before the rights are accorded. Thus, enabling them to enter the kingdom of God. This is impossible prior to accepting Jesus. And it’s the greatest spiritual miracle you could ever think of happening in a split of a second. But, faith in Jesus is the only way to it.
ASP: Go ahead with the third point.
P.C. AKUBUEZE: Yes, number three is that It cannot be a good idea yet God calls the adherents abusers of themselves.
In the King James Version of the Bible, it reads, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?… neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.” The last phrase there says ” Abusers of themselves with mankind ” which talks about homosexuals generally.
While the NIV (New International Version) uses the phrase “Homosexual offenders,” in that same place, the KJV (King James Version) uses “Abusers of themselves with mankind” in expressing the same thought. This seems to convey the sense that the homosexuals are offending mankind, are offending what God has created and it also seems that they are offending themselves by so doing. An abuse doesn’t look to me like a good idea.
Number Four, can I go on?
ASP: That’s Okay, sir. Go ahead!
P.C. AKUBUEZE: Yes, number four, It cannot be a good idea yet God calls it a deception.
You see, God says those who practice same-sex relations are being deceived. First Corinthians chapter six and the ninth verse says “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the … male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders.” Did you see that? What did it say again? Do not be deceived.
Now, I think it would be right to define what deception is and fit it in this context. A deception could be a statement that is not literally false, as the Phrase”Same-sex Marriage” is, but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth. Saying that same-sex marriage is good literally makes some sense externally but there are lots of truth concealed. You can’t call a woman, daddy, or a man, mommy. And no two females chromosomes or two males chromosomes could give birth to a child. That’s a deception.
A deception could also be the act of giving a false appearance to something. Same-sex marriage has a false appearance according to the Bible. A gender pretending to be the other gender? That’s a deception.
A deception could also be defined as a willful perversion of real facts. The truth involved in same-sex marriage seems to be obscured and perverted by the will of people who know the truth about marriage as a union between males and females. Sometimes they call it an option for the modern time. This is a deception, for it contradicts the truth of the Bible.
A deception could also be something communicated, written or spoken, which is intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity. The same-sex marriage concept is being portrayed as an option, good and equal to heterosexual marriage, thus, misrepresenting the true nature of activities under heterosexual matrimony. This too is a deception.
A deception could also be a written document that persuades someone to accept something untrue or undesirable. We see this in the legal sense. People are being led to think that this homosexual practice is okay and alright. Politicians and lawmakers are making it possible for people to buy the notion of same-sex marriage as being good, and as an option to marriage because of the rule of law in its favor. That too is a deception as the Bible puts it. It goes against the known truth.
You see, God used the word deception, in the greater sense, to warn those in the church that accepting same-sex marriage while in the church would certainly not lead us into the kingdom of God for which we long to see. We come into the church because we love God and want to be near God. However, it’s good to note that while still holding unto our ardent passion for God, while still going to church, we can miss God entirely if we accept that same-sex concept. God calls that a deception. And to that Proverbs 14:12 says, “There’s a way that seems right to a man but in the end, it leads to death.” Of course, death wasn’t obvious before. It seemed right but it wasn’t right. It was a deception. And no deception is considered a good idea.
ASP: That was a deep one, contextually, especially the way you defined deception. We will be taking a short break and we would be right back after the break. Please, stay tuned!
You may also like Is same-sex marriage a God idea? Part TWO
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