Christianity and the LGBTQ+ Agenda Part 1

On June 26, 2015 the United States Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required that all states recognize out-of-state marriage licenses. Churches then proceeded to protect themselves from lawsuits when denying to host or officiate same-sex marriages in their buildings and prohibiting clergy from officiating such ceremonies. Many churches adopted language in their Constitution and by-laws stating that they would not conduct such ceremonies.

There has been an aggressive push for inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community into the life of the church for a long time. Different denominations have taken different paths regarding this debate. The United Methodist Church, some Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, non-denominational churches, and probably others have embraced homosexuality as normative practice without need of repentance. But that’s not what the Bible says.

The biblical case prohibiting homosexuality.

There are six passages we look to that inform our belief that homosexuality is incompatible with a Christian worldview. The first is found in Genesis 19:1-11. In the previous chapter, God reveals to Abraham that he intends to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The reason stated is only that their sin is very grave and there is an outcry against them. Abraham’s nephew Lot lives there, and Abraham wants to know if God is going to wipe out the whole city, or if he will spare the righteous. What he is really getting after is whether his nephew Lot will perish among the rest of the city.

Then we get into chapter 19, which reads,

Genesis 19:1–11 NASB95

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.

What is the sin of Sodom? We get a glimpse of it in this text. The key word to understanding this passage as it pertains to the homosexuality debate is the words “have relations” in verse five. In Hebrew, this word can take on various meanings, but the first rule of Bible study is context, context, context. Context is king, and context determines a word’s meaning.

This word can mean to know something in the matter of fact sense. For example, I know grass is green. This word could also mean to know somebody, that is to have a relationship with them. This could be an a acquaintance, a friend, or a family member. If someone calls me and asks if I know Floyd Wolff, I can say, “Yeah, I know Floyd Wolff.” The same word can be used to describe different levels of intimacy within a relationship. I can know an acquaintance, but I know a friend better, but I know my brothers and sisters more intimately, but I know my wife better than I know anybody else. Then there is the term used to speak of sexual intimacy. How can we be sure we know which one is being used here? Context.

Lot offers up his two daughters to the mob (which itself is a despicable act), suggesting that sleeping with them would be better than trying to sleep with two men. When we understand what is happening here, it is easy to see that the message of this scene is that the men of Sodom were acting in a despicable way and this included the act of homosexual sex.

Objections from those trying to normalize homosexual relationships will argue that this incident does not depict the consensual monogamous norm. The mob was trying to commit a crime against these two men/angels and that should be condemned. The case they are trying to make is that we should not condemn same sex relationships if the relationship is consensual and monogamous, meaning that both agree to such a relationship and that it remains exclusive, rooted in love for one another. Even if they are right about this text, it is not the full picture.

There are more blanket prohibitions in the Bible. Two are found in the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus 18:22 NASB95

‘You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.

The second is like it:

Leviticus 20:13 NASB95

‘If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

How do we know this is a prohibition against homosexuality? How do we know we can’t split hairs about the root word meanings of these verses? Remember the first rule of Bible study? Context is king. If you look at the verses surrounding the two we just cited, they all address other matters of sexual deviancy. If we want to faithfully interpret the Word of God, then the only logical conclusion is that these verses address sexual relations between two men, and they condemn such acts. Notice that these verses do not care about consent.

Then we move into the New Testament. A common argument made is that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. That is partially true. He never says the words, “homosexuality is a sin,” but he does affirm marriage is the union between one man and one woman.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans how mankind rejected God and led to exchanging the truth for a lie.

Romans 1:24–27 NASB95

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

While the term homosexuality is not used here, it is clear that these verses point to same sex relationships whether it pertains to two men or two women. There is a natural sexual ethic that leads to human flourishing, and same sex relationships do not achieve that.

Next, we will look at two passages that list homosexuality alongside a number of other sins.

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 NASB95

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

We see a similar statement in Paul’s first letter to Timothy,

1 Timothy 1:8–11 NASB95

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

In 1 Corinthians, we are told that people who practice a number of sinful behaviors will not inherit the kingdom of God. Among them are those who practice homosexuality. In 1 Timothy, homosexuals are grouped together as those who are ungodly, sinners, and profane. There is consistent language in the Bible that paints homosexuality in a negative light. There is not one example in the Bible where it is presented in a positive light.

Though this is true, those who want to normalize homosexual lifestyles mainly argue two things. The first is that the references to homosexuality in the Bible are mostly relating to acts of sexual violence on another. The mob in Sodom wanted to do violence against the angels appearing as men. That may be true, but there is no indication in the text that the remaining five verses targeted sexual assault of any kind. This argument does not hold up.

Second, there is an argument that states the word homosexual found in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy were not originally in the Bible and were inserted in the 1940s. That is sort of true, but that is because the word homosexual was not coined until the late 1800s. If we look at the Greek word, it is only used in these two places, and it is a compound word. The word is aresnokoitai, which is made up of two Greek words: arsen, meaning man, and koite, meaning bed. The word basically translates to “men who bed other men.” So, the intent of Paul’s use of this word is clear. God condemns the practice of homosexuality as unhealthy and not normative.

Based on these evidences, we must conclude:

Homosexuality is incompatible with a Christian worldview.

While we may uphold this truth, we are also called to love and serve all people regardless of their sins or worldviews. Remember, our job is to speak the truth in love. It is to give a defense of the hope that we have with gentleness and respect. One who is a practicing homosexual has the same right to explore the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as anyone else. But one cannot rationalize their sinful practices and be right with God.

Let’s go back to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 for a moment.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 NASB95

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

In this text, we see that everyone who was identified by one of these sins listed had to turn away from that sin. They were washed, cleansed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Christ. What the LGBTQ+ activist does is take their sexual ethic and impose it on the Bible, which requires distorting scriptures that we have understood for thousands of years in an attempt to fit a narrative. And virtually every mainline denomination in America has bought the lie in one way or another.

So what do we do?

We must operate with compassion, gentleness, and respect.

We must strike balance between contending for the truth, waging spiritual warfare, and exhibiting compassion, gentleness, and respect. As we look at the life of Jesus, the only times he spoke out harshly against someone was when those who were religious leaders distorted the truth. The rest of the time, he was moved with compassion as he saw people as sheep without a shepherd. When he addressed the woman at the well being with her sixth partner, whom she was not married to, he did not attack her, but gently and respectfully shared the truth.

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

You and I don’t have to save the world. That is Christ’s job, not ours. We are called to take the gospel into our spheres of influence. For some, it may be that you personally know someone who subscribes to the LGBTQ+ agenda. For others, you may find yourself talking to one who claims to follow Christ but believes that Christianity is compatible with that lifestyle. Somebody may be gay and think that is something that doesn’t require repentance. Our job is to equip ourselves to handle those conversations. The Lord takes care of the rest.