Lessons of Sodom and Gomorrah

By: Bill Johnson

I am not a theologian, but I am a daily reader of the Bible and daily read devotionals written by puritans of old.  I have a Masters of Religious Education from the Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary (now named Grand Rapids Seminary).

But including this above and most importantly, I was saved out of lustful thinking and darkness back in 1970 and found victory over pornography and its addictive power.   It’s a tough addiction to overcome, but through Christ I won the victory long ago.

Through those months and a few years of seeking victory, Christ became my strength, comforter and help.  Forthwith, I learned the significance of being in the Bible daily.  I learned to trust in God and found help in His Word, the Truth of His Word, the reliability of Truth.

William Gurnall wrote these words.  Truth is pure.  It is not only pure but makes the soul that embraces it pure and holy.  ‘Sanctify them through thy truth:  thy word is truth.’ (John 17:17).  It is pure water which God uses to wash souls clean.  ‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:  from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you’ (Ezek. 36:25).  [Taken from The Christian In Complete Armour, Volume 2, by William Gurnall]

While an undergraduate at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, I was befriended by a young man out of Rhode Island.  Glenn became my best friend my freshman year.  He was a sophomore.  My family also grew to love Glenn.  He was kind, encouraging, bright and personable.  A year went by and Glenn and I became roommates in an apartment complex.  Glenn began to express his concern that he was attracted to men.  This was new territory (shocking and sad) for me.  It was 1970.   It was not a societal issue in 1970 and didn’t become so until recent years.

To make a long story short, over the next couple of years we remained close friends and my parents and family also loved Glenn, though they knew nothing of Glenn’s homosexual struggles.  He was not acting out, but shared his emotional struggles with me.

We went our separate ways as we got teaching jobs in two different locations. I got married, but still Glenn and I would very occasionally write to one another.  Then, I heard he moved out to State College, Pennsylvania.  We lost track of each other.  Many times over the years I have wished that I would have stayed in touch with Glenn and continued to share our lives together and that he could have seen the Christian faith in me as I walked and shared Christ with him in our everyday lives.

In 2015 (approximately), I had a heightened desire to somehow find Glenn’s whereabouts and/or phone number.  I remembered his older brother’s name out in Rhode Island and searched on Facebook.  His name appeared and I was able to reach him by telephone.

Glenn’s brother told me the tragic account: Glenn had had multiple partners over the years and had contracted AIDS.  He tried a variety of remedies and suffered greatly.  He died a very difficult death in the year 2000.

What does the title “Lessons of Sodom and Gomorrah” have to do with this?

And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.  Genesis 18:20-21

Genesis 19 is a narrative account of God’s destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and His saving of Lot and his family. It is also the first place in scripture where we are clearly introduced to homosexual practice.

The account is frank in its descriptions; and even Lot, the protagonist, is not painted in a pristine light. Because of the darkness of the descriptions and the severity of the judgment unleashed by God, Sodom and Gomorrah have been understood throughout history as a cautionary tale against the practice of homosexuality, particularly when it is accepted and becomes prevalent within a culture. [Taken from “Dangerous Affirmation – the Threat of ‘Gay Christianity'”, by M.D. Perkins, pp. 44-45]

I lost a great friend.  Untold millions are also losing their friends to a lie from the pit of Hell. God hates homosexuality not only because it is a sin, but also because it is a satanic assault upon His Holy Name and upon those He made in His image.

 

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