Sermon Tone Analysis

A but of follow-up about the equality of sin from our last session.

First Corinthians 5:1–13

We actually see this issue kind of come up in 1 Cor 5.

You see, in this chapter, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for accepting an illicit relationship.

A man is having sex with his stepmother, which is clearly forbidden in Lev 18. He’s having sex with his stepmom.

Now, Paul doesn’t inquire and say, “Gosh, do they love each other?

Does he have this orientation?

Do they care about each other?”

He doesn’t say that.

It was the relationship in itself that was forbidden.

Paul says they should mourn and remove the one who has done this.

That means that wrong things can be done with good intention.[6]

Is This a Gospel Issue?

Introduction

Is the topic of homosexuality a gospel issue?

Is this an issue Christians should divide over?

Is this a subject that gets to the heart of what Scripture teaches about the character of God and the nature of sin?

What are we really asking when we ask this question?

Can You Be Gay and Christian?

How would you go about answering this question?

As people often ask me, “Well, can you be gay and can you be Christian?”

And of course when you ask, “Can you be gay and Christian?” it depends on what you mean by “gay,” and it really depends on what you mean by “Christian.”

If by “gay” you mean, “Can you have same-sex attraction and be a Christian?”

Of course.

I don’t know anybody who would debate or doubt that.

If you mean by “gay” sexual orientation, which is typically understood not just as an attraction but kind of an ongoing, seemingly more permanent sense of attraction to the same-sex—“Can you have same-sex sexual orientation and be Christian?”

Of course you can.

But if you mean by “gay” being involved in certain same-sex sexual behaviors and be a Christian, that’s where I’d say we need to take a close look at what the Scripture teaches.

Desire for Christian Unity

Justin Lee, who I’ve mentioned earlier, is the head of the Gay Christian Network.

He wrote a very interesting book called Torn, and he describes how he grew up as a gay Christian, became okay with his same-sex attraction, and embraces the revisionist view of homosexuality.

He started the Gay Christian Network to bring Christians together from around the world to worship and to hear messages together and to kind of show that there’s unity within the body of Christ even though they differ on this issue.

So he said,

“I wanted to model for the church and the world that it is possible to live in loving, Christian community in the midst of significant theological disagreements.”

Now, when you first look at that, of course we should try to live together in Christian unity and we should show love and respect for each other on theological differences, and I respect him and admire him for trying to do that.

How should we then understand the concept of Christian Unity?

Some Disagreements Permissible

Now, the Bible does allow for disagreement in freedom on certain issues.

Paul says nothing is unclean in itself in the context of dietary restrictions and the Sabbath.

Read Romans 14:1–15, (where Paul addresses both side of the feast and dietary laws and welcoming those who differ) and it clearly shows that Paul permitted people to continue practicing certain aspects of the Mosaic law, as long as it wasn’t required and didn’t drive a wedge between believers.

Some Issues Non-Negotiable

Paul also reminds his readers of certain issues that are nonnegotiable.

So Paul’s kind of saying, “Here’s some issues that are negotiable.”

Christians can disagree about exactly how they practice certain things related to the law.

Christians can disagree about the Sabbath.

But then there’s some issues that are not negotiable, where Paul seems to say the gospel itself is at stake.

Paul discusses homosexual practice in the context of those who will not enter the kingdom of God.

Now, of course, he mentions a bunch of other sins here as well, but he places homosexuality within this context.

First Corinthians 6:9–11

In 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, Paul says,

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral [porneia], nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

[And then he says,] 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.

So Paul seemed to say there’s negotiable issues, but then there’s nonnegotiable issues that separate somebody from the kingdom of God, and he puts homosexuality, in terms of practicing it, in that context.

As a believer who reads Paul trying to understand what he is saying, I don’t feel the comfort to say, “Well, this is a secondary issue.

Well, this is not very important.”

Paul felt it was an issue that separated people from the kingdom of God.

Unity for the sake of unity should never be at the expense of the Truth.

This is heresy of the highest degree!!

Warnings against False Teaching

In fact, the Scripture has some strong warnings for those who change the nature of Scripture.

For example, Isaiah 5:20, says,

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”

In Revelation 2:20–21, Jesus rebukes the church of Thyatira for being permissive of a false teacher.

Listen to what he says.

He says,

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.”

Conclusion

Friends, ultimately God will judge people’s hearts.

Fortunately we don’t have to do that.

We don’t have to judge people’s eternal destiny.

That’s in God’s hands.

But I think we do a disservice to people if they ask us honestly, “Is homosexuality an issue that can separate somebody from the kingdom of God, in terms of practicing it?”

Paul seems to say very clearly in 1 Cor 6 that if that is a behavior, it’s one that needs to clearly be repented of.[7]

Background for Examining Texts about Homosexuality

Assumptions of the Revisionist Movement

Introduction

Now it’s time to shift into the actual biblical evidence, but before we look at the particular passages relevant to the topic of homosexuality, let’s take a look at some of the underlying assumptions, hermeneutically speaking, that shape this debate in itself.

It’s only when we really understand some of the presuppositions that people bring to the text that we’ll be able to see how they come to the conclusions that they come to.

Now, not everybody who adopts the revisionist view will necessarily take all of these positions that I am going to lay out; some agree with others and leave them out, but as a whole, these are representative of some of the underlying principles that shape interpretation by those who adopt the revisionist view.

UPCUSA Guidelines for Interpreting Scripture

Now, specifically, these are guidelines for interpreting Scriptures from the Reformed confessional heritage of the United Presbyterian Church USA—what’s called the UPCUSA—and we are going to focus on those that seemed to be adopted a little bit more widely even outside of that denomination.

Guideline: Jesus Is the Center of Scripture

So first one, the guideline, is, “Recognize that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the center of Scripture.”

That sounds great.

Jack Rogers says, “Jesus was not a legalist.

In order to follow Jesus, we are called upon to show love for God, our neighbors, and even our enemies.

Jesus showed love even for outcasts of society.

It is demanding and humbling to try and follow his example.

Can you imagine Jesus turning away someone who is despised, discriminated against, and distraught to the point of attempting suicide?

I cannot.”[3]

Response: False Choice

Now look, in response, of course Jesus would show love for the outcasts and those who are distraught.

The question is not this is a false dilemma that he is saying—either totally accept certain behavior or reject somebody.

Jesus didn’t do that.

He was clearly a friend of sinners who behaved in a way that He disagreed with, but He showed love and grace and acceptance to them.

But Jesus also said in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.”

So loving God involves that we follow what He teaches is true.

That’s in 1 John 5:3.