The Bible And Homosexuality

Homosexuality

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 7/26/2015

On Friday, June 26 the Supreme Court of the United States legalized marriage for same sex couples all across the United States... and along with the decision came huge celebrations as well as thunderous condemnation.

In the days following the Supreme Court’s decision my Facebook newsfeed was littered with rainbow colored profile pictures, celebrating this victory for the gay community. Several of these rainbow-painted faces belonged to friends of my who are themselves gay, others were simply supporters, and—surprisingly—some even belonged to church-going Christians.

It’s been “interesting” over the past few weeks to see the reaction of the Christian community at large on this issue. There are some who say this is a sign of the “end times” and that God’s wrath is upon us. One popular Christian leader even proclaimed that lightning was probably going to strike the White House because it was lit up in rainbow colors on the evening the decision was finalized. I’ve even heard some pastors say if God doesn’t destroy America soon then He will have to apologize for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah.

Others are saying it is time Christians get past their “old-fashioned” ideas and step into a culture that is way more “progressive” than Scripture allows. They say Scripture is outdated and that the Church needs to be more inclusive and tolerant and even embrace same-sex marriage with open arms; after all, if the Supreme Court, the most powerful court in the land, says it’s ok then everyone must agree.

And yet, many others are simply stunned and are left wondering how a Christian should respond. This morning I’d like you to join me in examining what the Bible says about this sensitive subject. While there are a variety of passages in the Bible that address the issue, I’d like to camp out primarily in 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul shares God’s Word with the church in Corinth concerning homosexuality. He writes:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 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. (1 Corinthians 1:9-11 NIV)

This passage underscores three important points about homosexuality, including God’s restrictions against it, the homosexual’s redemption from it, and a Christian’s response to it. I think it’s important to begin with that first point—God restricts (forbids) homosexuality.

• RESTRICTIONS ON HOMOSEXUALITY

Back in 1994, syndicated columnist, Abigail Van Buren, received a letter which she printed in her column that week, titled “Sexual orientation is about doing what comes naturally.” Here is a portion of that letter:

Dear Abby:

I am a 25-year-old lesbian. Learning to accept my homosexuality was difficult, to say the least... I am one of three girls, raised in a loving family... There was no significant difference in the way my sisters and I were raised. Genetics, nature, or God’s will is the explanation for my orientation. My sisters and I are very much alike except for our sexual preference… A person’s sexual orientation, be it heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual, is a natural part of a person that can’t be changed. It is God-given. Since it is what nature intended, it should be celebrated. It can’t possibly be immoral.

When Dear Abby published this letter, the sentiments it expresses were pretty radical. The idea that God would create or condone same-sex attraction was shocking. Today, twenty years later, this is the view held by most media journalist, politicians, gay-rights activists and even many churches and Christians.

The Bible paints a very different picture, though.

Here in 1 Corinthians, Paul clearly identifies homosexuality as sinful. Another translation puts it this way: “Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 9:9-10 NLT).

This would not have been a surprise to the Christians in Corinth. God also forbade homosexuality in the Old Testament. Amongst a long list of forbidden sexual sins, God said, “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin” (Leviticus 18:22). Many pro-gay churches will point out that Christians are not expected to follow the Old Testament Law, which is true. But what we see here is continuity between the Old Testament and the New. In fact, the Bible speaks of homosexuality five times (twice in the Old Testament and three times in the New), and each time it is clearly categorized as sinful.