God's Design for Relationships

God Has Designed

Homosexuality: God’s Design for Relationships

God is our Absolute Standard. God is our Absolute Authority. His Word reveals His Character, His will, His design and purposes. Apart from God, apart from God’s Word, we are left to do whatever we want.

But, if God has revealed to us what pleases Him, what honors and glorifies God, then we must either submit to His Lordship or rebel against it.

God has created man and woman. God has called man good. And it was good to create woman. Gender is holy and sacred to God, because God created gender for His purpose and for His glory.

God is intentional, purposeful, and what God has defined as good, holy and sacred… let no man say otherwise.

What God has defined as man, let no man or woman say otherwise. What God has defined as being a woman, let no man or woman say otherwise.

God has ordained marriage relationships. Marriage is a holy institution ordained by God, for God; it is holy and sacred, pleasing to God. Marriage was created by God, and for God and it is good.

It is good for a man and a woman to be married. God has defined marriage as only a man and a woman coming together into a life-long covenant, and within this relationship only are there to be children born and raised – That is how a family is to exist.

So, it is here that a family portrait is given by God.

What God has called good. Let no man say otherwise. What God has defined, let us never redefine.

What God has put together, let no man ever separate. Has God not spoken on these things?

1. Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 2:18-25 – In the beginning… God established order… God created male and female. God created a help-meet for man, and it was ordained that these two become one. A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh.

2. Genesis 19:5-6 – The story is of Lott being confronted by heavenly messengers, during which time a group of guys come up to the house desiring to rape these manly heavenly beings, who looked like men.

Lott says, “Do not do so wickedly.” Jude 1:7 – This defines the actions of this city as sexual immorality, going after strange flesh.

3. Exodus 20:12 – From the beginning until here, this has been the normal of relationships: Honor your mother and your father. A mother and father are described in Genesis, the only two capable of having children… male and female.

4. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 – There is a list sexual sins, including homosexual sins. Do not lie with a male as with a woman. This is an abomination. This was wrong for all the nations, before and after Israel.

And these sins, these laws, and lifestyles would have been known until Jesus’ day.

Did Jesus, or does Jesus say anything about homosexuality? Or any other sexual sin listed in Leviticus? Does Jesus mention anything about bestiality or pedophilia?

Well first off, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit said it in the Old Testament. Does Jesus iterate it in the New Testament? Jesus did not discuss every sin, or issue. But, these sins and laws would have been understood by the Jewish people of Jesus’ day and these would be non-issues to discuss; it was understood:

You do not do these things.

5. Matthew 5 and Matthew 19 – 5:17 – Jesus fulfilled the whole Law and did not break it, nor did He teach against it. Jesus goes into 5:27-28 – There we see adultery defined as a woman/man, man/woman event. 5:31-32- Jesus defines divorce between a man and a woman.

All of this is between men and women. Chapter 19 – Jesus goes back to the beginning to give instruction on marriage and divorce and affirms the Law’s teachings, His Father’s teachings, on the subject.

Does Jesus have something to say? Yes. But, to believe that He is God and has always existed as God the Son, we understand that Jesus has always supported this, being the Word of God Who communicated these truths in the beginning of time. God the Son has not changed His mind.

6. Romans 1:26-32 – Those who exchange the truth of God for the lie are given over to their vile passions. What are those vile passions? Woman and men exchange what is natural for what is unnatural. 27 – Men leave the natural use of the woman.

They burn with lust for one another: man to man, or woman to woman. They commit what is shameful and receive in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

What is natural and what is unnatural? Homosexuality is unnatural. It is not God’s design; it is rebellion against God’s design and plan. Homosexuality is, therefore, immoral. To practice homosexuality is to practice sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is sin. Homosexuality is a lifestyle of sin.

Acts 15:29 – Abstain from sexual immorality.

1 Cor. 5:9-13 – Do not keep company with the sexual immoral, who calls themselves Christians.

Put away from yourselves that “wicked” person.

Now: What a minute: WE are all sinners saved by grace. We all need Jesus. And Yes we do. We all have been forgiven or can be forgiven of any, and all sins. But when we come to Christ, we chose to live for Him, and we chose not to live a life of sin. Homosexuality is lifestyle of sin.

Look at 1 Cor. 6:9-11: This is what we “were”. This is what you “were”. Those who lived these lifestyles were not in the kingdom of God, but now, those who are in the Kingdom of God live a different lifestyle.

This is where you “were” and this is where you “are,” if you are in Christ.

What do we do?

Galatians 5:16-21 – Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Sexual immorality is here mentioned again with other practices of sins, and the attachment is: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:1-5 – Walk in love. But practicing these lifestyles is unacceptable, and they have no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

Ephesians 5:22 through ch.6 – Speaks of husbands and wives and the design of the home with children.

Col. 3:1-8 – We are in a different position if we are in Christ and we now have new desires, and a power to walk in the Spirit, to overcome sins in our lives. 5 – Put to death, the Word says, these practices. 7 –We once walked in them, but now, put them to death and put on the new man – 10.

Listen to Jesus: Matthew 19:12 - “There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.”

1 Thess. 4:3-7 – Question: Is it God’s will to live in sin, to sin in sexual immorality, in homosexuality? No.

This is the will of God: Your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality. You should know how to possess your body, not in passion or lust, like those who do not know God…

God did not call us to uncleanness, and or immorality, but to holiness.

1 John teaches and gives distinctions between the Christian and unbeliever. One will practice a life of righteousness; he or she will live for Christ and their lifestyle will be a lifestyle of holiness.

They will strive to be Christlike. The other, the unbeliever will practice a life of sin, of unrighteousness. By their fruit, they will be known. They will be known by what they produce.

Rev. 21:8 – Gives a picture of what will happen to those who live in these lifestyles, who practice these lifestyles, who show themselves to be unbelievers: All will have their part in the lake of fire.

All who desire to follow Jesus must turn away from sin. Homosexuality does not glorify God. Homosexuality is rebellion to the character, design and plan of God. To live a lifestyle of homosexuality is to live in open rebellion.

But, Jesus is ready to forgive and to receive all who will come to Him and turn from their sins. Jesus died to save sinners. So, we must love the sinner by telling them the truth and we lead them to the Word of God.

Let’s pray for them. May God bring many out of this lifestyle today.