Yesterday I heard someone on a television show mention something that I hear people say all the time:
“Homosexuality can’t be that bad. I mean Jesus didn’t even mention it. Do you get that people?!? Jesus himself never talked about homosexuality. Ever!”
I hear this from people all the time.
The fact is Jesus talked a lot about homosexuality.
He just did it THROUGH his apostles, after his ascension into heaven, instead of while he was here on earth.
The Spirit of Truth
The night before Jesus died he told his disciples in John 16:12-15:
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
From this passage we learn:
- Jesus promised that after his death and resurrection he would send the non-physical presence of God (the Holy Spirit) to the Apostles. That happened in thesecond chapter of Acts.
- Unlike us, the Apostles were told that Jesus would continue to instruct them, just like he had been doing during his three-year earthly ministry. They would continue to “hear” things from Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, which they would in turn share with the rest of the church. The veracity of their message would be authenticated by the “signs and wonders” they performed (2 Corinthians 12:12).
- What we have in the New Testament is everything Jesus said during his earthly ministry AND what he spoke to his Apostles after his resurrection through The Spirit of Truth.
Why This Matters
What this means is when it comes to any issue, not just things like homosexuality, Christians cannot separate the “red letter sayings of Jesus” from the rest of the New Testament.
Every word of the New Testament was spoken by Jesus, red or not.
Every word.
The letters of Paul are THE EXACT SAME sayings of Jesus as those found in red letters in The Gospel of Matthew.
One was his teaching remembered by an Apostle and written down for posterity.
The other was his teaching communicated through an Apostle and written down for posterity.
Both carry equal weight and authority when determining our beliefs.
Contrary to popular opinion, the simple fact is Jesus spoke every word in the New Testament.
Even the ones people wish he hadn’t.
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