Homosexuality is being looked at as a so-called “alternate lifestyle” these days. Your children and grandchildren are being taught this in school every day. The worldly society that we live in preaches that there is nothing wrong with homosexuals and lesbians, and that there is nothing wrong with same sex marriages. The liberals in society also want us to believe that there is no harm in homosexual, same sex, couples adopting children. How has it gotten this to be this way? The answer is that most Christians do not understand how God views homosexuality and when they do they simply do not have the backbone to stand up and show His love to those who are in it. In fact today there are numerous homosexual churches which call themselves Christian, and again mainline Christianity has not stood up to protest this corruption. The church in general needs to study the Bible to see God’s viewpoint on this very controversial subject. Homosexuals and their supporters stand up and say that there is no clear mention of homosexuality in the Bible. Okay, then lets see if this is true.
So what is God’s view of homosexuality?
I think that is a fair question, we need to look at it historically in the Bible so that we get a clear understanding of how God looks at homosexuality. We will get God’s viewpoint from the Bible, not from tradition, denominational doctrine or Preacher Joe’s “favorite few” scriptures. My intent is to go right to the source.
Let’s go back to the first book of the Bible and begin.
The city of Sodom is first mentioned in Genesis the 13th chapter when Abram and Lot had left Egypt and entered the land that was called the Negev. The two herds of livestock were so large that there was not sufficient grazing for them and quarreling began between the herdsman of both men.
Genesis 13:12. So Abram gave Lot the choice of the direction that he would travel and take his herds and Lot decided that he would go to the east and live among the cities of the plain toward the city of Sodom.
This is the first mention of the city of Sodom in the Bible and I want you to notice what the very next verse says. “Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:13)
Sodom has just been mentioned and already condemnation is heaped upon it by Whom? Right, by God.
Genesis Chapter 18. Three men (angels?) were passing by and Lot had them stop and fed them a meal. As the men got up to leave they looked down toward Sodom. (v16)
Genesis 18:20&21. Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see of what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
In the remainder of Chapter 18 Abram bargains with the Lord trying to save Sodom from God’s judgement. God agrees that if there are ten righteous men in the city of Sodom He will not destroy it. They were not found.
Chapter 19
Two angels arrive in Sodom that evening and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. He greeted them and offered them lodging for the night. They intended to spend the night in the square but Lot finally convinced them to go with him. They entered his house and he prepared them a meal.
Lets start reading at verse 4. “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.’” (NIV)
Note: the KJV says that we may "Know them” but more modern translations say it the way we would say it today. We are aware that the word “know” was a King James word which meant “have sex with”. (As in Numbers 31:18 in the KJV)
Lot goes outside to meet with these men and even goes so far as to offer the crowd his two virgin daughters to keep them from getting to the men (angels). (But the crowd did not want women! – my comment)
The crowd is getting rowdy and they are putting pressure on Lot and are about to break down the door when the men (angels) pull Lot back inside.
The angels then struck those at the door of the house blind.
The angels then led Lot and his wife and two daughters to safety and we can see what happened in verses 24-25:
GE 19:24&25 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities--and also the vegetation in the land.
Now what was the reason that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? It is very clear that there was great sin there. But verses 4 and 5 tell us clearly that the sin was homosexuality.
It is important that we notice that this was the way that God treated homosexuality long before the Law came into effect. This was before God began dealing with Israel as a nation.
Now we need to go over and look at the giving of the LAW to the nation of Israel.
We will find that much of it is located in the book of Leviticus. (“The Law” is generally believed to be the first 5 books of the Old Testament also called “The Pentateuch”)
In giving the LAW to the Israelites we find that the God gives specific requirements concerning sexual relations that are not allowed. This is covered in the 18th Chapter of Leviticus so let us turn there in our Bible.
Here we have a list of the things that we could call ‘Gods List of Unlawful Sexual Relations’.
For our study we just need to go down to the 22nd verse and see what it has to say.
“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” (18:22) (NIV)
Let’s also look at verse 24 where the Lord says, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.”
So God was punishing the people who lived in the land for sexual sin—they were to be driven out by the Israelites.
Now let us move on a couple of chapters to Leviticus Chapter 20 and read what the punishment for sexual sins was to be.
Let’s look at Chapter 20 the 13th verse. “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
So we can see that before the law was given and after the law was given God’s view of homosexuality was the same. It was punishable by death.
Note: There is a difference between the requirement in the Law and the way God handled Sodom and Gomorrah. In the case of Sodom God did the punishment by raining down fire and brimstone. But under the Law He required the Israelites to take care of killing the individuals—usually by stoning them to death.
Okay, that is before the Law and after the Law so what is God’s viewpoint of homosexuality in this New Testament time?
Let’s see what the Apostle Paul had to say about this subject in the Letter to the Romans.
Note: This is a long reading from the New Testament book of Romans but its content is essential for understanding this teaching. This is the Apostle Paul doing the writing.
Romans 1:24-32
“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. (con’t)
Because of this God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” (NIV)
Now if we cannot see today’s permissive society described right here then we are totally blind.
Let’s look at a verse from the small letter of Jude the half brother of Jesus, starting at verse 7. “In a similar way Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” (NIV)
So what is God’s view point about Homosexuality? He says it is a sin punishable by death and that there is a penalty to pay for such action.
In spite of what you hear from the media and what the “politically correct” want you to believe you can see very well for yourself what God’s viewpoint of homosexuality is now under grace as well as back under the Law and even before the law. It was punishable by death. How can some churches that say they preach the Bible say there is nothing wrong with homosexuality in light of the scriptures which we have studied today? It is beyond me.
Well, is there any more to add to this? Any hope for the homosexual? Let’s take a look at something the Apostle Paul wrote that might give us that glimmer of hope. This is taken from 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 Verses 9-11.
1COR 6:9 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders [10] nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (NIV)
Here in 1 Corinthians 6:9 Paul gives a list of the wicked that will not enter the kingdom of God. In effect he says, “Don’t be deceived” they will not get into heaven no matter what theology the preacher uses, no matter how he ignores the scriptures which are vividly clear on God’s stand against homosexuality. Man thinks that because he does not agree with God over something that it changes God’s mind. How utterly stupid! God’s viewpoint stands now as it did in the days of Sodom.
So where is the hope? It is there in verse 11 of the scripture we just read. Paul says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.” (NIV)
Therein lies the hope. We can clearly see that some of the members of the church at Corinth had previously walked in that lifestyle which God clearly condemns. But they had come out from it! They turned to God and repented for having lived in that lifestyle which God views as an abomination and He has given them a new life of total forgiveness in Christ. The seeking of His mercy and the plea for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord is essential. But to repent doesn’t just mean to say, “I’m sorry” it means to turn around---in this case to turn their backs on that lifestyle and to begin living for Christ. Society today does not understand repentance at all. This is a huge step for those in that lifestyle. We might take hope for them in what Paul said in (Philippians 4:13) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” May they claim that scripture. May we be Christian enough to pray daily that they will come to know (or rededicate) their lives to Christ and come out of that lifestyle.
Regarding the so called Homosexual Christian churches, we would be well advised to take our council from Paul’s letter to Timothy, the young Pastor who would be following in his shoes after his death. This is what the Apostle had to say in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
2TI 3:1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. (2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, (4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—(5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” (NIV)
Why would someone even begin to think that God would give credence to a church composed of people who follow a lifestyle which is clearly not in line with His teachings throughout scriptural history? How about a Church of the Adulterers, A Church of the Fornicators, A Church of the Thieves and Drunkards, a Church of the Slanderers and Swindlers? See, we draw the line at thinking of those kinds of churches but because of the pressure on society from this particular group we (the world) deem a Homosexual Church as acceptable. Because to deny them is to be called a Homophobe or worse and oh we could not bear to be disliked because we dared to stand up for God, being Christlike would soil our reputation with our friends. Again we have man (pressured by an unGodly society) stepping in and having the gall to try to tell God how things need to be run and having the nerve to try to tell God what will be acceptable to Him! Surely He must shake His head in wonder at our insolence.
There you have it, a Biblical look at God’s viewpoint of homosexuality. We have seen that He was against it before the Law was given, against it in the giving of the Law itself, and is against it now under the new covenant established in Christ. In view of what we have seen how can the world and some parts of the church say that the Bible does not speak clearly about God’s opinion of homosexuality?
There is hope for the homosexual and that hope is in repentance and turning to Jesus Christ for cleansing. As Christians we should be in prayer daily for those who walk in this lifestyle since it clearly opposes God’s word. It is easy to condemn others but our job as Christians is not condemnation, it is to pray for their very souls. It is our duty to lovingly show them the way to the forgiveness and deliverance that is in Jesus Christ and not stand in condemnation of them. Do we dare take up this responsibility? Perhaps our hearts need some of that repentance spoken of earlier in this study. I pray we will make our hearts right before God, gain His forgiveness for our hostile attitudes and then take this message of God’s love out to those who are currently walking in this lifestyle. They will only begin to understand God’s love for them when they start seeing it expressed through you.
