We live in a day and age when all manner of sin and evil is expect­ed to be accepted, condoned, and/or overlooked. Homosexuality is a sin that will damn an individual's soul in hell. Yet the "alternate lifestyle" is receiving growing acceptance in today's world. How can this be?

God's Word is so clear regard­ing homosexuality that it takes a complete denial of truth to accept this way of living. I read these words in 1 Corinthians 6:9,10: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adul­terers, nor effeminate homosexu­als, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revil­ers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God"

We do not render the homosex­ual a favor when we fail to point out to him that his course is set on fire of hell. Broadmindedness to the neglect of truth will only result in a sinner remaining a sinner and being lost. "Let us not mistake the stretching of the conscience for the broadening of the mind." Regard­ing this issue (as well as any other), only the truth will be profitable. The truth, in this instance, is that our God will not receive the homo­sexual into that heavenly home unless he repents.

Paul dealt with those practicing homosexuality in Romans 1:26-32, "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working thatwhich is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, mali­ciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisper­ers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inven­tors of evil things, disobedient to

parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful• Who, knowing the judgment of God,, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Please note that — through inspiration — Paul condemned men who burned in their lust toward one another, men with men committing what is shameful. Homosexuality is shameful, and dare we give it the least air of respectability today, in outright contradiction to the con­demnation clearly spoken by the Almighty God of Heaven?

We must point out to the homo­sexual that even though God loves every soul — as Christians must also love and grieve for those in error — yet He will not condone and overlook the sins committed in violation of His Word. He has repeatedly condemned homosexual­ity in the Scriptures and has said that those who practice such things are worthy of [spiritual] death (Romans 1:32). Notice, also, that in verse 32 Paul states that individuals should not approve of those who practice such things.

The homosexual charges the Bible believer with prejudice and bigotry. However, it isn't prejudice on the part of Christians that makes them speak out against this sin. God Himself clearly labels homo­sexual behavior as sinful.

But to better understand how homosexuals and lesbians excuse their behavior by rejecting the authority of Scripture, and then demand that everyone else also reject that authority on the basis of their thinking alone, note the state­ment made recently by a leader in "SoulForce", a group that promotes the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle: "When asked to defend a henueneutic that supported same-sex relationships, the SF individual, in part, said that we likely misun­derstood the Bible passages, but when it came down to it, Paul was just wrong about some things. He was wrong about women, was wrong about slavery, and was wrong about same-sex relation­ships." [Emphasis mine, Editor] (Quoted from a letter by Dr. Jack Reese, Dean of College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Chris-tian University, which hosted the meet­ing)

A practicing homosexual can­not inherit the Kingdom of God. This is not my judgment. It is God's (Romans 1:26-32). Who are we, as beings made of dust, to raise a voice in contradiction to what the Creator God has said?

Demar Elam is the Director of Mission Studies at Southern Christian Univer­sity in Montgomery, Alabama, USA.

(Emphasis by FG)