Answering Russell
Bourne
During late 2001 in the UCLA’s school newspaper, “Daily Bruin”,
Russell Bourne wrote a response to a Nov. 30th, 2001
article, “Submission misinterprets Christianity”, by Connie Choe.
In his response, Russell Bourne attacks Christianity view of homosexuality
by referring to Old Testament passages that he tries to demonstrate
as sinful if Christians do not obey them today. We will examine
here the scriptures he cited.
Scripture
1 regarding Leviticus 1:9
| Scripture:
“He is to wash the inner parts and the legs
with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar.
It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing
to the LORD.” (Leviticus 1:9) |
| Question:
Is bull sacrificing encouraged for today? |
| Answer:
The context of this verse was God addressing
to the Israelites as evident in Leviticus 1:2 when God tells
Moses, “speak to the Israelites and say to them…” It is not
for Christians today. Rather, sacrifices of bull “is an illustration
for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices
being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper.”
(Hebrews 9:9). Sacrifices of bulls and the Law were only shadows
of the reality (cf. Hebrews 10:1) but the reality is found in
Christ (cf. Colossians 2:17). The bull sacrifices actually points
towards Christ sacrifices for sins that is once and for all
(See Hebrews 10:10) “and where these have been forgiven, there
is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” (Hebrews 10:18) Thus, the
ritual of bull sacrifices is over for today. Back
to Outline |
| Scripture:
“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she
is not to go free as menservants do.” (Exodus 21:7) |
| Question:
Does the Bible encourage men to sell daughters
into slavery? |
| Answer:
Exodus 21:7 begins with “if”, and this suggest
a theoretical case of what happens when a man sells his daughter,
not an actual encouragement for men to sell their daughters.
Back
to Outline |
Scripture
3 regarding Leviticus 25:44
| Scripture:
“Your male and
female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from
them you may buy slaves.” (Leviticus 25:44) |
| Question:
Does the Bible
encourage possessing slaves from neighboring countries today?
|
| Answer:
This verse was
God addressing to the Israelites (cf. Leviticus 25:1-2) in a
time of the theocracy of Israel (cf. Leviticus 25:38). For today,
in the time of God’s grace to all nations, the Bible in Philemon
1:16 gives an example stating, “no longer as a slave, but better
than a slave, as a dear brother…” Back
to Outline |
Scripture
4 regarding Leviticus 11:10
| Scripture:
“But all creatures in the seas or streams that
do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things
or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are
to detest.” (Leviticus 11:10) |
| Question:
Would eating a shellfish be a sin? |
| Answer:
No, not for today. “They are only a matter of
food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations
applying until the time of the new order.” (Hebrews 9:10) Leviticus
11:10 only applied to the Israelite and serves as an example
of how God set aside the Jews to be different and distinct and
be His Holy people (see Leviticus 20:26). As Christians in the
New order or New Covenant, we find this command from Scriptures:
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God.” (1Corinthians 10:31) Back
to Outline |
Scripture
5 regarding Leviticus 11:6-8
| Scripture:
“The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not
have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though
it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud;
it is unclean for you. You may not eat their meat or touch their
carcasses; they are unclean for you.” (Leviticus 11:6-8) |
| Question:
Is touching the skin of a dead pig a sin? |
| Answer:
“These are the regulations concerning animals,
birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every
creature that moves about on the ground,” (Leviticus 11:46)
which the Lord gave to the Israelites (See Leviticus 11:1-2)
to set them apart as His nation (cf. Leviticus 20:20). Touching
a dead pig’s skin is not a sin today because of Jesus own sacrifice
for the forgiveness of sin, “having canceled the written code,
with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed
to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians
2:14) Back
to Outline |
Scripture
6 regarding Leviticus 21:20
| Scripture:
“Or who is hunchbacked
or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering
or running sores or damaged testicles.” (Leviticus 21:20)
|
| Question:
Is approaching
the altar of God with an eye defect such as bad eyesight in
need of glasses a sin? |
| Answer:
Context of this
verse has God addressing the priests (see Leviticus 21:1) of
Israel in the time of the theocracy of Israel (cf. Leviticus
25:38). Having an eye defect and approaching an altar is not
a sin today because the priests whom this law applied to, no
longer exists today! The high priest is now Jesus Christ who
is up in Heaven (cf. Hebrews 4:14). Thus, “for when there is
a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the
law.” (Hebrews 7:12) The regulation in Leviticus 21:20 is thus,
no longer in effect. Back
to Outline |
Scripture
7 regarding Leviticus 15:19-24
| Scripture:
“When a woman
has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period
will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean
till evening. Anything she lies on during her period will be
unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. Whoever touches
her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will
be unclean till evening. Whoever touches anything she sits on
must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean
till evening. Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting
on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.
If a man lies with her and her monthly flow touches him, he
will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.”
(Leviticus 15:19-24) |
| Question:
Is it a sin to
come into contact with a woman during her period? |
| Answer:
This was a command
for the Israelites (see Leviticus 15:1) that were a part of
the Old Covenant. Due to man’s fault with the Old Covenant God
had in place a New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:8) through His Son,
Jesus Christ. Contact with a woman in her period is not a sin
for us today since “by calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made
the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will
soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13) Back
to Outline |
Scripture
8
regarding Leviticus 15:19-24 8
regarding Leviticus 19:27
| Scripture:
“Do not cut the
hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your
beard.” (Leviticus 19:27) |
| Question:
Is it a sin to
get your hair trim? |
| Answer:
This
was a command to Israel (Leviticus 19:1-2) and only applied
to the time before Christ. The Law, with similar regulations
such as the one discussed here have been set aside. (Cf. Hebrews
7:18) Thus, we find in scriptures, “now that faith has come,
we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” (Galatians
3:25) Back to Outline
|
Scripture
9
regarding Exodus 35:2
| Scripture:
“For six days, work is to be done, but
the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to
the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.”
(Exodus 35:2) |
| Question:
Is working on the Sabbath a sin?
|
| Answer:
This was Moses
commanding the Israelites (see Exodus 35:1) and also a part
of the Levitical law (cf. Leviticus 23:1-3). The Sabbath must
first be understood from what Jesus Christ the Lord of the Sabbath
himself (cf. Mark 2:28) says about it in Mark 2:27= “The Sabbath
was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” We must approach
the Sabbath with this understanding. The Sabbath, being a Levitical
Law, was not reaffirmed in the New Testament as being under
the New Covenant. Thus through Christ, “by abolishing in his
flesh the law with its commandments and regulations” (Ephesians
1:15a), Christians are not bound to the Sabbath anymore, just
as a Christians are no longer bound to the Old Covenant law
but to be under Grace instead. Back
to Outline |
--Jimmy Li
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Last
Edited
October 20, 2007 0:46
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