Q-anon: A “Conspiracy Theory” about the Conspiracy Theory and Reflections on the 2020 Election

It has been so long since I have posted and so many things have happened since quarantines last year, that I figured I better start this year out with a good ol’ talk about recent happenings at least politically and what we as Christians should do about it. A lot of it has to do with this Q-Anon stuff and Trump not winning the presidency. I hope you find my perspective on this to be insightful.

Late in 2020, I came across the Q-anon group, what most people would probably call a conspiracy theory. If you don’t know much about this group, it may be difficult to find any information as Big Tech seems to be censoring them now because of their “apparent” involvement in the Capitol protests when Congress was certifying the presidential election results. Many on the Left think they are a domestic terrorist group, hence the censorship, I guess. So while I would encourage you to do your own research into this, you may not find much on it now.

From what I understand, and that is probably not a lot, the Q-Anons believed (and some still do) that the Trump presidency was part of a plan to round up a bunch of criminals in the “Swamp” of the Capitol and bureaucracy and that there were secret signals sent to the group via the President. The person who was informing the group, known as Q was always saying that something BIG was going to happen on a particular date or event. When it did not happen, the excuse was that misinformation was spread to ensure that the perpetrators were not sure when the BIG event was really supposed to go down.

There are other parts of the theory, which I won’t get into here and of which I am not sure most Q-Anon people ascribe themselves to. Some of which has been reported by the media as that the Q-Anons believe that many political leaders are part of a human trafficking ring and are responsible for gruesome child abuse on the sexual level and beyond. It was about that time that I began to question who Q really was and if this was really all a hoax. Here’s what a BBC reporter dug up about it:

The odd thing is though that some of the similar worries of violence shared about Q-Anon can also be said about other groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa.

So what can we expect? More violence as these two groups begin to clash? I’m not sure. In some of his messages Q seems to encourage people to follow the law and not rise up violently, but to continue to wait until the right time. Which is odd, considering what seems to be at stake within the Q-Anon beliefs, one of the core which is that somehow Donald Trump is going to save us all.

It began to make me wonder (and here comes my theory) if Q may really be someone on the Left.

“Wait!” you may be saying. “How can that be?”

Think about what has been happening in the culture and America today. Ideologies such as communism and socialism are being adopted and promoted by those on the Left. Civil unrest is in the streets. Politicians are threatening violence on their opponents, wanting to “punch Trump in the face” like in this video:

The Left’s strategy seems to try to play on people’s emotions. It’s all about FEELING. Again, think of Black Lives Matter and the riots and protests following police shooting of George Floyd. They keep on saying that they have to fight.

But, what are they fighting for?

In a similar fashion, it seems that Q is attempting to stir up the conservative base to action by the sometimes seemingly strange and bizarre conspiracy theories. And then he tells them to stand down? Why? Could it be that the real goal has been accomplished? Is it possible that this has all been some kind of mettling by our enemies in order to get America divided?

But let’s just pause here for a moment. Here’s a question I have for both the conservative and the liberal:

Why do you feel the way you feel?

Are you feeling anger, fear, resentment, frustration. Why are you feeling these things and what can you do about it? Sometimes you actually may hope that something would happen so that your feelings could be justified or that you could somehow act and take justice into your own hands.

I know that I myself have felt those things as well. It wasn’t until I started talking to someone on the Left to hear a different perspective that helped me come to my senses. Oddly enough, when I met someone who was completely against Trump it helped me to gain clarity. It was more of what I said that what he said that helped me out.

Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.

You see the Left has spent the last four years demonizing Trump. They claimed he was in cahoots with the Russians. Then there was all the Twittering (which was what I personally disliked about the guy too). It seemed like at every turn there was someone trying to take him down. High level bureaucrats lied about him, etc., etc.

However, the Right has spent the last four years defending him and sticking up for Trump policies that aligned so well to their beliefs: like all the pro-life measures the Trump administration put into practice, tax cuts, and more. Here is a list that the Family Research Council has put together on Trump’s Accomplishments.

So the extreme Left think him equal to Satan and the extreme Right (the Q-Anons anyway) think him a Savior. When having this conversation with this other person who had what seemed to be opposite views as me, I came to the realization that NEITHER side was treating Trump as he really is: a man who is doing his best to do what he thinks is right.

Despite which side you are on, put yourself in his shoes for a minute and think about how you would act or react to what has gone on over the past few years. Would you get it right all the time? No, I know I wouldn’t and I don’t think Trump did either. However, I think it is so easy to speak negatively about someone, or idolize someone who is in power. One from the side of those who might be jealous of that power and one from someone who can’t imagine having that kind of power.

To be honest, I don’t know for sure that Q is a Leftist or on the Right. I’m not sure that I really care anymore either. Whether or not there is some kind of hidden plan in action remains to be seen. I hate to break it to some, and while I liked him as President, but I have to say that Trump isn’t the savior of the world. No imperfect, fallible man should ever be put on that pedestal, for his sake and for everyone else’s.

However, there is an evil force in this world, that much is true. It hides in the darkness and pretends to be enactors of light. While I think that some of the conspiracy theories are downright silly, some may be true after all. Regardless, there is still One who can save us from this darkness, One I can truly call Savior and Lord, and that is the only man who is also God: Jesus Christ.

Heaven knows the world needs Him now more than ever.

The Third Gender

Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels.com

While the Transgenderism movement would like to redefine gender into something other than male and female, biologically speaking most reproduction in the animal and plant world occurs from two opposite genders (sexes). Some organisms can produce asexually as in the case of microorganisms and plants (by making cuttings and encouraging root growth). However, there does not seem to be any form of reproduction requiring more than two individuals. For the case of exploration, though I thought I would consider it. Perhaps on some undiscovered world there is a species of creature that requires the DNA from three individuals in order to replicate a new individual. I will be comparing such a model with how things work here on Earth to see how plausible such a system of reproduction could be.

What would a third gender look like?

Triploidy

At the very core of such a three-gender system, the DNA of such a creature would have to be able to have three sets of DNA, one from each parent. Organisms with one set of DNA are called “haploid”, those with two sets “diploid,” and such organisms we are talking about would be called “triploid.” This would mean that their total number of chromosomes would have to be divisible by 3 and that each set would be corresponding to the others.

Humans, for example, have 46 chromosomes (23 from each parent) and are thus diploid in their existence. 46 does not divide evenly with 3 and even if there was a person born with 45 chromosomes instead of 46 (as is sometimes the case), that does not mean that their genome could be easily divided by three. Each chromosome has a certain order and function, and has a matching double in the other parent’s DNA.

In humans the dominant form of existence is the diploid form. There is a haploid form, which is produced differently in each gender, the sperm from the paternal side and the egg from the maternal side. The two haploid cells come together and form a diploid organism and the beginnings of a human diploid baby is formed.

In a three-gender system, an organism would have to be triploid, having three sets of DNA. The interesting thing is that we do actually see triploids form in the world of plants, but not in animals. In fact, there is a very common triploid that we use for food: bananas. Plants are more open to diploid/haploid combinations of DNA. Yet, even though bananas have three sets of DNA, they are not all combined at once from three different “parents”. Bananas are a hybrid in which DNA from one parent is diploid and the other is haploid. While bananas can be pollinated and produce fruit, a viable seed cannot form and the banana is left with empty seed pits which can be seen by cutting a banana crossways.

How then do bananas reproduce? They can either be produced by cross pollinating the two original parent plants or by making cuttings of the plant and transplanting those.

Are there possible combinations greater than triploid? Yes, there are other ploidies, such as tetraploid (4 sets), pentaploid (5 sets), hexaploid (6 sets), etc. However the even number ploidies tend to be able to reproduce viable offspring (as diploids do), but the odd numbered ploidy hybrids cannot reproduce except by cutting, in which the new plant is basically a clone of the parent plant.

Even in species with odd numbered chromosome sets, most sexual reproduction only occurs between a male and a female plant. Just because an organism is triploid does not mean there is another gender possible in addition to male or female.

Male, Female, and ?

If a species had a third gender, it would not be hermaphroditic, as this would only be a combination of both male and female, as seen in earthworms. It would have to be a completely different form of a species. I will simply call it a “Trimale,” not meaning a male with three additional parts, but a third completely different gender. Since the system is so different, I would also have to rename the other genders, as male and female are so familiar to us. Let’s call them “unamale” and “bimale.” I am really using my creative license here so please bear with me.

In a system of three genders, each gender (unamale, bimale and trimale) would have its own distinct genitalia, which could somehow fit together in a sexual experience to combine the gametes into a new individual. I’ll let you use your own imagination for this as I’m not even sure how this would work.

This biological system would have to operate in a very different way than we have previously observed. Meiosis would have to somehow divide the DNA into three gametes instead of the two we see in most species here on Earth.

Some might say that we could achieve this through technology, but then we are not necessarily relying on “natural selection” in order to achieve these processes. The system of three genders would simply be a synthetic one in this case, which would use technology (which is outside an organism’s genetic makeup) to propagate the species. For this reason, using technology to further an organism’s evolution in my mind is counter-productive. For once you lose the technology or it advances beyond its current use, the tech-dependent species is in danger of becoming extinct.

Other ways a triploid biology could occur is if there is one “female” that relies on two “submales” to introduce genetic material. However, in this case, although three may be required to produce an offspring, there really only are two genders.

A Society of Three Genders

The social structure of a civilized world with three biological genders would be a lot more complicated than ours today (although we do seem to find ways to make ours more complicated than it should be).

Each family would consist of three parents. Finding partners with which to mate would be challenging. You would have to agree with one person to stick with you to find the third person. And, that second person would also have to find the third person attractive.

Dating, then would be extremely tiresome for this reason. Pre-arranged marriages would possibly be a way out of the dating realm, but then again, all three parents would have to agree. On our planet it can be hard for any two people to agree on such issues, let alone three.

Legal issues such as divorce and child custody would be nightmares compared to those of our planet. Perhaps this would be an incentive to stay together and raise children productively.

One benefit might be that some spiritual concepts, such as the Trinity, might be more easily understood.

There may even be movements to attempt to redefine gender in such a society. Some members of the society may claim to really be a fourth gender or no gender or all genders.

Full Circle

All this brings me back to my point about other genders. While more and more young people of our society are trying to identify other “genders” than male or female, the biological and physical fact remains: they are either one or the other.

I have written this article to show just how hard it would be to actually create a third gender in the human species. As nature would have it, it is downright impossible. However, transgender people want to reject nature and show themselves for who they really are on the inside. I have discussed this idea elsewhere.

In order to accomplish their ends, trans-humanists as well as transgender people must not accept the natural way their bodies are made, but must instead use technology to change their biology. However, by rejecting their biology, aren’t they also rejecting a part of themselves. Even if they didn’t choose their biological gender, does that make them anything more or less than that gender? Does the use of technology actually enhance evolution or make it run backward?

What if in their search for revealing their true selves, they run the risk of losing their true selves?

No one person is defined solely by their gender/sex. I refuse to put a single person in that box. There is so much more to us than this. I think it would be more productive to explore the infinite other areas of personality and test our own abilities, and leave sex alone.

Genetic Issues In Biologically Defining Sexuality

I have previously discussed the spiritual aspects of Transgenderism and compared them with Christianity. In that post, I covered how Transgenderism as a movement can seem to have a spiritual component to it. Today in this post, however, I wish to discuss the physical side of it. There are legitimate physical and genetic abnormalities that occur which can cause what some might believe to be transgender qualities. My hope is that a further inquiry into the different abnormalities and their probabilities of occurrence will give more insight to those who think they are transgender and to those who deny transgenderism altogether.

For the most part, the way that gender works, biologically speaking, is that out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes (totaling 46), two are used to determine sex: X and Y. Most of the time everyone has two, one from mom and the other from dad. If you have a genetic makeup of XX, you will develop female parts. If you have XY, you will develop male parts. For most people, there is no such thing as gender assignment at birth, because it is the natural course of genetics, unless you want to blame your parents, nature itself or God. However, there are rare occasions when biological gender can be complicated.

However, there are occasions when things don’t work right as the sperm and egg form in the respective parents. When that sperm and egg combine, sometimes a person is born missing sex chromosomes, other times it can be that they have extra ones. Sometimes hormone treatment is needed to help these people develop healthy physical and social lives. Prepare to dive deep in biology for this discussion. I will try to translate as much as I can and put things in layman’s terms, but when we are talking about genes and genetic expression, it can get complicated.

First off when discussing genetics, there are two terms that must be defined. Genotype is the genetic makeup of the individual, whereas phenotype is the actual physically expressed trait. One would expect that if a person had a specific genotype for a particular trait, then the phenotype should match. For various reasons, this is not always the case. Below are some of the more common genetic disorders that happen with the sex chromosomes and their occurrences.

Turner’s Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/2500 live female births.

General Description:

A person with Turner’s syndrome is genetically missing a sex chromosome (XO, 45 chromosomes). The gender that is produced is female. Many times the girl does not go through puberty meaning that breast, vaginal, and other body parts remain childlike. Sometimes girls with this condition are treated with a variety of hormones to induce growth and puberty.

Common Symptoms:

webbing of neck
narrowing of aorta
reduced height
no menstrual cycle or pubic hair
gonads undifferentiated, secreting no hormones.

There are other symptoms, some noticeable at birth, others later in childhood. Sometimes the severity of these symptoms can be different in mosaic girls. Mosaic means some of their cells are (XO) and some are (XX). Physical development can range from the symptoms above to normal in these girls, which means that some may be able to go through puberty naturally and get pregnant, but this may require fertility treatments.

Click here for more information.

Klinefelter’s Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/500 live male births.

General Description:

Klinefelter’s syndrome is the most common chromosome disorder in males who have an extra X chromosome (XXY, 47 chromosomes). The gender that is produced is male. As in Turner’s syndrome mosaicism can occur, where some cells are XXY and others are XY (normal). In some rarer cases, the males can have 3, 4, and even 5 X chromosomes in addition to the Y. With each additional X there is a reduction in IQ.

Common Symptoms:

Decreased sperm and androgens
Smaller penis and testicles
Disproportionately long arms and legs
Hair growth during puberty is light
Infertility

Boys normally do well with speech and language therapy. Some are treated with testosterone at the onset of puberty to help develop bone structure and masculine appearance.

For more info, click here.

47, XYY Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/900 to 1/2000

General Description: This syndrome occurs when a male has inherited an extra Y chromosome (XYY, 47 chromosomes).

Common Symptoms:

Tall (above 6 feet)
Produce high levels of testosterone
Slender, severe acne, poorly coordinated during adolescence

Many who have this syndrome are not aware they have it, which could be why the occurrence is so uncertain. They are typically fertile and live normal lives as adults. Early studies indicated there was increased aggression levels, antisocial behaviors, below average intelligence, and homosexual tendencies associated with this syndrome. However, these conclusions were falsely assumed. Some have even tried to use this syndrome as an excuse for murder, but the jury in that case decided against the man.

Click here for more info.

47, XXX Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/1,000, but can occur more frequently in infants born to older mothers.

General Description: This syndrome is also called Triple-X syndrome, because it occurs in women who have an extra X chromosome (XXX, 47 chromosomes).

Common Symptoms:

Taller on average, an inch or more above normal
Unusually long legs
Slender torsos
Slight learning deficiencies

Most girls with this syndrome end up having normal development. There is occasionally an expectation of more emotional maturity toward these girls from those in authority, like teachers, as the girls tend to be taller than their peers, however, they tend to be just as emotionally mature as other girls their age. Some girls have even more X chromosomes (XXXX and XXXXX), and this can be correlated with lower IQ scores.

See this page for more info.

Testicular Feminization (or Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome):

Occurrence: 1/20,000

General Description: These are individuals with XY (male) genotype, but are phenotypically (physically expressed) females. Sometimes this syndrome can be “incomplete” in which there is a spectrum of sexual ambiguity or “complete” in which the phenotype is that of a female (see this case study for more info). This syndrome is due to a mutation on the X chromosome that inhibits androgen production. Androgens are what primarily causes the male phenotype to form.

Common Symptoms:

No pubic or armpit hair
Sterile
Short blind-pouch vagina
No uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries
There are testes in the abdomen or the inguinal canal

In individuals diagnosed with this syndrome, the testes may be surgically removed and the patient may be placed on estrogens to help control the female phenotype.

Another source for more info can be found here.

Sex Reversal (De la Chapelle Syndrome):

Occurrence: 1/20,000 according to this source.

General Description: While Testicular Feminization is sometimes also classified as “sex reversal,” in this section I am discussing individuals with a genetic code of XX, but have produced the male phenotype. Basically these males are genetically female.

A particular gene (SRY), usually located on the Y chromosome is transferred to the X chromosome (or sometimes to another chromosome) in an event called crossing over, which can happen when the gametes are being formed during the first stage of meiosis. Crossing over is part of the process of recombination, which is a natural way that organisms can produce cells with different gene combinations than from what they inherited. The SRY gene is the gene on the Y chromosome responsible for androgen production and therefore responsible for male genitalia formation.

Thus, even though the person is genetically XX, the presence of the SRY gene makes it seem like there is a Y in the DNA and produces male characteristics instead of female.

Common Symptoms:

Most have normal male penis development
Small testes or gynecomastia (breast development) may be detected at onset of puberty
Sterility

Occasional Symptoms:

Hypospadias (urethral opening not at normal position)
Undescended testes

Learn more here.

Conclusions: Are These People Transgender?

In doing the research for this article, it was very eye-opening to what kinds of different sex-determining anomalies are out there. I have by no means exhausted all of the cases, but these mentioned are among the most common.

While I would say that the political Transgender movement in the U.S. and other countries definitely has an agenda that may or may not be beneficial to these people, the above examples show us that biological gender isn’t always as straightforward as most people think.

It can be easy to think in medical terminology (or political terminology for that matter) and forget that these anomalies occur to real people. What would you do if your doctor told you that the reason you can’t have kids is that you are really a woman (or man)? How would you tell your spouse? What would their response be?

You see, life is complicated for these people and we as Christians need to be careful and thoughtful in how we respond. While many who claim to be transgender are doing it because it is the new fad, the new social “injustice” to fight, or some other reason, there are others out there who are truly hurting people just trying to understand themselves and their place in this world.

To answer the burning question “Are these people transgender?”: I would have to say, it depends. The “Trans” in transgenderism indicates that there is some sort of transformation occurring. In my mind this would be a deliberate (or forced) change for some reason or another, usually to make the “outside” you match the “inside” you. Since genetics is essentially part of the “outside” you, I would say that the above conditions should not be classified “transgender.” Also, these sexual anomalies are not the choice of the person, but something they were born with.

A sexual anomaly only becomes transgender when, for example, in the case of sex reversal, when the person is genetically XX and has definite male parts, but decides to become a woman in order to match their DNA. This is a little silly as it is because of the DNA that he is male anyway. In such a case, a person would have to do intensive surgery and have to be on a ton of medication to regulate the hormones (as even a normal person who decides to be transgender would have to do). I could get into conspiracy theories about how pharmaceutical companies love this, but I will refrain from that for now.

However, sometimes the physical sex of the person is hard to determine and surgery and medications are needed in order for that person to have some sense of normalcy in that person’s life. So there are some gray areas here, too.

It is unfortunate that for these people their private lives have been blasted wide open by the issue of Transgenderism. What should have been a private, case-by-case issue is now an attempt for religions and governments to come up with general answers to not only the questions asked by the people who truly have sexual anomalies, but also to the silly nonsense that goes on in the political realm.

Regardless, the Christian response needs to be one of inquiry, self-education, and, above all, love. By being informed we can better be equipped to ask the right questions to determine the real issues and be able to help these people with the emotional/spiritual burdens these issues cause. I suggest that we avoid broad, sweeping allegations and take each person we meet (whether defining themselves as “transgender” or as someone with an actual sexual anomaly) on a case-by-case basis. Even though we live in a fallen world where not everything natural works the way it was designed, people are still people. And they need Jesus just like the rest of us.

Sources:

M. Thain, M. Hickman. The Penguin Dictionary of Biology – 11th Edition. Penguin Books: 2004
Powell-Hamilton, Nina N. “Overview of Sex Chromosome Anomolies. Merkmanuals.com
O’Neil, Dennis. “Human Chromosomal Abnormalities. www2.palomar.edu
Bank, Eric. “Extra Y Chromosome in Men”: Aug 2018. Sciencing.com
Testicular Feminization: Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Discussions Based on a Case Report
Shiel, William C., Jr. “Medical Definition of Testicular feminization syndrome.” www.medicinenet.com
Shiel, William C., Jr. “Medical Definition of XX male syndrome.” www.medicinenet.com
A.A. Dominguez, R.A. Reijo Pera. “Infertility: XX male syndrome.” Brenner’s Encyclopedia of Genetics (Second Edition), 2013
Other sources not mentioned here have been linked in the post above.

The Other Half of the Gospel

It has become commonplace at least in Western culture to know that Jesus has died for our sins. Some take that seriously and try to change their lives for the better on their own. In so doing they create new rules to keep them from even getting close to wrongdoing or sin. Others take God’s grace for granted and use it as an excuse to sin. These people’s lives look no different than people outside the Church. However, I believe that for many churches and denominations, the people are only being told about one part of the story.

“¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” -John 3:16

However, this is only half of the Gospel. The other half of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ didn’t remain dead; he rose from the grave. His new life is a promise that someday we too will rise from the dead. The interesting thing is that that resurrected life can begin even before we are dead.

The First Half of the Gospel: The Need for a Sin-Taker

The first part of the Gospel is that our sins need to be taken away. In the beginning, God created the world and put humanity in charge of it all (Genesis 1). He then gave humanity a choice: to obey a simple command or give in to curiosity, to gain God’s knowledge through a different route than from God himself. This would in effect give humanity the power to be its own god. This was the choice at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). It was a choice that seemed beneficial at the time, but once the fruit was eaten, shame gave way to the realization that they were naked. They tried to clothe themselves to hide their shame, because they knew they had done something wrong.

Through this action sin entered humanity. Innocence was lost. Humanity once depended on God for knowledge of things good and evil, but now mankind had obtained the knowledge itself. It is this knowledge that teaches children to lie to their parents. It is this power that is now in humanity’s genetic code, so to speak, that makes us inherently want to harm others, take advantage of others, have power over our own lives and live in a state of pure ecstasy and pleasure at the expense of our own health and well-being and that of those around us. We feel we ought to be able to make our own rules and live without the consequences of our own decisions.

However, there are always consequences when our choices are made against the way God has designed us; that is against his Law. Before the Law was given, people had to live by faith and to keep order in ancient societies, some civilizations picked up on the natural laws God had originally set up. This is probably why Hamarabi’s code is a lot like the Ten Commandments. God’s nature can be seen in His creation.

All across the world, different peoples and tribes have come up with ways to atone for their wrongdoings. This was first established when God provided clothing to cover the man and woman’s nakedness, at the sacrifice of an innocent animal (Genesis 3:21). Their children continued this practice of sacrifice, one sacrificing animals (Abel) and the other sacrificing part of his crops (Cain). Each did it to regain God’s favor. One received it because he had purer motives. The other did not receive the favor, because of impure motives. And thus, the first murder occurred over jealousy of God’s favor.

And yet, all ancient peoples, even those who believed in multiple gods and worshiped idols, felt like humanity didn’t measure up. God even revealed this when He gave the Israelites the Law (Exodus 20). God gave them instructions on how to atone for all kinds of different and specific sins..

Yet even those nations who did not know Jehovah God offered all kinds of burnt offerings to appease their own gods. Some societies even recognized that the blood of animals wasn’t enough to cover sin. Even children and people were sacrificed to gain the gods’ favor. Such were the efforts to overcome humanity’s own evil, and yet it was with evil by taking innocent life that it was attempted to overcome this inability to measure up and be blessed by the gods.

God, seeing this, provided his own salvation in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, not just for those who already believed in Him (the Jews), but for all people. He lived a perfect, sinless life. God, in flesh, was able to maintain absolute purity, even though He was tempted just as we were (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22).

“He saw that there was no one,

was appalled that there was none to intervene;

Then his own arm brought about the victory,

and his justice sustained him.”

Isaiah 59:16

Although, it would seem to some that Jesus failed in his mission in that he was killed before his ministry could really flourish, that really was his mission. His goal was to take humanity’s place in God’s wrath so that those who believed in him would not spiritually perish, but would have a chance at everlasting life (John 3:16).

“¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” -John 3:16-19 NABRE

It is at the cross where God’s absolute justice and absolute mercy meet. For in many other religions and belief systems, there is no mechanism to take away sin completely as in belief in Jesus. You either have a just god who is going to send everyone to hell anyway, or you have a god who is as sinful as humanity and is completely merciful, overlooking the sin and even promoting or approving of it. For in the ancient days, people had to continue to sacrifice animals to cover over new sins. However, Jesus Christ died, once for all sin in all people, so that the offer of God’s forgiveness could be brought to the whole world.

This is the first half of the Gospel: that total forgiveness of sins is possible. It is a powerful and wonderful thing to be able to present ourselves to God, imperfect as we are and to identify with Jesus to cover over our sins. Yet, Jesus did not remain in the grave. It was on the third day that he rose again from the grave and was witnessed by many, even over 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). By his death he brought justification, but by raising to life, he brought sanctification, the ability for the believer to live according to God’s desire and have the hope that, one day, even the believer will be raised to new life, not only spiritually but physically too.

The Second Half of the Gospel: Life Through the Spirit

“¹⁸I will not leave you orphans…”

-John 14:18a

Jesus was “²⁵…was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification”

Romans 4:25

After Jesus died, was resurrected and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to those who believed (Acts 1-2). This is a topic that is extremely important as I believe that many are willing to accept Jesus’ death, but fewer still are taught about his resurrection and, furthermore, our own promised resurrection.

Ephesians 1:13-14 states that once someone accepts Christ into their hearts, then they are sealed with the Holy Spirit, “guaranteeing our inheritance” until God redeems all who are His. This verse can be troublesome for those who believe a person can lose their salvation, a topic for another time. My point is that the Holy Spirit is the one who draws a person to Christ and then dwells in the person after he/she has believed and accepted Christ.

The majority of Christians are familiar with how Jesus died for our sins past, present, and future. However, now that we have access to the Spirit, we have God living in us being able to guide us out of our wrongdoing and overcome sin. This is the other half of the Gospel that is often left out or ignored completely in modern day Bible teaching and preaching.

God has not only given us a way to be forgiven of our sins by the death of Jesus Christ, but He has provided a way for us to be able to live according to His commands by allowing the believer to commune with the Holy Spirit.

Our fallen nature tells us to fulfill our selfish pleasures, often at the expense of others and our own spiritual and physical health. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, gives us the desire to change and to want to do things for the right reasons. As we continue to allow the Spirit to work in our lives, we find ourselves wanting to do less and less evil and more and more good instead (read Romans 6-8 for more about this).

The Holy Spirit enables us to do good works, not out of a blind obligation to some written code (such as the Old Testament Law), but out of a desire to do what is right. In fact the Bible says that if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians 5:18-22). The reason for this is that the results (the fruit) of living by the Spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” There is no law against such things, because such things fulfill the law by their very nature.

For example, the speed limit in a certain part of the city is 25 mph. The city normally makes this type of law not to aggravate those who wish to go faster, but to protect that area from faster vehicles. There could be a residential area, a school, or lots of other vehicles loading and unloading which require drivers to pay more attention in this area. Thus, the law is created to protect people because not everyone thinks about other people. Usually when a person sees the speed limit, he is only thinking about the speed limit itself, not about the intent.

In contrast, life by the Holy Spirit bypasses the written law and gives the believer extra awareness outside of himself. If everyone had the Holy Spirit in their lives we would not have to have speed limit laws, because everyone would be thinking “Hey the school is nearby, there may be children walking, I need to slow down,” instead of thinking “Oh man, I’ve got to slow down and now I’m going to be late for my appointment!”

In another example, I myself have struggled with a certain sin in the past and have been working through this with God recently to overcome it. In the past I have wanted to overcome it because I knew it was wrong, but in my heart, I still really wanted to do it. However, I am blessed to know that the Holy Spirit is working in me now, because last week I realized that instead of wanting to want to overcome it, I actually now do truly want to overcome it for my own sake.

In this way the believer is being redeemed from the inside out. Once a person truly accepts Christ, his/her sins are forgiven and sanctification begins. When a person becomes a Christian, they don’t have to wait until they die to be resurrected, their resurrection has already begun and their heavenly life begins at conversion.

“⁹But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.”

-Romans 8:9-11 (NABRE)

Or, as C.S. Lewis has said: “Death is working itself backwards.”

Spiritual Aspects of Transgenderism and Christianity

One of the many hot-button topics that is affecting our culture today is the idea that one’s gender may or may not depend on one’s physical expression of the genetic gender of that individual. For example, a person may be genetically and biologically male, but feel like his gender identity, who he really is on the inside, is that of a female. Thus, he/she questions which gender should be expressed. To express his male outside would seem to force him to attempt to express his male nature by practicing social norms that other males exhibit. However, inside “he” feels like this is an act. He is not being true to herself, because she really feels like a female. Which gender should be accepted?

Thus we have a faint introduction into transgenderism. While it seems like such a straight-forward issue for many, it is a real struggle for some. Despite many people using this issue to draw attention to themselves and seek a popularity that they may not otherwise have had without identifying as transgender, I do believe it is a legitimate issue for some. Therefore, I wish to discuss it here in depth to help those who are truly seeking to find themselves. I anticipate that I will offend both sides of the argument, but I seek to understand the truth, not merely take a side.

What Does It Mean to Be Transgender?

This is a question for the ages and it depends on who you ask and who you talk to within this group/movement of people. For some it is simply that one believes they are truly the opposite sex than what is expressed genetically/physically. For others their sexuality is more “fluid” or rather their gender/sexuality is beyond defining by mere male or female, hence the trans in “transgender.” Back in 2014, Russell Goldman of ABC posted an article listing 58 of the possible genders one could choose for their Facebook profile. I don’t currently have a Facebook account myself, but I’m sure that number has increased since then.

In a Times special edition entitled The Science of Gender, Katy Steinmetz wrote the article “Infinite Identities,” in which she had interviewed different young people who are within this movement. She explains that even those who are within the movement have trouble keeping up with what certain labels mean. Here she quotes Nick Teich, a transgender man who started the first summer camp for transgender youth in America in 2009:

“We have a growing number of kids who identify as genderqueer, nonbinary, gender-variant. People put ‘demigirl,’ ‘genderless,’ ‘no gender,’ ‘all genders,’ ‘pangender.’ We get things all the time, and I’m like, ‘What is this? I have to look this up.’ “

Since Transgenderism is so hard to define, I believe that for me to attempt to do so here would do a disservice to those involved. Perhaps a better question would be to ask: “Is it invalid to classify a person based on their biological sex?”

Yet, even that has its complications, as I will discuss further when I cover genetic abnormalities of the sex chromosomes. Today, however, I wanted to discuss more along the spiritual aspects of Transgenderism and how it relates to Christianity if at all.

Who Am I on the Inside?

This seems to be the question at the core of Transgenderism as if one’s “inside” doesn’t match the outside, then there is a feeling that in order to be genuine and real, one must take up the attempt at making the outside match the inside. But, where does this “inside” reside? If genetically and physically a person is a male, but feels on the inside that he is really a female, what is meant by “inside”?

Once we have gone beyond the physical and genetic realms of being, we approach the realms of the mind, soul, and spirit, which for the sake of argument will blend together as a “soul” issue. In this sense, Transgenderism can at its initial phase seem more spiritual than Christianity, because it is the attempt at making the natural fit the supernatural.

But, that begs the question as to whether a soul has a gender/sex identification with it at all. Some religions (even facets of Christianity) promote heaven as a place where all your sensual desires will be met. However, this may not be the case if in fact the soul/spirit has no gender at all. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about this.

A Gendered Soul?

A group of Jews called the Sadducees posed a question to Jesus about marriage and the resurrection. According to their customs if a man was married and had a brother and the man died, then his brother would marry the widow to continue his brother’s line. The question was: if a man had seven brothers and each died in his turn and married the same woman, whose wife would she be at the resurrection?

Jesus answered by saying that they didn’t know the scriptures or the power of God. “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven” (Matt 22:30 NABRE), he said.

“Well,” you might say, “there may not be marriage in heaven, but open sexual intercourse may be allowed.”

While I hate to disappoint you (and perhaps myself) in this matter, I believe that God equates marriage and sex. For there are laws in the Old Testament regarding sex and marriage. Namely if a man seduces a virgin, he must pay the bride price and make her his wife. If there is a refusal to marry by one party or the other, he must still pay the bride price (Exodus 22: 15-17). While this is similar to our system of child support, it seems to me that by establishing this law for the Jews God made sex equal to marriage. This is a concept that may be foreign to our modern ears as there have been major strides in our culture to separate sex and marriage as two distinct things, especially since the 1960s.

Regardless, sex and marriage are part of our physical experience. If indeed our souls, our spiritual selves, are like the angels and the angels are genderless, then it would follow that our souls, too are genderless.

This seems to work as this is how we are all equal in God’s sight, despite the fact that we all have different heritages, sizes, strengths and weaknesses and even different genders in our physical selves.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Physical Descriptions Are Valid, But Limited

Back to my original question: “Is it invalid to classify a person based on their biological sex?”

The answer, I believe, is “no.” If our souls are not gendered then it is perfectly valid to classify ourselves as male or female in the physical sense. We are only describing our physical bodies.

However, sex/gender isn’t the only thing that defines us, nor is our worth/value merely limited to the physical aspects of ourselves. Our soul has an infinitude of depth to it that cannot be completely defined by physical definitions. I blame our over sexual culture for instigating the idea that we can somehow define ourselves with sex and gender. We are simply not limited to this.

We are so much more.

However, we should not be surprised that people are acting “lost” as they try to define themselves. The only way to be found is to go to Jesus and accept him as savior.

The only definition you will need to know then is that you will have become God’s child. The rest (male, female, cis-male, a-gendered, all-gendered, … whatever) doesn’t really matter as much.

What is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity. Some parts of Christianity and other religions believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus is the third part of the Trinity. That is actually not true and not mentioned in the Bible anywhere. The Holy Spirit is his own entity. He, as Jesus, is 100% God, but acts as an individual person in submission to the Father. “One God in three persons,” as an old hymn goes.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Since we are made in God’s image, we can use our own makings to further understand this mystery. Many say that we are made up of body, soul, and spirit. Our body is our physical manifestation of ourselves (as Jesus is of the Trinity). Our soul is the core of our being from which all of our personality derives (as compared to the Father). Nothing in the rest of our being does anything, unless our soul wishes to do it. Our spirit is our immaterial living part. It is where our conscience resides. In the same way God’s Holy Spirit can commune with our spirit and guide us to do good. He allows us to know and do God’s will.

I would go so far to say that perhaps a person isn’t fully alive without the Spirit. Many people interchange spirit and soul when they talk about our spiritual being. Perhaps we are only living ⅔ of our lives without the Holy Spirit living in us. That could be why when people are non-Christians they feel like they are missing something in their lives, but when they find Christ and accept his Spirit to live in them, then they have found what was missing.

Abilities/Functions of the Holy Spirit

Some believe that the Holy Spirit was only poured out on the apostles so they could lead and build the Church and that many believers don’t have the Spirit after conversion, but evidence from the New Testament show that just as Joel promised (Joel 3:1-2) the Holy Spirit has been poured out and is available to all who put their faith in Christ. Here is a non-exhaustive list of short descriptions of the abilities of the Holy Spirit:

He acknowledges Jesus Christ (1 John 4:2-3)
He is a teacher (John 14:26)
He will tell followers of Jesus what to say when confronted by others (Luke 12:12)
He enables people to speak in other languages that were not originally known to the believer (Acts 2:4; 1 Corinthians 14)
Performs signs and wonders so unbelievers are convinced (Hebrews 2:4)
Enables believers with different gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Gives boldness (Acts 1:8; 4:31)
He reveals the truth and gives discernment (Acts 5:3; 1 Corinthians 2:11)
Directly communicates with believers (Acts 13:2)
Accompanied by joy (Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6)
Warns of upcoming events such as trials and tribulations (Acts 20:23)
Reveals the future; allows believers to prophecy (Acts 21:11)
Love of God accompanied with the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)
Searches the heart and acts as an intercessor between God and believer (Romans 8:27)
Accompanied by hope and power (Romans 15:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:5)
Involved in sanctifying the believer (Romans 15:16; Titus 3:5)
Dwells within the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14)
Acts as a seal of salvation; a guarantee of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30)
Revealer of mysteries (Ephesians 3:1-6)
Responsible for all prophecy (2 Peter 1:21)

How do we obtain the Holy Spirit?:

Received after repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38)
Received after prayer (Acts 8:15) and/or laying on of hands (Acts 8:17)
Received as people heard the message of Christ and accepted it (Acts 10:44)
Received before baptism (Acts 10:47)
Received after 2nd baptism of followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-6)
Received at belief and acceptance of Christ (Ephesians 1:13)

Will Jesus Rapture His Church in 2021?

Transcript:

Christ’s return is soon.

My name is Omni from Omnicrontrion.com

I dabble in Christian Astrology – not to be confused with modern astrology in which an individual’s future can be told by the stars.

No, the stars don’t tell the future for people. However, the stars were created “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” – Gen 1:14.

Wise men from the East, possibly disciples of Daniel, were able to tell from the stars when Christ came the first time. A good documentary to watch about this is The Star of Bethlehem with research done by Rick Larson.

Books such as The Real Meaning of the Zodiac by Dr. James Kenned and The Gospel in the Stars: Or, Primeval Astronomy by Joseph Augustus Seiss, show that God had purposefully created the zodiac and their respective signs to tell His story, the story of redemption.

Today, I am not going to go into all of the details of the whole zodiac, but I may create another video that goes into this in more detail.

My focus today is to present to you a very recent sign; a sign that is a probably precursor to the rapture.

The sign in particular comes from Revelation chapter 12.

1-3:^1 [^a^]A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman^[^b^] clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ²She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.^[c]

-NABRE

This sign appeared in the zodiac on Sept 23, 2017. I did not know about it at the time, but was informed by a family member that some of her friends were freaking out over this sign. She knew that I had dabbled in minimal research about the stars and their meanings in respect to scripture. I told her I would look into it.

Using the star program Stellarium, I was able to view the sign and other future signs, which I will get to in a bit. There are other programs out there that may be more accurate. I was able to download this one for free.

I set my viewing location to Jerusalem in Israel, since it seems to be a significant place in God’s heart, according to the scriptures.

There are several requirements for this sign:

A woman clothed with the sun
the moon under her feet
crown of twelve stars
The woman was pregnant and was about to give birth

All four of these occur in the sign that happened on Sept 23, 2017.

Woman clothed with the sun – The sun was positioned in Virgo during this time, as it is on a yearly basis.
The moon was under her feet – This does not always occur at the same time every year.
The crown of twelve stars – Mercury, Venus, and Mars combined with the constellation Leo (traditionally made up of 9 stars) to form a crown of 12 “stars”.
The woman was pregnant and about to give birth – Jupiter (the “star”/planet associated with kingship in astrology) had been in retrograde in Virgo for about 9-10 months. It entered Virgo toward the end of Dec 2016/beginning of Jan 2017 and stayed inside the constellation until Sept 23, 2017. When it abruptly left the constellation.

Of course the world didn’t end, nor did the rapture happen in 2017. However, if we continue reading in Revelation 12, there are some other interesting things about this sign that we need to keep in mind.

The scriptures speak of another great sign appearing, one referring to Satan. There is a battle in heaven with Satan and his angels and Michael and his angels. To what this refers, I will have to cover at a different time in more detail. However, the woman escapes the wrath of the dragon by going into the wilderness. There are two instances which refer to the time period in which this happens.

Rev 12:6

⁶The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.

-NABRE

Rev 12:

¹⁴But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.

-NABRE

Some translations say “a time, times and half a time.”

Some interesting things happen in the sky when we use that timeframe from the sign on Sept 23, 2017.

Once again, we are viewing the sky as it appears in Jerusalem. I have set the date to approximately 3-1/2 years from Sept 23, 2017, which is Mar 23, 2021.

If we follow Jupiter, the king planet and it representing the “One who will rule the nations”, we see that it ends up behind Capricornus, near its fish-tail.

The planet Saturn, which represents Time is in the heart of the goat part of Capricornus.

In the past and more recently, the fish has been a symbol of Christianity, while on the other hand the goat has been the symbol of Satan.

Taking what we know about the symbolic language used in Revelation 12 and what the meanings of the zodiac, stars and planets have symbolically meant over the centuries, could this be a dual symbol for the Rapture?

Jesus (represented by Jupiter) is with his fishes and time (Saturn) is in the heart of the goat/Devil.

I will let that sink in for just a few seconds.

Now, why am I telling you this? You may be thinking, “Well, Omni, so many people have put dates on Jesus’ return in the past and they have never come true.”

And I would say that you are right. For as Jesus says in Matt 24:46: “No one knows the day or the hour… but the Father…”

There are some issues involved with calculating the date as I have done. For instance, 3-1/2 years in our calendar puts the possible Rapture on Mar 23, 2021. However, if we go by Rev 12:6, the 1,260 days puts us on Mar 6, 2021.

This second date is also based on the Babylonian calendar, which only has 360 days to one year as compared with our 365.

However, as this proves, I do not know the exact date or hour at which our Savior will visit us. Yet, after viewing this sign, I do believe that we have narrowed it down to the season.

I share this as a warning for those who have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. For he is coming for his own and afterward will be trials and judgments like the world has never seen.

I do not want people to be quitting their jobs and simply waiting for this to come to pass. I admit that I could be totally wrong and that the Rapture may not happen in Spring 2021.

But, what if it does?

If you are a Christian, will you be ready for the master to find you at your assigned task, doing what he has instructed you to do?

If you are not a Christian, are you ready to face God as judge?

The clock is ticking, and even if Jesus doesn’t return next spring, wouldn’t it be good to get right with Him anyway?

He could come tomorrow, or next month, or next year, or next decade. But, one thing is for sure, He is coming. Will you be among the ones He takes with Him?

Seek Christ while he may be found. The time for God’s grace is almost near the end. Take hold of that grace today and ask Jesus to forgive and save you from your sins.

Is Being Gay a Sin?: The Gay Debate – Part 8 (of 8)

When I googled the question: “Can a Christian be Homosexual?”, a link to a page by a fellow named Matthew Vines was among the top on the list. Mr. Vines is of the view that homosexuality should be allowed in the Church. A link to his page can be found here: The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality.

Mr. Vines makes several points (the bold is covered in this post, click previous points to see my response):

Once again I find myself agreeing with Vines on his view that being “different” is not a sin, but then in the same thought, I must disagree with his view that “being gay is not a sin either.” Then again, it all comes down to definition. What does it mean to be gay?

The “Queer” community has done some work for us in this. It is called the Decahedron of Q and it can be found at this website.

The Queer community has tried to identify the various forms of queerness, which they label as a minority. Included in this list are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, allies, and pan-sexual. Definitions for each category can be found on the website as well.

However, as a Christian, can I really condemn all of these as sin? Who of us hasn’t questioned their own sexuality? I myself questioned my sexuality at different times in my life; does that make me gay? Paul the apostle describes himself as what may be considered “asexual” by the definitions given in the website. Does that make him “queer” too?

Some of these categories are defined only by desires and others by actions, so it can be difficult when someone confesses that they are homosexual to determine what exactly is meant. It is important for us as Christians to ask penetrating questions so that we can understand where they are coming from, help them with their spiritual needs to get to Christ, and lead them in their journey of sanctification. Having the Queer community define queerness in these categories is extremely helpful and helps us to understand that what is communicated when someone says “I am a homosexual,” may not always mean that they are participating in an active lifestyle.

My advice for the Church is to define sinful homosexuality as the active kind, one in which partakers are active with partners. The inactive homosexuality or queerness may or may not be sinful. Even Jesus said that if you lust for a woman, you commit adultery with her in your heart. However, as I mentioned, desires are not necessarily sin in-and-of-themselves. Most of the time they are merely temptations of sin, put there by either the Devil or our own sinful nature. It seems this view is the most Biblical view to take as it treats homosexuality like every other human desire.

Homosexual marriage, then, would fall into the category of active homosexuality. Even though it would be a union recognized by the government (and some churches), it is not acceptable to God. My advice for those homosexuals who have remained abstinent as Vines has would be to attempt several heterosexual relationships. And by attempt, I mean an actual relationship, not active sex. Purity should be promoted in all hetero- and homo-sexual relationships. I think in a real mutual relationship, you will find that loneliness dissipates, not because sexual desires are met, but because you have someone to share life with. For those not desiring marriage, pursue close friendships in purity as well, because there is great value in having a friend that is closer than a brother.

“What if I am already in a homosexual marriage?” someone might say. My simple answer is to go to Christ and really pray for guidance. He will give it. My hard answer is to seriously consider divorce. I don’t like saying that because I hate it and I know God hates it also. But, God has allowed it, perhaps in foreseeing this day. Holy divorce is not unprecedented, as those Israelites who had broken the command to not intermarry with people of the surrounding sinful nations repented through divorce in order to be obedient to God (see Ezra 10), so it may be that a similar thing must occur with someone who is in a homosexual marriage. As I have said, it is a difficult topic upon which I hope to shed more light on in future posts.

Why the Church Needs to Be More Accepting of Those of Homosexual Orientation: The Gay Debate – Part 7 (of 8)

Mr. Vines makes several points (the bold is covered in this post, click previous points to see my response):

Vines argues that the church has been very hateful towards homosexuality and that they need to be more accepting. According to Vines, homosexuals need to be allowed in the Church and that the Church should bless homosexual marriages, especially those who have been abstinent and pure.

While I agree with him in that homosexuals should be accepted at church, I disagree with him in his belief that the Church should promote and bless homosexual marriage in an effort to “fix” the homosexual’s loneliness. But, you might ask, how can you have one without the other?

The role of the Church is to bring sinners to Christ for redemption. It is to accomplish this by sharing truth and providing a place where kindness, compassion, fellowship, and Biblical teaching can provide growth to the believer. It is not the Church that does the redeeming or sanctifying, that is Christ’s job. The goal of the Church is to encourage one another to do the right things even when it is painful and to be a source of comfort, while it stands uncompromising on the truth, so that people can become better through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So when I say that the Church should be accepting of homosexuals, I mean it for the same way it should be accepting of people of every sin: alcoholics, adulterers, murders, gossips, etc. The problem is that when someone comes to Christ, the old nature is gone and must be done away with and we must live in the newness of Christ. I don’t believe that homosexuals are so much more sinful than anyone else; that they cannot come to a church service or should be discriminated against to not be allowed. We as a Church need to love them and bring these people to Christ!

Now as far as becoming a Christian and then continuing in the acts of homosexuality, that is a different story. We are all fallible and even as much as we would like to be able to be dunked in water and pledge our lives to Christ to shine in perfection for the rest of our lives, that is rarely the case. Sin will always try to poke its head back into the life of the new Christian. While we still turn to Christ, there are times when Christians fail. It sometimes takes the rest of our lives to get sin sanctified out of ourselves. Ask anyone who has a past of habitual sin, such as alcoholism or lust. It can be very difficult to get out of these sins and when it is finally accomplished, the desires are still there. It is a practice of relying on Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to overcome the sins of the flesh. It is good to have people in the Church you can trust for accountability in the journey to overcoming; we can’t do it on our own.

If it is so difficult for a heterosexual to overcome sin, why should we be surprised when a homosexual struggles with it? Or on the other hand, why should the homosexual expect the bar to be dropped for him when no universal revelation (as that which occurred when the Gentiles were let into the fold) to do such a thing has been made to the Church as a whole?

Some proponents of homosexuality argue that since a great amount of divorce is allowed in the Church (and therefore adultery, as not all are for simple marital unfaithfulness, as Jesus spoke of marriage in Matthew 5:32), then why can’t homosexuality be allowed? There are different circumstances of divorce in the Church. Some were divorced before coming to Christ. Thus, Christ’s grace has covered their past sins. Some have become Christians while their spouse has not, causing a rift and eventual divorce. Some Christians marry non-Christians and over time have issues that cannot be resolved. Sometimes both are Christians and divorce occurs. There are hundreds if not thousands of reasons why divorce happens at all. I will let God be the judge of their hearts as to what is legitimate and what has been done for selfishness reasons.

However, I do believe that the Western Church today has become overly gracious to the point that important steps of faith like repentance have been put by the wayside to boost numbers. Of course not all churches are this way.

Some churches have strict rules regarding divorcees in leadership. While divorcees can still be active members of the Church, many denominations require extensive investigation and discussion into a person’s personal matters before they can assume a leadership role, especially that of a pastor. This investigation occurs even when the divorce is legitimate. Other such investigations occur in other cases of known sin. Churches want their place of worship and activities to be a safe place for people to come to know Christ. If you are a former pedophile, don’t expect to be promoted to youth leader without some investigation by the elders. Should not the same be said for homosexuality if it is indeed a sin?

A lot of the stigma of the Church being against homosexuality is the belief that homosexuality is the last great sin before judgement as seen in the extreme cases of Sodom and Gomorrah. Much of this is due to the fact that at one time the Church held such prominence in the society that most citizens were considered Christians. To this day there are people who equate being an American with being a Christian, or vice versa. Thus if America is found sinful, then we are on the verge of judgement.

I do not doubt this since God is a judge of nations, but being a Christian is not tied to our citizenship on this earth. It supersedes it. The fact that America, Britain, France, or any other country has sin in their culture is a sign that they need the truth of Christ now more than ever!

Allowing or promoting sin in the Church will not bring someone closer to God. In fact, many people who have turned away from the Church have done so in disgust of this very thing. Usually, someone in the Church is put upon a pedestal (figuratively) either by their own power or by others, and when it comes out that this person has done something awful in his office (or sometimes in his past), then these people leave that church and sometimes don’t try another, thinking that all churches must be this way. To an extent, all churches have messed up people in them and some grace must be applied. However, when a leader does something harmful to someone else in abuse of his power and authority, the other leaders of that church should confront him and decide upon a punishment, which would probably end up being termination of the person’s contract.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Wise leaders know their weaknesses and don’t put themselves in a position to fail. For example, I know several male pastors who counsel both men and women. When counseling men, the door can be closed, but when counseling women, the door is left open where other church officials can hold the pastor accountable. It is not that they particularly struggle with heterosexual lust, but that they don’t want anyone to be able to accuse them of misconduct. If there is a person who struggles with homosexual lust on the other hand, perhaps the door could be closed with members of the opposite sex and open with members of the same sex. Perhaps in this day and age, it is best to leave the door open at all times. Regardless, there are safety precautions to take when letting new Christians, who are also in the process of sanctification like everyone else, lead. Those who do not take precautions are usually the ones who end up giving into their old desires and disgracing the Church and Christ.

Thus, the Church needs to decide if homosexuality is a sin. Again, here I distinguish the desire to want to act out homo-sexually (most would label this the ‘homosexual’) and the actual acting out of homosexual acts (the active homosexual). Most people have that pet desire, that one sin that they struggle with and wish to be easily taken away. It can be drugs, alcohol, pornography, adultery, or any blend of desires. These people are sometimes born with these desires, have learned them along the way, or act on these sins in order to medicate some abuse from the past. Yet, they are all still sinful.

Having those inborn desires, doesn’t make the homosexual a special case; it makes him like the rest of us.

A Lesson in Linguistics: The Gay Debate – Part 6 (of 8)

Mr. Vines makes several points (the bold is covered in this post, click previous points to see my response):

Vines says that certain compound words which reference homosexual behavior in the New Testament may not apply due to the syntax (the literal meaning) of the word and the context (meaning gathered from the use of the word). The main word that he mentions is Paul’s use of “arsenokoitai,” which is a compound word from two words: one meaning “man” and the other meaning “bed” (1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10).

His point is that most compound words are put together to create a new word and so the literal meanings of the original words cannot be used to describe the thing the new word was created for. Let’s take a look at a few modern day compound words he mentioned and see if this is true.

Butterfly – a compound word of “butter” and “fly.” If you have ever caught a butterfly, you would understand why it is called this. Butterflies have a powder on their wings that feels and sometimes looks a lot like butter. While the flying insect is not made of butter, it seems that it is aptly named.

Honeymoon – a season of life shortly after one is wed, in which the spouses get to celebrate their commitment to each other in a sensual and enjoyable way. Taking the literal words: Honey – something sweet; and moon – the heavenly body that usually references the night. By combining these two words together you get a literal meaning close to “sweet night.” Being married myself, I cannot disagree with that meaning.

Now that we understand its It can be used in its original meaning, people have used it in other contexts to refer to a season of easiness or bliss. It can be used in an employment context, for instance when your boss informs you “the honeymoon is over.” That means that the initial part of the job is over and now much more is expected of you.

Understand – This one I admit is more difficult to define by its semantics alone. It means to know another person’s knowledge as they know it. “Under” of course means below. “Stand” – could be a position of a person, place or thing, or it could be referencing an actual physical object. To have “understanding” in this sense would mean that you possess the knowledge that is deeper (underlying) than the superficial knowledge, or that you possess enough basic (underlying) knowledge of a topic upon which to build further knowledge. This could be in the case of anything, whether you are talking about knowledge of a subject, idea, or relationship information.

My point is this: that even though the compound words do reference a new thing, which has a new definition, often the meaning of the original words are important to that definition. I think we find the same thing with our analysis of Paul’s compound word. If Paul has created a new compound word that means “man bed” or “man bedder,” how else can the insinuation mean but a homosexual act?

Now in regards to context, there are various studies by the Christian gay movement and Vines himself concluding this word is grouped with others that are referencing the immoral situation between men at the time. It was more of a prostitutional situation in which some men were selling younger men and boys to be sex slaves for other men. A lot of sinful things were happening with that whole situation and Paul was right to say these things were wrong (as the proponents for Christian homosexuality would agree).

However, included in this condemnation is the “man bedder,” the one who is taking advantage of the boy prostitutes. This is the one who is engaging in and initializing the active homosexual behaviors. So what is the sin: the prostitution, the taking advantage of innocent boys, or the homosexual act? Why not all three? It would seem to me that this would fit in the context of the whole Bible.

“But no,” my gay friends would say. “This does not represent a mutually consenting relationship.” I would agree, but adultery is also a “mutually consenting” relationship which is punishable by death in Old Testament Law (as is homosexual relations), which is still applicable as I have discussed in Point 3. You don’t get rid of sin just because both parties agree to do it. In fact, both parties were supposed to be punished and deserved death for both homosexual acts and adultery. Thus, I think it is best to conclude that the whole mess is sinful.

Another point is that many of those fighting for the acceptance of homosexuality in the Church bring up that Paul is using a rare word that does not have a lot of outside cultural use or reference. The cultural words used commonly would have applied directly to the situation. Perhaps Paul was trying not to be profane in his references to the homosexual abuse situations. Or, maybe Paul was ahead of his time and created the word to apply to such a definition as to match our “modern” definition of the active homosexual, the person with the tendency or “bend” toward homosexual activity who is actively engaging in the behavior.

Omnicron Trion

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A Lesson in Linguistics: The Gay Debate – Part 6 (of 8)