Homosexuality is continually before us in the media and in our churches. The issue has leapfrogged from cities and states to churches after church and on to the Supreme Court. Major church denominations grapple with the issue. I do see a potential danger in elevating one sin to the forefront of our minds when no sin will enter into the kingdom of God. Satan, through his craftiness, wants us to condemn one sin and overlook others. For there is a potential for us to become self-righteous through a mindset of “I do not do the things that men and women do with each other of the same sex.”
Redemption Is Offered To All
There is a Biblical response that is clearly supported by Scripture that can cause a homosexual to repent and accept Christ in newness of life: Jesus overcame all sin, including lust of the flesh. For it is written, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
Moreover, homosexuals do not have to go to churches that sanction their lifestyle, in error, as is currently practiced by some. Homosexuals are welcome in the body of Christ just as all believers when they repent and are godly sorry for their sin. Those who do not repent are likewise welcome, for who knows if and when the word of God will take root and cause them to be saved. However, if the homosexual calls himself a believer in Christ and will not repent, he should be put out of the church because, “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Galatians 5: 9). He or she should be restored after repentance.
The Sin of Adam Manifests Itself
The sin of Adam manifested itself in all of us. And God did not cleanse us to tell others that it is all right to sin. The Scripture is clear regarding homosexuality and all sin. If God is God, does He not have the authority to determine what sin He hates and what He considers an abomination? Even this Scripture is clear, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil…” (Isaiah 5:20)
All of us were estranged from the house of Israel and “were dead in trespasses and sins…” (Eph 2:1). All of us had an unnatural relationship with God just as the homosexual has an unnatural affection with those of the same sex. But this is our hope, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound…” (Romans 5:20) If we tell the homosexual that he was born that way, when the Scripture declares it as willful sin, we then become the anti-Christ because we replace the word of God with our opinion. Jesus stated it like this, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven….” (Matthew 5:19)
When we are redeemed, temptations remain. The Scripture reads, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13). The way has been made my brothers and sisters for God has empowered us to “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” (I Corinthians 6:18) Satan tempts us with the opposite sex. God makes a way for us to escape with our feet to run and with the power to rebuke the lustful thoughts of our minds. With the spirit of Christ, the homosexual can do the same thing and he or she must do it to enter the kingdom of God.
The Word of God Provides A Warning
Deuteronomy 23:17 reads, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.” Also, this Scripture is clear: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers 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 in the Spirit of our God.” (I Cor. 6:9-11, RSV) Notice that the apostle said, “And such were some of you,” meaning they had been forgiven.
The word of God has the power to redeem whom it will, but we must declare it with mercy and the hope of glory, and make it a clear sound. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, KJV) The sin of Adam and our lust of the flesh tempts us into many sins and more often than not, we have yielded. Regarding marriage, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” (Matthew 19:4-5) Jesus’ words support that God did not make anyone a homosexual.
Homosexuals should not be allowed to adopt children, for the word of God states, “the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” (I Cor. 7:14) This Scripture does not say, “the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing husband.” Let him that has an ear to hear, let him hear.
The fall of Adam manifests itself in little children, but marvel not that Christ said unto us, we must be born again. In addition, Proverbs 20:11 reads, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” Therefore a child may display homosexual tendencies early, but it does not mean he or she was born that way. What it does indicate is that the child, like all of us, must be born again.
A Second Warning
Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us in Romans 1:26, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.”
Also, Romans 2:14 reads, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves….” Nature tells the homosexual it is wrong to have same sex relationships, yet, many pursue the idolatry of the flesh though nature cries out against homosexuality and all other sin. Some Christians must repent for having sanctioned that which God has called evil. We do not want God to give up our homosexual brothers and sisters to vile affections which simply means, they would be lost without hope. God turned “the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly….” (2 Peter 2:6)
Now consider the apostle Paul’s words: “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteouness.” (2 Thessolonians 2:10-12) When sin abounds, grace much more abounds. On the other hand, the Lord can be a consuming fire when provoked to wrath.
Homosexuals Have Been Converted
In closing, man’s laws such as the recent Supreme Court decision (in favor of homosexuality) plus the ordination of the bishop in the Episcopal church may seduce one to think that homosexuality is not a sin. The word of God is clear, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) The redemptive work of the church mandates that we offer our homosexual brothers and sisters the hope of glory through repentance. Homosexuals and potential homosexuals have already been converted and they are glad about it. And they thank God that someone loved them enough to tell them the truth.
