THEME: MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP AS ORDAINED BY GOD

LESSON: FOUR

TEXT: Romans 1:19-26

MEMORY TRACK

In our last study, we learnt that homosexual practices violate the laws of natural selection, and those who practice this build their convictions on feelings and not the reality of their natural endowments. We saw through the scripture that nobody was born LGBTQ+ and that this sexual perversion is a thing of choice, which can be unlearnt.

The Most Important Element of Life (Romans 1:19-22)

God created the whole earth, and He uses things created as instructional materials to reveal Himself. God is invisible unlike earthly creatures, but He wants every man on earth to know Him and gravitate towards Him. Therefore, God has put witnesses of His person in creation, so that man will be without excuse.  Any attempt to move away from God’s knowledge puts the earth out of equilibrium and this causes men to gain measures of the beastly nature. So, the most important ingredient of life is the knowledge of God. 

War against the Knowledge of God upon the Earth 

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is an anti-God tree, planted by Satan to take the place of God’s knowledge on earth. Satan knew the best way to wipe out the memory of God from the earth is to wipe off God’s knowledge from men. But we thank God for the Bible! Man was not made to be ignorant of God, but the fall of man dragged man to the place of ignorance. Homosexuality and its variants are bye-products of the ignorance of men. Homosexuality is a satanic move to take over the earth and raise men who will join forces with Satan, to blaspheme God. 

That which may be known of God is evident “in” every man Romans 1:19 (Eccl. 3:11 CEB version, Act 17:26-27) 

God wants every man on earth to know Him. He puts apparatus in men’s souls through which He should be known. Even when the evidence of this apparatus is neglected, God still appears to them in visions and dreams (Gen. 20:36, 31:24, 41:1, Daniel 2:1). God is still revealing Himself to men (both believers and unbelievers) in diverse manners, even in the dispensation of the New Testament. One of the things that should be known of God (which He put in everyman) is the witness of His image in men – male and female. This witness of God’s image finds its expression through man’s anatomy. God should be known as the creator of male and female, amongst many other things. 

This knowledge should generate thanksgiving and worship to God. The first response of worship is acceptance of what God has revealed in us and in this case, accepting that God created us male and female. The refusal of this reality is the bedrock of sexual perversion. Man as a creature must not tamper with what God has done (Eccl. 3:14). To change the use of it or transform it to another is a rebellious act and this act questions the intelligence of the creator. 

The Effect of Refusing the Knowledge of God 

1. Vain imagination and blind heart (Romans 1:21 Eph.4:17-21):  

Some sexual immoralities around the natural use of man’s sexuality are as a result of blindness (example: fornication and adultery). Beyond these are also other classes of sexual immorality which do not align with the natural use of man’s God-given sexuality. The unnatural use is a whole new height of blindness, and this is worse than the former. This kind of blindness make men do things that are not convenient. A great blindness deformed the imagination of men, and this led to another specie of blindness which is more advanced than other darkness around the line of natural use. This kind of gross blindness is what leads to homosexuality.  

2. Changing eternal and everlasting ordinances 

a. Romans 1:23 – Changing the glory of God to the image of creatures (reducing the creator to creature) flows from vain imagination and blindness of the heart. This is blasphemy!  

b. Romans 1:25 – Changing the truth of God into a lie: The truth of God is the knowledge of God revealed in them through the things created. To change the definition of marriage is to change the truth of God into a lie. Refusal to align under your God-given sexual endowments and not accepting the sovereignty of God over our sexual anatomic orientation is to change the truth of God into a lie. The truth of God is revealed by two eternal ordinances – Male and female (man and woman) and then marriage relationship between a man and a woman.  

c. Romans 1:25 – Serving the creature instead of the creator (idolatry).  Homosexual practices according to history is traceable to pagan worship and occult practices. This perversion began with men who were in search of power, wealth, pleasure, and supernatural abilities etc. They cooperated with Satan and brought upon the earth this strong sexual perversion. This abominable practice was initially shut up within the circle of idol worshippers before it began to gradually filter into the larger community of men, and now striving to find full acceptance in today’s world and society. It is good to also note that sexual perversion thrives when nations come into natural prosperity without the knowledge of God (a good example of this is Sodom and Gomorrah – Gen 13:10). 

3. Modern paganism:  

Idolatry is a spirit that morph into different shapes according to the fashion of this world. It started from the worship of creatures like birds, four footed beast and man, which is now archaic and obsolete. Modern idolatry is materialism, acquisition of name, fame, seeking pleasure, seeking power, knowledge, breakthrough in technology and science etc. Anywhere there is unbridled lust for these modern idols, idolatry becomes the other of the day, and this will fight the knowledge of God among men. Some of the practices that follow after this form of idolatry is sexual immorality which climaxes into LGBTQ+ and its several variants. LGBTQ+ is a fall out of modern-day idolatry. 

Loving to Retain God’s Knowledge in Your Soul  

Satan through the course of this world (Eph 2:1-4) fought hard to remove from the earth things that impart the knowledge of God in humanity so that God will not have a place to land upon the earth. Thanks be to God for the bible which has been of old and that cannot be chained.  

We should note that anyone who despises doctrine and is lazy towards the knowledge of God will fall prey of the homosexual tendencies. For such persons two things could happen. They either get converted or approve the deeds of them who burn with inordinate affection (Romans 1:32). It is dangerous to live in today’s world without the knowledge of God.  

Many believers are confused, disoriented, weak and are sliding to the other sides of the divide because many do not have the knowledge of God. Some are joining the peddlers and practitioners of LGBTQ+ ideologies, while some are supporting them because of lack of God’s knowledge and others have even begun to excuse this abominable practice in their heart. 

The Essence of Knowledge (Prov.25:4, Isaiah 11: 8-9, Heb 8: 8-12) 

Every knowledge is authored by a “God” and the author has an intention. Knowledge is increasing on the earth and men are making advancements to improve on invention to make life easy. At the background, Satan is turning the heart of men from the creator to the creature and changing men’s nature to perdition. There is no knowledge under the sun that can make man escape the onslaught of Satan apart from the knowledge of Christ and God.  

Homosexuality is as a result of anti-God knowledge which is now gathering stronger momentum and influence upon the earth. Cultures and norms on the earth are becoming weak because of the unbearable pressure of sexual perversion ravaging the earth. The only knowledge that can salvage the earth is the knowledge of Christ and God. 

God Holds Souls Within Limitations by His knowledge (Romans 1:28)

Satan lust after souls of men and can do anything to have them, but God keeps men through the knowledge He revealed in them, until the knowledge of Christ and God is given. But Satan is fighting human race by luring them to corrupt the natural truth in themselves and then fight the gospel – which is the last line of defense. The only knowledge that Satan cannot subdue or corrupt is the knowledge of Christ and God. Satan desires every soul and lusts to take over souls. What keeps souls in the boundaries of safety is retention of God’s knowledge in the mind and heart. 

The Effect of Refusing God’s Knowledge 

1. They became fools though professing to be wise (Romans 1:21-22) 

2. God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves (Romans 1:24). This is the beginning of sexual immorality within the natural use (eg: fornication and adultery). 

3. God gave them up to vile affection to do things that are not convenient. Women and men changed the natural use (Romans 1:26). Here Homosexuality and its variants set in.  

4. God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do things that are not convenient (Romans 1:28). The reprobate mind is what makes the LGBTQ+ community to be bold and loud. They feel unashamed and unremorseful. 

These are the progressive stage of human destruction. All of these happened because men refused to retain the knowledge of God in their mind. Any generation who refuses the knowledge of God will degenerate into an unnatural state. 

Conclusion  

Homosexuality/LGBTQ+ ideologies are natures learnt and cultured by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is high time we fortified ourselves with the knowledge of God, that we might not be taken.