What does the Bible really say about homosexuality? Do you really want to know? Many have closed their eyes and shut their ears because they don't want to know the truth. But God's word on this topic should serve as a warning that following the culture on this topic and most other things is the wide road that leads to destruction. Culture today has normalized the homosexual lifestyle. It's promoted in our media, movies and television shows, as completely acceptable. Many claim that a person’s sexuality is
determined by nature at birth, and not by choice. That would infer that God designed some
people in their mother’s womb to be homosexual.
That is quite a claim!
Culture changes all the time.
While our culture certainly caters to homosexuality today, it didn't used to. Just search for a video made in the 1950s by the Inglewood California
Police Department warning people to be on the lookout for homosexuals (it may already be taken down). Talk about a 180 from what goes on in
California today!
While culture is always changing, the Bible does not change. In fact, the author to the Hebrews writes
this of Jesus, “Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
It is an undeniable fact that the Bible admonishes homosexuality. Levitical law states, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies
with a female; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22).
The New Testament also includes homosexuality among a list of sins deemed immoral (1
Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:9-11).
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he includes a vivid description of the
depravity of humanity engaged in sexual sin, including homosexual sin, which
is just as applicable for us today as it was 2,000 years ago -- “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of
their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among
them. For they exchanged the truth of
God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen. For this
reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the
natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men
abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward
one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own
persons the due penalty of their error.” (Romans 1:24-27)
This Scripture passage describes homosexuality as “degrading,” “unnatural,”
“indecent” and in “error.”
God is not the author of sin. To imply that God made a person a homosexual at birth would be inconsistent with His nature as God created Adam and Eve to be together and procreate.
Why are some people homosexuals? The most basic answer is sin. Every person who has ever lived is a sinner. From birth, we have inherited a sinful nature, a natural bent to do wrong, and not right (Isaiah 53:6, Romans
3:10-12, 5:12). We each have our own sinful
vices, pulls and tendencies that appeal to the lusts of our flesh and in veritably separate us from God. Check out this laundry list of sins Paul spelled out for the Corinthians – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves,
nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the
kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Paul did not mince words.
God did not make us sinners. We chose to be sinners because of inherited sinful nature. Thus, the sin of homosexuality is a choice that some people make. Homosexual proclivities and tendencies are a part of the inherited nature humans have from the fall of mankind
and are chosen by people through the natural lusts of their flesh.
The ugly truth about our sin problem is hard to admit, but admitting that
we have a problem is the first step toward the salvation we ultimately
need. Salvation is offered freely to us by
faith in Jesus Christ! (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Sin is sneaky and deceptive.
It is very much a part of who we are in our fallen condition (Ephesians
2:1-3). As we engage in our sins, we
grow accustom to them and often comfortable with them. Naturally we begin to justify them in our
mind - "Everyone else is doing them too" and "It feels right and makes me happy." It's also hard when we see
others that we love openly engage in sin, and we are pressured to compromise on
what we believe to be true. Societal pressures also seek to change our beliefs in the name of acceptance
and tolerance. Romans
1:32 addresses this, “and, although they know the
ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they
not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Our society pushes this today and portrays
the sinful as acceptable. Their message
is clear - “There is no absolute truth.
Everyone can decide what is true for them. Don’t judge, just love and accept others the
way they are.” However, the Bible
stresses that sin enslaves us and brings us death. Rather than freeing us and giving us life,
sin actually kills us and keeps us separated from an intimate
relationship with the very God who made us!
It is apparent that our culture has adopted the mindset of the
Israelites in the days of the judges – “In
those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own
eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Here is the problem with that mindset - Proverb 14:12 – “There is a way which seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death.” It
may seem right to let each person do as they please and not have standards of
morality based upon an ancient historical religious book, but in the end, God’s
word will hold true and those who live by His word will be blessed while those
who fail to heed His word will be cursed.
Genesis is clear that from the very beginning God’s design for humanity
was for man and woman to be together in a marriage covenant (Genesis
2:18-24). In other words, heterosexuality
is the only sexuality chosen by God. Eve
was created by God out of Adam as the “helper
suitable for him.” (Genesis
2:18) God did not make another man for
Adam. He made a woman. This was His design. This is some of the clearest evidence that
God’s intention for the very beginning was for man and woman to be together.
Another fact worth mentioning - it is impossible for homosexuals to procreate. God’s will
for Adam and Eve as well as other married couples is to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) Homosexuals cannot accomplish the will of God to procreate.
The common argument is that homosexuality feels normal to some people. To deny those feelings would go against who they are as a person. But what if a person claimed that they were naturally born to be a murderer? That murdering others felt natural to them
and to do anything else would go against who they are as an individual. This is clearly silly and we would rightfully
agree that such an individual should be locked up for the betterment of
society. You see that just because something
feels right or natural to someone does not make it right. God’s word provides a standard of morality
that the world hates. The world says, “What
right does God have to tell me how I have to live my life?” The answer is simple. God made you. He has every right as your Creator and the truth is God has the power to give life and take it away however He
so pleases.
But where the rubber meets the road, the culture does not want to call homosexuality a
sin. If people truly are born naturally as homosexuals, then they can’t help themselves and they have a rationalization. However, if homosexuality is a sin, then those
who engage in homosexuality are in violation of the will of God.
Critics of Christians who stand on the truth of Scripture, which says
that homosexuality is unacceptable and unnatural, are deemed intolerant,
bigoted and homophobic. The media pushes
the homosexual agenda with the goal of creating a more enlightened culture that
is tolerant of almost anything except the biblical Christian worldview. The flesh within each of us
desires naturally to confirm itself to the world. The world preaches these messages - “If it feels good, do
it. Obey your thirst!” Our flesh is appealed by this message because
it helps us justify our own sinful behaviors.
Everyone else is doing it so it must be okay, right? But as Christians we must get our truth from
the Scriptures, confronting ourselves with the truth about what is sin. Paul wrote this, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) We all
need transformation and only God can do it in us as we submit to Him. We must renew our minds daily so we can fight
the good fight and go against the tidal wave of this world trying to shape us
into its corrupted satanic mold.
In closing, as Christians we must make a choice to believe the Bible
over the culture. Cultural changes occur
all around us and the moral fabric of America has been ripped to shreds over
the last century. We can choose to be conformed
to this world which is easy and natural, or we can be transformed supernaturally
by the power of the Holy Spirit, renewing of our minds daily through a living relationship with Jesus
Christ that consist among other things of letting the Scriptures shape our
worldview. In doing so, we will have a
much better shot of abiding in Christ, living a holy life, receiving His blessing and
living in obedience to His will. God
bless you and may the truth of God’s word penetrate your heart and transform your life!
