Dear Bro Eli,

Some people reason out (especially the Seventh Day Adventist group here in
the Philippines) that what is mentioned in the book of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
are the people who were former gays, but after they have received baptism
they have already changed their ways and were no longer gays but have
become “straights”.

What can you say about this Bro Eli?

Ken

Dear Ken,

While there may be gays or homosexuals in the first century Christians at

Corinth, but, there are those who are called by Paul as “abusers of
themselves with mankind”.

(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.”

The phrase “abusers of themselves with mankind” being referred in the verse
are sodomites I the Greek scriptures. Sodomites are not homosexuals or
gays: They are, by nature, users of women; but because of the
overwhelming lust in them, after leaving the use of women, they have lusted
with the same sex.

(Romans 1:26-27) “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 recompense of their error which was meet.”

We can be enlightened by what happened in Sodom, before the time of

Paul.

(Genesis 19:4-11) “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of
the city of Sodom-both young and old-surrounded the house. They called to Lot,
“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we
can have sex with them.” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind
him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two
daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and
you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they
have come under the protection of my roof.” “Get out of our way,” they replied.
And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the
judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and
moved forward to break down the door. But the men inside reached out and
pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who
were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could
not find the door.”
You will notice in the verse that Lot offered his two virgin daughters to these
men of Sodom but, they opted to have sex with the angels, which were in
male form who visited Lot.

The term ‘Sodomites’ does not refer to gays or homosexuals. They are men
who, after indulging sexually with women, will want to do the same with men.

(Leviticus 18:22) “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is
abomination”

The gays mentioned by Paul to the Corinthians are ‘malakos’ in Greek, which
means:

G3120

μαλακοÌ​ς

malakos

mal-ak-os’

Of uncertain affinity; soft, that is, fine (clothing); figuratively a catamite: -

effeminate, soft.

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words taken from Strong’s Exhaustive

Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., 1890.

G3120

μαλακοÌ​ς

malakos

Thayer Definition:

1) soft, soft to the touch

2) metaphorically in a bad sense

2a) effeminate

2a1) of a catamite

2a2) of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man

2a3) of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness

2a4) of a male prostitute

Part of Speech: adjective

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: of uncertain affinity

Considering all these definitions, ‘malakos’ of effeminate are not Sodomites.

Homosexuals are not Sodomites; they are naturally born with a man’s body,
but with preferences of a female. Gays or homosexuals can not be
psychologically changed, but can be spiritually guided for salvation.

The condemnation of almost all religious groups towards gays (that they can
not inherit the kingdom of God) is unjust. God wants all men to be saved.

(1 Timothy 2:4) “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the
knowledge of the truth.”

A gay, with the heart of a gay characteristics of a gay, can be spiritually and
morally upright by the teachings of the gospel of Christ. We must remember
that Christ came for the healing of sinners.

(Mark 2:17) “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have
no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance.”

I hope that this enlightened you.

God Bless.

EFS

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