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Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. The eighteenth chapter of Leviticus is the main chapter defining the rules for sexual conduct. If we set the lifestyle recommendations of this chapter by today’s accepted moral we would find ourselves at odds with the Bible. Actually, these words sound more like the moral rhetoric we would find in what we call ‘backward’ societies, or Islamic countries. Of course we can rationalize by saying, “Oh, but these were different times”, but is that right? Is the Bible right for then, and wrong for today? Is God just “backwards”, not in sync’ with the times and therefore should be ignored? I dare say that at the top of the reasons for modern western social problems is failure to comply with His commandments. Along with outrightly disobeying the Commandments, it is possible to also be what Jewish sages have termed a ‘reprobate by permission’. Here is how it works. Not every action is mentioned in Torah, but what is not mentioned is inferred by the intent of the commandments. For example, pornography, female homosexuality and polygamy are not mentioned or referred to as wrong in the Torah, so those who adhere to strict ‘sola scriptura” (refusing any teaching that is not in the written form of the Bible itself) often conclude that these things are not inherently wrong. Many a Bible teacher strays because of this. These things are only mentioned in the writings of sages and scholars who have studied the Bible and found that these were wrong. This shows that we cannot just study by ourselves. We need the help of those whom God has anointed as teachers and who have understood not only the letter of the Commandment but also the intent. This represented much of Yeshua’s teachings such as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5,6,7). From killing He helped us understand that the wrong thing was not the actual action of killing but the anger in our heart that was wrong. Same with adultery, he showed us that the intentional looking was wrong, not just the action. The first sign of trying to rationalize the Torah against the voice of the conscience is when we ask “Is it really forbidden in the Word?” We must beware of that tendency. In our modern times we have learned to look at the Father as this ‘lovey-fuzzey chocolate-candy’ person who understands and is not what people have termed ‘under the law’ or a ‘legalist’ (by the way, what is the difference between legalism and faithful obedience?) We picture God as One who ‘understands’ that we are not that bad of a person inside even if we disobey; that He sees the ‘goodness’ and the ‘real’ us and does not really define us by our actions (well, He sees the ‘real’ us alright!). The story of Nadab and Abihu seems to tell us otherwise (Leviticus 10), and Yeshua’s epistles to the seven Asian congregations also seems to give us quite a few stipulations for His personal approval (Revelations 2 and 3). When He comes, He will not judge us by today’s twisted so-called modern concepts of morality, righteousness, or even political correctness, but by the commandments of His Words that we are responsible to know.
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