I love it when you ask tough questions. Digging into God's Word to find answers about the complex issues you are thinking about and dealing with is one of the best perks of my job. That's why this week I want to tackle an issue that many of you have written to us about—homosexuality. Here's a quick look at some of the comments you've sent us on this subject.
I'm a lesbian. I've known I like girls since I was four. I believe in the power of Christ and accept Him into my heart, but I also believe that the love between two women is in no way inferior to the love between a man and a woman. I know the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, but I pray that Jesus will love and accept me as I am. I have never liked guys, and I'm not going to live my entire life pretending I do to please Jesus, though I love Him. Just wanted to share a different perspective. Just as the color of your hair or skin, your sexual preference is decided by your GENETICS. People who identify as being gay or homosexual do not have a choice in who they love. It is unfair to try and force a person out of a trait they cannot change. Imagine for a moment why, for any reason, you have the right to judge another person for the way that they LOVE another person. Homosexuality does not harm any aspect of this world, economy, or marriage. These are real living people who are as dedicated to each other as the oldest couples you know. Please stop spreading the prejudice toward individuals who identify as homosexual. Please don't let your personal opinions choke another's right to live and experience. What exactly does the Bible say about homosexuality? I know it says stuff against it in the Old Testament, and I don't believe it's right, but I was wondering which specific verses talk about it.
Before we go much deeper, we need to establish this baseline—God sees homosexuality as sinful. His point of view on this issue is stated clearly in His Word. In fact, I dedicated an entire post to this subject several months ago. You can read that post here, but here are some key verses to keep in mind. Leviticus 18:22 says, "‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.'" Leviticus 20:13 says, "‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.'" First Corinthians 6:9–10 says, "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." Since God's Word is so clear on this subject, why has the issue become so cloudy in the minds of so many? I think the first two readers I quoted hit on a key area of confusion—the common belief that homosexuals are born gay. You might be shocked to hear that the Bible actually agrees, but not on the terms that the world gives. You see, we are all born with a bent toward sin.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Ps. 51:5).
In Romans 7:18, Paul said, "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." We are all born with a desire, a tendency, and a capacity to sin. For some the tendency is to abuse substances or to have angry outbursts or to act promiscuously in heterosexual relationships. For others, possibly as a result of family history, environment, and poor choices, the tendency might be to gravitate toward homosexuality. But just because it feels natural doesn't mean it isn't sin or even that it is in our best interest. Sin is our nature, but that doesn't negate the fact that it always wreaks havoc in our lives. So to you, sweet girls, who are struggling with a natural inclination toward lesbianism, let me offer you this hope. Jesus came to break the power of your sin nature in your life. In Romans 7:25 we read, "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." You may have always had homosexual feelings, so much so that if feels like you were created a homosexual. But that's not what God's Word says. The Bible acknowledges that yes, you were born sinful, but you were also created as a child of God, redeemable by His sacrifice on the cross. God asks you to throw off your sin and run the race of life for His glory (Heb. 12:1). I know this is a complex topic, so let's keep talking about it. And let us work together to satisfy our natural inclination to sin less and to honor our powerful God more. In what other areas of your life do you naturally gravitate toward sin? What verses do you rely on to remind you of God's truth in this area?