Not long ago, I sat engaged in conversation with a senior couple over lunch. Confused and troubled by the state of sexual morals in our country, one of them asked, "Rev. Creech, were we wrong about sex all those years? Is homosexuality really sinful? What will happen if our country approves same sex marriage? Does the Bible have anything to say about it?" I spent the remainder of my time with them explaining what the Scriptures say about human relationships, marriage and sexuality. Afterward, they accepted what the Bible said as authoritative in such matters.
Still, there are many who would reject the Bible's authority concerning sex and marriage, strenuously contending its principles are antiquated. They would argue, "All you need is love. Love is enough. It transcends all the rules."
That's what one homosexual advocate said in The Gay Academic. He wrote, "The church must take a very open attitude to various sexual orientations and various forms of human relationships ... as long as these are conducted in a loving and responsible way."
Betty Degeneres, the mother of Lesbian actress and comedian Ellen Degeneres, essentially believes love is the only thing that matters in a relationship. Writing in The Advocate, Betty Degeneres responded to the question, "What would Jesus say to Ellen?"
Jesus "would call [Ellen] blessed," she maintained. "He would not denounce her or banish her to hell because her desire for a significant other is with a person of her own sex. He would see her love as worthy and as pure as anyone's love for another."
Really? Are same-sex relationships legitimate simply because the couple love each other?
German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg asked that same question, but in a different way. He asked, "Can love ever be sinful?" His answer was an unequivocal yes. He wrote: "The entire tradition of Christian doctrine teaches there is such a thing as inverted, perverted love .... Human beings are created for love, as creatures of the God who is love. And yet that divine appointment is corrupted whenever people turn away from God."
"Ahh yes," but someone says. "Didn't Jesus say the duel admonition to love God and our neighbor rightly sums up 'the whole law and the prophets' (Matt. 22:40)?" Indeed, He did. But it's ridiculous to believe love contradicts specific prohibitions by God that have to do with how we are to relate to Him and our neighbor. Can I justify murder, theft, or deceit because I believe I'm doing it out of love? Hardly! I don't autonomously decide the definition or expressions of love. God does. God tells us in His Word how to love. Therefore, love is not some subjective principle by which we excuse our self-centered passions, but a specific ordering of our lives according to His commandments.
I don't deny many homosexuals feel deeply for their partners; however, I do assert that theirs is a distortion of love that God summarily rejects.
Just because an emotion is deep or powerful doesn't justify acting upon it. Like the love for alcohol and drugs, the love of power, or the love of money, there are perverted forms of love that are incredibly potent and extremely destructive.
Homosexual relationships provide no benefit for society. Instead, they impose a substantial cost. Homosexuals have higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, mental health problems, and domestic violence.
Of course, some will contend these problems result from society's "discrimination" against homosexuals. But if that were the case, we would expect these problems to be much less common in places like San Francisco or the Netherlands, where homosexuality is widely accepted.
Nevertheless, just the opposite is the case. In places where homosexuality has achieved its highest acceptance, the problems associated with the lifestyle are much greater, not less. This suggests the real problem lies with homosexuality, not in society's response to it. It also suggests increasing the level of social support for homosexual behavior would only increase these problems, not reduce them.
The love commonly referred to as "gay" or "lesbian" could never sustain an institution as fundamental as marriage. Less than 5% of homosexual partners have ever had a relationship that lasted for more than three years.
God didn't create marriage simply for the emotional satisfaction of two individuals, but for the greater good of the community and its posterity. Societies that put emotional pursuits before righteous principles soon give way to a multitude of corruptions and collapse.
