Welcome to "Dispelling the Myth". Our purpose is to discover through the use of the fundamental rules of biblical interpretation, the truths of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  "Dispelling the Myth" was conceived as an exegetical Bible study guide dealing with the traditional passages about homosexuality.  Rev. Ellis has compiled and edited this information into this easy to read format.  This article is an eye opening experience as it relates to the subject of homosexuality to the biblical text. 

EDITOR’S NOTE 

So many lives have been adversely affected by rampant homophobia.  It has been fueled unfortunately by a very vocal misguided few, who seem intent on representing the Gospel of Grace with condemnation.  Parents have been separated from their children, brothers from their brothers, wives from husbands….and yet despite the tragedy of these broken relationships, broken hearts and sometimes the loss of life altogether, self-righteous hatred and disgust toward homosexuals continues.  Surely the healing of all this brokenness lies not in hatred, but in love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  Jesus did not stop there, but went on to say, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned…” 

A myth has grown up around the issue of homosexuality that for centuries has kept God’s people in bondage to condemning and being condemned.  But the message of grace is clearly “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”  Those who believe in Jesus have been released from the continuous cycle of sin and its consequence, death.  Now, we are free to love one another with the love of Christ, no strings attached.  As Paul stated it, now we must “keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery……”  We have been set free to ”through love serve one another.”  Those who have understood this, regardless of which side of the issue they stand on, have taken an important step toward embracing the true meaning of “GRACE”, (God’s unmerited favor to all); freely receiving it themselves and sharing it with every person along the way.  Because of this, God causes them to “reign in life” through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). 

PURPOSE 

Why Study Christianity and Homosexuality? 

1. Jesus is Lord.  As Christians, our behavior is subject to the Holy Word of God and all believers are accountable to the Lord.  As His disciples, we demonstrate our love for Him through obedience to His commands (John 15:10).  We must, therefore, understand what His commands are.

2. Our Mission: To Set The Captive Free!  This task, left to us by the Lord himself, is the heart of our concern.  The Scriptures declare that God has set us free from the Law; free to be who God created us to be; free to love him and each other (Galatians 5:1, 13-14), Jesus said that knowledge of the truth would bring freedom (John 8:32).  The combination of love and truth brings about changed character enabling the maturation process in people; which is conformity to the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15)

3. Standing By The Truth.  We must share the truth with all who will listen.  If challenged, we will be ready to give a defense for the truth of the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15)

4. Our Mission Defined.  Before the return of Jesus for His bride, the church must return to its first love (Revelation 19:7).  It is a love freely extended to all; as Jesus loved, so we must love one another.  Much of the church has forgotten its primary responsibility to be the light of the world and instead is consumed with bringing discrimination and condemnation.  Some have forgotten that no one comes to God the Father except those He invites (John 14:6); all who believe are joined to His family and in all its diversity, this family must learn to love (John 13:34-35).

5. Reshaping The Image.  It is our responsibility to study and understand the truth and model it to the world through His church (2 Timothy 2:15).  This modeling will reshape the image of homosexuality from the stereotype that has brought such condemnation to an understanding that God has made all of us and to all of us his grace is extended.  Only then will freedom reign.  We must seize the moment.  It was for such a time as this that God has raised up those who live by the Spirit.  The prevalence of the myth has kept misunderstanding in charge for centuries causing pain and suffering not only for gay people, but for their families and friends and everyone else.  We now have the opportunity to break the curse and set many captives free (Esther 4:14).  The captives are on both sides of the issue.  Knowledge of the truth will loose the bonds and set us all free to love one another just as Christ has commanded us.

Biblical Perspective 

The basis of the research contained in this pamphlet and all the conclusions and positions taken herein have at their center the understanding that the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that each person can be adequately equipped for every good work.  It was written by men and no doubt influenced by women, appointed and anointed by God for a special purpose.  Their stories testify about their encounters with the living God, the Almighty Creator of everything.  Through them His character is revealed.  Through them we learn about God’s only Son, Jesus, through whom God redeemed the lost creation from sin that had separated mankind from Him; and He made it possible for all to come by faith and engage in a personal right standing relationship with Him.  Through their testimonies we know that God has given us new life by way of regeneration and renewal (new birth) by the Holy Spirit. 

This study’s approach is inductive by method.  In doing this, the hope is to eliminate a great deal of assumption and traditional teaching.  Every attempt not to bring pre-conceived ideas and beliefs which can only prejudice the understanding of the Scriptures has been made.  It is believed that through objectively letting the Scriptures speak for themselves through their original languages, we can reach the truth of these issues.  The English translations are at best “translations” where often meanings of words are sometimes lost or changed because the original text is not clearly understood or there is no comparable word in English to describe the Hebrew or Greek expression.  In some translations, traditional points of view are perpetuated with what seems to be bias and a disregard for the clear text in the original language.  Following these rules of interpretation, this study attempts to discover what the Bible is and is not saying about the subject of homosexuality. 

The research and editing of this study is based on the fundamental rules of interpretation of the Scriptures using conservative, orthodox references and scholarly commentaries.  Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament were primarily used for the objective basis of this study.  Other scholarly works are referenced and noted throughout the study. 

The Bible itself combined with these other writings forms the basis of the hope that is within.  Subjectively, let us listen to the witness of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus clearly taught would lead us into all truth.  On Him we must rely heavily.  All who want to come to a knowledge of the truth must lean on the witness of the Spirit Himself without whose counsel none of us could know any truth about God. 

Next