Homosexuality

Is homosexuality wrong?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

To answer that question, we have to go to Scripture. The answer is yes, homosexual behavior is sin. Advocates claim that the Bible is obsolete, or that the its condemnation of homosexual activity is only based on culture. Others claim that the New Testament does not condemn it at all. 

To be clear, any person caught up in any kind of sinful behavior needs to know the love of God. Christians should be willing to speak the truth about sin, but we should always do so in a loving manner (Ephesians 4:15). The truth, even if spoken in love, is not always popular and is sometimes perceived as hatred. Nevertheless, we should pray for those trapped in sin and lovingly let them know that Jesus can set them free. 

Love is not the approval of a person’s sinful lifestyle. It is telling them the truth, what they desperately need to hear. A basic definition of love is “meeting needs.” Therefore, love is not always acceptance and approval. It is telling the others what they NEED to hear, not necessarily what they WANT to hear. Do not hate them with your Bible. Love them with your Bible.

Old Testament

Genesis 19:1-29 - God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah due to their sin, including homosexual practices.

Leviticus 18:22 - You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 - If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

New Testament

Romans 1 :26-27
26 … Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 

1 Corinthians 6: 9-10
9 … Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1: 9-10
9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine… 

Some believe that the Bible is not describing committed, loving same-sex relationships. They claim that it is only condemning promiscuous relationships in general, but loving homosexual relationships are okay. However, the Greek word for sodomites in the passages above is ἀρσενοκοίτης (arsenokoites). It is talking about the practice of all same-sex carnal relations. There is no way around it.

Our society needs to be extremely careful and turn back to God. We are currently crossing over a line that will provoke God’s action. The late singer/songwriter, Carman Licciardello, said: “When it comes to the point where people would rather come out of the closet than clean it, it's a sign that judgment from God is going to fall.”

Some people who struggle with these behaviors do so with pride. They like their sin and have no plans of abandoning it. Deceived, oppressed, or possessed by the forces of darkness, they have no remorse over their sin and sincerely believe there is nothing wrong with it. Those are the ones who need to hear the law of God, that they are living in sin and need to repent, and accept Jesus.

On the other hand, there are many homosexuals who hate their sin and live with regret. They carry feelings of remorse and some are open about their struggles. They know it is sin. They want to stop, but they don’t know how and they cannot overcome it. It is the same with many alcoholics or drug abusers. Those are the people who need to hear of God’s grace and wonderworking power. Christians have a unique service to provide. It is called reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). They don’t need us to point out that their sin is wrong. They already know that and they want to be free. They need us to give them hope that Jesus is the answer (John 8:36).

I hope that helped and made sense of it. I pray that Jesus will fill you with His love for others. Remember, God loves people, wants to set them free, and He wants us to be His humble instruments.

John 8:36

… if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.