Homosexuality in Biblical Perspective
The topic of homosexuality is buzzing and alive, in and outside of evangelical circles. Just earlier this year Matthew Vines published God and the Gay Christian, in which he argues that a homosexual lifestyle and Christianity are compatible, eliciting a firestorm within the evangelical community. Neo-progressives have been fully supportive of Vines, while conservatives have maintained their historical stance. With this, the Supreme Court recently refused to hear appeals on gay marriage, thus catalyzing far-reaching implications on the legal front. Even more recent, Houston’s mayor issued subpoenas for sermons concerning homosexuality, and Hillsong International seems to vacillate concerning the same-sex issue.
All of this (and more) forces us as Christians to ponder this question and make a decision: What does Scripture say about this issue? If Scripture stands against it, do we follow biblical and historical truth and end up on the “wrong side of history?” Or do we revise Scripture on this issue in light of cultural norms?
Ultimately, we must trust Scripture as God’s infallible, inerrant revelation to His people, and we must approach the Bible as our guide on faith in practice—especially when it comes to such an important issue.
Homosexuality: A Biblical Perspective
Too often, we try to formulate our arguments on social issues from bits and pieces heard from social media and various news outlets. As Christians, we must seek first to formulate our convictions from God’s Word.
So what, exactly, does the Bible say about homosexuality? Contrary to what some may say, the Bible has a consistent sexual ethic on this topic from both testaments.
a. The Old Testament
Several Old Testament (“OT”) texts illustrate this ethic well. First Genesis 19:1-13, is a narrative concerning the men of Sodom. These men surround Lot’s house, asking him to, “Bring [the men] to us, that we may know them.” Some have argued that the word know has no sexual connotation. However, this interpretation lacks exegetical coherence. Two verses later Lot states, “Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please.” As the story unfolds, the widespread wickedness brings about God’s judgment on this city.
Helping us understand this OT passage, Jude 1:7 says, “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Drawing a thread from Genesis to Jude, Scripture consistently holds that these men’s acts were both unnatural and sexually immoral.
Perhaps the most famous OT verse on homosexuality is Leviticus 18:22: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” This imperative is restated in Lev. 20:13. If nothing else, this demonstrates for us that homosexuality is contrary to Israel’s holy God. With its corollaries in the New Testament, this is clearly not an OT casuistic (case) law, but an apodictic (divine command) law that remains imperative today.
b. The New Testament
Certainly we see this in the New Testament (“NT”), evident from such books as Romans, 1 Timothy, and 1 Corinthians. In Romans, Paul paints a vivid picture of human depravity. In 1:26-28 he explains how God has given human beings up to their “dishonorable passions,” allowing them to live depraved lives. He writes, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”
Most interesting is the example that Paul attaches to these “dishonorable passions.” He writes, “[W]omen exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men.” The plain reading of the text assumes immorality in the form of homosexuality. Whenever we read Scripture, we must give ear to the plain reading of the text—especially when other passages reinforce that interpretation.
As in Romans, Paul also comments upon homosexuality in 1 Timothy. In 1:10-11 he makes an interesting connection, stating that the sexually immoral (particularly those who practice homosexuality) live lives that are contrary to sound doctrine. More so, this lifestyle is incompatible with “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God.” That is, homosexuality is not just a physical act, but is a sin that is contrary even to the sound biblical teachings on sexuality found in Scripture. Even more so, homosexuality, along with these other sins, is discordant with the Gospel.
However, the apostle Paul doesn’t simply discuss homosexuality in relation to our anthropology (Romans) and soteriology (1 Timothy), but also our eschatology. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, he gives a list of sins that will keep people from inheriting the kingdom of God. While homosexuality is not the only sin mentioned (idolaters, thieves, drunkards, revilers and swindlers are mentioned too), sexual immorality is stressed three-fold in this passage. Coherent with the assertions in 9-10, 1 Cor. 6:18-20 stresses the difference of sexual sin (a sin against our own body), a body indwelling the Spirit, bought by Christ, and purposed to glorify God.
Beyond these, the New Testament has a plethora of passages dealing with sexual immorality and the believer’s responsibility to abstain from it. We can easily imply from Scripture’s clear teachings that any mention of sexual immorality would include homosexuality. From one testament to the next, the Bible is consistent on its stance concerning homosexuality.
Gay Marriage: A Gospel Issue
More than the explicit imperatives found in Scripture, we can find another reason why this issue is so important to the Christian faith. It is more, I believe, than a simple command of moral behavior. Ultimately, homosexuality is a Gospel issue.
In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul makes a weighty statement. He writes about how we see a picture of the Gospel within this God-ordained institution of marriage. The apostle writes that men and women each have their own, complementary roles that they occupy within the marital covenant. He exhorts each spouse to follow these roles, in that they demonstrate both our Savior and His bride. Paul then writes, “‘[T]herefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” Citing from Genesis 2:24, Paul simply says that what God created in the garden, between man and woman, is a portrait of the Gospel.
The implications from this passage as it concerns sexuality is simply this: any form of sexuality that would blur, break, or destroy the picture of the Gospel that God has established in marriage is contrary to His will. Accordingly, when we take a biblical stance on homosexuality, we must argue past our common, gut-level responses and find our convictions deep within the Gospel.
What Shall We Then Say? A Biblical Response
Recently, at a North Carolina State Association meeting, the State Association renewed their stance on homosexuality. At this meeting, a veteran evangelist asked a question that was deeply moving: “Can we clarify that we hold this position with tears in our eyes—knowing that sin is destructive and that we serve a God of grace?” This, truly, is our stance and response. It is not with high judgment and an iron fist that we disagree with a homosexual lifestyle or marriage, but because we know sin’s eternal effects and God’s gracious love.
By way of illustration from Scripture, Paul articulates a list of sins that keeps us from inheriting the Kingdom of God, in which he includes those “who practice homosexuality.” However, he doesn’t end his thought here, but adds a glorifying truth in verse 11: “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.”
We should always proclaim our position on homosexuality, while simultaneously inviting our audience into God’s family. For we were all once desperately wicked, left to our own devices destined for eternal destruction. It was only the act of an infinitely gracious God that broke the bonds of wickedness in our lives. We should not and cannot hold a view on homosexuality that posits that we are somehow inherently morally superior. To do so is to be biblically untrue.
Conclusion
It is my hope that when we look to Scripture, we don’t walk away with just a list of imperatives and judgments concerning homosexuality. The Bible is clear on its ethic concerning homosexuality, but it also has more to say. It shows us that there is a deeper issue at play: The Gospel and homosexuality cannot work together. They are both ethically and practically irreconcilable.
Furthermore, our commission to extend the Gospel of grace extends to all sinners, everywhere. This includes those who have struggled with homosexuality. Let us never forget that we were all once in sin as well. As Paul puts, “And such were some of you.” It is only because of Christ’s Good News that we live as new creations.
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Recommended Reading:
Is God anti-gay? And other questions about homosexuality, the Bible and same-sex attraction by Sam Alberry, The Good Book Company, 2013.
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Pittsburgh: Crown & Covenant Publications, 2012 (see HSF’s review of this book here.)
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