Homosexuality
and the Bible
Now
first, before we get into this, I want to say that when dealing with
the issue of homosexuality people tend to be very sensitive. Often calling
it a sin is met by responses like, “You’re homophobic”,
or “You are a hate-monger”. I would like to contend that
just because a Christian believes a certain act is sinful does NOT mean
that he hates or is afraid of the individual that performs that act.
Let me repeat that, just because a Christian believes a certain act
is sinful does NOT mean that he hates or is afraid of the individual
that performs that act.
Now let me ask you, do you know of a thief? Do you someone who cheats
or steals? Do you hate that person? Probably not, but you are disappointed
and hate what they did. NOW, If you stood up and said, “stealing
is wrong”, would you expect people to label you “thief-a-phobic”?
No, BUT that is what so-called open minded people say to Christians
everyday just because we believe that homosexuality is wrong based on
what the Bible teaches.
ALSO,
while we believe that homosexual behavior is sinful, a TRUE Christian
would NEVER take part in OR endorse violence against a homosexual. No
real Christian, obeying the voice of our Lord Jesus would ever attack
a homosexual because he was a homosexual.
Unfortunately;
however, there are those that call themselves Christian who attack homosexuals.
If you are homosexual and listening to this or you have been affected
by a similar situation you should know that no where did Jesus endorse
violence against any that disagreed with him. Homosexuality is simply
one of many activities that the Bible calls a sin. Jesus told his disciples
this…
Matt.10
[14] And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when
ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
[15] Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
We are as Christians commanded to leave those who disagree alone, simply
shake off the dust from our feet and move on. I am not saying homosexuality
is OK, I am saying that Jesus never endorsed violence against anyone,
if you don’t believe me read Luke 9 verses 54 through 56.
Now
on to my point…
Today,
in our society there seems to be a bit of confusion about the sin of
homosexuality. We have so-called preachers, ministers and whole denominations
debating the issue of, “can homosexuals be preachers?” “Should
the church recognize their marriages?” Etc, Etc. OR, “is
homosexuality actually a sin?” The real sick part about this whole
issue is the fact that some people even think there is a debate! It
is beyond me how people twist the VERY SIMPLE Word of GOD in order to
make themselves feel good about their detestable lifestyles. I recently
heard several quotes about this issue and I want to deal with the very
evident ignorance of these statements. One night I heard a “reverend
doctor” make the statement that if homosexuality was such a big
sin, then why didn’t Jesus deal with it in the gospels? Well,
I guess that sounds cute but if you know anything about your Bible then
you know that is a dubious statement. And I didn’t need to be
a “rev” or a “doctor” to figure that out. This
next statement was made by a so-called lesbian preist on a “town
meeting special” one night during NightLine with Tom Brokaw. The
statement she made was:
“Jesus never
said anything about or against homosexuality in the Gospels”.
This statement alone
was her sole reasoning for defending her lifestyle. Well, today I want
to answer this statement with the truth about what the Bible really
has to say on the issue as well as show the Biblical ignorance of this
statement.
Again, the statement
she made was this, “Jesus never said anything about or against
homosexuality in the Gospels”. This is dubious on several fronts:
Point 1:
In the Gospel accounts that we have it is true that Jesus never specifically
condemned homosexuality; HOWEVER, I would also like to add to that statement
that Jesus also never specifically dealt with the sins of; necrophilia,
pedophilia, abortion, pornography, child abuse, spousal abuse, beastiality,
etc. So, to infer that Jesus was somehow saying that homosexuality is
OK; just because he supposedly never said it was wrong, is flawed logic.
Following this logic then allows the above mentioned sins (necrophilia,
pedophilia, abortion, pornography, child abuse, spousal abuse, beastiality,
etc) to also no longer be sin. So, following this logic, are you saying
pedophilia is OK? Jesus never dealt with it, according to this woman
it would then be OK.
Also, condemnation
of such a gross sin (the law calls it an abomination as we will see
later) of this kind in the context of Jesus’ time would not have
needed mentioning. It would have been redundant to speak out against
a sin that is so clearly condemned in the law (see Appendix A).
Point 2:
John 21:25 states, “And there are also many other things which
Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose
that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be
written”. Here we can see that the accounts (gospels) we have
did not tell every event of Jesus’ life on earth. Then we can
conclude that if every act is not mentioned, then it would seem rather
difficult to prove that Jesus did not speak on the subject (and we know
he would have agreed with the law, for He came to fulfill it).
Matt.5
17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
I do not want to attempt to build any kind of Bible doctrine on what
Jesus said that is not in the gospels BUT we do know that anything Jesus
said would have agreed with the law whether we have a record of it or
not.
What did the Law
say about homosexuality?…We will get there in a minute.
Point 3:
Romans 7:7 states, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God
forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known
lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet”. Let us examine
the underlined word “known”. In Greek, this word is “gnosomai”,
which means “to know in a completed sense” or “to
gain or receive knowledge of”. Without the law we do not have
a complete knowledge about what sin is or what God says about it. The
Law of Moses is our first complete exposition on what God has to say
to man about sin and our responsibilities as men to live right.
Romans 3:20 also states, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge
of sin”. The verse says it all. Without the Old Testament, how
would we know what GOD considers a sin? The verse PLAINLY states that
the knowledge of what is considered a sin is provided in the Law. With
both of these verses I have made the same point, and now it should be
clear that…
The Law of Moses, given to Moses by GOD, dictates to us what GOD considers
a sin, even for New Testament believers. We are not under the judgements
of the Law but the Law serves to tell us what sin is. This is indeed
at the very heart of the matter because the Law VERY clearly states
that homosexuality IS a sin (Appendix A) and were we under the Law would
be punishable by death.
APPENDIX A
Here are several scriptures that deal with this issue, providing insight
as to what GOD has to say about this issue. Remember that “by
the law is the knowledge of sin”, Romans 3:20.
Lev.18
[22] Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
There it is in plain English what GOD commands. When a man lies with
(intercourse) another man, in the same way he would a woman, it is an
ABOMINATION. Now read on…
[24] Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these
the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
[25] And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof
upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
This sin was just one of the many listed in Leviticus 18 that GOD claims
defiled the land and the land itself was vomiting out its’ inhabitants.
[26] Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall
not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation,
nor any stranger that
sojourneth among you:
[27] (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which
were before you, and the land is defiled;)
[28] That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued
out the nations that were before you.
Next we see Leviticus
20:13 which again states the sin, but now adds the following judgement.
Lev.20
[13] If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both
of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death;
their blood shall be
upon them.
In conclusion, is
there anymore need for clarification? The Bible simply states that any
homosexual act is a sin. Sin is what separates us from GOD, the only
thing. It would then seem fair to say that a practicing homosexual could
not possibly be in right standing (or at peace) with the GOD of the
Bible.