I want to make clear that we do not earn our salvation by keeping laws. We cannot add our works or anything to grace of the gift of salvation. But I believe we are required to keep commandments in the grace of the empowering of The Spirit of Christ Jesus. To have sin structures brought to death that cause us to lose the victory as to why we go back and break laws again.
Jesus knows our hearts and only He can Judge any person on that day of judgment. Overcoming and understanding our same sex attraction is not as cut and dry as I believe I repent I renounce I want to get into heaven.
In my pursuit of understanding can I be a practicing lesbian according to the bible, I can never get past laws written in Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 - "You shall not" as these are listed with other "you shall not" of His list of unlawful sexual relations and or sexual practices.
I would not have believed it was sin except the law said. Sure He understands causations and backsliding and fortified strongholds and spirits of darkness. But, I'm not addressing that in this book "is my salvation real?"
The intro to this chapter 4 I'm teaching laws exist about acting out SSA.
"You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5. Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord."
Leviticus 18:
Verse 6 - no sex with close relative
Verse 7 - no sex with your mother
Verse 8 - no sex with your fathers wife
Verse 9 - no sex with your sister
Verse 10 - no sex with son or daughters daughter
Verse 11 - no sex with daughter of your fathers wife
Verse 12 - no sex with your fathers sister
Verse 13 - no sex with your mothers sister
Verse 14 - no sex with your fathers bothers wife
Verse 15 - no sex with your daughter in law
Verse 16 - no sex with your brothers wife
Verse 17 - no sex with both a woman and her daughter
Verse 18 - no sex with your wife's sister while she is alive
Verse 19 - no sex with her while she is on a period
Verse 20 - no sex with your neighbours wife
Verse 21 - no sex with priestess of the temple or giving kid to Moloch in ritual
Verse 22 - no sex with the same sex
Verse 23 - no sex with an animal
Verse 29 "Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30. Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God."
Because there are still laws against homosexuality in new Testament, verse 22 has not been fulfilled, therefore, it is still not permissible. Acting out because of the strength or causations, or for how long you can remember being same sex attracted does not nullify His laws.
When a woman is a serial adulterer it is not just about sex. There has to be something a miss with her character, it is corroded. Also she has to be driven by unclean spirits that fortify her lusts and drive to meet her void.
Strongholds exist in all rebellion to the above laws of sexual relations. Especially if we are finding no victory or making excuses why we just have to keep having sex with our father, mother, uncle, aunt, dog, horse, neighbour's wife, or our children or our same sex partner(s).
When we go back to Leviticus 18 verses 1 to 4, Jesus tells us to heed laws by saying "You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5. Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord." He makes it quiet clear by saying "you must."
Reasoning comes forth in verses 7 and 8 below and consequences for breach from 9 to 15 means He is serious - no means NO, zero, zilch, nil, none - do not!
Leviticus 20:
Verse 7 - Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.
Verse 8 - Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
Verse 9 - No cursing mother or father - death
Verse 10 - No committing adultery - death
Verse 11 - No sexual relations with fathers wife - death
Verse 12 - No sexual relations with daughter in law - death
Verse 13 - No sexual relations with same sex - death
Verse 14 - No marrying both daughter and mother - death
Verse 15 - No sexual relations with animal - death
We know Jesus died and took the literal death penalty, however there is a spiritual principle here that these sins are wicked to Him and worthy of death. His rules are to keep the camp or you can say the city clean. Jesus said in verse 23 "Because .... all these things, I abhorred them." Not even liars or idolaters or perjures or thieves can live in this city.
"You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."
His laws define His character, and He tells us what is clean and unclean, what is holy and what is profane. He defines what is holy behaviour and what is unholy behaviour in the "thou shall not" above. Homosexual acts are not holy behaviour, neither is bestiality or incest.
How do we fight this, how do we say "you got it wrong." How do we say "why did you group homosexuals with incest perpetrators, adulterers, bestiality and temple sacrifices of babies, when it is so real, and gay lives matter?"
If only my flesh knew why it has to be such a big deal in getting into heaven having died in a same sex attraction relationship or marriage. Maybe it is as simple as: His ways, His rules, His heavenly city, His Throne, His Lordship - Him Boss, He decides as He Holy.
I guess the bottom line then is - Accept Him or Reject Him, and the choice ours.
As you read below it will be clearer as to why the laws against same sex relations of the old are still operative in the new.
One more truth of the promise of this New Covenant
"But when the righteous turns from his righteousness, and does injustice; according to all the abominations that the wicked do, he does; shall he live? All his righteous that he has done shall not be remembered in his treason that he has betrayed, and in his sin that he has sinned-in them he shall die.".
Even though Jesus is our righteousness, the above verses of Ezekiel make mention treason and betrayal is to Him if we act out in those particular sins (any of the list above). If we do act out in these manners that righteousness of Christ seems not to be for account but to our condemnation (die) - for walking in the flesh (Romans 8:1-2).
"...Turn and be made to turn from all your transgressions, and iniquity shall not be a stumbling block to you. 31. Cast away all your transgressions from you by which you have transgressed in them; and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; for why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:24, 30-31
Its good we can return and find mercy and get the chance to repent before we do die.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Chapter 4
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Sanctify them by Your Truth, Your Word is Truth” (John 8:31-32). “When The Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13).
The laws in the Law shows us what sin is and it is laid down for sinful ones as all sin is lawlessness (1 Timothy 8:1-10). The Word writes the standard, and the knowledge of sin is the law or written laws of His righteous requirements for us to live by in His Kingdom.
“Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4
“All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death.” 1 John 5:17
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law,…” 1 John 3:4 (KJ)
“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary; I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” Romans 7:7
In reflection to the above; how do we know what a sin is? We measure it against a written law. Therefore, if I being a man lie with a man as with a woman I am breaking a law that says “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13) To add here both of them have broken this law and broken the first law that joins man and woman together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
All scholars teach that to understand what the Gospels and the Letters write we need to see how the Old interprets the New and the New interprets the Old; and reveal the relationship between that content and its content. The Old Testament interprets the Biblical tradition practiced in the New.
The New will point to the laws in the Old Testament, in particular against practices of homosexuality and sexual immorality. Remember 2 Timothy 3:16-17 all scripture is used for righteous instruction Hebrew teach this also.
In the Law, there are various laws against homosexuality and incest and adultery and bestiality but are there any laws written down in the New to say,
“You [masculine] shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Leviticus 18:22
“If a man lies with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Leviticus 20:13
No, but the New does read, if we are led by the flesh and or are walking in the flesh we are under law made for sinners and all acts of unrighteousness (Romans 7:7; 1 Timothy 1:8-10). The New is pointing to the laws in the Old Testament.
The New is telling us if we are led by the flesh and Galatians 5:19 lists sins of the flesh as adultery, fornication, lustfulness and things like these. These things alike are, homosexual acts and homosexual fornication / adultery and the effeminate that are the things like these as written as law. Therefore, we will come under laws that will be measured up against our works of the flesh.
Our actions have a consequence for breach, so we will receive “the due penalty” written in Romans 1:24 and Ephesians 2:20 becoming cursed children due to spirits of darkness at work for our disobedience (Ephesians 5:5-6; 2 Peter 2:14; Romans 2:8).
We cannot deny that there are laws in both Testaments that tell us what transgression(s) we have committed while being led by our sinful flesh. These laws are carried over and are within this Melchizedek Priesthood of the New Blood Covenant.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Galatians 5:18
“… the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20. Idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fighting’s, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21. envying’s, murders, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these; of which I tell you beforehand, as I also said before, that the ones practicing such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
So of course if you are controlled by The Spirit of Christ Jesus you will not be acting out in fornication or lying with a man as with a woman or vice versa laying with a woman as with a man.
You will have proven Truth, studied to show yourself approved. You will be drinking from the Truth, The One Spirit, not the false teachers and prophets and doctrines of devils having itching ears to suit your lustful self.
“And we know that the Law is good, if anyone uses it lawfully; 9. Knowing this, that law is not laid down for a righteous one but for lawless and unruly ones, for ungodly and sinful ones, for unholy and profane ones, for slayers of fathers and slayers of mothers, for murderers, 10. For fornicators, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and if any other thing opposes sound teaching.” 1 Timothy 1:8-10
Recall,
“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away then a little bit of the law to fail and or lapse.” Luke 16:17
His laws are still operative even though we are in this Covenant dispensation. They are not written in the Gospel’s or the Epistles as they are unfulfilled laws from within the Laws writings and other books of the Old Testament. There is no need to rewrite these particular commands in the New Covenant writings because,
“We do not nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” Romans 3:31
“all Scripture is God-breathed is profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteous living.” 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB
As many have stated to understand what the Gospels and letters proclaim, we need to see it against the background of the Old Testament.
Therefore, to understand what Paul meant by walk in The Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16), and evident written lusts are idolatry, uncleanness and fornication and things alike such as homosexuality. We need to read the laws in the Old Testament against lust, uncleanness, homosexuality and fornication and sodomy.
Recall what the New Testament, New Covenant writes in Ephesians 5:5-6:
“For be knowing this, that every fornicator, or unclean one, or covetous one, who is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for through these the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:5-6
As many writers have said that The Old Testament is not an outdated document; or of no use to us in the Messianic Priesthood Blood Covenant.
Because Paul rejected the Old Testament Law as a means of salvation and righteousness, he did not reject the Old Testament as irrelevant. But he quoted, referred and applied and taught from it within his teachings. These scriptures were what they used before Paul’s teaching letters had circulated, they still used the Old Testament, yes every book.
“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary; I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” Romans 7:7
“We do not nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” Romans 3:31
“But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, and for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men/women and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, …” 1 Timothy 1:8-10” 1. [Malligan, 16:2014]
1. Malligan, K. is my salvation real I HAVE SAME SEX ATTRACTION? [Triumphant Ministries Toowoomba, Queensland, 4350]