Marriage was God’s idea, and the Creator knows what is right for His creation. He was the first matchmaker, and He instituted marriage via hands-on creation: “And the Lord God caused deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof; and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:21-22). How romantic! God brought Eve to Adam! No doubt, this is where the ritual of the father bringing the bride to the groom originated. God brought the woman to the man—not the man to the man.
Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). All humans share the same basic DNA. But there is a very big difference between Adam and Eve—male and female. God said that it was not good for the man to be alone: “I will make him a helpmeet” (Gen.2:18).
The Hebrew word is ezer kenegdo and means a counterpart, a complement, to be suitably matched to another, to be equal. It does not mean a subordinate helper, but a comparable helper.
A wife is meant to be a helpmeet—not a helpmate like a pair of identical socks.
ezer = strength. kenegdo = equal to. The literal translation is help opposite or opposite helper.
When something is meet, it is suitable to and fits the need. God could have made Adam a helper by making another man like himself. But He created a woman as his opposite and thus complementing him.
Then the most fundamental and over-ruling marriage principle was declared: “Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen.2:24). Obviously, Adam did not have a mother or a father, so the point was being made that this is God’s supreme commandment concerning marriage. It is so unalterable and integral to marriage, both Jesus and Paul quoted it.
“Jesus Didn’t Teach on Homosexuality—So it Must Be Okay”
There are some who claim Jesus never addressed homosexuality. In fact, a well-known TV preacher being interviewed on TV, was asked about homosexuality. His response: “I don’t speak about homosexuality because Jesus doesn’t talk about it or define it.” But he is wrong. Jesus did talk about it when He defined marriage in Matthew 19:4-6. The Pharisees had come to Him, asking whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause. They were really trying to catch Him in His words, especially to go against Moses. They knew the only biblical cause was adultery. They were asking, because at this point in Judaism, they were divorcing their wives for whatever reasons. They pointed out that Moses said that they could divorce for other reasons than adultery.
But Jesus didn’t fall for it. He reached all the way back to the beginning of creation, to God’s original marriage plan and quoted Genesis 2:24. “And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh?”
To this He added the solemn warning: “Wherefore, they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder”—separate! Let not Moses separate! With one fell swoop, Jesus effectively prohibited bigamy, polygamy, homosexuality, and same-sex marriage.
He also stated God’s position on divorce: There is only one cause—adultery, which is forbidden in the 7th Commandment. God spoke through Malachi that He hates divorce, because it deprives Him of a godly seed (Malachi 2:16). And so does same-sex marriage.
God does not join together two men or two women:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it” (Genesis 1:27-28). God blessed male and female—heterosexuality—not male and male or female and female. Neither two men or two women can multiply.
Not only does God not join two partners of the same sex, He calls it an abomination:
“You shall not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is an abomination. Neither shall you lie with any beast to defile yourself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto; it is confusion. Defile not yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out before you: and the land is defiled. Therefore, do I visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:22-25).
“If a man also lies with mankind as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination” (Leviticus 20:13).
The Bible condemns homosexuality because it destroys God’s marriage plan of male and female and two becoming one flesh.
Because same-sex marriage cannot reproduce without bringing in a third party of the opposite sex, thereby violating the Marriage Covenant of “two shall be one.” Such a union can never reproduce a godly seed, and that is what God desires. It can only produce perverse and damnable lusts.
Because it is an abomination. This word means something disgusting, detestable, loathsome, and repugnant to God, that is to be abhorred, repudiated, and put away.
Because homosexuals defile their own bodies.
Because homosexuality defiles the land itself and brings God’s judgment upon the nation.
Because homosexuals will not enter Heaven:
“There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel; nor sodomite of the sons of Israel” (Deuteronomy 23:17), and in verse 18, a sodomite is called a dog.
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates into the city (New Jerusalem). For without are dogs (sodomites), and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (Revelation 22:14-15). If dog refers to literal animals, it would be out of place here, being the only non-human mentioned. But as noted, dog refers to sodomites and homosexuals. There will be no homosexuals in Heaven; just as there will be no liars.
“All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire” (Revelation 21:8).
“And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles; neither whatsoever that works abomination, or makes a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life: (Revelation 21:27).
The Bible condemns homosexuality because it makes the truth of God’s creation model into a lie:
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and beasts, and creeping things
“Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:21-25).
They changed the truth of God’s creation and marriage design into a lie, and no one who makes a lie will enter into Heaven.
They made Creator God like man, and man became his own god.
God condemns homosexuality because it dishonors the human body through uncleanness. This Greek word akatharsia means aberrant sex, that which deviates from the norm—God’s design of heterosexuality.
“For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one towards another; men with men working that which is indecent, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet” (vv.26-27).
Homosexuality is against nature. It defies and defiles God’s original creation and marriage model.
Homosexuals burn with lusts that produce vile passions that are indecent, defile and dishonor the body, and distort God’s image and likeness, which include His nature. Jude said, “giving themselves over to strange flesh,” and called them “filthy dreamers who defile the flesh” (7-8).
Homosexuality is an error. The Greek word means led astray from the right way. Other New Testament verses translate it deceit, delusion, such as 2Thessalonians 2:11: “And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.”
This confirms the above verse: “For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections—which is an error—a delusion.” And it ties in with verse Romans 1:28: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not proper.”
It is important to point out that the idea in the Greek text in all these cases is, God does it reluctantly. It is not His will to give them up to or over to such error and the destruction it brings, but it is their choice:
When they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God; they were not thankful; their hearts became darkened; they became fools; they changed the truth of God into a lie, and finally, they denied God altogether. They rejected God, so He rejected them.
A reprobate mind is one that rejects truth, is morally worthless, and void of sound judgment. Such a person has a seared conscience which can no longer discern truth and error.
There is no way to water down the condemnation of homosexuality, to tone it down and soft soap it, without violating the Word of God. God has made Himself clear, and He is not fooling around.
He destroyed two entire cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, of several hundred thousands of people who were steeped in the sin of homosexuality (Genesis 19), and the warnings of Paul, Peter, and Jude are clear that He will not let this generation get by either.
Paul made it clear in 1Corinthians 6:9-10, that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God:
“Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilvers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
The Greek word for effeminate refers to a homosexual male who plays the role of the female.
“Abusers of themselves with mankind” refers to sodomites and homosexuals.
Contrary to what many are claiming today, there is a way out of the homosexual lifestyle:
“And such were some of you, but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our Lord” (vs.11). You were, but now you are!
There were former homosexuals in the church of Corinth. They were liberated, and God is still setting homosexuals free today. There are former homosexuals in the Church today, including the church I pastor. Homosexuals can change, because God did not create them that way. There is power in the blood of Jesus to redeem, liberate, and restore homosexuals to the godly males and females God created them to be.
Homosexuality Is Not Compatible With Christianity
The Scripture clearly shows that homosexuality is a sin—not an unpardonable sin—but an abomination, nevertheless. Not only did homosexuals start coming out of the closet years ago, today they are boldly standing in pulpits, serving on the choir and music ministry, and preaching a new brand of gospel, aka “Progressive Christianity,” that says: God made me this way, and He loves me! They are half right: God loves them, but He did not make them homosexual, and He hates their sin.
During the 2020 presidential primary, one Democratic contender and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana is married to another man. He stated that marrying a gay man had made him “a better man and moved him closer to God.” He challenged former VP Mike Pence: “If you’ve got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”
“Progressive Christianity” may sound appealing to this generation, but God said, “I am the Lord, and I change not” (Mal.3:6). Nor does He change His laws and standards to accommodate theological liberalism and the permissive lifestyles it sanctions. They prefer to use this term progressive, because they don’t want to be labeled liberal, but that is exactly what they are. They can call it what they want, but Scripture says “It is a different gospel, that is another gospel, that perverts the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7).
Not only does it pervert the gospel of Christ, it has become a driving force on the political scene.
The liberal left despises all who hold a biblical worldview, who support the life of the unborn, and sexuality and marriage as God designed it. Now that they have the majority in both houses of Congress, they are pushing forward the Equality Act, which gives unprecedented rights to transgenders and homosexuals by granting them the same protections given to racial minorities and women under the Civil Rights Act. This law will have catastrophic consequences for competitive sports, forcing women to compete against biological males, which has already had disastrous outcomes. Females are being bumped from winning medals and losing potential sports scholarships to “transgendered” males. There are various lawsuits in the courts filed by female athletes who have trained their whole lives for scholarships and have lost out because of this policy. Women sports will never be the same again if this federal law passes.
It will also have dire consequences for churches and faith-based programs. They would lose all protections to only hire people who adhere to their biblical statements of faith. The clear teachings of the Bible on the sins of homosexuality and abortion will be legally considered “hate speech.” Preachers like me who preach from the Bible as I have done in this article may eventually be prosecuted. Many Christians are just getting acquainted with persecution—are they ready for prosecution?
When the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, Justice Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion that the ruling posed no threat to constitutional religious freedoms; that it only involves the rights of the two consenting adults whose marriages would pose no risk of harm to third parties.
But Justices Alito, Thomas, and Scalia sharply disagreed. In their dissent, Alito wrote that it would be presumed that those who hold to traditional marriage would be allowed “to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes,” but if they uttered their beliefs publicly, they would be labeled bigots, and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools. Was he right?
In the six years since then, we have seen wedding vendors, bakers, florists, business owners, government leaders, public school students, military persons, and others, fiercely persecuted, sued in court, and heavily fined for their Christian convictions concerning marriage and human sexuality. Some have had to close their businesses, because they could not in good conscience participate in same-sex marriages. The military, schools, and public places have opened their bathrooms and showers to the opposite sex, which we have seen favors men going into women’s facilities, giving pedophiles and predators an open door to their lusts. Under the Equality Act, anyone could use any bathroom they want.
Messianic Rabbi Michael Brown in an article on this subject said, “It has opened a Pandora’s box of confusion,” and reminded us of the words of G.K. Chesterton, the great English theologian: “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.”
LGBTQ activists have succeeded in demonizing anyone who questions their sexual agenda. The passing of the Equality Act will surely result in increased prosecution against Christians, because their right to “non-discrimination” trumps religious freedom. It will succeed in making religious freedom a secondary freedom, making it impossible to use religious freedom as a defense for those who obey the Bible and their conscience. Because it is a federal act, all 50 states would have to adhere to it. What I have mentioned is but the tip of the iceberg of what this legislation would mean for all Americans, especially women and Christians.
If you have read this far, then good for you! Frankly, the naïveté of some Christians boggles my mind. How can they turn a blind eye to these issues? How can they not see the handwriting on the wall? I fear that we have become so colorblind we do not recognize the dangers we face. One poll states that only 10% of preachers speak out against the sin of homosexuality. Incredibly, there are those (including a famous author just this month) who have apologized for having preached against it. Some are trying to find a middle ground. But according to the Bible, there is no middle ground. Either we believe what God’s Word says, or we don’t. And if we don’t believe His Word on this issue, then how can we believe His Word on any other issue? If the Genesis account of creation is wrong, then Jesus lied when He quoted it.
Apparently, there are Christians who say they are just trying to show love and compassion for homosexuals. I wholeheartedly agree we are called to this, but our first calling is to the truth of God’s Word. We are to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). When the gay agenda is defiant, we defend the truth. They do not define Scripture for us. We are commanded to “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). And we can contend for the faith without becoming contentious.
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