Q. Please help us with this–isn’t there somewhere in the Bible which says we are not to have anything to do with people who are in moral depravity? My sister’s daughter is a lesbian and is now living with a woman who has left her husband and daughters to live their lifestyle. As Christians are we supposed to associate with them? Aren’t we condoning their sinful lifestyle if we associate with them or have them into our home? My sister has repeatedly told her daughter that she will go to hell if she does not change.
A. Paul wrote, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor. 5:9-11)
As for your niece going to hell, people don’t go to hell for their sins. They go to hell for rejecting God’s remedy for their sins. Instead of threatening her with eternal punishment is she doesn’t change her behavior, why don’t you try talking about God’s forgiveness being available for all who ask (Matt. 7:7-8), and let the Holy Spirit work on her behavior.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...-is-a-lesbian/
Confused About Forgiveness
Q. I was reading the article on forgiveness, (of admonitions in the Bible to avoid believers who are sexually immoral, or who regularly eat or drink to excess, practice idolatry or greed, are swindlers, foul mouthed, gossipers, or verbally abusive (1 Cor 5:11, Ephe 4:29).) In this way we help them see that such behavior is sin..I was told to show love, and help, because it is my family. I’m very confused by this passage.
A. Paul was writing about those who persist in open sinfulness, making no effort to repent. He’s telling us that these folks need to be shown that the public display of such behavior is unacceptable for a believer because it shows disrespect for the Lord and offers a poor witness to the world. He made it clear that he wasn’t referring to people who need the example of God’s love to draw near to Him, but to those who already call themselves believers and supposedly know what He’s done for them.
You understand that we aren’t encouraged to live holy lives to earn something, but to express our gratitude for having been given something. It’s our way of saying thanks. Those whose behavior reflects poorly on them are saying they don’t feel grateful for their salvation and are taking the Lord’s grace for granted.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...t-forgiveness/
I Will Not Do That!
Q. Recently you answered a question that dealt with 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Is your response saying we are to having nothing to do with unsaved family after we have tried to talk to them about Salvation, and they do not want to listen? I don’t think I could turn my back on my elderly parents and my siblings. That seems like a very, very poor witness. In fact, I will not do that. Am I misunderstanding something here?
A. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 reads,
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
My answer pertains to those who habitually exhibit this kind of behavior and was not meant as a general admonition. If your family consistently acts this way around you, then tolerating their behavior is like telling them you approve. I think that would be the poor witness. Just because you love a person who isn’t saved doesn’t mean you have to accept abusive behavior from them. In fact, we’re warned not to accept it.
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...l-not-do-that/
Praying For Family
Q. Something has been troubling me for some time now. It concerns our obedience to 2 Tim. 3: 1-5. I realize we must obey God’s will for our life, so what if the subjects this passage describes happen to be family members? Are we to have nothing to do with them if they fall into these categories? Those whom I am thinking of have repeatedly defied God, and parents as well, who have admonished them lovingly and gently for so long. We all offer prayers for them, but as our time here on Earth grows short, I must confess, our hopes for them have taken a real beating. What God-breathed wisdom can you share with our family?
A. Unfortunately, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 doesn’t contain any exemptions for family. In Matt 10:34-36 Jesus said because of belief in Him members of our own household could turn against us. But to have nothing to do with them doesn’t mean you stop praying for them. Keep doing that. It’s the most powerful weapon you have.
posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...ng-for-family/
What would you do????
| Originally Posted by AzFreebird  All the counseling in the world, all the bible study can't change a chemical makeup of a person... and I truly believe it IS a chemical make-up. |
If on the other hand it's something that's physically medically wrong with them, then it's something the medical community should be studying to cure rather then trying to proclaim it's OK and normal which is what they're saying. But then they're also leaning toward saying that pedophilia is also normal and OK along with a number of other things. Basically all they're doing is giving people an "excuse" for their reprehensible behavior and then telling the rest of us that we have to accept it. I refuse to do that too.
The Bible says that God cannot, will not, and does not tempt us, that we are tempting by our own sinful desires. It is our choice to allow those sinful thoughts/ideas/fantasies etc or to do what the Bible says and stop them, taking them captive to Christ and replacing them with the Truth from His Word.
The problem is that this hasn't been taught to people for generations and instead they've been filled with the worlds "wisdom" and ideas and we all know where that leads....straight to hell.
No one "has" to be homosexual, anymore then anyone "has to be" a murder, thief, a pedophile, a rapist, or anything else. They weren't "born" that way. They chose to allow those thoughts and ideas and then they chose to act on them. Thoughts and ideas become emotions; emotions beget more thoughts and ideas until eventually they become actions; given enough time they then become habits, and given more time they then become part of our character. And lo, a homosexual is born.
So in answer to the question in the opening post, assuming that the person knew the Gospel and had been saved, what I would do first would be to make sure the person in question understood the correct biblical way to handle their situation/problem. If they did understand it and refused to accept the fact that they themselves brought this about by (probably unknowingly) not taking control of their thought life, refused to confess their sin, (admit to God that it is in fact a sin) and repent of it, (turn away from it and choose to take responsibility for their thoughts and emotions instead) then I would have to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them other then praying for them. I would tell them that I loved them and that I would be praying for them, but that until they chose to repent of their sin that I had to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them. I would also let them know that I was in fact showing my love for them by being obedient to God and telling them the Truth so that they too would hopefully some day come to really know Him and following Him and live a life of victory rather then one of defeat wallowing in their own sinful desires.
I'm not saying that it would be easy for me to do, because it wouldn't. It would be the hardest thing in the world to do, but I would do it for Christ.
God never promised that following His path would be easy. In fact He said it would be hard. He even told us that this kind of thing would happen and that families would be driven apart due to our following and obeying Him. On top of that, He told us this would be the cost of following Him and said this would be the cross that many of us would have to bear:
Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Luke puts it this way:
Luke 14:25-27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
We are to put Christ above everyone and everything in our lives, even if it means dying physically because we do.
We are in the last days and God said that this would happen and that it's only going to get worse:
Micah 7:4-7 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion. Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household. But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Mark 13:12-13 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
He also promised us this:
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Here are some verses about that; note that in all these cases the person that we are to avoid is someone who claims to be a Christian but is living in unrepentant sin. If the person you're talking about has never been saved, then it's a different story.
Ephesians 5:8-12 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
2 Thessalonians 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
2 John 10-11 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
So basically what the Lord says we are to do is let them know we love them and because we love them, warn them that what they're doing is sin and not pleasing to the Lord and then let them know that the Lord commands us to stay away from them until they repent. I would probably add that this will be very difficult for me as I do love them, but because I love the Lord more, I must obey Him and therefore will be praying that they come back to Him soon so that our relationship can be restored at the same time that their relationship with the Lord is restored.
See the original threads on FH here as there is much more in the threads themselves;
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