Behavior and Passion / Identity

In Christendom today there are many who are not equipped to deal with homosexuality from the Word of God.  More so these Christians are not able to understand or reach out to those who struggle within homosexuality.  Many stumble over the sin and fall short of reaching the sinner because of personal disgust and / or fear.  

My friend, there are two primary issues involved in homosexuality. 

One:  homosexual behavior...

Two:  homosexual passion or in more modern words --- same sex attractions.  

Obviously the Bible teaches us that homosexual behavior is sin.  Paul sums up Romans 1 with these words.   

Romans 1:32 (New International Version) 

³²Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Here we discover that God considers those who practice sin and those who approve of the practice wrong and deserving of death. 

But what of same sex attraction?   Is this a sin?  Is this attraction apart of the Biblical context of homosexuality?  Is the passion for sin as wrong, as evil, as wickedly corrupt as the practice?  I believe so...

Peter gives us some insight in 2 Peter 1: 

³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Do you see those last words --- evil desires?  Peter is teaching us that our life in Christ rescues and liberates us from the corruption caused by evil desires. 

James 1: 14 teaches us that all sinful behaviors result from the evil desires within us... ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

In the Old Testament the prophet Jeremiah shows us the depth of sin...

Jeremiah 17:9 (New King James Version)

"The heart is deceitful above all things,
       And desperately wicked;
       Who can know it?

My friend, it really is a heart issue!!!  Jesus confirmed this in the Gospels over and over again.  When speaking of the act of adultery he considered sex outside the boundaries of marriage an issue of the heart and is SIN!!!

Matthew 5:28 NKJV
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

I believe the real issue is in Jesus words:

Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart

will be also.

The key to unlocking freedom is found in exchanging the treasure of our hearts for a new treasure.  The men you are attracted to hold some value in your heart.  We must identify that value and why it is valuable.  We must expose its false value and exchange the counterfeit, the fool's gold for real gold. 

My friend, homosexuality is a sinful behavior that is birthed from a sinful plague within us --- a passion, an appetite, an evil treasure of our heart. 

When men ask you if you are a homosexual you could state the truth.  I struggle with homosexual passions or same sex attractions but I am not practicing homosexual behavior.  As for my identity I am not a homosexual.  I am a new creation in Christ Jesus!  I am the pure excellence of Almighty God in Jesus Christ! As believer's our identity is not wrapped up in our struggles with sin but is wrapped up in Jesus who is our real LIFE!!!