Questions Answered, (Final part)

by Josh Duncan

This is the final part of the "You Asked For It" blog posts. You can check out the other parts by clicking on the links below...

-WATCH the messages
-Download the AUDIO from the messages:
-Blog Part 1, Part 2, Part 3


Why is homosexuality a sin? Is it worse than others?

Like some of the other topics we've dealt with, this is yet another very controversial issue in today's culture. Especially in light of the President's recent comments about this issue, the view of the Bible is becoming less and less accepted. Nevertheless, the tides of culture can't change how we interpret Scripture, so here are some thoughts related to this question above.

The person who asked this question seems to have already concluded that homosexuality is a sin (note the wording of the question). It's a sin because sin is anything that violates God's standards. God's standard for sex is that it's expressed between a man and a woman within the context of marriage. Any form of sex outside of this standard is sin. So, in order to move forward understanding what the Bible says, here are some passages that indicate homosexuality is a violation of this standard:
Leviticus 18:20, 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:26-28.

While the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, I get overly frustrated when homosexuality is openly condemned as some "elite" sin within the church. Yes, it's obviously a lifestyle sin, which means its impact or consequences may be a little different than a sin such as telling a lie. However, in the church, we seem to harp on homosexuality as we overlook the fact that research shows most men within the church routinely struggle with looking at porn, lustful thoughts, and masturbation. Sexual sin is dangerous, regardless of exactly what it is. Specifically, Romans 1 talks about how God will give people over to their sexual sins as they are blinded to the truth and the reality of their situation.

Homosexuality, like any other sin, needs to be removed from one's life. However, the responsibility of the church is to love all people and show them Christ, regardless of their past decisions or present situations. If you disagree with this, just look at how Jesus (our perfect and best example) dealt with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4....

Here we find a woman, living in sexual sin (living with a man she isn't married to), and she's also been divorced multiple times. However, Jesus treats her as an individual, as a person, even though His "religious" culture said He shouldn't (research the Jewish & Samaritian tension if you don't know what I mean). At the same time, Jesus eventually shared the truth with her in a powerful way.

The lesson I learned from this... the church needs to follow Jesus' example and not allow someone's lifestyle to determine how we treat them. 


If you'd like to see more thoughts on this issue, check out the following link. I tend to agree with everything posted on this site; HOWEVER, I have NOT read each of the articles listed, so I'm not saying I agree or disagree with what is posted by referring you to this site. I'm just mentioning it as a resource... http://carm.org/homosexuality