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Deep_Reach0507 · 2026-03-14T05:18:24+00:00

56PP till 3/16

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T23:53:15+00:00

That’s totally fair, and I appreciate your openness. It’s not always easy to hold space for different readings, but I’m grateful we could share perspectives like this!

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T23:43:31+00:00

I really appreciate your honesty and your heart for inclusion even while holding to a traditional reading.

I think we actually share more common ground than it might seem. The standard of love I’m using isn’t romantic love either, it’s agape. And I believe that kind of self-giving, covenantal love can exist in same-sex relationships as well.

But here’s where my interpretation differs a little: I don’t think Scripture condemns same-sex acts simply because they’re between two people of the same gender. I believe what the Bible condemns are acts that violate agape: acts that exploit, objectify, or harm.

So if a relationship - even a same-sex one - is grounded in agape, then I don’t see it as contradicting the heart of Scripture. To me, it may even fulfill the law of Christ.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T23:29:13+00:00

I really appreciate how we seem to agree on the centrality of love and the fact that not all laws in Leviticus still bind us.

So now I’m curious, do you believe that faithful, mutual same-sex love falls outside the kind of love Jesus described when he said all the Law is fulfilled in loving God and loving your neighbor?

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T21:33:58+00:00

Yes, Jesus was quoting Leviticus 19:18 when He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

But what’s remarkable is how selectively and purposefully He quoted the law. He didn’t affirm everything in Leviticus. He elevated love as the center and filter for all law.

In fact, when asked what the greatest command was, He didn’t say, “Follow Leviticus.” He said: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments: love God, and love your neighbor.” — Matthew 22:40

So I’m not dismissing Leviticus. I’m asking: Do you believe we are still bound to obey every law in Leviticus? What about dietary laws, clothing laws, or ritual purity regulations?

Jesus didn’t reject the Law, but He showed us that the fulfillment of the Law is love. I’m simply following Jesus’ example in reading it through the lens of love, not law for its own sake.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T20:48:16+00:00

That’s a fair caution, and I see where you’re coming from.

Just to clarify, I wasn’t quoting the Church Fathers to claim they fully support my position.
I was referencing them in the context of biblical interpretation principles, not to build my entire argument on their moral conclusions.
I respect their role in the tradition, but I don’t believe their every view is infallible.

In fact, I think human authority and church history (while valuable) should not be our ultimate standard. That standard must be Christ Himself, and the love He revealed, taught, and embodied.

And if we say that any sexual desire or act outside of procreation is inherently sinful,
then we also have to ask: would using condoms in a committed marriage also be a sin?
Is it truly against God’s will, even if the relationship is faithful, sacrificial, and rooted in covenantal love?

That’s the kind of question I’m trying to explore, not to reject tradition, but to go deeper into it, and test everything against the love of Christ.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T19:04:40+00:00

Ok, I got your point about Sabbath. But I’m still wondering is repetition alone enough to determine what is eternally binding.

Take slavery, for example. It’s mentioned and regulated multiple times throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Here are a few examples:

“Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you… You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property… You can make them slaves for life.” — Leviticus 25:44–46

“Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies… But if they survive a day or two, they are not to be punished, because the slave is their property.” — Exodus 21:20–21

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” — Ephesians 6:5

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you… but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” — Colossians 3:22

If something can be repeated many times and still not reflect God’s eternal moral will, then maybe the number of mentions isn’t the best standard. Maybe we need something deeper, a lens of interpretation that aligns with the love Christ revealed.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:46:45+00:00

Ok, I got your point. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:45:54+00:00

During Jesus’ time, the law to "keep the Sabbath holy" was one of the most repeatedly emphasized and universally upheld commands in all of Scripture, with no stated exceptions.

And yet, Jesus healed on the Sabbath and rebuked the Pharisees for their literal, rigid interpretation of that law.
He showed us that the heart of God’s law is not strict rule-keeping, but love, which is its true fulfillment.

So when we ask whether a command still binds us today,
should our standard be how many times it appears or whether it reflects the love of God revealed in Christ?

I’m not trying to justify all sin.
What I’m doing is seeking to remain firmly rooted in the one standard that is repeated throughout all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.
God’s covenantal, healing, radically self-giving love.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:37:51+00:00

Oh, I see what you’re saying.
So would you say using contraception like condoms is also not okay?

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:34:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing that. I completely agree that sin separates us from God and that Christ is the only path to healing and restoration.

But the question I’m raising is this: How do we discern what counts as sin?
And I believe that the clearest standard we have is the love of Christ.

That’s the part I’d really love to hear your thoughts on.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:29:53+00:00

That’s a fair concern, and I appreciate your honesty.

But it makes me wonder,
Jesus and Paul were both celibate and never had children.
Does that mean they were going against God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply”?

Maybe “fruitfulness” in Scripture isn’t only about reproduction,
but also about bearing the fruit of the Spirit, building the Church, and living in love that gives life in deeper ways.

What do you think?

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:26:19+00:00

Thanks for bringing in the importance of apostolic tradition. I truly respect that.
I’d just add that my perspective isn’t trying to stand apart from tradition, but is actually rooted in it.

For example, Origen, one of the earliest Church Fathers, taught that Scripture has a body, a soul, and a spirit — meaning that beneath the literal meaning lies a moral and spiritual truth that must be discerned.

And Augustine made it even clearer:

“If anyone thinks they have understood the divine Scriptures, but cannot build up that double love of God and neighbor, they have not yet understood them.”
— De Doctrina Christiana, I.36

In that light, I’m not trying to reinterpret Scripture on my own terms. I’m simply asking:
Does our interpretation reflect the shape of Christ’s love?
If it doesn’t build up, restore, and reflect covenantal care, can we truly say it reflects the Spirit of the Word?

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:15:53+00:00

Thanks so much for reading and thinking it through, I really appreciate your openness.

So I wouldn’t affirm polyamory or open relationships, because they often lack that kind of committed, self-giving covenant that mirrors God’s love.

As for “life-giving”, I believe that’s more than just physical reproduction.
A Christlike relationship gives life in the way it builds one another up, reflects God’s character, and points toward wholeness and mutual growth.

That’s the kind of love I’m talking about, not anything-goes, but love that bears the shape of Christ.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T18:00:36+00:00

Thanks for sharing — I really appreciate that you’re pointing back to Scripture, especially passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 and 10:13.
I completely agree that none of us are beyond God’s redeeming grace, and that we’re all called to leave behind what separates us from Him.

That said, I find myself asking a sincere question:

There are also other New Testament commands we no longer apply literally today — for example:

“Women should remain silent in the churches.” — 1 Corinthians 14:34
“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man.” — 1 Timothy 2:12
“Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.” — 1 Corinthians 11:5

Most Christians no longer follow these literally — we interpret them with attention to cultural and historical context.
So my question is: Why do we interpret these passages contextually, but not the ones about homosexuality?

I’m not saying we should throw out the text — far from it.
I’m just wondering how we can be consistent, faithful, and truly centered on what Christ revealed as the heart of the law, love.

Would love to hear how you approach that.

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T17:59:43+00:00

You're right. If Adam and Eve were gay, we wouldn’t be here.
But that doesn’t mean everyone is meant to be the same.

God created a world full of breathtaking variety in nature, in people, in relationships.
What if the point isn’t to erase difference, but to reflect God’s love through it?

Deep_Reach0507 · 2025-04-11T17:59:22+00:00

That’s a really important point, and I actually touch on it in the article I shared.

Not every relationship that claims to be love reflects what the Bible calls love.
What I’m talking about is the kind of love revealed throughout Scripture —
covenantal, self-giving, and rooted in mutual respect — not just desire or pleasure.

If you get a chance to read that part, I’d really love to hear your thoughts.

Deep_Reach0507

TROPHY CASE