This document discusses the Christian perspective on homosexuality. It begins by defining homosexuality as gender identity confusion resulting in same-sex attraction. It asserts that the Bible is the sole authority on whether homosexuality is right or wrong. The Bible unambiguously identifies homosexuality as sinful based on several passages. While homosexuality is a sin, Christians are called to condemn the sin but not the sinner, sharing God's love and salvation through Christ. The document encourages praying for and supporting homosexuals in overcoming same-sex attraction through God's grace.
Rethinking: Homosexuality and the Pro-Gay Movement
1.
2.
3. May this article help us Christians see what we
ought to think about homosexuality and how we
ought to respond to homosexuals, to the pro-gay
movement and even to same-sex marriage.
Defining Homosexuality
Dr. Michelene Escobar-Buot of Philippine
Psychiatric Association defined homosexuality as
“gender-identity confusion”. This confusion is
manifestedby “same-sex attraction” (SSA) which
may lead to actual homosexual practice and
lifestyle.
A homosexual therefore is “a person, physically
either male or female, who experiences a
sustained SSA that may lead to the arousal of
sexual feelingsandfantasies,leadingtoactssimilar
to those that we observe in a heterosexual
relationship (such as caressing, use of endearing
language, lips-to-lips kissing, etc).”
* Gender indentity –one’s inner feeling of being male or female.
It is based on the person’s psycho-social environment &attributes
that are usually associated with masculinity and feminity.
Who Do You Think You Are?
“Who doyou thinkyouare to sayhomosexualityis
wrong?”caneasilybe returned,“Whodoyouthink
you are also to say homosexualityis right?” This
leads us to a greater question: Who is IN
AUTHORITY to say whether homosexuality is right
or wrong, and if it’s acceptable or not?
Scriptures 101
The Inspiration of Scriptures
All Scripture (from Genesis to Revelation) is
inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16). As the apostle
Peter said, “No prophecy in Scripture ever came
from the prophet’s own understanding, or from
human initiative. No, those prophetswere moved
by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God” (II
Peter 1:20-21).
The Authority of Scriptures
Because all Scripture is God-breathed (inspired),
therefore the Scriptures alone has the sole and
final authority to tell us whether homosexuality is
rightor wrong.What the Old Testamentsays,God
says. What the New Testament says, God says.
The Clarity of Scriptures
Not only authoritative,the Scripture also is clear
and sure on this issue.
The Immutability of Scriptures
What once was morally wrong (as taught by the
Scriptures) will always be morally wrong. It is
immutable.
* Immutable – final, permanent, fixed, absolute, irreversible,
unalterable, unchangeable
Through the Lens of the Bible
So if the Scriptures alone has the sole and final
authority, what do the Scriptures say about
homosexuality?
There are six primary passages that address
homosexuality: (1) Genesis 19:4-9, (2) Leviticus
18:22, (3) Leviticus20:13, (4) Romans 1:24-27, (5) I
Corinthians 6:9-10 and (6) I Timothy 1:9-10
Each of the passages stated clearly indicates that
homosexuality is a sin.
Not only do the Scriptures address homosexual
acts and behavior, but also homosexual
expressions:
4. Transvestitism | Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman
must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must
notwear women’sclothing.Anyone whodoesthis
is detestable in the sight of the Lord your God. ”
Transsexualism | Deuteronomy 23:1, “If a man’s
testiclesare crushed or his penisis cut off,he may
not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.”
The Homophobic Apostle?
Most of the passages that address homosexuality
in the Scriptures are penned by the apostle Paul,
but that doesn’tmeanthathe wasa homophobic!
He addressed it MORE than any other apostle
because homosexuality was widespread in his
time.Itwaseverywhere!The cityof Corinth,where
he planted a church, for example, was widely
known for its sinful sexual practices and one of
those practices was homosexuality.
* Homophobic – a person who has an irrational fear ofor hatred
for the homosexuals
Unity in Diversity
Although we, Evangelicals are divided with the
Roman Catholic Church in Soteriology (doctrine of
salvation), we are united with them in this moral
and sensitive issue of homosexuality:
“Basing itself on sacred Scripture, which presents
homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,
tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual
acts are intrinsically disordered.’They are contrary
to the naturallaw. They close the sexualact tothe
gift of life. They do not proceed from genuine
affective and sexual complementarily. Under no
circumstances can they be approved.” – The
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1994)
O God, Why?
But why homosexuality is wrong? Why does God
say itis a sin?Authoritatively,the answersimplyis
“because GodSAIDSO!” AndGod hasthe absolute
authority to say so because God is God. He is our
creator. He is the One who made us.
Going one step further, it is because the order of
creationinformsus that God’splan for sexualityis
one womanand one man(Genesis2).Thisorderis
reaffirmed by Jesus (Matthew 19) and Paul
(Ephesians 5). The Old Testament law forbade
homosexual behavior (Leviticus 18, 20). Paul
reiteratesthisprohibitionbyusingthe same Greek
constructioninICorinthians6andITimothy1.Paul
condemns same sex behavior (among many other
sins) in Romans 1. Jude in his epistle links sexual
immorality and the “unnatural desire” present in
Sodom and Gomorrah.
In addition to that, it is because our bodies were
not designed to have sex in any other way than
howtheywere designed.Itisa sinto GO AGAINST
what God has designed!
The following are list of sexual acts that distort
God’s design and sanctity of marriage and sex:
1. Fornication (sex before marriage)
2. Adultery (sex with someone other than your
spouse)
3. Promiscuity (sex with many)
4. Incest (sex with a relative)
5. Homosexuality (sex with the same gender)
6. Bestiality (sex with an animal)
7. Sex with just anyone
8. Rape
5. The Pro-Gay Movement
Did you know? There are many groups of
“Christian” homosexuals nowadays who quote
from the Bible and teach the following:
1. Jonathanand Davidwere actually
homosexuals,while RuthandNaomi were
lesbians.
2. JesusChristneverspoke against
homosexuality.
3. God actuallyneverconsideredhomosexuality
as a sin.
This is called the ‘Pro-Gay Movement’ which
started in 1960s.
Rethinking the Pro-Gay Movement
Kevin DeYoung challenged this Movement with
this question: “If you are right, how have all
Christians at all times and in all places interpreted
the Bible so wrongly for so long?”
From the Jewishworld,tothe early church, to the
Reformation,andintothe20thcentury (andthatis
99.9% of the history), the church “basing itself on
sacred Scriptures” has always considered
homosexuality as sin.
“Those [Christians] who support homosexual
behavior do not simply have a different
interpretationof Scriptures;theyhaverejectedthe
Scriptures itself.” - Kevin DeYoung
A “Christian” homosexual?
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 clearly teaches that a
homosexual can’t remain the same after he
accepted Jesus! This is because when a person
comestoChrist,he isanewcreation(IICorinthians
5:17)! A homosexual who believed and accepted
Jesus Christ no longer sees “homosexuality” as a
norm (nor seeks to justify it), but now sees it as
something to go against every day by the mighty
grace of God! Why? Because he now sees it the
way God sees it, and that is, sin.
“Unless a gay be boy again, he cannot see and
enter theKingdomof God”– John3:3 Paraphrased
Sodom and Gomorrah
There are some who say that Sodom and
Gomorrah (these are cities, not persons) were
destroyed because of homosexual sins. God so
hate the gays that He “rained down fire and
burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and
Gomorrah” (Genesis 19:24). Wrong! God
destroyed those cities because of all of the
people’s sin (and not just because of homosexual
sin) there. Those who teach & follow that
interpretation makes homosexuality sound the
worst sin in the universe!
What is the Worst of All?
Homosexual sinisnotthe worst sin!It is the same
as any other sin. It is not in a special category
deserving a special judgment.
The worst sin, which is unforgivable, is the sin of
unbelief – total rejectionof the Gospel. Jesus said
the anyone whorejectsHimwillsufferafate worse
than that of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew
10:15)
Origin of Homosexuality
Homosexualityisone of the resultsof the Fall.The
Fall has infected the entire human race with sin,
and sin twisted the “human understanding and
expressions of masculinity and femininity”. That
6. was one of Satan’s plans. Satan is persistent in
enticing people to sins that will distort their
gender-identity and sexuality.
What We Ought To Do
1. Share the transformingloveof Godthatis inthe
Gospel to them
2. Condemn the practice, not the people
Let us make thisclear: It is one thingto be against
homosexuality, but it is another to be against
homosexuals. The clarity and the consistency of
the Scriptures in denouncing the practice of
homosexualityas “destructive and immoral sin” is
not a license for us to discriminate and even
condemn the homosexuals around us.
3. Speaknotonlyaboutthe sin,butalso aboutthe
Savior – Jesus Christ
Joe Dallas beautifully stated it this way: “We can
say with confidence,thenthat Scripturecondemns
homosexual behavior with both the Old and New
Testaments, we can say with confidence that the
New Testament describes homosexual passions as
unnatural. And THANK GOD we can also say with
confidencethatanyone–includingthehomosexual
person, is an object of God’s love that He seeks to
redeem them!”
When Billy Graham, the great evangelist, was
askedinapressconferenceconcerningtheissueof
homosexuality, said “I’m going to quote the Bible
now, notmyself,thatitiswrong,it’sasin.Butthere
are other sins.Jealousy is a sin. Pride is a sin. All of
these things are sins. But homosexuality is also a
sin and needs to be dealt with and needs to be
forgiven,andthat’swhyJesusChristcameanddied
on the cross.”
4. Don’t avoid them. Be with them.
When we make an effort to avoid homosexuals
(isolationism), we put up barriers for them to
actually experience Jesus through us.
5. Pray for them
Barna Group Research: Out of 1,000 Christians
being asked, only 1% said that they pray for the
homosexuals.
To You Who STILL Struggle
1. Believe and claim the very words of Jesus: “My
grace is sufficientforyou”.Grace is not justfavor,
but power!
2. If yourSSA (same-sex attraction) isstrongerthan
your attraction to the opposite sex (or you don’t
feel any attraction to the opposite sex at all, even
now that you’re a Christian),thenprobablyGodis
calling you to a celibate life. It’s a gift! (1 Cor.7:7)
3. Testify to people how God loved you, accepted
you, and delivered you from the life of
homosexuality. Tell them [homosexuals who
desire to let go of homosexuality] that there is
Hope in Jesus Christ.
Final Words: If the Church failstobe CLEAR on the
issue of homosexuality,the Churchhasfailedtobe
a Church. Likewise, if the Church fails to HAVE
COMPASSION for the homosexuals, the Church
also has failed to be a Church. Let us be “salt and
light” of this world. All for Jesus!
CherishingTruth with you,