Pastoral Letter 18 Jul 2021

My dear readers,


How can Christians love the Homosexual?

Anyone who makes a negative statement or comment about homosexuals including that they are in sin will be called a homophobic. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “homophobia” as “irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or gay people.” Is it an irrational fear if the truth is being told? The thin line to irrational fear is easily crossed depending on the one who hears it and the one who says it. If the person who hears it finds that what is spoken is irrational, is he justified in calling the speaker homophobic? This seems to be the global trend nowadays. But has it occurred to us that to the person who speaks the truth, he is not homophobic, but he actually spoke out of love for homosexuals.

Homosexuality is regarded as “an alternate lifestyle” because man argues that a person is born into such a state. It is compared to one who is born left or right-handed. The fact is that the origin of homosexuality is not from birth like one who is born male or female. The origin is idolatry. Homosexuality, like other sinful behaviours, is part of the many fruits of idolatry:

Romans 1:22-31: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.” [Emphasis added]

Homosexuals existed in Old Testament times, like in Sodom and Gomorrah, and in New Testament times. There were ex-homosexuals in the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” [Emphasis added]

If Christians say that a person can commit the sin of homosexuality and can enter heaven, then he makes God a liar! He might as well say that fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers (i.e. abusive ones) and extortioners can also enter the kingdom of God! Believers cannot just pick one sin that God calls sin and say that it is not a sin. That is deception of the highest order. God made it very clear in verse 9 that homosexuality is a sin like all the sins stated in this passage of 1 Corinthians 6. The ones who commit these sins and refuse to repent of them will definitely NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD! But if they repent of their sins, they can. This was exactly what happened to the believers in the church in Corinth – “And such were some of you.” Upon repentance, they were washed, sanctified and justified by Christ’s salvific work on Calvary’s cross. This is love indeed that helps them to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour by telling them the truth!

It is tragic that the Methodist Church in Britain (not the Methodist Church in Singapore which has separated herself and gained autonomy in 1976 – The MCS official position on homosexuality is that “homosexuality is incompatible with scriptural principles” – 1 July 2021 -- www.methodist.org.sg) has officially permitted same-sex marriage. “The Methodist Church has become the largest religious denomination in Britain to permit same-sex marriages. A vote to change the definition of marriage at the Methodist Conference on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed by 254 in favour with 46 against. Freedom of conscience clauses mean ministers will not be forced to conduct such weddings if they oppose the move. Same-sex marriage is not allowed in the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. However it is welcomed in the Scottish Episcopal Church, the United Reformed Church and the Quakers in Britain. The Methodist Church is Britain's fourth largest Christian denomination with about 164,000 members across more than 4,000 churches.” [BBC News, 1 July 2021 -- emphasis original]

This act of the British Methodist Church is not love but hate. They are supposed to represent Christ and tell the truth of Christ, but they have compromised and have followed the way of the world and pleased man rather than God.

But these compromises are the fulfilment of the signs of the last days when wrong becomes right, and evil is called good. Christianity is supposed to be the standard of holiness before a sinful world, but in these last days, it has fallen away. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica that before the Rapture of the saints occurs, Christianity will fall away first. The definition of “fall away” in given to us in Ezekiel 20:32: “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.” The standard of the world will become the standard of the church.

Love is always in truth. To call sins like fornication and homosexuality an acceptable manner of life is not love but hate. It is deceitful. Proverbs 27:5-6: “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Temporal peace on earth at the expense of truth results in an eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire where there will be gnashing of teeth and great torment and unceasing pain. Every truly born-again Christian must think in terms of eternity for themselves and their loved ones. If we truly love homosexuals like loving all sinners in Christ, then we need to tell them the truth that in Christ Jesus they can be saved. They must then depart from the sin of homosexuality like all sins and be holy in Christ.



Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service,

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew
Advisory Pastor


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