Does God Want Us to Be Happy?

Ohio Senator Rob PortmanOhio Senator Rob Portman wrote an editorial that was published on March 15, 2013 in which he announced his change of position on same-sex marriage. Previously, he had been against such “marriages.” Now he believes “the government shouldn’t deny [same-sex couples] the opportunity to get married.”

In the editorial, he explained the reason for his change of heart. Two years ago, one of his sons informed him that he was a homosexual. After learning this, Senator Portman began re-evaluating his stance on same-sex marriage and eventually changed his mind on the issue. He said he is “a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love.” Couple that with his statement about “the Bible’s overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God,” and we see one who has tried to find a way to harmonize – in his own mind – faith in God and man’s desire to be happy.

His statement about wanting all of his children to be happy seems reasonable to a lot of people, even among those who are religious. Many people believe that God would want them to be happy. Therefore, if something like homosexuality makes one happy, they conclude that God must accept it and that we should accept it, too.

So we should ask the question: Does God want us to be happy? In answering this question, we must be sure that our conclusion comes from the Bible and not our emotions.
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Should Preaching About Homosexuality Be a Priority?

Louie Giglio, pastor of the Passion City Church in Atlanta, was invited to deliver the benediction during the President’s inauguration. He has since withdrawn from participating in the event after some “gay-rights” advocates protested. The following quote was included in the article linked above. It is from a sermon of Giglio’s from the 1990’s and was the cause of the opposition against his participation in the inauguration.

“If you look at the counsel of the word of God, Old Testament, New Testament, you come quickly to the conclusion that homosexuality is not an alternative lifestyle… homosexuality is not just a sexual preference, homosexuality is not gay, but homosexuality is sin. It is sin in the eyes of God, and it is sin according to the word of God. You come to only one conclusion: homosexuality is less than God’s best for his creation.”

I know nothing about anything else Giglio teaches or has taught, but his remarks above about homosexuality being a sin are exactly correct. In every dispensation, homosexuality has been an abomination in the eyes of God. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were utterly destroyed for this sin (Genesis 19:4-13; Jude 7). The Law of Moses clearly condemned the practice: “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22; cf. 20:13). Even in the New Testament, homosexuality is said to be “unnatural,” “indecent,” and “contrary to sound teaching” (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Timothy 1:10). Paul told the brethren in Corinth that the sin of homosexuality, if not repented of and abandoned, would prevent one from inheriting the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).
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Higher Percentage of Homosexuals Among Young Adults Than Seniors: What Does This Mean?

Rainbow flags

As time goes on, homosexuality is increasingly becoming more accepted in our society. As it becomes more accepted, it will become more common. A recent Gallup survey found that 3.4% of adults in the United States identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

The survey also found an interesting statistic regarding the percentage of homosexuals among various age groups. The numbers are very difficult for those who wish to argue that homosexuality is a matter of inherent sexual orientation, rather than choice.

Younger Americans are more likely to identify as LGBT: Adults ages 18-29 (6.4 percent) were more than three times as likely as seniors ages 65 and older (1.9 percent) to identify as LGBT. Gallup found that LGBT identity declines with age – at 3.2 percent for ages 30-49; and 2.6 percent for ages 50-64.

How do we explain the number of homosexuals being more than three times higher among young adults as it is among seniors? How do we account for the percentage of homosexuals declining with age? There are two possibilities:
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Preaching Politics

Michelle Obama recently said there is “no better place” than church to talk about political issues. To some extent she is right. While not all political matters are worthy of our discussion in the assembly of the saints, those “political” matters that are addressed in the Bible will be taught by faithful men who are striving to speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11), proclaiming the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Therefore, we speak where the Bible speaks, even on certain “political” topics. Some examples of such topics are listed below:
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Audio: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate

This lesson deals with the topic of same-sex marriage. People use things like politics, culture, and tradition to argue either for it or against it. Here we want to consider the subject from a Biblical perspective. This lesson will cover three points:

  1. God’s definition of marriage.
  2. God’s condemnation of homosexuality.
  3. The hope that exists for homosexuals.

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Joel Osteen, Homosexuals, and Heaven

Joel Osteen, the popular mega-church preacher known for proclaiming the gospel of prosperity, was interviewed recently by Oprah and asked if he believed homosexuals would be in heaven. Osteen stated his belief that they would. He then explained that while he believed homosexuality was described as a sin in the Bible, he did not believe it was any worse than any other sin. Therefore, his conclusion was that since those who commit other sins will be in heaven, then homosexuals must be there as well.
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Controversy Over Same-Sex “Marriage”

Wedding Cake Toppers

With the recent court rulings in California over same-sex marriage, this debate has once again come to the forefront of our society. Whenever a political or social hot topic overlaps into matters of spiritual consequence, Christians can find great opportunities to talk with others about the Scriptures. With this issue in mind, let us be reminded of a few things and be ready to teach them to others.
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