Genesis 1:27 – “So, God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
No, I’m not homophobic.
Few topics are as divisive in the Christian Church today as homosexuality. Entire denominations have split. Family members and friends irreparably shun one another. Well-known Christians have bowed to social pressure by rejecting biblical doctrine.
The theological debate regarding homosexuality can be confusing. One side claims the Bible is being misinterpreted, or that God’s word “evolves” with culture. The other points to orthodox, historical, and textual context (i.e., black-and-white letter evidence) as enduring truth. Yet both can sound so convincing.
Over 40-plus years I’ve taught extensively about homosexuality. Although I have no personal experience with same-sex attraction, my gay friends and family members would agree that I’ve never disparaged or mistreated them. Two fellow college students who greatly influenced my formative days as a young Christian explained to me years later that they were (independent of one another) gay. I learned much from them as they navigated some very dark days in their lives, particularly during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s during which I lost family members and friends—some to AIDS, some to suicide.
I’ve also counseled many Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction, seeking not merely to guide but to understand them. Some found and accepted their true identity in Christ, others turned away. As the Church at large increasingly embraced homosexuality I was compelled to research the subject and offer a perspective to those with whom God had given me influence—not simply theologically but psychologically and physiologically as well. Eventually this turned into a multi-week section of my Philosophy/Worldview course, attended over the years by thousands of students, some of whom identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Again, I’m informed, sympathetic, and not homophobic.
Rather than dive into the intricacies of research into gender dysphoria, or exegete Bible passages in their original language, I’ve chosen instead to summarize the matter for the purpose of spiritual guidance.
There are two basic questions in play:
- What does the Bible SAY about homosexuality?
- What does the Bible MEAN about what it says about homosexuality?
Let me begin not with the Bible but rather an excerpt from an article published by the Human Rights Campaign—an international pro-LGBTQ+ organization:
“Although its [sic][1] unlikely that the biblical authors had any notion of sexual orientation (for example, the term homosexual wasn’t even coined until the late 19th century)…”
The assertion has serious problems. First, if the messengers of God’s word did not likely have “…any notion of sexual orientation,” how then could they have understood God’s view of, or articulated passages regarding, same-sex activity? (Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:10). In a desire for His people to record His identity and purpose for posterity, why would God communicate this in an unintelligible language?
Secondly, the term “homosexual” may have been coined in English in the late 19th century, yet it has been understood in Hebrew, Greek, and other historic languages for thousands of years. The same argument made by the Human Rights Campaign could apply to adultery, fornication, pedophilia, and other terms coined later in English. Should these also be minimized, reinterpreted, or rejected?
In other words, there is no substantive point to the Human Rights Campaign claims. Pick the logical fallacy into which they fall: Non Sequitur (“Does Not Follow”), Red Herring (“Distract from the Main Issue”), Ignoratio Elenchi (“Ignoring Refutation”), the list goes on. This is not good footing for those who believe God condones homosexuality.
Here’s another from the Human Rights Campaign article:
“While gender complimentarity [sic] is indeed rooted in passages from Genesis 1 and 2, it is worth noting that these stories say God began by creating human beings of male and female sex (defined as the complex result of combinations between chromosomes, gonads, genes, and genitals) but there is nothing that indicates in Scripture that God only created this binary.”
This assertion is known as an Absence Fallacy—the idea that because God didn’t specifically state that “male” and “female” were the only sexes created, there must be more. The same type of argument is often made regarding Jesus “never specifically condemning homosexuality,” to which one can simply respond, “He also didn’t specifically condemn rape, incest, animal abuse, larceny, arson, and a host of other things. Does that mean He condoned these as well?”
Finally, allow me to offer one more argument often used to defend homosexuality in the Church.
You may have heard it said that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah not because of homosexuality but “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy”—from Ezekiel 16:49. Well, that settles it, right? Being straight from Scripture there’s no more argument to be made.
Wrong.
Ezekiel here refers to the underlying depravity that resulted in things such as homosexuality. People were so consumed with self, so determined to live life on their terms, they not only neglected others but rejected God’s natural order. How do we know this? Jude 7 tells us:
“And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.”
How are inhospitality, pride, or abundance of idleness noted in Ezekiel 16:49 “sexual perversion”? They’re not. It was therefore the actions of wicked men wanting to have sex with two of God’s angels, who were men in their eyes, that ultimately caused God’s wrath to fall:
“Before they [Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family] had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them’” (Genesis 19:4-5).
Thus, those who believe God condones homosexuality in the Church must twist Scripture, use logical fallacies, offer smoke-and-mirror arguments, or use guilt (“If you don’t accept my homosexuality, you hate me!”) to defend their position. Even if you’re not well-versed in Scripture (but you should be!) it’s easy to dismantle these pro-gay theological arguments.
So, back to the two basic questions in play:
- What does the Bible SAY about homosexuality? It’s immoral and perverse (Jude 7), an abomination (Leviticus18:22, 20:13), a form of idolatry, dishonorable passion, and shameful lust (Romans 1:26-28), and not to be a part of the Church (1 Corinthians 6:9-10…more on this passage in a moment with the addition of verse 11). This is not an opinion or interpretation. It’s what the Bible says.
- What does the Bible MEAN about what it says about homosexuality? God created us physiologically and psychologically to be “male and female,” and in that context, in the image of God, to marry (“A man shall leave his parents and join with his wife”—Genesis 2:24/Matthew 19:5-6) and procreate (Genesis 1:27-28; Matthew 19:5-6). He offered no other biological sex options. That’s what the Bible means.
Does this mean biblical Christians should hate, mistreat, or make fun of homosexuals? Of course not. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:
“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. And such were some of you. 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.” [Emphasis Added]
So, what’s the “forest” amongst the “trees”?
Chances are we’re all on the 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 list somewhere, and by the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ we’ve become “were” people—no longer enslaved to our lusts but instead following Jesus closely, daily conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). Yes, like all sin, homosexuality is a “big deal” insofar as there is any attempt to wedge it into the Christian Church. Yet what “big deal” was Christ not able to resolve on the cross, that one could become a member of His Body? Thankfully, for our sake, He covered them all.
Let’s therefore continue to speak the truth in love to those who have ears to hear, including our friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community.
[1] [sic] indicates misspellings in the quotes.
Pondering 