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If someone is a homosexual but does not practise are they still living in sin and not a christian. 

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The temptation is not the sin. The giving in to temptation is the sin. All of us struggle with and battle temptations and sometimes give in. 1 John 1:9. Homosexuals most definitely are accepted into the Beloved when they believe and repent and are born again.

Hi, I wholeheartedly agree with Amanda. I do however believe if we dwell on any sin without asking the Lord to deliver us from it, we run the risk of falling into the sin we are dwelling on. Trust the Lord to deliver and set you free from the thoughts and He will. We all are tempted, if we weren't we wouldn't be here. Remember,  I hope this helps.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 

(1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

Stay strong in His love and know that people are praying for you dearly beloved child of Jesus.

How might we approach this question, if we remove homosexuality from the equation?

  • If someone is a [blank - insert any sinful behavior here: e.g., thief, alcoholic, liar, etc.], but does not practice it, are they still living in sin and not a Christian?

For example: "If someone is a 'recovering alcoholic,' but practices abstinence, are they still living in sin and not a Christian?"

 

We should be careful about passing judgment on whether or not someone is saved, which is to say, reborn by the Holy Spirit, a new creation in Christ, infused with God's saving grace.  Only God can look into the hearts, minds, and spirit of people.  We see only appearances, which can be misleading, and that are filtered through our fallible minds.  

 

All of us, bar none, fall short of God's glory and righteousness.  We are tempted to sin daily.  Each of us, if we are truthful to ourselves, will acknowledge that we have our own particular weaknesses or sinful predispositions with which we struggle.  For some it may be alcohol or drug misuse and abuse; for others, lying, hurting others physically and/or emotionally--or sexual sin, such as, for example,  adultery or homosexual acts.

 

Homosexuality is a disorder and homosexual acts are but one example of many kinds of sin, according to the Word of God.  It is the one sin, however, that many or most of us never struggle with because we are attracted to members of the opposite sex.  We face other temptations to sin.  Therefore, we should not single out homosexual behavior for special attention, as though it were the worst kind of sin, especially when each and every one of us knows sin.  

 

I believe that while it may be difficult for persons struggling with same-sex attraction to resist acting on the powerful and continual urges to act on those impulses and commit sin, the Bible assures me that with God all things are possible.  I would point to the many examples of "recovering alcoholics" who struggle with the desire to drink alcoholic beverages, yet manage to remain sober for many years--even to the end of their mortal lives.  They are nonetheless but one sip away from returning to chronic drunkenness that will cut their lives short.

 

As all sinners we are all but one step away from sinning. By staying close to God in thoughts, actions, and prayer we are lifted up and given direction away from temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Amen JM

So true Colby

Colby, great perspective.

Hi Chipster,

"You said that the devil came to the garden and sorta caught Eve alone..." I respectfully disagree with this because the Word states the following...

“15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17, KJV)

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3:1-7, KJV)

The Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden. The Lord commanded the man to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The woman was not there when God commanded the man. God had not created her yet.

However, Adam was there with Eve when Satan tempted her. My question to you is this, why didn’t Adam tell Eve what God had commanded him to do?

Lord's blessings,
Mischelle

It's according to whether you play on those thoughts causing lust. 2 Cor 10:5 says:  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. Temptations are in our thoughts. We're to take those captive. If you continue to think on it, sooner or later you play on those thoughts & action soon follows. Always fill your mind with the things of Christ - prayer, reading the word, engaging with other Christians. This leaves less time for the temptations to take root. Now, let me back up a bit. I'm not saying that if you act on those temptations that doesn't make you a Christian. That is between you & God on the matters of the heart. Your actions will sooner or later speak of what your heart truly holds.

It is best to follow the advice of Jesus. He said, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” It is possible to not enter into temptation. The absence of temptation means there would be nothing to take root. It's more about what God will do for us, as we show the true desire in our hearts to please Him. By watching and praying that we may not enter into temptation, we are showing our heart's desire to please Him, as well as our intent to die to the flesh. Sexual sins are only one area where people struggle. Some struggle with thoughts of suicide, others with alcohol and drugs, and still others with money, etc. The watching itself is a big thing and a big part of overcoming sin -- avoiding evil is a big part of being delivered from evil.

>>If someone is a homosexual but does not practise are they still living in sin and not a christian.

A person is only a Christian if they are born again. Not because they used to be a "practicing ______________" (fill in the blank) and don't do that anymore.

The Word of God has the Power to break any and all sin, so as we continue to delight in God's word we should all continue to be transformed into the image of Christ. Consequently no longer being what we use to be. True repentance always brings about an internal change which is manifested externally.

An ex-homosexual who no longer practices homosexuality will continue to  grow and mature as he/she continues to study God's word to the point when they are changed. However long the struggle with the  sin that easily makes us fall is (even if it's in our mind only), it doesn't mean that we are not in Christ as we struggle with it. It means that we have the Spirit fighting the flesh. 

I hope this helps.

I have a question that Iwould like a little clarification on concerning this question.

 

The question is . If a person is not a "participant' in homosexual activity (which I am assuming is what you are refering to as 'practise' ) why would they even consider themselves to be a homosexual?

 

That would be kind of like AA's statement of confession(for lack of a better word) that a person will always be an alcoholic even if they stopped drinking. An alcoholic who no longer drinks is (in my opinion only perhaps) no longer an 'alcoholic'.

 

Not a point of contention just a matter of curiousity.

 

God bless

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