As an encouragement to those who may have read the March 15 letter by Arthur Saginian, “The Bible and Same-Sex Unions,” I would encourage all to seriously question any of the conclusions Mr. Saginian has come to regarding what the Bible teaches, especially because, by his own words, “I believe none of it.”
To the points he made: first, that Jesus “never once condemned nor even mentioned same-sex unions.” Jewish law was clear, having been spelled out clearly in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) hundreds of years before Jesus walked the Earth. You can read it for yourself in Leviticus 18:22. Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t have to mention or condemn same sex relationships, let alone their unions, because God the Father had already condemned it and, unlike today, the law for Israel, the very people Jesus had come to save, had not changed. Since letting the Bible speak for itself is the issue here, I won’t address the fallacy of arguing anything from silence.
Secondly, Jesus did in fact usher in a New Covenant, but unlike Saginian’s conclusion, Jesus did not come “to wash a lot of [the Old Covenant] away.” Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17–19 (English Standard Version). Although today’s post-Christian culture seems to feel free to redefine right and wrong for its own self-determined purposes and desires, Jesus would have none of that. Jesus’ argument with the Pharisees that got him arrested and ultimately crucified was that he called them out for their hypocrisy and for imposing religious burdens beyond anything the law had required.
Thirdly, Paul of Tarsus, whom God used to write much of the New Testament, did speak clearly regarding homosexuality (see Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10), but not out of his own opinion. The apostle Paul knew Jewish law well, civil and moral. His educational pedigree and lineage were exemplary (see Philippians 3:5-7). Paul’s writing echoes that of the apostle Peter, who wrote, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20–21. Cross reference 2 Timothy 3:16 written by Paul.)
Even more, unlike what Mr. Saginian wrote, Paul clearly stated that it was Jesus’ words that he taught. In 1 Timothy 6:3–4: “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions.”
Finally, Mr. Saginian argues that “a good student of history and the Old Testament” would only see a practical reason (the inability to produce children) and not a moral reason to condemn homosexuality. Clearly not seeing any higher moral standard than his own, Mr. Saginian confirms for us all another truth from God’s word. Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way.”
The good news is that for Mr. Saginian and all the rest of us who were estranged from God due to our rebellion, the rest of that same verse speaks hope and forgiveness, and here it is. “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all,” that “him” being Jesus Christ, who died to offer reconciliation with God to mankind and through faith to find forgiveness, life and hope for all eternity. As the Bible says to all, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Peter Beers
Valencia
