AIDS

"In a deep and remarkable way, the child with AIDS is the world's child; the man or woman dying of AIDS has become the world's image of our own mortality; AIDS is also uncertainty and the unknown. Yet we face respon­sibility for this day and these lives."

(Dr. Jonathan Mann, 1988: then Director of the World Health Organisation Global Program on AIDS. Spoken at the summit of Ministers of Health in London.)

AIDS

BIBLE ANSWERS TO TODAY'S QUESTIONS

ACQUIRED Immune Deficiency Syndrome has been called the most important public health problem this century. This may be a conservative view. AIDS is fast becoming one of the most devastating infections in human history. But what is extraordinary about AIDS is that it is not spread in the way other deadly epidemics have spread. For example, smallpox and influenza were spread from case to case through direct contact, coughing and sneezing; cholera through infected water and food; plague by rat fleas and through airborne spread;

malaria, typhus and yellow fever by biting-insects.

A Rapidly Spreading Disease

But with AIDS it is different. Here is a disease which is spreading rapidly throughout the world mainly by sexual intercourse. AIDS was first recognised (in the USA) only in 1981, but the World Health Organisation estimates that there will be 20 million adults and 10 million children newly infected in the 1990s. At present it is estimated that 1 in 250 adults in the world are infected. Although the problem is greatest in Africa, where in some countries 40% of adults in towns and cities are infected, no country has escaped. In the USA, 1 in 75 men are infected. (The figures refer to HIV-positive people.)

AIDS is caused by viruses which attack certain cells which are essential to the body's immune defences. The resulting deficiency allows a multitude of otherwise often harmless germs to attack the body with devastating results. Most patients die within two-three years of the diagnosis of AIDS. But AIDS itself is not the whole story. The virus which causes AIDS also directly attacks the brain, often leading to dementia. Other illnesses may also be induced. Most, if not all, of those infected will go on to develop a prolonged, incurable, wasting and eventually fatal disease.

The AIDS virus only passes from one person to another when body fluids carrying the virus pass from an infected individual into the body of another. How does this occur? There are three main ways:

— sexual intercourse;

— sharing blood, either from intravenous needles which are contaminated with blood; blood trans­fusions1 or blood products2;

— mother to baby in the womb or at birth.

Promiscuity and Drug Abuse

AIDS was first discovered in young homosexual men and still (in the UK) the majority of cases are homosexuals. Two factors explain this. Firstly, male homosexuals tended to be extremely promiscuous, often with a history of hundreds of sex partners. The chances of spread of infection were therefore extremely high. Secondly, it is probable that the AIDS virus can more easily pass between men than from a man to a woman or from a woman to a man. Homosexual intercourse is unnatural;

the human body was not designed for such things and may suffer trauma, allowing the AIDS virus to enter the body through damaged tissue.

In the Western world the second main group to be affected were intravenous drug abusers. There is an epidemic of drug abuse in Western countries, and sharing intravenous needles to inject drugs into veins results in blood-borne viruses being passed on.

World-wide, however, heterosexual spread is the most common route. In Africa, where the AIDS virus is thought to have first affected humans in the mid-1 970s, half of all cases are female. There the main route of infection is heterosexual sex, followed by infection from mothers to their unborn or newly born babies. The use of unsterile needles and contaminated blood in medical practice now plays a limited part.

1 Blood donations in Western countries are now screened for AIDS, virtually eliminating the risk from this route.

2 Blood products are now heat treated to render them safe.

Even outside of Africa, and including Europe and North America, heterosexual spread is becoming an important route of spread. It is thought that the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases helps the spread of the AIDS virus by allowing it to pass more easily into the body through damaged tissues.

The Bible and Homosexuality

AIDS has brought male homosexuals and their sexual behaviour into the forefront of public attention. Many people have been forced to learn what they never wanted to know. The Bible is very clear about this. Sex between men is sin. The law which God gave to Moses says:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with woman­kind: it is abomination" (Leviticus 18:22).

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a women, both of them have committed an abomina­tion: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13).

In the New Testament also the message is the same:

"Be not deceived: neither . . . abusers of them­selves with mankind . . . shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9,10).

Some have argued that the Biblical condemnation of homosexuality is unfair since homosexuals cannot help the way they feel, and it is only adding to the discrimina­tion and persecution which they suffer. Others argue that this condemnation is unChristian. They dismiss the clear Bible statements whilst still claiming to be Christians. Some have even suggested that there are suspicions of homosexuality in Bible characters. In answer to these arguments the following points are offered:

1. In the Bible, God specifically condemns homosexual acts, not inclinations. There are people who are sexually inclined to their own sex. These tendencies will lead to temptations which others do not experience, but they should be considered in the same category as hetero­sexual temptations. Inclination and temptation are not sinful unless we give in to them. Only when "lust has

conceived" does it "bring forth sin" (James 1:15). Temp­tations must be resisted, and the Scriptures teach us how this can be done.

2. There is no doubt that the condemnation of homo­sexuality in Scripture is consistent in Old and New Testa­ments, and carries the full authority of the Word of God. The Apostle Paul who wrote so forthrightly to the Corin­thians was appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself to be witness to the truth of Jesus Christ throughout the Gentile world. Paul spoke and wrote through the miracu­lous power of the Holy Spirit. If we deny his letters, we deny also the rest of the Bible.

3. There are examples of love and affection shown between men in Scripture, but there are no examples of homosexuality which are condoned. The Anglo-Saxon peoples may tend to confuse the two because of cultural factors. But in France and Russia and many other countries it is normal for men to greet one another with a kiss. In the Bible this was also true. The Apostle Paul counsels the disciples to "greet one another with a holy kiss" (Romans 16:16 etc.). The Lord Jesus showed affection towards his disciples (John 15:13). The friendship between Jonathan and David is described in these terms: "The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1). So then, deep friendship and affection between godly men in Scrip­ture is wholesome. Only depraved minds could turn this into support for homosexuality. Titus 1:15 reads:

"To the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled."

4. There is no Scriptural basis for persecuting or oppress­ing homosexuals in any way. Although homosexuals have been hounded, even in the name of religion, the Bible makes it clear:

"The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men" (2 Timothy 2:24).

"Speak evil of no man ... be no brawlers, but gen­tle, showing all meekness unto all men" (Titus 3:2).

5. Homosexuality is not an unforgivable sin. When the Apostle Paul described homosexuality as one of a list of sins which, if followed, would bar a person from the Kingdom of God, he went on to say,

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

The Gospel message is free to all types of sinner. Repen­tance is required by God from everyone who would be saved, and through baptism all may receive forgiveness of sins to follow a new way of life.

The Bible and Sexual Promiscuity

In the Scriptures which have been quoted above, and which condemn homosexuality, it should be noted that homosexuality is just one of many sins which are catalogued. Consider again Paul's words:

"Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers . . . nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9,10).

The sins of fornication and adultery are even more frequently referred to and condemned by God than homosexuality. The only accepted place for sex which is allowed in Scripture is in faithful marriage. To the modern Western man and woman this ideal standard may be unacceptably narrow. But the wisdom of God's way is becoming very clear. Besides the tragedies of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, broken marriages and psychological stress we can now add AIDS to the list of dire consequences of disregarding the "narrow way".

Throughout the world, heterosexual promiscuity is now the major way in which AIDS spreads. In the West, too, heterosexual spread is fast becoming a major factor. Since "free love" became the accepted fashion of the "swinging sixties", promiscuity has become the norm. Sexually transmitted diseases tell the tale. Epidemics of

herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and other infections speak volumes. In 1990 in England and Wales alone there were about 600,000 new cases of sexually transmitted diseases treated at National Health Service clinics.

Is AIDS a Punishment from God?

Given Bible teaching about homosexuality some have claimed that AIDS is God's direct retribution against homosexuals. It is true that in Bible times the Lord did sometimes intervene in human affairs when men were exceptionally wicked, and the Bible does record cases in which God has directly punished individuals or nations with disease. Even so, we do not have any Scriptural authority to say that God has intervened miraculously to bring AIDS upon homosexuals. There are now many people with AIDS who have caught the disease through no fault of their own, by such routes as blood transfusions or simply being born to a mother who is infected. But there is Scripture teaching to prove that diseases like AIDS can be a direct result of breaking God's laws.

In the Letter to the Romans the Apostle Paul describes a process in which man turned away from the worship of the true God, to idolatry. Associated with this was a moral degeneration leading to homosexuality. Three times in this passage the Apostle says that God delivered up these people to reap the consequences of their actions:

"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves . . . For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet . . . God gave them over to a reprobate mind" (Romans 1:24-28).

In this passage the physical consequences of homo­sexuality are described. They received "in themselves the

recompence of their error which was meet". AIDS would certainly fit this description since it is a direct conse­quence of homosexual behaviour. It is not that God sum­marily brings diseases such as AIDS upon homosexuals, but that by dishonouring their bodies in using them contrary to nature, they suffer the natural consequences. God, in "giving them over" allows His created processes to take their natural course. In response to this, some might point out that AIDS can also spread heterosexually. This is true, and sex outside of marriage also breaks God's law and exposes the partners to venereal diseases. But there is no doubt that the flagrant disregard of the "natural use of the body" by homosexuals in the Western world in recent years, with their extreme homosexual pro­miscuity and unnatural practices, has permitted AIDS to spread rapidly. Although homosexuality does not cause AIDS, homosexuals are the main group affected, and pro­bably introduced the infection into the USA and Britain. From them it has passed to drug abusers and then heterosexually, as well as through blood donations and blood products.

In the Epistle to the Romans homosexuality is specially emphasised as the furthest departure from the ways of God which men have devised. They began by turning away from belief in the Creator and then they flouted His created laws of nature, eventually to reap the conse­quences. But lest anyone should take a self-righteous pride in not behaving in this way, the same passage of Scripture goes on to condemn other sins which include fornication, covetousness, envy, deceit, strife, pride, boasting, and even disobedience to parents, as the sort of lifestyle of the reprobate. In fact, if we were to read through the early chapters of Romans we would realise that the whole point of the Apostle is to prove that everyone, without exception, is a sinner by nature:

"There is none righteous, no, not one . . . For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10,23).

It is essential to accept this sober truth if we are to appreciate the need for redemption through Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to the self-righteous leaders of religion in his day: "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick ... I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:12,13).

There is one notable occasion recorded in Scripture when God did intervene to destroy a people, the name of whose city has become synonymous with homosexuality. The sin of Sodom and her neighbour Gomorrah was described by God as "very grievous" (Genesis 18:20). When two messengers went to save Lot and his family, all the men of Sodom "both old and young, all the people from every quarter" came to Lot and cried out: "Bring them out unto us, that we may know them" (Genesis 19:4,5). There is no doubt from the context that they were intent upon mass homosexual abuse of the messengers. So totally depraved were they that even when struck by blindness they still "wearied themselves to find the door" of Lot's house.

The Example of Sodom: a Warning for Today

Because of their extreme depravity Sodom and her neighbours were suddenly destroyed by volcanic explo­sions of fire and brimstone and obliterated from the face of the earth. The Apostle Peter in the New Testament says that Sodom and Gomorrah were made "an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly" (2 Peter 2:6). The Apostle Jude says that they were "set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7). So, in the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, we have presented to us an example of the judgement which God will eventually bring upon the world of the ungodly, a total destruction of the wicked for ever. This is an aspect of Bible teaching which is often ignored and sometimes misunderstood. The return of the Lord Jesus will bring righteousness and peace to this earth when the kingdom of God is established; but in establishing righteousness there inevitably must be the removing of those who have € rejected the way of God. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 says:

"... the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that

obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe."

So abhorrent was the sin of Sodom that its destruction was to be a warning for all generations. Consider then the weight of the words of the Lord Jesus who spoke to those cities in Israel who refused to accept the Gospel message:

"Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judge­ment, than for that city" (Matthew 10:15).

The day of judgement for those cities came about 40 years later when Rome destroyed the land of Israel with fearful violence, a fate worse than the sudden overthrow of Sodom. The judgement was worse because their responsibility was greater, for having seen and heard the Son of God they rejected his message and crucified him.

This warning also has application to our days. The Lord Jesus spoke about Sodom in relation to his second coming. He described conditions at the time of his return to earth to set up the Kingdom of God in this way:

"As it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they <, drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed" (Luke 17:28-30).

Perhaps surprisingly, no mention is made of Sodom's sexual perversity. Instead Sodom is described as a city preoccupied with material prosperity and therefore un­prepared for judgement. So will the world be when Christ returns. And the world today is in such a condition, pre­occupied with economic and material prosperity to the exclusion of spiritual values. The Word of God is either ridiculed or ignored, and yet it is that Word which is warning us to prepare for the coming of Christ.

Even though the Lord did not include the perversity of Sodom in his warning, he did uncover the root cause of Sodom's abominations. The prophecy of Ezekiel 16 explains:

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good" (Ezekiel 16:49,50).

Theirs was a callous society with the rich exploiting the poor. Prosperity for the rich brought plenty of leisure time and human nature was unrestrained. Here is a clear pattern of our modern sophisticated world, and in this respect AIDS is a sign of the times, drawing attention to the similarities between our day and Sodom's.

Halting the Spread of AIDS

Many millions of pounds are now being spent upon public education in an attempt to halt the spread of AIDS. It is hoped that, given information about the disease, people will change their behaviour. The Government's message in Britain is a compromise with the clear moral counsel of Scripture. It is politically unacceptable and unworkable to advise people to confine sex to faithful marriage. The advice given is to reduce the number of sexual partners and to use a contraceptive method which will give some protection against infection. The decision to take the pragmatic approach rather than the moral approach has led to criticism from many religiously minded people. The government has judged that society is too permissive for the "old fashioned" morality to have any public force. But whatever the advice government may judge appropriate, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must, for themselves and their children, heed the counsel of Scripture. Sex out­side faithful marriage is wrong. Homosexuality is wrong. Experimenting with drugs is wrong. ,

Diseases like AIDS may very well have been prevalent in ancient Canaan at the time the children of Israel came out of Egypt. The Canaanites were extremely depraved and not fit to share the land with Israel. In contrast, Israel was given a law which if followed would protect them against diseases like AIDS. Since sex was to be confined to faith­ful marriage there was no danger of sexually transmitted diseases spreading throughout the community. Scarifica­tion and tattooing, practices associated with religious cults, were outlawed (Leviticus 19:28). In Africa similar practices may have contributed to the spread of AIDS and other blood-borne diseases.

The Law of Moses is famous for the public health bene­fits of its spiritual precepts. The remarkable wisdom, so modern in its insight, bears witness to the fact that the Law was indeed given by God to Moses. And whilst all the ceremonies and rituals of the Law are not enjoined upon the followers of Christ, the principles of righteousness embodied in it are endorsed by Christ himself. The true followers of Christ by virtue of their calling will seek to avoid all behaviour which would put them highly at risk of AIDS. In obeying Scripture they will find out the truth of Paul's words:

"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having

promise of the life that now is, and of that which

is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).

Advice Ignored

The predominantly Godless society in which we live is un­moved by the teaching of Scripture, and many seem to be unmoved even by the pragmatic advice of governments. Many young people, especially heterosexuals, seem oblivious to the dangers of promiscuity. One 25-year-old man writing in The Sunday Times said: "It won't stop any of us, the likelihood is that nothing will. While we run the risk of death, we'll all take our chances with the rest. The alternatives are just too mind-numbingly unworkable to consider."

Such people tend to put enormous faith in modern medicine to find a cure or a vaccine. But in the short term both appear to be unlikely. The only option is prevention. Yet, for so many, that involves denying themselves the promiscuous pleasures which it seems they are unwilling to forsake, despite the catastrophic consequences.

This attitude is not confined to the young, however, nor to our generation. The great mass of mankind has always refused to heed Bible warnings. In the prophecy of Isaiah there is a description of a city about to be besieged and destroyed by a powerful enemy because of their wickedness. But instead of repenting and turning to God to deliver them, this is what the prophet found:

"And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness . . . and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine. Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die" (Isaiah 22:12-13).

Doesn't this sum up those people who would rather have a few more moments of pleasure than survive? And doesn't it sum up a world devoting itself to materialism, pursuing riches at the expense of eternal life?

Focus on Good News

If AIDS could accomplish a positive good it will be that by revealing just how far man is from the way of God, some may stop to reconsider their own way of life. In the Bible a better way is offered: a way that has benefits in this life but also, and more importantly, will bring everlasting life in God's kingdom which the Lord Jesus Christ will establish on this earth at his coming.

When Jesus does return he will judge the world, reward his faithful followers with everlasting life, and establish God's righteousness throughout the earth (Psalm 72). During the 1,000 year reign of Christ the earth will be transformed and the desert places will blossom (Isaiah 35). And for the mortal population life will be enormously improved. Diseases will be conquered, oppression will be removed, the starving will be fed, the poor and needy will find relief, and sin itself will be shackled by the power of God. AIDS will be a thing of the past. At the end of his ^ work the Lord Jesus will finally remove sin completely, and so death itself will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15). This is the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Revised May 1992. dr. STEPHEN PALMER