Nathan Brewer
It’s a lifestyle we hear a lot about. The Supreme Court, state legislatures, cable TV, presidential candidates, “the world’s largest retailer,” and even some churches approve of it. But what does the Bible say?
According to God, sodomy has always been wrong. Before God formalized and systematized religion, as He did with Judaism and Christianity, He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, at least in part, because of the prevalence of this behaviour (Gen. 19).
When God called Abraham’s descendants from Egypt and gave them a law through Moses, He stipulated that sodomy was unacceptable (Lev. 20:13). Today, under the law of Christ, it remains condemned (Rom. 1:24-32; 1 Cor. 6:9; Jude 7).
The prohibition against sodomy is not—strictly speaking—a religious law. It’s a moral law. Just as murder was condemned before the existence of either Judaism or Christianity (Gen. 9:6), so homosexuality is an immoral behaviour that has always been—and will always be—sinful.
Arguments In Favor
Apologists for sodomy give various reasons for God’s supposed approval of that lifestyle. Here are a few of them:
“God created us this way.” There is no scientific evidence that anyone is born with a predisposition to homosexuality. The so-called “homosexual gene” remains elusive. If God created sodomites that way, He needs to apologize to the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah for destroying them for behaving the way He created them.
“God loves everyone.” Indeed He does! So much so that He sent Jesus to die for the world (John 3:16). But not everyone will be saved, because many are unwilling to live as He commands (Matt. 7:21-23; 2 Thess. 1:6-10). God prohibits sodomy, and violators won’t go to heaven (1 Cor. 6:9-10).
“The Bible’s prohibitions against sodomy were only cultural.” This is merely an assertion with no proof. It was wrong in the Middle East around 2,500 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. (Gen. 19; Lev. 20:13). It was wrong in Greece and Rome in the first century A.D. (1 Cor. 6; Rom. 1), and it remains sinful in America in 2003.
“God wouldn’t condemn anyone for being in a loving relationship.” Not if we’re talking about a man and woman who are scripturally married. But scriptural evidence that God approves same-sex unions can’t be found. On the contrary—as we have already shown—God condemns them.
“God wants me to be happy.” Yes He does, and that’s why He limits our behaviour. The drunk is happy when he drinks, but God condemns his behaviour too (Gal. 5:21). The “happiness” argument can be used to justify any activity that brings self-gratification. The ultimate happiness comes in heaven after a life of obedience to God. Jesus calls those who will follow Him to self-denial—not sinful self-indulgence (Luke 9:23-25).
The church of Christ at Corinth had members who had lived immorally—even as sodomites (1 Cor. 6:9-11). But they turned away from those sins before they obeyed the Gospel and were forgiven. Sodomy is sinful. Those who engage in it and do not repent will spend eternity separated from God. God loves sodomites and calls them to repentance—like the Corinthians—so they can go to heaven.
