Homosexuality and the Bible

        The homosexual community has experienced lots of hatred and discrimination over the years. Hatred and discrimination against people because they are homosexual is wrong, in the same way that discrimination because of race, colour, religion, gender, etc. is wrong. We should learn to love and respect everyone, regardless of whether they are homosexual or heterosexual. I have friends who are openly gay, and I recognize that they are individuals who need to be treated with courtesy and love, just like the rest of us.

Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; 

that is detestable. – Leviticus 18:22

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor

adulterers nor men who have sex with men 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. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (emphasis added)

        I also believe in the Bible, and the Bible is clear that homosexuality is against God's will and sinful. Other passages in the New Testament of the Bible that denounce homosexuality are Romans 1:26-27 (which includes female homosexuality) and 1 Timothy 1:8-11. Not once does the Bible portray homosexuality in a positive light. Rather, God's word says that homosexual behaviour is "detestable" and wrong.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ

Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23

        The Bible says that everyone is a sinner, and that we all need to repent and put our faith in Jesus in order to be saved from sin. Homosexuals do not need to "become heterosexual" before putting their faith in Jesus. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". He did not say that we have to make ourselves sinless before we can put our trust in Him. To be saved from sin, we just repent, put our faith in Jesus, then allow Him to purify us (Titus 2:11-14). For the homosexual who puts his or her faith in Jesus, part of that purification could mean heterosexuality or celibacy. That may sound difficult, but all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26 and Philippians 4:13). The reward for our faith will be eternal life in heaven! The alternative is hell (1 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Matthew 25:31-46, and Luke 16:19-25). To learn more about receiving salvation from sin, please see my blog page What it Means to Follow Jesus.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus],

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to

save the world through him. – John 3:16-17

        God loves homosexuals just as much as heterosexuals, and is just as willing to forgive them (2 Peter 3:9). Above everything, I believe in God and believe that the Bible is God's holy and inerrant word. There are many, many reasons for that (see note #4). The Bible is what I put my trust in. What do you put your trust in?

        Many people would ask, "Then why did God create homosexuals?" First of all, the cause(s) of homosexuality are very complex and largely unknown. There has been no "gay gene" discovered, and it has not been shown that homosexuality results chiefly from genetic and/or biological factors. In other words, the popular belief that one is "born homosexual" has not been scientifically verified. There are many theories, but no chief cause(s) of homosexuality are known yet.

        Here's what we do know. When God created the world, it was perfect. But sin entered the world when Adam and Eve first sinned (Genesis 2-3). Ever since then, everyone has disobeyed God's commandments and sinned. We now live in an imperfect world – a corrupted world in a state of decay. But God created people with free will: that is, the ability to choose between right and wrong (John 14:15, Luke 6:46-49, Proverbs 1:10, and 1 Corinthians 10:23). We may have a genetic tendency towards a certain behaviour, but we can still decide whether or not to sin. For example, some people are much more genetically predisposed to alcoholism than others (NIAAA – Alcohol Alert #60). But there are also many people who have a genetic tendency towards alcoholism but are not alcoholics. Having a genetic tendency towards a certain behaviour does not make that behaviour right.

       My point is this: even if homosexual temptation (i.e. inclination) results chiefly from genetic and/or biological factors (which has not been confirmed), it is no excuse for homosexual behaviour. Both homosexuals and heterosexuals can be tempted to give into sinful lusts. Temptation itself is not sinful – even Jesus was tempted, and He went his entire life without sinning (Matthew 4:1-11 and Hebrews 4:14-15). We sin when we decide to give into temptation (James 1:14-15 says there are three stages – temptation, then sin, then death). In the same way that heterosexuals can choose whether or not to give into heterosexual lusts, homosexuals can also choose whether or not to give into homosexual lusts.

       I like how Mark Mittelberg puts it in his book The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask. In chapter 7 he says,

"We are fallen human beings with all kinds of seemingly natural yet

illicit desires. For example, the fact that some people are naturally

inclined to alcoholism, outbursts of anger, or the sexual abuse of

children might help explain their behaviour – but it certainly doesn't

excuse it! Those desires need to be curtailed or contained – no matter

how natural they may seem to the person experiencing them."

       Even if someone has committed many grave sins, he can still repent, accept God's grace, and go to heaven (Ezekiel 18:10-32). Once we belong to God, He gives us help when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:18 and 1 Corinthians 10:13). There is hope for homosexuals in Christ!

"Haven't you read," he [Jesus] replied, "that at the beginning the

Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man

will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two

will become one flesh'?" – Matthew 19:4-5 (Jesus is quoting Genesis

2:24)

       The Bible says that heterosexuality is the norm and homosexual behaviour is a perversion (another passage confirming this is 1 Corinthians 7:2-3). Sex and marriage are gifts from God; they are special and sacred, and need to be used honourably, according to His commandments (Colossians 3:5 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5), whether one is homosexual or heterosexual. God's plan for humanity included marriage and sex being exclusively between one man and one woman, as Jesus said in Matthew 19:4-5. Any distortion of that, including homosexual actions and polygamy, is wrong (for more information on the latter, see Answers in Genesis – Polygamy in the Bible).

       So what should we do about this? First of all, the Bible calls us to reach out to others in love (1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4:7-21), so we need to minister with Godly love to homosexuals, not with hatred or condemnation (Matthew 7:1-5 and Luke 6:37). Don't look down on homosexuals and don't be afraid to befriend them! We can take our example from Jesus Christ Himself, who ate with "sinners" (Matthew 9:10-13) – a word applied at the time to evil people and those who refused to follow the religious leaders of the day. Keep in mind that we are all sinners and can only be saved through grace, not by anything of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9). Be humble (1 Peter 5:5-6). To learn more about how to minister with Godly love to homosexuals, I recommend the following webpage, written by Chad W. Thompson: When Gay Pride Meets Christian Humility.

       Secondly, we should uphold the sanctity of marriage and keep it between one man and one woman, as God intended it to be. We should end same-sex "marriage" in our country and encourage other countries to do the same (Hebrews 13:4). Marriage is not trivial – it is a sacred gift from God that represents our relationship with Him (e.g. Ephesians 5:21-33). If we let family, the basic foundation of our country, to be corrupted, the rest our nation will eventually be corrupted also. An example of the erosion of marriage and family in Canada is divorce (please see my blog page The Effects of Divorce for more information). Further erosion of marriage and family in Canada could have long-reaching consequences (please see note #2).

       Thirdly, we should follow the Bible's command to not tolerate sexual immorality in the Church (God's followers). 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 tells us we must not associate with sexually immoral people who call themselves believers. Unfortunately, some Christian denominations have decided to simply ignore the Bible's prohibitions on homosexuality. They have permitted same-sex "marriages" to take place in their churches and even allowed people who engage in homosexual behaviour to be a part of their clergy, which has sadly led many to the mistaken belief that the Bible does not prohibit homosexual behaviour. Of course, we should minister to homosexuals through the church and make God's love and mercy clear to all people, but it is also important that we don't allow homosexual behaviour to corrupt the Church (Ephesians 5:3).

       This brings me to my last point: we need to stay committed to what the Bible truly teaches. We need to fully believe that the Bible contains God's own words (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and that it is still applicable today (Isaiah 40:8 and Matthew 24:35) or else we'll end up just like the proverbial foolish man who built his house on sand instead of rock (Matthew 7:24-27).

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Notes:

1.      You may have noticed that I only mention homosexuality in this piece of writing, and not bisexuality. Everything I've said here about homosexuality also applies to bisexuals who engage in homosexual behaviour (and are thus "partly homosexual"). In fact, biologist Dr. Jerry Bergman wrote that he believes most homosexuals are actually to some degree bisexual (in this article, he also argues that the label homosexual may be the chief cause of homosexual behaviour).

2.      The Bible does not contain the only argument against homosexuality and same-sex "marriage":

        Homosexuality has very high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, which is obviously a major problem (HIV/AIDS is the best known example, but other STDs are prevalent in homosexuals as well). Stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that "male-to-male sexual contact" is the cause of over half of new HIV infections in the United States. The CDC also says that men who have sex with men, abbreviated "MSM", are the only risk group in the US in which new HIV infections are increasing. In a study of 21 major US cities in 2008, one in five MSM participating in the survey were infected, and nearly half of them did not know it.

       Another study done in a large Canadian urban centre from 1987 to 1992 concluded that the life expectancy at age 20 for homosexual and bisexual men was 8 to 20 years less than that for all men. Their considerably low life expectancy was due to HIV/AIDS.

       Because of these high risks, men who have had sex with men cannot give blood in the US (American Red Cross – Eligibility Criteria), Canada, and many other countries. I quote from the Canadian blood services website:

"All men who have had sex with another man, even once, since 1977

are indefinitely deferred. This is based on current scientific knowledge

and statistical information that shows that men who have had sex with

other men are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS infection than other people."

       Here I think I need to clarify: HIV/AIDS is not purely a "gay disease" – in fact, only a minority of HIV infections worldwide are caused by sex between men. However, men who have sex with men are more likely to be infected with the disease, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS reports that "sex between men is the most prominent mode of HIV transmission in nearly all Latin American countries, the United States, Canada and some Western European countries" (UNAIDS – Policy Brief on HIV and Sex Between Men).

       Homosexuals have higher rates of other specific health problems as well. For example, male homosexuals have higher rates of anal cancer (UCSF AIDS Research Institute – Anal Cancer: In Gay and Bisexual Men) and intestinal parasitic infections (CMAJ – Intestinal parasitic infections in homosexual men). Female homosexuals are not exempt from STDs, but due to various factors including lack of research, not much is yet known for certain about the health risks lesbians may face.

       From a medical standpoint, homosexual behaviour is not healthy. For the details as to why, please read The Health Risks of Gay Sex by John R. Diggs, Jr., M.D. (This link is to a Catholic education website. Although I am not a Catholic, I recommend this particular web page because it has helpful, precise information on the subject).

        Same-sex "marriage" may violate the rights of children raised by the couple, according to a French Parliamentary Report from 2006. The report stated that filiation (parenthood) is a key part of marriage, and that two so-called fathers or two so-called mothers is a "fictitious filiation... which is biologically neither real nor plausible." The report was completed after much research and recommended against permitting adoption by same-sex couples and against legalizing same-sex "marriage" in France.

        The report Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles, published in 2006 by the Witherspoon Institute, also argued that parenthood is a central part of marriage, and pointed out that that "men and women bring different strengths" to parenting. I quote from the report:

"Mothers are more sensitive to the cries, words, and gestures of

infants, toddlers, and adolescents, and, partly as a consequence, they

are better at providing physical and emotional nurture to their children...

Fathers excel when it comes to providing discipline, ensuring safety,

and challenging their children to embrace life’s opportunities and

confront life’s difficulties."

        The publication explained the evidence and biological reasons behind this information, provided other arguments against same-sex "marriage", and concluded that same-sex "marriage" is a major threat to the institution of matrimony. By the way, if you think that men and women are the same psychologically, think again – a recent study concluded that "the true extent of sex differences in human personality has been consistently underestimated."
        Update: Similar arguments against homosexual behaviour and same-sex "marriage" can be found on my blog page Differing Views on Homosexuality and Same-Sex "Marriage. Convincing cases have been made from all standpoints (although some I find far more convincing than others). At the time I published this blog post, I was convinced that same-sex "marriage" should not be legal. I am currently doing additional research on marriage to see if I should re-evaluate my position.

3.      Despite many good arguments against homosexuality and same-sex "marriage" that exist without the Bible, I have chosen God's word as my main argument, as I have the utmost confidence in its inerrancy and authority.

And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a

crucible, like gold refined seven times. – Psalm 12:6

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." – John 17:17 (Jesus'

words)

May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.

– Psalm 119:172

       I don't know everything about homosexuality and same-sex marriage, but God does, and He says that homosexuality is wrong and tells us to keep marriage pure. I understand that many people think homosexuality is fine, but my faith is in God, not human knowledge, because God is all-knowing (Psalm 147:5) and all-loving (1 John 4:8). I know that what God says may not always make sense to everyone, right here, right now, but we just have to trust Him anyway (Proverbs 16:20 and 2 Chronicles 20:6).

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my

ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your

thoughts." – Isaiah 55:8-9

       I know that I will not be able to convince everyone that homosexuality is wrong, and I know that there may be people who will even call me a "homophobe", although I am not. I understand that many people may be offended by this post, but I assure you that I am not writing this out of ignorance or hatred. I have written this after many months of scrupulous research, prayer, reviewing, and revising. My motive isn't to spread discrimination or hate. Rather, I merely want to defend my faith and show what the Bible really says about homosexuality. I believe that hating and discriminating against homosexuals is the worst thing we can do (Proverbs 10:12). We should instead love them, as the Bible commands. Lamentations 3:40 says "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD". I pray that those homosexuals who read this post will see my sincere motives and want to return to the Lord.

       If you have any respectful comments or questions regarding this blog post, by all means please comment below and I will try to answer you the best that I can! If you are unable to comment on my blog, please feel free to leave a comment on my facebook page or twitter page or email me at sk8erboyblog@gmail.com. I always appreciate your feedback! However, anything containing profanity or disrespect will be deleted.

4.      If you would like to learn more about why following Jesus Christ is the way to go, please see my blog page What it Means to Follow Jesus or pick up a copy of The Case for Christ or The Case for Faith. These are both very good books by journalist Lee Strobel, who was an atheist before investigating into the evidence for Jesus and becoming a Christian. If you are interested in learning more about the Bible, please see my blog page About the Bible. If you would like to learn more about the reliability of the Bible, please see this article by Hank Hanegraaff: M-A-P-S to Guide You through Bible Reliability.

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Last updated April 9, 2012

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Main Sources:

The Bible – New International Version (©2011)

Bergman, Jerry Dr. "Creationism and the problems of homosexual behaviour." Answers in Genesis. First published April 1995.

Chaffey, Tim. "Feedback: God’s Not Clear on Homosexuality? - Answers in Genesis." Published 13 January 2011.

Ham, Ken. "Chapter 15: How Should a Christian Respond to “Gay Marriage”? - Answers in Genesis." Published 20 May 2010.

Lamont, Ann. "Homosexual Behavior v the Bible." ibid. Published 19 January 2004.

Mittleber, Mark. The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask (With Answers). Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois. 2010.

Dr. Wile, Jay, L. and Durnell, Marilyn, F., Exploring Creation With Biology. n.p. CD.

Weinberg, Martin S. "Homosexuality." World Book Online InfoFinder. World Book, 2011. Web. Accessed 19 November 2011

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Related blog pages:

Common Questions Regarding Homosexuality (and Same-Sex "Marriage") and the Bible

Clear answers to common, complex, and controversial concerns

Differing Views on Homosexuality and Same-Sex "Marriage"

Showing the wide range of opinions regarding homosexuality and same-sex "marriage" today in our culture

Introducing... Matt Moore

Matt is a Christian who is attracted to the same sex and used to live a homosexual lifestyle

LOVE

A look at the Biblical definition of love

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"Do everything in love." – 1 Corinthians 16:14

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." – 1 Corinthians 10:31