A Culture in Chaos: A Bibical Response to Gender & Sexuality-Session 4

Why Doesn’t the Bible Address Homosexuality More?

Introduction

Why doesn’t the Bible mention homosexuality more? This is clearly a hot subject today. Shouldn’t the Bible writers, if it was that important to God, have spoken on this issue more? You know, there are 6 passages that explicitly address the topic of homosexuality out of 31,000 verses—6 passages, 31,000 verses. Now, 3,000 verses allegedly address God’s concern for the poor, so the poor is this massive subject, 3,000 verses; homosexuality is only a few passages. Maybe we’ve gotten out of balance here on the subjects that we should address. So why doesn’t the Bible address this more? Let me just ask a few questions that’ll maybe help us process this.

How would you answer this question? What is the question behind the question?

Is Frequency Indicative of Importance?

First off, is it a good hermeneutic to determine importance of an issue based on how much it appears in the Bible? Is this a good approach to determining importance in Scripture based on how much it appears in the Bible?

What others topics in Scripture do we have that are not evenly weighted?

Original Sin

Look, Paul barely mentions original sin—it’s in Rom 3 pretty clearly, but he doesn’t often mention original sin explicitly. It doesn’t show up explicitly in many different places in the Bible. Well, why not? Does that mean it’s unimportant? I think a case could be made that the gospel rests on understanding original sin. It’s assumed, but it’s not explicitly stated.

Care for Creation

The Bible does not frequently mention care for creation. Does that get us off the hook of showing responsibility for preserving environment? No, when we understand God, His stewardship, why He’s placed us here, even though the Bible doesn’t explicitly state it, we know that that’s an assumed truth and a responsibility that Christians have.

Should we expect the Bible to address an issue in depth that has only really been debated over the past half century?

Why would the Bible go into depth on this issue, which is hot right now in our time, but which was not for the first two thousand years of the church and may not be sometime into the future. I mean it strikes me as very anachronistic to expect the Bible, when many of the letters and writings were written to certain people at a certain time—yes, with universal application, but addressing particular issues—when their issues were different than our issues today, why should they address it?

Creation Narrative of Human Sexuality

But third, the Bible gives a creation narrative of sexuality that is assumed throughout the entire Scriptures, and it’s frequently referenced. We see it begin in Gen 1 and in Gen 2, but it’s referenced in Matt 19:3–6, we see it in Eph 5:21–33. So there is a creation narrative that is built in the beginning of the Bible, and it’s assumed and referenced to throughout the entirety of the Scriptures.

Six Key Passages on Homosexuality

But fourth, there are actually more passages that deal with the issue of same-sex relationships than you might think. Now, I do find it kind of ironic that critics often say the Bible doesn’t speak about homosexuality, but then they turn around and they find issues of homosexuality in stories such as David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Jesus and the Roman centurion, when clearly homosexuality was not at play there.

So here are the standard texts that we will break down and we will look at them, but these are the key texts in particular and explicitly that deal with the issue of homosexuality to greater and lesser degrees.

One is Genesis 19:4–11, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. You have Leviticus 18:22, and you also have Lev 20:13. Move to the nt, Rom 1:26–27. Paul deals with it again in 1 Cor 6:9, and following and then again in 1 Tim 1:10.

Conclusion

So if the Bible was written to a modern context today, specifically in writing letters to churches today, of course Paul would deal with it more. But it wasn’t. It was written at a different time to different people, but we see an underlying theology that addresses it and then some specific passages that deal with it, which we will look at in due time.

Why Didn’t Jesus Address Homosexuality?

Introduction

Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality. Why didn’t He talk about it? If it’s such a big issue, why didn’t Jesus address it more? So the objection goes.

LGBT advocate Jay Michaelson puts it this way: “Here are all the statements Jesus Christ made about homosexuality.” Then it says:

“Surprising, isn’t it? Let’s check again—nope, nothing, even … Jesus lived at a time when pederasty and other forms of same-sex activity were common. This silence speaks volumes.”

So, how do we respond to this if Jesus didn’t say anything about it?

No Need

Well, first off, we’ve got to realize, again, this objection is anachronistic. The topic of homosexuality is a big subject in our culture right now and it has been in the past few decades, but throughout the history of the church and the world it was not a big debatable subject. Why should we expect Jesus to speak into a subject and an issue that’s the topic now but it wasn’t during His day, because, in fact, He didn’t have to. Every reference to homosexual behavior in Judaism and the early Christian church was entirely negative; there was no debate about the morality. From the left to the right, it was agreed that same-sex behavior was wrong. So it was clear where Jesus stood on the issue.

How did Jesus approach sexual ethics in His earthly ministry?

Jesus’ Standards Sometimes Surpassed Torah’s

But on sexual ethics, Jesus often adopted stricter rather than more lenient views. He had higher standards than the Torah and contemporary expectations. So sometimes critics often think, “Well, if Jesus didn’t speak on it, then He must have been okay with it.” But, actually, inclinations might need to be the other way, especially on issues related to marriage and sexuality. Jesus had higher standards.

Divorce

So take the subject of divorce. It was generally believed that a husband could divorce his wife for any and for all reasons, at least to those on the left, and there was debate about that subject to a degree.

Jesus weighed in on this on the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:31-32 Here He’s referring to the law in the ot example

Matthew 5:31–32 ESV

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Now, there is debate about exactly how to make sense of the teachings of Jesus here. I get that, but what seems clear is He’s saying, “This was the standard, but I’m moving you into a more conservative direction.”

Lust

Take the issue of lust, also in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matt 5:27–28

Matthew 5:27–28 ESV

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Essentially, adultery was committing the physical act. Jesus says, “No, if you just have lust in your heart towards a woman, you have committed adultery.” Robert Gagnon states it well. He says,

What was distinctive about Jesus’ ministry was not that he refused to make judgments about the conduct of others, or even that he lowered his moral standards. On the contrary, in many areas he elevated those standards. What was distinctive was his incredibly generous spirit even toward those who had lived in gross disobedience to God for years.

Jesus Affirmed Creation Account of Human Sexuality

But on top of that, Jesus actually did affirm the creation account as normative for sex and marriage. So in Matthew 19:3–6

Matthew 19:3–6 ESV

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

What is Jesus doing here?

Jesus is asked about divorce in the context of marriage; He’s not asked about homosexuality, but we will see a principle that applies. What’s interesting is Jesus quotes Gen 1, where He says that God made them male and female. And then He quotes Gen 2:24, where it says, “And the two shall leave their mother and father and they become one flesh.… Let not man separate what God has brought together.”

How does this apply to issue of Homosexuality?

What we see Jesus doing is that this ot passage in Genesis wasn’t just in the past. He sees that it’s normative for today. And He viewed God designing sex as a gift for creation, and it was meant to be between one man and one woman and a permanent monogamous relationship for life, and that it’s oriented towards children.

Jesus Condemned Sexual Immorality

But also what a lot of people miss is Jesus did indirectly address homosexuality. He does mention sexual immorality on multiple occasions which would have included homosexual behavior.

In fact, in Mark 7.20-23 we see Jesus say this.....

Mark 7:20–23 (ESV)

20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality (porneia), theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

When Jesus talks about sexual immorality in terms of porneia, a first-century Jew would have understood that He was referring to Lev 18 and 20, which lists a whole bunch of actions which were considered wrong, sexually speaking, and included homosexual behavior.

Conclusion

So look, Jesus loved all people no matter what sin that they were in. He might not have explicitly used the term “homosexuality,” but He assumed a creation narrative that we’re made male and female, and sex is designed for that relationship for life. And He also talks about porneia being wrong, and in that culture at that time, they would have understood that that was a reference to same-sex sexual behavior.[2]

Framing the Issue: God’s Design for Sex

Five Key Facts about Homosexuality and the Bible

Now it’s time to frame the bigger issue as we prepare to jump into the particular passages. As I’ve studied the Scriptures—ot all the way through the nt—there’s five key facts that stand out in terms of the Bible and how it approaches homosexuality.

1. No Biblical Support for Homosexual Behavior

The first one is that there is not a single passage in the ot or in the nt that supports homosexual behavior. There is not one! There is no positive support for same-sex sexual relationships in the Bible.

2. Church Support for Homosexual Behavior Is Modern

Second, until the middle of the twentieth century, no church leader affirmed homosexual behavior. I could not find it anywhere. I’m not aware of it, of any church leader that affirms homosexuality positively, until about the middle of twentieth century maybe with rare exception, because in the twentieth century that’s when the sexual revolution hit.

3. Bible Assumes Heterosexuality in Regulations

Third, every regulation in the Bible assumes male-female sex as the background—the ot, nt, Jesus, Paul—even where not stated explicitly, it’s always the underlying assumption.

4. Proverbs Assumes Heterosexuality

Fourth, every proverb or wisdom saying assumes heterosexuality in terms of behavior, again. I mean, just look at Prov 5 and all of the advice that Solomon gives to his son—specifically assumes heterosexuality as a model.

5. Ten Commandments Assume Heterosexuality

Even the Ten Commandments assume heterosexual relations. The fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother”; the seventh, “Do not commit adultery”; and the tenth, “Do not covet your neighbor’s wife.”

Does God Have a Design for Sex?

So the Bible speaks unanimously and with uniformity that God designed sex for one man and one woman in a committed loving relationship for life. But this raises a bigger question; we should step back. And here is really the question in terms of how I often frame this: Is there a God who has spoken about the issue of sex? In other words, is there a God who has designed sex to be a certain way, and has He revealed this truth to us?

Here is another story from Sean McDowell....

A while ago, I had some issues with my Internet access, so I called up one of those operators from India who helped me with my difficulty. I was about to hang up, and I said, “You know, you answer questions all day about how computer works. Can you tell me the dumbest questions you’ve ever received about how to work a computer?” I remember him saying, yes, he had a guy call up very upset, frustrated. He said, “I need some help because my cup holder doesn’t fit.” He thought the DVD-ROM drive was meant to hold a mug. He said he had a lady call up, and she was, again, frustrated, confused because she said her foot pedal doesn’t work. Maybe you’ve seen somebody on one of those old sewing machines where you have a foot pedal. She thought the mouse went under the desk and was a foot pedal. And then this last one actually happened to someone very beloved to me. I can’t share with you in this class because I don’t want to embarrass the woman who birthed me. All right, this was my mom a few years ago, very technologically handicapped. She got a new computer and decided to set up her own email account. One of the first instructions that came up on the screen said, “Close all the windows.” My mom actually got up from her chair, walked around the house, and closed all the physical windows in the house. Now, my guess is either you’re in shock, or maybe you’re chuckling at this stage because you know something about a computer.

You know that somebody very smart and intelligent has designed a computer to function a certain way, right? That the CD-ROM driver is not meant to hold some kind of mug. If you still use a mouse, it’s certainly not meant to be used as a foot pedal, and when the computer screen says, “Close all the windows,” it doesn’t mean the windows in your house. You see, a computer has been designed, and it’s only when we know that design and we know the truth about it that we’re free to use it according to its purpose.

This is the bigger question: Is there a design and a purpose for sex? Like a computer, is there an instruction manual, so to speak, about how it’s supposed to be done? Is there a designer that has revealed this to us?

God Created a Purposeful World

And what’s interesting about the Scriptures is the first thing we learn about God in Genesis explicitly is not that God is love, that God is just, that God is holy. But Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created.” The first attribute we are told about God is that God is a creator.

Why does that matter related to this topic?

This is not an accidental world in which truth is something we just make up. This is a purposeful world where God has infused nature and reality with a way things are supposed to be.

So in the first couple of chapters in Genesis we learn that there is a purpose for work, there is a purpose for marriage, there is a purpose for sex. And God has a design just like there is a design for how a computer is supposed to work. There is a design for our lives, including the issue of sex.

How would define freedom?

“How would you define true freedom?” And the typical answer is, “Freedom is doing whatever you want to do.” But I don’t think that’s true freedom. I think true freedom is living according to God’s design for our life. You can take a computer and say, “I’m going to make waffles with this,” “I’m going to surf on it,” “It’s a weapon.” It’s not designed for that, so you’re not free unless you know the truth and you live it accordingly.

Freedom: Knowing and Living the Truth

God’s Law Is for Our Good

That’s why David, who understood that God’s law and His design was good—even though he didn’t follow and he fell short like all of us do—in Psa 19:7 David rejoices in the law of the Lord. It says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” In fact, Psalm 1:2 said, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but”—here it is!—“his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Friends, God has given us rules and commandments and guidelines for our good, and that’s really the central question, isn’t it? Is there a God who has designed sex for a purpose, designed this world for a purpose? And are we willing to follow His guidelines?

What question is at the heart of the issue of homosexuality?

You see, the question about homosexuality isn’t a question about the existence of God. At its heart it’s kind of a question about the goodness of God, and we need to have the willingness to trust that God is good and knows what He’s doing with the design. That’s why Moses writes in Deut 10:12–13, it says, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”[4]

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Ten Truths from Flame of Yahweh

Introduction

Now it’s time to start specifically looking at some of the biblical passages. Let’s begin where the Bible begins, in Gen 1:26–27 and in Gen 2:24. To frame, as we jump into these particular passages, it’s important to understand some underlying theology that’s taking place here.

Ten Truths

Old Testament scholar Richard Davidson, in his book the Flame of Yahweh, which is a very seminal text on ot ethics, in particular the area of relationships and sexuality, he says there is

“a growing consensus within biblical scholarship that Gen 1–3 provides the interpretive foundation for the rest of Scripture.… In particular, the profound portrayal of God’s original design for human sexuality at the beginning of the canon constitutes the foundation for the rest of the biblical narrative and discourse on human sexuality and encapsulates the fundamental principles of a theology of sexuality.”

I think he’s absolutely right. If you want to understand the whole portrait of sexuality in the Bible, it’s important to begin with these beginning chapters. He gives ten truths that we’re going to highlight and focus on from his book the Flame of Yahweh.

Sexual Differentiation a Creation of God

The first one, he says, sexual differentiation is presented as a creation by God, and not part of the inherent nature of divinity itself. In the ancient Near Eastern gods, sexual differentiation was a part of the character of god; rather, biblically, sexual differentiation is something that God creates Himself.

Gender Essential to Humans

Second, humans were created as gendered beings—male and female. Gender is at the heart of what it means to be human.

Now Justin Lee, again, the author of Torn, he pushes back on this and he says,

But suppose two people loved each other with all their hearts, and they wanted to commit themselves to each other in the sight of God—to love, honor, and cherish; to selflessly serve and encourage [one another]; to serve God together; to be faithful for the rest of their lives. If they were of opposite sexes, we would call that holy and beautiful and something to celebrate. But if we changed only one thing—the gender of one of those individuals—while still keeping the same love and selflessness and commitment, suddenly many Christians would call it abominable and condemned to hell.

How would describe what he is saying?

Now, this is a pretty powerful rhetorical argument, but he seems to be saying, “If you have commitment and love and sacrifice everybody would be on board, but if you just change one thing, then all of a sudden it’s abominable.” He’s assuming that one thing, gender, is kind of inconsequential and it’s not important, but this is not what Genesis teaches. Yes, we’re to have self-sacrifice. Yes, we’re to be selfless. But the context that Genesis teaches clearly is that sexual relations is designed to be between people of opposite sexes coming together as one.

Marriage Is Monogamous

The third point that Davidson points out is that the divine design for marital form is monogamy. You have one man and you have one woman. That’s the pattern that is set up.

Equal but Different Roles

Fourth, there is equality of the sexes. Now, there are different roles between the man and the woman. They’re created at different times. But even though the woman Eve is described as a helper, this doesn’t mean a subordinate; it means an equal helper to him.

Humans Made in God’s Image

Fifth, males and females are both in the image of God. Women are in the image of God. Men are in the image of God. Every human being reflects the imago Dei. You see, the holistic nature of mankind is complete only with male and female. That’s why the one-flesh experience of husband and wife involves not only the sex act but also a oneness, a wholeness, in all the physical, sensual, social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of life.

Marriage Is an Exclusive Relationship

Sixth, the marriage relationship is exclusive. In Genesis 2:24 it describes the leaving of the man from his family, [indicating] the necessity of absolute freedom from outside interference in the sexual relationship. So it’s an exclusive relationship between those two.

Marriage Is Permanent

Seven is the marriage relationship is permanent. The term “clings”—”the man will cling to his wife”—signifies the strong personal attachment that’s meant to last for a lifetime.

Marriage Is Heterosexual

Eighth, “man and his wife” indicates that the union is heterosexual. It’s not a person and another person. It’s not a man and a spouse. We see gender worked into the nature of marriage in the early Genesis chapters. The household is seen as a male and female, and the son leaves the household of his mother and father and bonds to his wife. The implication is they will start their own household, have kids, and the pattern will continue on.

A Primary Purpose of Human Sexuality Is Procreation

Nine, says Davidson, one of the primary purposes of human sexuality is procreation. In Genesis 1:28 it says, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Now marriage and sex is not just about having kids; it has many purposes beyond that, but sex itself is a procreative act. We can’t separate the act of sex from its end, which is producing children, which is part of the command in Genesis.

Human Sexuality Is Good

And then ten, sex is good, and it’s beautiful. In Genesis 1:31 it says, “And it was very good.” So, friends, if we’re going to look at this passage—and we’re going to look closely in a minute at Gen 1 and 2 and others throughout the rest of the Bible—it’s important to see that Genesis provides the backdrop and the pattern for how God views sex in the ot, in the nt, and even still today.[2]

[1]McDowell, S. (2017). AP371 A Biblical Response to Homosexuality. Lexham Press. [2]McDowell, S. (2017). AP371 A Biblical Response to Homosexuality. Lexham Press.

[1]McDowell, S. (2017). AP371 A Biblical Response to Homosexuality. Lexham Press. [2]McDowell, S. (2017). AP371 A Biblical Response to Homosexuality. Lexham Press. [3]McDowell, S. (2017). AP371 A Biblical Response to Homosexuality. Lexham Press. [4]McDowell, S. (2017). AP371 A Biblical Response to Homosexuality. Lexham Press.