Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Monday, February 3, 2014

"Has God said?"¹

I was recently discussing the subject of homosexuality with a person who claims to believe in God, but when I shared with her what God's Word has to say about this subject, she said, "I respectfully disagree with you."

The fact is, however, she wasn't disagreeing with me, she was disagreeing with God's Word, the Bible, and to disagree with the Bible, is to disagree with God. Quite a superior stand to take! Putting one's self above God is an insidious and ultimately self-destructive stand to take.

Doing this is precisely the essence of sin and is how sin entered the human race through Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. God had given both total freedom to eat of every fruit in the Garden of Eden except for just one fruit. This was a test and an opportunity for them to choose to follow God or to oppose him. When Satan, the devil, disguised as a serpent, came to tempt Adam and Eve, in referring to the forbidden fruit, he said to Eve, "Has God said?"

And then extended to Eve a part truth in order to deceive her. He said to her, "If you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will be as the gods knowing the difference between good and evil." This was the part truth, but what Satan didn't say was that if she ate of the forbidden fruit, she would be forever confirmed in a state of sin/evil which would cause her to be separated from God. Sadly, Eve bought into the lie, took of the forbidden fruit, ate it and shared it with Adam, and he ignored God's directive too.

So Eve set herself up as the judge between God and Satan. In doing this, she fell for the trap, ate of the forbidden fruit as did Adam, and in doing so they brought sin into the human race. In essence Adam and Eve were, through their actions, saying to God, "I respectfully disagree with you."

So when it comes to issues such as homosexuality, gay marriage, and many other moral issues, has God said? Indeed he has—very clearly in his Word. Whether it be by an individual, a church, a denomination, or a country—we oppose God's Word and God's instructions to our peril! The reality is that while God loves all sinners, He hates sin because it is so totally destructive of those whom he loves, and that is you and me. It is also destructive of families and entire nations.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a genuine love for, and an appreciation of, Your Word as found in the Bible, knowing that Your Word is always truth and Your directions for all of life—for this life and preparing us for life beyond the grave in eternity. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Genesis 3:1 (KJV).

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