Is Homosexuality a Sin?
Recently, a friend asked me how I felt about homosexuality. He wanted to know if I thought it was wrong. My immediate thought was, “Yes, it is wrong” but then I was asked by another friend if I felt that homosexuality was a sin and did I feel that God condemns the sexual act?
Actually, the topic of homosexuality has come up a lot in the last several months, in conversations on and off the Coffee & Christ show, in business meetings and with those that are searching for some answers. I listen to what others have to say and their opinions but I don't ever want my opinion to be based off of what someone else has told me or the world or it be from something a church or organization has taught, I want to learn the facts for myself.
The Bible even instructs us in Proverbs 3:5 not to lean on our own understanding but to call on Him so on to researching I went and I can say now, without any hesitation, that I believe that homosexuality is wrong.
Even though the Bible doesn't speak of it very often, when it does, it condemns it as sin.
These are the verses that I’ve found:
Leviticus 18:22 > "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."
Leviticus 20:13 > "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them"
Leviticus 18:22 >1 Corinthians 6:9-10 > "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
Romans 1:26-28 >"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."
In reading the story of how and why Adam and Eve were created, and then reading the above verses, I feel that the act of homosexual behavior (laying down with someone of the same sex), undermines the basis of God's created order, where God made Adam, a man, and Eve, a woman, to carry out his command, to fill and subdue the earth.
Genesis 1:28 > God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
A man laying down with a man or a woman laying down with a woman cannot carry out that command. It undermines the basic family unit of husband and wife, the God-ordained means of procreation.
In reading further, the bible tells us that homosexuality has a heavy judgment administered by God Himself upon those who commit it - and support it – this is willingly, not through rape or intimidation or fear < everyone does what they have to do to survive and sometimes save their own lives. This judgment is simple in that those who practice it as a lifestyle are given over to their passions, which means that their hearts are allowed to be hardened by their sins. This is in:
Romans 1:26-27> "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error,"
If a person can no longer see the error of what they are doing, they will not seek forgiveness. They will die in their sins and face God's holy condemnation. Not just those involved in it but also those that promote it and condemn others who don't approve of their behavior. God tells us this in:
Romans 1:32 >"...and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them”.
In several conversations others have mentioned that there is no reference to condemnation and or homosexuality being a sin in the New Testament.
There’s no question that the Old Testament is the history behind the New Testament. Jesus (the New Testament) is God walking in the flesh so all of Gods laws still apply unless specifically stated. Jesus walked the earth to save us from our sins, to set an example and lead others to God and to teach us how to live.
Jesus never mentioned homosexuality, specifically but He does condemn all forms of sexual immorality:
Mark 7:20-23 > What comes out of you is what defiles you. For from within, out of your hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile you.
The apostle Paul, in one of his letters to the Corinthians, wrote the verses most often quoted on this subject:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 > 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 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.
There are two other New Testament mentions of homosexual acts, in Romans 1:25-27 and 1 Timothy 1:8-10. In this passage from Romans, again in the context of idolatry, Paul mentions exchanging natural relations.
Romans 1:25-27 > They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-- who is forever praised. Amen. 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.
1 Timothy 1:8-10 > We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
Please know that just because someone is a homosexual does not mean that I don’t love him (or her) or pray for him (or her). Yes, I feel homosexuality is a sin and like any other sin it needs to be dealt with in the only way possible. It needs to be laid at the cross and forsaken.
Homosexuality is not a special practice that is exempt from God's righteous judgment simply because one claims they are born that way, or just want to be free to love, or say that it is normal. People are born with a tendency to lie and steal but that doesn’t make it okay to do it. People want to love each other and I totally understand that but "love" is not the determiner of what is right and wrong, God’s law is.
I’ve nothing against homosexuals. I believe with all my heart that we are all created in the image of God and we are all rebellious in different ways. I have dear friends that are gay and close relatives and I love them the same as I do anyone else. Sin is sin, one is not greater than the other and the solution to the problem of sin, of breaking God’s law is only found in Jesus. That can be read in 1 John 3:4. Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14) and he died to save sinners, all sinner and we all need salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) which is only found in receiving Christ (John 1:12-13).
We should show everyone we come in contact with the same dignity. We don't injure them, hate them or judge them. We inform them through, our own actions that freedom and forgiveness are both found in Jesus. We set the example. The example God would have us set.
Thanks for reading everyone. Feel free to leave comments but be respectful to those on Kerri Chronicles and to others commenting or your comments will not be approved, posted or discussed. We are all here to learn and given the ability to think and form our own opinions when sharing with others. We’re not going to fight about it because nothing good comes out of that. All the best, everyone.
❤️Kerri
© Kerri McKenna Reece | Kerri Chronicles | Kerri Coaching, LLC.
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