are people born gay? Options

[gr00vyswordsman]

The New Testament also emphasized resurrection, which led to belief in personal immortality. Survival beyond the grave no longer was associated with bearing children.

Different sexual lifestyles entered the new covenant with God. Sexual abstinence and celibate communities became common expressions of Christian living.

In the Act of the Apostles, 8:26-39, we see the first time the Holy Spirit recruits members to the new covenant from the sexual outcasts of Israel. The Spirit leads Philip to encounter the Ethiopian eunuch, who is baptized into the Christian community. The Lucan author of this account is showing how the Holy Spirit formed the first Christian community. He emphasizes the fact that outcasts were included in the new covenant with God. First he tells of including the Samaritans. Then the Ethiopian eunuch was welcomed to the covenant.

The New Testament was written in Greek. At the time, Hebrew, Greek, and the translation between them used the term eunuch two ways: literally, meaning the castrated; and symbolically, meaning those who do not marry and/or bear children.

Jesus was the first to recognize sexual outcasts as worthy of God's kingdom. He and his disciples were discussing marriage and divorce in Matthew 19:12 when he said: "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." [footnote 7]

This quote from Matthew is the closest biblical reference we have to our current understanding that homosexuality is a psychological identity, rather than just physical acts. For Christ to have known this in biblical times is a testament to his inspired understanding.

Jesus brought a new covenant with God, not only to the children of Israel but to all mankind. It is a covenant of loving your neighbor as yourself, and raising a joyful noise unto the Lord. The communities established by his disciples, who knew and quoted him, accepted all the outcasts of Israel and understood the Genesis account of sex as the gift of companionship as well as procreation.

This fulfills the prophecy of the Messiah. In Isaiah 56: 2-8, the eunuch is predicted to inherit a special place in the house of the Lord and the sons of strangers are predicted to take hold of the Lord's covenant. Verse 7 predicts: "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

[sadolakced acid]

did jesus or any of his diciphles speak or write greek?