Does that mean, “God hates f*gs,” as some very mislead individuals proudly state? Not any more than “God hates murders” or “God hates thieves”. I do not defend these nutjobs and I don’t believe any true follower of the Bible does either. Make fun of me all you want, but I believe that just as Jesus hates the sins I commit but still loves me unconditionally, He also still loves anyone who engages in homosexuality, even though He disapproves of their actions: love the sinner, hate the sin.
And, yes, one of those laws includes refraining from homosexuality. Paul mentions several times in his letters to the churches that sex among men is a perverted act. But in the same passage he also includes adultery, murder, lying, etc as abominable sins. So while I would agree that Christians often put too much of any emphasis on homosexuality, the Biblical truth still remains, in the OT as well as the NT, that it is considered a sin.
But just as Jesus was crucified for man’s sins and thus eradicated the need to sacrifice animals as a substitute for wrongdoing (a common practice before then), so did His coming establish new laws, or at least new interpretations of the laws, that we are expected to follow.
Now does that mean the Old Testament is rubbish and that none of its doctrines apply to today? Of course not. There are plenty of important principles and historical events to be learned in the OT, and the fact that Jesus quotes from it very frequently is enough to validate it.
From what I understand, Leviticus was meant specifically as a guideline for the Old Testament Jews. While its exceptionally strict instructions may seem vindictive, merciless and even silly today, one must bear in mind that the culture of that time was much different than anything close as to what man has experienced in the last millennium.
This seems to be a favorite line of reasoning among liberals. I’ve heard similar sentiments from my college professors, politicians, and of course ill-informed forum members. The Bible was meant to be taken as a whole. Numerous verses in the Bible can easily be dismissed as dribble if presented without the proper context.
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