Lusts of Hearts & Bodies

Summary:Because people rejected God and worshiped created things instead, God gave them over to dishonorable passions and impurity. This led to the degradation of their bodies, including same-sex relations—both men and women exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones. These actions are described as indecent and a result of abandoning God’s truth. Teaching:“Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.” This refers to those who worship idols. These are not only people who worship idols, but also those who follow the pleasures of their bodies according to the lusts of their hearts. Jesus said that even harboring lust in the heart is committing adultery. He did not separate a lustful heart from a lustful body—lust in the heart leads to bodily immorality. There must be no sexual immorality, impurity, or adultery within the church. This is not about making the church an ethical or moral community, but about making it a holy one. “or their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men too abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another: males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Even if we do not curse or hate homosexuals themselves, we must curse and hate the sin. Homosexuality must be cursed and hated—because God curses and hates it. People who are permissive about sex usually take the Bible lightly. They dislike verses like this and instead seek out other verses to support their claims, insisting that “God is love.” To live by faith, we must accept that discernment is necessary and seek the wisdom of faith that enables us to discern rightly.  Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, June 23, 2025Roman 1:24-27(D-66)