Human Sexuality in the Biblical View

Interviews February 12, 2018 Leave a comment

“God created our body (man and woman) with sexual needs for the very purpose…Sexuality is God´s design.”

Hoai Truc Huynh

Hoai Truc Huynh

Hoai Truc Huynh was born in Vietnam, where she is living now. She grew up in a Christian family but she attended church without having a true relationship with God. It was until she was 18 years old when Hoai Truc Huynh became a devote Christian.  Then, she responded to God’s calling in her life by enrolling as MDiv. student at “Torch Trinity Graduate University” in South Korea. There, she also involved as a missionary for Vietnamese workers.

After graduating, she went back to Vietnam, where she is mainly involved in teaching ministry. Her students have taken the online classes and some had attended the traditional classrooms. She serves through children´s ministry as well.

Hoai Truc Huynh has the vision and special call from God for the mission field, Christian education, and for imparting Christian thought and culture into the lives of young people.

Tell us what inspired you to write this book “Human Sexuality in the Biblical View”? 

My heart has deeply concerned for today´s young generation of the church and the community, since their values of life have been diverged from the truth and Christian ethics in many ways. Secularism and culture have been sophisticatedly affected their thinking and lifestyle through the influence of books, films, television programs, and social networking sites. Many young people are struggling to seek the answers to their concerns and questions about life and themselves, including sexuality. But the answers which are based on the truth seem to be very rare in the community nowadays. Most of the answers are likely offered by secular psychologists based on hypotheses and human knowledge.

Teaching young people in church – Vietnam

Yet the teachings and instructions based on the Word of God are truly beneficial for mankind and have eternal value. Also, I recognized that understanding about sexuality is a legitimate and necessary need for young people. Last summer, in a survey of a course that truly responded to the needs of young people in my church, they told me that they wanted to learn about sexuality. Then, after the course was done, the young people gave their feedback and said that the course was so good and how much they needed that kind of information and instruction for their lives.

And then, God’s voice came to my spirit and stirred my heart. The Holy Spirit urged me to write the book on sexuality and to publish it so that many other young people could learn from it. I obeyed Him and began writing the book. All thanks to the Holy Spirit! He led me from this astonishment to the other. I was very excited as I could hear His voice by giving me many ideas and thoughts on human sexuality, during my time of meditation on the Bible,  and the time I spent studying and researching about this topic. Finally the book was written in about 60 days!

When the world talks about “sex,” people usually makes fun of it. Movies, theaters, magazines, websites show sexuality in a very distorted way. Then, how we could say that “Sexuality is God´s design”?

Sexuality is a part of the whole being of mankind. To know exactly about it, we need to start from the origin of mankind –Who Am I- because knowing our origin determines our behavior in social life as well as in the way we receive the teachings concerning sexuality on the basis of the Bible. Among many hypotheses of human origin, Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution claimed that mankind is evolutionary animals, in other words, we are evolved from the great apes. If we accept the theory of evolution without thinking out, when it comes to sex and sexuality, we will use sex in a way as an animal does.

On the contrary, if we clearly and rationally determine that human being is the creature created in the image of God as what God has revealed to us in the Bible, we will accept the biblical teaching about mankind. The Bible revealed that in the beginning God made human beings (man and woman) in His own image (Genesis 1:26, 27). In a very complex and miraculous structure of the human body that consists of eight organ systems operating harmoniously to sustain life, God designs the genital system in it. And through the genital system in each gender, sexuality is expressed and carries out its function. God created our body (man and woman) with sexual needs for the very purpose.

The world tries to devalue what God created, so sexuality is often shown in a very distorted way through movies, magazines, humorous stories, and websites. Yet the truth belongs to those who walk in the light. On the very basic of the revealed Word of God, we could say that “Sexuality is God´s design”.

As you know, our young people are currently facing critical problems mostly related to gender and sexual orientation. Nevertheless, it seems like our societies are accepting them as normal (homosexuality, transgender, being part of movements like LGBTI, etc). How do the so called “traditional families” can deal with it, and actually fight against it and protect their children?

Hoai Truc Huynh and her family

Since the fall of mankind, sin has led people into wrongdoing even in their own gender. When it comes to the problems related to gender and sexual orientation (homosexuality, transgender), the secularist view assumes the conditions of early childhood such as education and care. And many scholars share the view that sexual orientation has developed very early in most people at an early age because of the mutual complicated impact of biological, psychological and social factors. Also, in psychological and psychiatric field, some secular people argue that homosexual behavior is entirely determined by genetic factors beyond one’s control. Therefore, homosexuality is not immoral and it is not something that homosexual offender has to be responsible for his or her behavior. Consequentially, it seems like our societies are accepting them as normal. However, the so called “traditional families” need to go back to the Bible, the ultimate truth, in order to find out the right answers to these critical problems or the real causes of them. We must go back to the Word of God to fight against the ideology of this sinful world, or the way-of-thinking of the flesh. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul repeatedly condemned homosexuality. He claimed that these sinful practices are contrary to the natural law of God (Romans 1:26,27). In other passages of the Bible, Paul named homosexual offenders with others terms “male prostitutes” and “perverts” (I Corinthians 6:9; I Timothy 1:10). The Bible says that the end of those who choose to walk in such sexual impurity is to receive eternal punishment, for the Kingdom of God is not for them.

Teaching the new generations – Vietnam

Also, the Bible disclosed the fact that transgender and homosexuality was due to the very reason that although human beings knew God, they did not worship Him as God and desired to follow the foolish thought of their depraved heart. Therefore, God gave them over in depraved and shameful practice.

We must teach our children the truth that unnatural sexual orientation which has emerged in human society since ancient times has not really been a matter of psychology, of education, of gene, or of living environment; it is actually the very problem of human sin, the deliberate rejection of human beings to God and His plan for their life.

Another cause for someone being consistent with unnatural sexual orientation in his or her life is being possessed by demons. Series of sins made sinners unable to inherit the Kingdom of God: “the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers” (I Corinthians 6:9-10), then the Apostle Paul immediately emphasized, “Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (I Corinthians 6:11-NET Bible). The truth revealed here is that while a person is bound by Satan, he or she may be a slave to unnatural sexual desires “passive homosexual partners or practicing homosexuals”.

And until that person is rescued in the Name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, he or she will be released from homosexuality. Therefore, the cause of these sinful practices is the problem of the spiritual field. It is the possession of evil spirits in one’s life. A person who is possessed by demons and becomes homosexual offender, he or she must be set free in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Does God (Jesus) love homesexuals? If so, are they accepted as such?

As we all know, God loves the sinner but He hates sin, and God had a perfect plan to rescue sinners from sin through Jesus Christ. Similarly, God (Jesus) truly loves homosexuals but he does not accept their sinful acts or their practice.

Is there any hope for this world who transgressed God´s law / design?

Always there is hope for this world who transgressed God´s law / design. Hope is available for those who come to Jesus Christ. God never fails in the place of mankind’s failure. If repentance comes first, hope will follow. Once man brings all his transgression to light and surrenders his life to God, he will be saved in Jesus Christ. Those who expose everything clearly in their repentance before the Lord Jesus will be rescued from darkness from the past and brought into the light of life.

 

“Human Sexuality in the Biblical View” will soon be released in English and Vietnamese. If you are interested in getting this book, kindly contact “Towards Excellence.”

 

At the End of 2017, a Message to the Church

Articles December 31, 2017 1 Comment

Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.  (John 4:35)

 

What do we feel when we “hear” these words of our Lord Jesus Christ? I invite you to do a brief mental exercise. And let us travel imaginarily back to our places of origin. Let us raise our gaze there, what do we see around us? What do we see beyond our comfort zone?

In fact, let us lift our gaze even more and try to see what is probably not so visible and obvious, and perhaps lost in the midst of our daily hustle and bustle, and highly tight schedules.
You know what is it that I have personally seen in my country, my Region, my continent lately? Please allow me to tell you.

Debris after earthquake. Manabi, Ecuador.

 

Only between 2016 and 2017 I lived, very closely, the terrible earthquake of 7.8 degrees on the Richter scale that destroyed a big part of two provinces of Ecuador, my country.

 

I have also seen very closely, the passage of 4 hurricanes destroying several areas of the Caribbean and the United States; 2 high-magnitude earthquakes severely affecting areas of Mexico. Why was it very closely? Because I have friends and brothers in Christ who lived all that in their own flesh and it feels like I myself went through all that.

And not only natural disasters, but also political unrest and destabilization of governments, such as the

Miami, a couple of days after Hurricane Irma.

sad case of Cuba and Venezuela. Currently, in Ecuador there are nearly 50,000 Cubans who say they have fled the communist regime and the consequent lack of jobs.

And nearly 30,000 Venezuelans who long for personal security and economic stability. These figures certainly do not represent the total of hundreds of thousands of Cubans and Venezuelans who have traveled through Ecuador to reach other countries in the Region, always looking for a “better future.”

And what about the proliferation of Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Currently

Mosque in South America

our country has around 7 mosques and a large Buddhist temple, in addition to the innumerable yoga and transcendental meditation centers to mention the least.

I have seen in my own country and in the Region shameless cases of corruption perpetrated by governmental and political leaders, but sadly also by “Christian” leaders.

I see in my country, in my region and even beyond, a world increasingly confused, convulsed and sick. The famous gender ideology, the legalization of abortions, and of course, civil wars, terrorist attacks, and yes, painfully a lack of leadership, a lack of true leadership at all levels, with honorable exceptions, of course.

Are we actually living different times than Jesus lived when he said: “…see that the fields are white for harvest!” Let us think for a moment, what was the situation of Israel during those times? There was no such thing as a spiritual awakening in Israel, the Scriptures did not mention precisely that the priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees were turning to God.

In fact, it was the very opposite, Jesus was mocked, the religious leaders of the time rejected Him, questioned His integrity and even His divinity. He was about to be knocked over a precipice. In fact, Christ Himself regretted over the cities of Israel because they did not repent after His message: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Woe to you, Capernaum!”

What is it then that moved Jesus to state that “…the fields are white for harvest!” For I believe with all my heart that it was precisely the sad, desperate and dark condition that the people were facing; to such extent that Jesus wept and wept upon seeing the confusion, the hardship and the spiritual blindness of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41).

Don’t you think that if Jesus was physically in present times, He would not exclaim with pain: “Woe to you, Latin America; Woe to you, Asia; Woe to you, Africa; Woe to you, America;  Woe to you, Europe … Woe, Woe, Woe!”

And just as He did in the past, His heart would suffer. And certainly, if He walked through our cities, our villages, our sanctuaries, He would continue to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, would continue to heal diseases and sick hearts. He would continue to have compassion for the crowds who walk helpless and scattered like sheep without a shepherd. He would continue to look beyond the visible and obvious … having compassion for a world broken by sin.

And he would certainly continue to say to “His disciples” – “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” He would repeat to us “His disciples,” to us, His servants, servants of the Most High God,   – “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:35-38).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, from all over the world, let me tell you with all my heart, I believe that in spite of all the convulsion that we live in this world, we are the privileged generation. I sincerely believe that we are very close to seeing the return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His Church. No one knows the day or the hour, but the Lord clearly announced in His Word about famines, earthquakes, tribulations, nations against nations. False prophets and false christs would deceive and confuse many.

Believers persecuted and even sentenced to death. And He also anticipated that the love of many would grow cold because of the increase of wickedness.

Let us raise our gaze, all this is happening before us, in unusual proportions, which frequency is increasing. And we cannot deny it!

Beloved, there are more than 2 billion people who have never heard the Good News.
We all, who call ourselves “sons and daughters of the Most High God,” are on a mission to fulfill His last mandate: “Let us go and make disciples of all nations.”

 

So, we all shall rejoice and state:
“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord (Jesus), and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”  (Psalm 22:27)

The World Finds itself in a State of Turmoil! – Here am I!

Videos October 30, 2017 Leave a comment

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, famines, civil wars, corruption, pain, loneliness, desperate and confused people! A confused, convulsed, sick world. A world without hope!

Several years ago, the video clip below was launched and it pictures very well the desperate condition of our world but it also shows who can bring healing to it!

I invite you to watch the video clip “A Thousand Questions” and seriously meditate on its core message!

 

 

An Extraordinary Intelligence!

Articles August 7, 2017 Leave a comment

A heart full of God will bring about the development of a healthy mind, an extraordinary intelligence, originally created to do good and not evil; to build up and not to destroy!

The future of medicine – Epcot Center

In the past century, mankind has experienced the widest deployment of development. A development in technology, in medicine, in industry in general; a development in the conquest of space. But unfortunately, also a “development” in the different spheres of evil.

I recently saw a video, showing that with a small device that was placed slightly near a lady’s purse, it was possible to steal all her credit card information. Consequently, shortly after that, the thief could make any purchases he wanted, and charge the respective cost to the victim’s credit card.

Certainly, technology has moved forward by leaps and bounds; we can hardly keep up with it. We are saturated with networks and messaging systems: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp, Messenger, just to name the best known in the market. Indeed, all these great and ingenious tools have made communication easier and have magically shortened geographic distances. They have dramatically reduced the costs of communication between loved ones, separated by diverse circumstances; and of course, have also reduced costs in business communications.

Amazing! Yes, indeed, astounding! But perhaps for our teenagers and for the generation of young people on the planet, this happens almost unnoticed. For them, it is normal to count on the service of internet and access to the world through networks. They have not stopped to think about the great advantages they have today; and let alone, the great drawbacks that come with it.

So it is, “advantages” and way too many. With just a click I have the information of the world in my hands. With just one click I can make a free call to a friend who is on the other side of the planet. With just a click I can search for the school assignment for the next day. With just one click I can hear good music that cheers my soul. Yes, “advantages” that simply demonstrate the extraordinary insights of the human brain, the extraordinary intelligence of the human being embodied in these great inventions for the benefit of society in general.

But unfortunately, this extraordinary intelligence has also been used for evil purposes. Just by taking the example of technology, we know it is true. Just as the internet could have been created to benefit in a thousand and one ways to society; this great invention today, is also a double-edged sword, with which many are seriously injured and they hardly recover from it.

A large part of the internet has become the dump and the rot of cyber space. Let me quote just a couple of examples that truly produce disgust, repugnance and even terror:

“In 2006, 89 percent of the estimated 270 million pornographic Web pages existing worldwide were produced in the United States.” [The Judges´Journal, 2013]

“Three men have been arrested in Sweden on suspicion of raping a woman in an assault that was broadcast live on Facebook, police have said.” [The Guardian, January 2017]

And I could mention not only thousands, but millions of examples that, in addition to producing disgust, it also produces a deep pain in the heart. How many children are abused? How many teenagers in the prime of life are victims of human trafficking? How many young people have lost their lives in the hands of psychopaths? How many people have been scammed out of their bank accounts or credit cards? How many boys have fallen into the “business” of the hit man? How many have been attacked in these and some other horrific ways through social networks?

So, let me ask you. How are you using your extraordinary intelligence? How are you developing the wonderful brain that God has given you as a human being? And, how is your heart?

The Word of God says in Jeremiah 17: 9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure: Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Let me invite you to open your heart to the Lord of lords, to Jesus Christ Himself and let Him test your heart. Sincerely confess your sin before the Lord Jesus Christ and be assured that the Lord will forgive you and you will certainly, experience peace like never before in your life.

A heart full of God will bring about the development of a healthy mind, an extraordinary intelligence, originally created to do good and not evil; to build up and not to destroy!

 

What is Contaminating the Excellence of the Heart?

Articles, Inspiration June 18, 2017 Leave a comment

“The beauty of the human heart originally permeated by our God Creator is abruptly attacked by the sin of the human being himself.”

 

In previous articles I have emphasized that excellence starts from the heart of God, and our Creator has definitely permeated the excellence of His heart in ours.

Yet sadly, the human heart is not always aligned with God’s heart. Why? The answer is simple but truly profound … because of sin.

In one of the articles I published recently, “Excellence Stems from The Heart – Part 1,” I briefly shared one of my traveling experiences in submarine, in Hawaii. And yes, when traveling to the bottom of the sea it is indisputable to meet the enchanting creation of God. Colorful vegetation and a diverse and extraordinary array of marine species that leaves us breathless when proving that there is indeed an exotic underwater world, of wild beauty and endless secrets, not all discovered, not entirely revealed.
The depths of the sea resemble the depths of the human heart. So much beauty, although sometimes damaged and even destroyed.

Carthaginian II – Lahaina, Maui

While my eyes reveled in the beauty of the underwater species, every colorful and vivacious image suddenly ceased when it faced with the ruins of a rusty and destroyed boat. An image that certainly produced other images in my brain, images of destruction and consequently, loss, pain and even death.

Any similarities with the depths of the human heart? For if we are honest and travel towards the depths of our heart, we will observe that we find not only beauty: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23).

But sadly, we also find: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander (Matthew 15:19).

The beauty of the human heart originally permeated by our God Creator is abruptly attacked by the sin of the human being himself.

And sin is simply man’s disobedience to the laws set forth in the life manual that God has given us through His Word -the Bible.

And many may say, and in fact have told me, “I do not sin, I do not harm anyone … I live my life the best I can … I try to do good…”

But let me invite you so that in the solitude of your room you make an honest journey to the depths of your heart and see if you do not find some elements that have contributed to the contamination of your heart: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lust, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Galatians 5: 20-21).

The Word of God, our life manual tells us: Let God be true, and every human being a liar (Romans 3: 4). So if we are truly honest, we all have absolutely fallen into at least one of these sins. Consequently, we have broken the law of our Creator’s life manual.

And if we are honest, by breaking His law, our heart does not experience peace, our sinful heart does not rest until it finds forgiveness and healing from its Creator.

Many marine species have been endangered because of the various contaminations they have suffered: oil, fossil fuels, garbage, among others.

If we recall the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, “the oil spill area broke through the ranges and the habitats of more than 8,000 species including birds, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, sea turtles and marine mammals (…) shrimp found themselves without eyes, crabs without tweezers, and fish with injuries and tumors through their bodies”. [1]

Likewise, the human heart is in danger of death, and eternal death if it does not return to its Creator, to Jesus Christ, the Giver of life, the eternal life. He Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14: 6).

Certainly, there is beauty at the bottom of the sea, but it is in danger of being contaminated. The responsibility to take care of it and to preserve the wonderful marine species is undoubtedly ours, the human beings.

And excellence is found in the depths of our heart. However, it is at stake of being contaminated by sin. It is our responsibility to seek the solution to preserve it pure and healthy, free from the slavery of sin.
Indisputably, the solution is Jesus Christ. And in His Word He clearly states, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).

How is your heart today? I invite you to embark on a journey into the depths of your being and call out to your Creator, Jesus Christ, so that He comes to your rescue, heals and restores your heart, because life flows from it.

Sources:

[1] http://www.oceanfutures.org/news/blog/Derrame-de-petroleo-del-Deepwater-Horizon-5-anos-de-secuelas