My heart breaks over the struggles of gays. One of my best childhood friends, Paul, got married and had several children. But then he succumbed to homosexual desire. Paul left his family and before long died from AIDS. My heart aches for him, his family and everyone involved.
Yep, that’s Carolyn and me on our wedding day in 1979
Perhaps you have had a similar experience and feel the same way.
But in our compassion, Christians must not bend with the winds of cultural change, deny Scripture and give approval or acquiescence to homosexual practice and gay marriage.
What Scripture says about homosexuality is very clear, as you can see by reading the passages below: uncut, uncensored and unedited.
In fact, when I met with Paul not long before he died, he admitted that what he was doing was contrary to God’s Word. He was simply unwilling to change and hoped that God would forgive him.
But other gays aren’t so honest. They try to excuse their behavior by suggesting that Scripture does not forbid homosexual practice and even allows for “gay marriage.”
Here is a brief overview and answers to the deflections used to avoid what Scripture says about homosexuality:
1. Some suggest that the passages that forbid homosexual practice are Old Testament law and therefore Christians are not subject to them.
ANSWER: The Scriptures below prohibiting homosexual practice are from both the Old and New Testament.
2. Some call these verses “clobber passages” suggesting people use them to beat up gays up with the Bible.
ANSWER: My goal is not to “clobber” but to share the clear teaching of God’s Word. Many don’t know what the Bible says. Others just want to avoid it. Please read my last blog on how to discuss this subject HERE. In it I point out that God’s restrictions are never meant to “clobber” us, but rather to guide us to what is best for us.
3. Some have suggested that since Jesus did not give any prohibition against homosexual practice, then it is OK.
ANSWER: There are many sins that Jesus did not mention in Scripture, but that doesn’t mean they are acceptable. For example, He did not prohibit incest or bestiality, although these practices are prohibited elsewhere in Scripture.
4. Some suggest that the passages prohibiting homosexual relations refer only to homosexual rape, cult-prostitution or other forms of non-consensual sex.
ANSWER: While these practices did exist, it is impossible to impose them on each of the passages below. An honest reading reveals that Scripture prohibits any homosexual practice, not just that which is connected with rape or prostitution.
5. They claim that what the Scripture says about homosexuality is unclear.
ANSWER: The passages below are quite clear to anyone willing to read and accept them without bias. To make Biblical teaching even more clear I have included Scriptures affirming heterosexual marriage. The contrast is stark: homosexual sex is condemned, while sex in traditional marriage is actually commanded!
6. As a last defense, some say we should not be “Bible idolaters” who put the Bible above our inclinations and desires.
ANSWER: When we are tempted to any sin (lie, gossip, cheat, steal, lust, adultery, etc.), we can’t just excuse our behavior by saying we don’t want to be “Bible idolaters!” Remember “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV)
Homosexual and Heterosexual Bible Passages
Scripture says the following regarding homosexual sex:
Old Testament:
Leviticus 18:22 (LITV) “And you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is a perversion.”
Leviticus 20:13 (LITV) “And a man who lies with a male as one lies with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing, dying they shall die; their blood shall be on them.”
New Testament:
Romans 1:27-28 (GNB) “In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing. Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Timothy 1:10-11 (CEV) “The Law was written for people who are sexual perverts or who live as homosexuals or are kidnappers or liars or won’t tell the truth in court. It is for anything else that opposes the correct teaching of the good news that the glorious and wonderful God has given me.”
Jude 1:7 (GW) “What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities near them is an example for us of the punishment of eternal fire. The people of these cities suffered the same fate that God’s people and the angels did, because they committed sexual sins and engaged in homosexual activities.”
Scripture says the following regarding heterosexual sex (in marriage):
Old Testament:
Genesis 1:27-28a (CEV) “So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children!”
Genesis 2:18, 21-25 (CEV) “The LORD God said, ‘It isn’t good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him.’ So the LORD God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man’s ribs. Then after closing the man’s side, the LORD made a woman out of the rib. The LORD God brought her to the man, and the man exclaimed, ‘Here is someone like me! She is part of my body, my own flesh and bones. She came from me, a man. So I will name her Woman!’ That’s why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person. Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.”
Proverbs 5:18-19 (ESV) “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.”
Malachi 2:15 (CEV) “Didn’t God create you to become like one person with your wife? And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God’s people. Don’t ever be unfaithful to your wife.”
New Testament:
Matthew 19:4-5 (CEV) “Jesus answered, ‘Don’t you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? That’s why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife.’”
1 Corinthians 7:4-5 (CEV) “A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. So don’t refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
Ephesians 5:31-33 (ESV) “’Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
For a pdf file of these passages click HERE.
For more information on this topic, click HERE for a great in-depth discussion by a Bible college professor.
Check out my article on “Seven Guidelines for Discussing Gay Marriage.”
Questions: What questions do you have on this issue? Have you had a friend or family member die from AIDS like I have? Please leave a comment below.