7 Arguments That Need To Be Addressed...About You-Know-What

There is a hot debate taking place today in the Christian community: Is homosexuality an acceptable practice in Christianity? I could give you the clear answer: Of course not! But, some people would like to make the issue deeper than what it really is. 

I am of the persuasion that the Bible is the infallible, unadulterated word of God. So, if the Bible says that man shall not sleep with man as if with woman, then that means a man shall not sleep with a man as if sleeping with a woman. Self-explanatory. But some people, again, want to make the issue deeper than what it is. They want to be super, duper deep and find some loophole in biblical theology that can suit their desire for same-sex attractions…and whatever other attractions they may have. This blog is designed to focus on the arguments used against what should be a hands-down clear-cut answer to the sexuality question.

Argument #1: The Bible doesn’t address the issue of homosexuality.

My response to this is simple: Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9. All of these verses specifically address the practice of same-sex attraction (homosexuality). The language is undeniable. But for some, this is not enough to convince them of God’s view of this particular act. They are, in essence, saying God’s word is not enough to convince them of this activity’s unnaturalness. Well, if God’s word is not enough for you, then I don’t have anything else to offer you. I could tell you that biologically it is unnatural to engage in it, and that commonsense would dictate to you that the male was designed with the proper “equipment” to accommodate the woman, and visa-versa. But a made-up mind is the hardest to convince. 

Argument #2: The context of the Old Testament scriptures condemning homosexuality don’t apply to Christians today.

People always use this argument when defending same-sex relationships. They claim that the prohibition against same-sex relationships in the book of Leviticus was in the context of the Levitical laws of Moses only (in other words, this was a law pertaining only to the Jews, and not the Christians). The problem is this: When God condemned the activity of same-sex relationships in Leviticus 18, He wasn’t talking about the Jews; He was talking about the gentiles/non-Jews (Canaanites). God was condemning the gentile nations for their practice of homosexuality. The gentile nations had never been given the Law (Commandments); therefore, God’s condemnation of their sexual practices was on the basis of their natural instinct (Romans 2:14-15): that they instinctively, through the understanding of natural biological behavior, knew that homosexuality was unnatural and wrong (sinful). This was the same reason God judged Sodom and Gomorrah: though they had no Law (Commandments) before them (Matthew 11:20-24), they were judged by God on the basis of what they instinctively knew to be against God’s natural order; they were judged due to sin, of which homosexuality was one.

     Also, consider this: Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 condemn not only homosexuality, but bestiality and incest also. So, when one dismisses these passages of Scripture, they’re dismissing God’s prohibitions against…incest and bestiality. Who wants to take a shot at justifying a man having sex with his pet dog, Rex, the lovable pit bull? You do know there are people today who are literally waiting for legislation to be passed allowing them to legalize their relationships with their pets (dogs, cats, donkeys, cows, etc.). 

Argument #3: The Bible doesn’t say God judged Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexuality.

Ezekiel 16:49-50 says, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” When people claim that no where does God specifically site homosexuality as a cause for judging Sodom and Gomorrah, they overlook the phrase “committed abomination”. This is simple: all one has to do is look in Scripture to see what God calls abomination. It’s obvious: In Leviticus 18:22, homosexuality is the only sexual practice specifically called an abomination by God. The other sin of bestiality is regarded as an act that breeds confusion. Therefore, when God says the people of Sodom “committed abomination” before God, He was referencing their sin of homosexuality in conjunction with their pride, idleness, and neglecting of the poor.

Argument #4: The New Testament doesn’t mention anything about homosexuality.

Again, all you have to do is refer to my response to argument #1. 

Argument #5: Jesus never mentioned anything about homosexuality.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” The reference to the “law” is a reference to the Torah, of which the book of Leviticus is apart of; therefore, Jesus explained that He didn’t come to do away with the Torah, and more specifically, the moral precepts found in the Torah. If the Torah explains that God is against homosexuality, then Jesus, being the essence, the epitome of the Torah, embodies the views of the Torah as well—He is likewise against homosexuality. Also implicitly stated in Matthew chapter 19 is that Jesus is against same-sex unions by His claim that marriage is between a husband and a wife only, not two men or two women, or even one man and several women. He speaks of marriage in the context of one man and one woman, and ends the discussion. 

     Also, lets not forget that Jesus is the word wrapped up in flesh; therefore, ALL Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is a reflection of Christ. So, even when Paul condemned homosexuality in Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6, he was expressing the mind and will of Christ.

Argument #6: The context in which the Bible writers were writing is different than our modern context; therefore, when Paul was addressing same-sex unions, it was in a different context than today’s.

I really don’t know where people come up with this. That is the equivalent of saying God’s word is irrelevant for us today; that God wrote the Bible only for people who lived thousands of years ago, not for you and I. And yet, as Paul explained in 2 Timothy 3:16, God’s word is relevant for us today. Dismiss the relevancy of Scripture regarding sexuality and you’ll be guilty of cherry-picking Scripture for the purpose of deciding what passages you want to be applicable today and which ones you don’t. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t fuss at me for violating the commandment to not steal, and then justify violating the commandment to not engage in homosexual sex. If one “jot” or “tittle” is irrelevant, then all of it is. No cherry-picking!!

Argument #7: God just wants you to be happy. Christianity is about love; and as long as you do things in the spirit of love, that’s all that matters.

This has to be the silliest of all arguments in favor of same-sex unions. Here we go: the pedophile, as long as they lovingly molest a seven year old boy, is perfectly justified; after all, the pedophile can’t help their sexual preference either. I guess, since they have that inclination (to molest children) and can’t get aroused by adult sexual partners, God designed them to be that way. Never mind the fact that we are all born in sin and shaped in iniquity, and are therefore born with sinful desires automatically, hence, the need for the “rebirth” that comes through Christ and the “divine nature” (2 Peter 1) that knowing God’s word brings. I mean, the Islamic jihadist “lovingly” rapes and murders his/her victims for the glory of Allah. But I guess that’s all that counts: they’re doing it for what they perceive to be the right reason. So, the action no longer matters when it comes to God; all that matters is that we do wrong for the right reason (or with loving intent). Hey, I guess every Ku Klux Klan member can rest confident in their chances of making it into heaven now. They murdered, tortured, mutilated, and raped for what they perceived to be the right reason. I’m sure I don’t have to explain to anyone that just because a 52 year old male pedophile claims to be “in love” with a 5 year old girl, that doesn’t make his sexual advances towards her acceptable. Just because a man beats his wife while claiming that he’s doing it because he “loves” her, that doesn’t make the beatings alright. Likewise: just because two men or two women abuse their bodies by violating the natural order of things that doesn’t make their union acceptable. 

     Love? You want to know what the biblical definition of love is? It isn’t an emotion. John says in 1 John chapter 4 that love is God. What does God do? In Hebrews chapter 12, God says He chastises those He loves. Chastisement: What is it? Webster defines it this way: “To rebuke or reprimand severely; to punish, especially by beating.” In the Flemming dictionary, it is defined this way: “To light your behind up until you can’t sit down for at least an hour.” Either way, it simply means . . . love hurts us in order to protect us from destruction. Love doesn’t sit by idly and condone our wrong; it speaks up, corrects, rebukes, and . . . pulls out a switch and tears our behinds up from time to time. Yes. Christianity is about love. I’m demonstrating that love by telling you the hurtful truth: that homosexuality is a sin. 

I love all people. I don’t judge anyone—as Paul stated in Romans chapter 2, God’s judgment is already declared against sin; therefore, I’m not doing the judging; I’m just announcing what God already said in His word about certain activities. All of us can fall into a trap of sexual sin. All fornication is sin, whether it be homosexuality or sex outside of marriage. Sin is sin. The issue is this: Paul told us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 that we must all “learn” how to possess our “vessels” in “sanctification and honor”. We must learn how to pursue God so that we can whip our flesh into submission to His will, not try to get Him to conform to ours. You can’t change yourself. That’s not your job. Your job is to draw closer to God with an humble spirit that is willing to obey whatever He tells you to do, and to seek His Holy Spirit in assisting you to accomplish what God wants you to do. All holy living is done through the power of the Holy Spirit.