Our culture tells us that homosexuality should be celebrated or at least affirmed, but what does the Bible say?
Homosexual behavior contributed to God’s judgement on Sodom.
- Genesis 19:5-7.
- The most famous occurrence of homosexual behavior in the Bible comes in the first book of the Bible. It’s the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and it gives us our first insight into the topic. (See also Ezekiel 16:49-50.)
- Men of city expected to have sex with Lot’s male guests. Why homosexual behavior is called “sodomy.”
- Lot’s response: identifies this as “a wicked thing”. His alternative also wicked (8): giving up his daughters.
- Lot’s guests were actually angels in human form. They have come to tell Lot about God’s judgment on Sodom. They intervened to stop the crowd.
- Ezekiel 16:49-50. Other sins of Sodom. (God is speaking…)
“Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.”
- Summarized in verse 50: She was proud and committed detestable sins. This mirrors the language of Gen 19 (“wicked”) and as we’ll see, Lev 18 (“detestable”).
- To some, this passage explains the “real” sin → not homosexuality but injustice, lack of hospitality. But Sodom had many sins; it’s not either / or. Readers of Ezk 16 would be familiar with Lot’s evaluation of that night.
- Sodom was destroyed not purely because of homosexuality, but their overall sinfulness, of which the episode with Lot is one example.
Sexual sin is an abomination – people are not.
- Leviticus 18:22.
- The book of Leviticus delineates the laws and punishments of the Israelite nation under God. Chapter 18 lists forbidden sexual practices – most of which clearly apply in our American culture today.
- A list of a variety of perverse sexual practices: incest (6-14); adultery (15-16, 20), bestiality (23). Included (22): having sex with another man.
- Evaluation: “this is a detestable sin.”
- Detestable means: arousing intense dislike.
- Toeva = abomination / a very undesirable thing
- Prov 6:16-19 = seven things that are toeva (“that God detests”)
- Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness, one who sows discord in a family
- People are not detestable → story of woman in church.
- God loves them; desires them to turn from sin.
- Lots of OT laws we don’t obey anymore! So why homosexuality?
- Explain three kinds of OT laws and how they apply today
- Civil law = laws that marked Israel as a unique nation, how their citizenship was lived out → we’re not part of the nation of Israel
- Ceremonial law = laws that dictated the sacrifice of animals and temple worship → all that was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross, so they no longer apply
- Moral law = laws that expressed moral principles reflecting God’s holiness are human benefit → still applicable today; restated in the New Testament.
Old Testament penalties for sin don’t apply, but God’s evaluation still does.
- Leviticus 20:13. Chapter 20 of the same book follows up on Lev 18 by adding more information on sin and consequences for the fledgling nation of Israel.
- The text calls it a detestable act; a capital offense.
- But interesting: homosexuality is not singled out. Same punishment for “anyone who dishonors father or mother” (9); “commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife” (10)
- Punishments of OT law don’t apply → we’re not under the governance of the Old Covenant anymore, since Jesus introduced the New Covenant
- As Rom 6:23 says: the wages of sin is death → this is eternal consequence
- The opposite is “the free gift of God is eternal life”
We shouldn’t make excuses for ANY sin – homosexuality or otherwise.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. The New Testament is not silent on the issue of homosexuality. When writing to a church in the pagan culture of Corinth, Paul puts it squarely in the middle of a list of sins.
- The big issue: those who do wrong will not inherit God’s Kingdom
- Listed: sexual sin / worship of idols / adultery / male prostitution
- Homosexual practice, theft, greed, drunkenness, abusive, cheating other people
- Homosexuality makes the list, but we can’t isolate it from the entire list.
- Point: don’t judge homosexuals when you practice greed or abuse others.
- Point: we allow God to say what sin is.
- Point: he says to Christians in the Corinth church (verse 11): “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed…” Continuing to practice any of these sins is inconsistent with what it means to be “made right with God.”
Sin – including homosexuality – is rebellion against God
- 1 Timothy 1:10.
- Verses 8-9 explain the point of this passage. It’s about the role of God’s moral law. It is designed to define what is wrong. It is specifically (9) “for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful….”
- Verse 10 defines some specific examples: sexual immorality, homosexuality, slave trading; lying; breaking promises; but that’s not all….
- “Anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching”…
- Again, homosexuality is clearly on the sin / rebellion list
- But it’s not the only or even the primary sin on the list
- In these 2 passages, it is not listed as the ultimate or unpardonable sin.
- But neither is it dismissed as lawful or normative for pursuers of God.
Am I willing to elevate my opinion about homosexuality over what God says?
- Romans 1:26-27. Verses 19-22 = human beings generally reject God and substitute their own “wisdom” over his. 25: “They traded the truth about God for a lie.”
- Gets to the heart of the issue in today’s culture. Goes against God’s plan.
- Question: if God’s word clearly says that some activity is wrong / sinful, that our culture dismisses as okay, am I willing to elevate my opinion or the culture above what God says about it? Whatever everyone else is saying… Or will I abandon God’s word to follow that the culture has redefined.
- 32: “They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”
- Note: Rom 1 makes it sound serious. It is! But Romans is all about how Jesus can redeem any of us and give us victory over our sin struggles.
- We’re not jerks / we don’t hate people. Stand with God’s word w/o hating anyone. Love them but disagree / encourage them to live in a way that elevates a biblical worldview above a secular worldview.
