of February 1998
Next up-date: March 1st 1998 (God willing).
I have been asked about homosexuality and Christianity. Can they co-exist? What does the Bible say on this subject?
1. Leviticus 18:22
"You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it
is abomination".
2. Leviticus 20:13
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lies with a woman,
both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be
put to death; their blood shall be upon them".
3. 1 Kings 14:24
"And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did
according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD
cast out before the children of Israel".
4. 1 Kings 15:11-12
"And [king] Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the
LORD, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out
of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had
made".
5. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
"Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God. And such were
some of you: but
you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our
God".
6. Revelation 22:14-15
"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the
gates into the city, for without are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves
and makes a lie". (Deuteronomy 23:18
"You shall not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a
dog [a male prostitute], into the house of the LORD your God for any vow:
for even both these are abomination to the LORD your God".)
These six statements from God's word seem to cover the whole subject. Let's look at them in some detail.
1. What does God mean by "abomination"? In Leviticus 7:18 God says, "And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offers it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eats of it shall bear his iniquity". Thus, not to carry out the rituals correctly was an "abomination"! To eat the wrong kind of food was an "abomination". Leviticus 11. Graven images are an "abomination". Deuteronomy 7:25. Serving other gods, offering sacrifices which had a blemish, going to a witch or wizard, women wearing men's clothes and vice versa, all were "abominations". It seems it is another name for "sin".
2. "their blood shall be upon them" Here God indicates that it is their choice to stay this way and therefore they will be responsible for their own eternal deaths just like any other sinner.
3. Some of the Jews had taken up this practice! Yet they still claimed to be followers of the one true God who said that this was an "abomination" to Him. Why abomination? Because if retained it meant that he would lose His children as He had lost the heathen before them!
4. Asa seems to have seen them in the same light as "idols". Something that would distract the seeker after truth from seeing the living God.
5. In the New Testament they are indeed classed with the "sinners" (no better and no worse than others), but thanks be to God, the next words from the Spirit say that they can be "saved" from such a condition and become Christians. Not while still practicing the sin, but saved from it by the power in Jesus Christ.
6. On the very last page of the Bible this thought is repeated. No sinner of any description can enter the city of God. Not because He won't have them, but because sin in the presence of the sinless One would kill them! To retain sin is to claim death as the "wages", or rightful result of an action.
Conclusion:
A homosexual (of either sex) cannot enter the kingdom of heaven while indulging in the sin, but any one of them can be "saved" as every other Christian has been "saved" from their sins. Therefore, it is correct to say that a homosexual can be a Christian, but not to say that a Christian can be a homosexual.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
"Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God. And such were
some of you: but
you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our
God".