Vesper Light

myadventuresinoddity:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one…

Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up, I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

—(via jerawesome)

remember when mr. moseby got sick and esteban did the best impersonation of him ever

(Source: wiredadifferentway, via crazyanimalwoman)

The Bible does not regard impulses to sin that arise from within oneself in the same neutral way [that it regards being tested by God or one’s environment]. Instead, it views these inner impulses as manifestations of an inward sinful nature. This is seen most clearly in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, where Jesus declares that looking at a woman with lust is the same as adultery (Matt. 5:28); he also likens the inner experience of anger toward one’s brother to murder (Matt. 5:21-22)…In all these verses that speak of inward impulses, the neutral sense of ‘testing’ doesn’t provide an adequate understanding. Such impulses are seen in Scripture as manifestations of a sinful nature and are to be resisted in the same way that sinful actions are to be avoided (see Matt. 26: 41; Mark 14:8; Luke 22:40, 46; 1 Cor. 7:5; Gal. 6:1; 1 Tim. 6:9)

[Therefore], If same-sex erotic acts are always morally wrong, then the impulse to engage in those acts is also a manifestation of a disordered and sinful inner state. Focusing on behavior alone—and regarding as neutral the “preference” or inclination toward such behaviors—simply cannot be justified from Scripture, particularly from the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. If the acts are sinful, all inclinations to such acts are to be understood as manifestations of a sinful nature, and are to be resisted as such.

If we take the teaching of Jesus and the rest of Scripture seriously, such distinctions between impulse and action don’t carry the same importance in the presence of God, who searches the heart (see 1 Chron. 29:17; Ps. 139:23; Jer. 17:10). Before God, if an action is wrong, the inward impulse toward that action is equally culpable. ANger is the same as murder, lust the same as adultery. Unless divine grace transforms us throughout, we cannot find wholeness before God.

[T]he attempt by some traditionalists to bracket sexual orientation and to focus only on sexual behavior is ultimately untenable, even if it may seem necessary or benevolent from a pastoral point of view. Where does one draw the line? Where does the sinful impulse begin? Is it when gay or lesbian persons experience a desire for friendships with others of the same sex, admiration for another’s physical beauty, the tendency to frequently think about another person, the persistent desire to be with another person, the desire to be touched by another, the desire to kiss or be kissed, or the desire for still more intimate sexual contact? For most gay and lesbians persons, these desires are part of the same continuum, and they cannot always be readily distinguished from each other.

—

James Brownson, Bible Gender Sexuality

Interesting and powerful thoughts.  If homosexual acts are sinful, then it only stands to reason that a desire to engage in homosexual acts (whatever those are) is sinful.  It doesn’t make sense for the Church to acknowledge the sinlessness and moral neutrality of sexual orientation, but preach the sinfulness of acting in accord with one’s sexual orientation.   

But if homosexuality as an orientation is not sinful, then how can homosexual acts be sinful?