HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SIN

As we approach the close of the twentieth century after the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is surely clear, even to the casual observer, that the human race has reached a historic crossroads, even a crisis-point from which there is no return. This is true of many different areas of life, whether scientific, social or spiritual. In the fields of medicine, genetics, robotics, and other aspects of scientific development, people are wilfully pressing into territory on the hinterland of ethics which could have come straight off the pages of the wildest science-fiction novel. Over in the realm of the 'spirit', we find a universal desire for a synthesis of world religion involving aspects of parapsychology, alchemy, shamanism, mysticism and a quest for the ancient gnosis.[1]

These bold thrusts of unregenerate human nature in the realms of science and 'spirit' have also found their counterparts in many facets of social behaviour, the most far-reaching of which has been that of human sexuality.

Throughout this century, powerful forces have been steadily undermining what remaining traces there are of the working of the law of God in the moral life of Man. This was first set in motion through the Aufklarung of the eighteenth century, the so-called “Enlightenment” which involved the coming-of-age of hubristic godlessness in Europe and, by infection, the United States of America. This culminated in the founding of the theory of evolution, the ultimate denial of God the Creator and Divine revelation and the flowering of the Enlightenment's 'finest hour'. Alongside of this, in the late nineteenth century, there were the various 'bohemian' libertine movements undermining the monogamous morality of marriage. These groups were often tied up with concurrent theosophical religious developments—especially in the decades spanning the turn of the century.[2]

After the cataclysmic intervention of the two world wars came the “Rock 'n Roll” and “Jazz” era of the 1950s which brought a further general loosening of public morals, involving the increased acceptability of consciousness-altering drugs and a growing sense of personal and sexual “freedom”. So came the beginning of the “Me” generation, Generation 'X', confused and contemptuous of all forms of authority.

When these youthful forces combined with the psychoanalytic theories of Wilhelm Reich[3], an increasing interest among the young in the sex magic of Tantric Buddhism, the “human potential” programmes of the Esalen Institute in California, and free contraception on the birth-pill, the way was fully prepared for the completion of the Sexual Revolution. Within a few short years the U.K. saw the repeal of the law against buggery between consenting adults in 1967.

The New Morality which emerged out of this period was essentially anarchic in that it revelled in making no reference to a central authority, Divine or human, but insisted on the right of each person to create his or her own moral code. One social historian perceptively sums up this period thus:

“The 1960s were marked by the greatest changes in morals and manners since the 1920s. Young people, college students in particular, rebelled against what they viewed as the repressed, conformist society of their parents. They advocated a sexual revolution, aided by the birth control pill and later by Roe v. Wade (1973), a Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion. “Recreational” drugs such as marijuana and LSD were increasingly used... Drug taking, previously confined largely to ghettos, became part of middle-class life. The sexual revolution reduced government censorship, changed attitudes toward traditional sexual roles, and enabled homosexuals to organize and acknowledge their identities as never before... Unrestrained individualism played havoc with family values”.[4]

It was against that backdrop that the so-called “Gay Liberation Front” (GLF) came into being and a delightful English word began to be plagiarised by the peddlers of perversion. Hot on the heels of the GLF, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) was formed in 1976, which claims to be “offering gay liberation to the churches and Christ to the gay community”. However, as we shall shortly show, Christianity and homosexuality are mutually exclusive and cannot morally coexist. One cannot adhere to one without entirely renouncing the other.

It is a notable fact that all deviant movements in the Christian scene have a counterpart in the secular world which they mirror. For example, the direction of the Charismatic Movement has unwittingly followed the 'Altered States of Consciousness' route taken by the New Age Movement in the world. Similarly, we find that the growth of the homosexual lobby in the professing Christian scene has largely mirrored its growth in the world.

The homosexual gathering at Southwark Cathedral in London on 16th November 1996 was a significant step in the process of seeking to “normalise” homosexuality as a viable “alternative lifestyle”. This provides a pointer to the direction in which things are heading in the professing church today. For we have a crisis of morality which has been spawned by the spineless vacillation and increasing liberalisation of the major denominations—especially the Church of England, which has a huge problem in the large number of homosexual clergymen ministering within its ranks. This was acknowledged even a decade ago in the liberal Guardian newspaper in an editorial which stated: ”In the continuing controversy over homosexual priests in the Church of England, several things can be widely agreed: Quite substantial numbers are homosexual by nature..”. [5]

In the tabloids and Sunday-smut newspapers, headlines such as “Pulpit Poofs can Stay” (The Sun) and “Secrets of the Gay Vicars” (The People), corroborate that the vast moral crisis in our land has been induced largely by a multitude of impostors stealing into the church and perverting its agenda in conformity to the powers of darkness (cf. Jude 4). Compare these two revealing instances: Richard Holloway, Bishop of Edinburgh, advocated the legalising of drugs and prostitution in 1986 as a way to curb the spread of AIDS. One year later, David Holloway (no relation!), former vicar of Jesmond, rightly proposed a resolution at the General Synod—which was unsuccessful—calling for the disciplining of practising homosexual clergy. A bishop advocates immorality, yet he remains in office. A minister advocates biblical practice, yet he is soundly defeated. Such is the moral confusion in the Church of England.

One of the most vocal of the Church of England campaigners for homosexuality is the Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong. He claims that homosexuals are “simply people born with a different sexual orientation, not people who need to be delivered from their evil and returned to normality”.[6] And he went on to say “we have about 15-20 'out-of-the-closet' gay and lesbian priests serving in this diocese”.[7] Christians need to wise up to the fact that this professional “Gay Lobby” is part of a wider agenda involving the total dismantling of biblical Christianity—at the forefront of which is the Church of England. In a recent edition of his diocesan newspaper, The Voice, Spong wrote: “The church is being driven involuntarily into a new world which will require a new understanding of what we Christians believe and how we live that Christianity out”.[8] Dismissing the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints in a sentence, Spong said that Christianity could not expect to reach people of the “post-modern world” if it held onto “a religious system based on the dismissed truth of another age”.[9] If one requires any further evidence that the so-called “Gay Lobby” has a Luciferian spiritual agenda, Spong said in a recent article on the challenges of the third millennium that Darwin's evolutionary theory had ”destroyed forever the power of the traditional Christian myth. Darwin's concept of an imperfect universe developing through evolution eliminated the traditional idea of the fall”. This perfectly demonstrates the theological backcloth to the aggressive development of homosexuality in the churches. Once the authority and inerrancy of Scripture have been denied, anything can happen.

In the wake of the debacle at Southwark cathedral, Dr George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, denounced church opponents of “Gay Rights”, according to a subsequent Daily Mail article, as “bullying, loud-mouthed controversialists”. And the article went on to say:

“In a powerful rebuke to campaigners trying to block the advance of the homosexual lobby in the Church of England he condemned churchgoers who have 'a disapproving view of life'“.[10]

Dr. Carey then suggested that both sides in the debate should demonstrate Christian love and acceptance of one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. So, according to this leader of the Church of England, to be opposed to homosexuality is to ”have a disapproving view of life” and to lack love. But the Bible itself is opposed to homosexuality! What does that tell us about Dr. Carey's view of the authority and inerrancy of Scripture? In a letter to all those who complained about the meeting in Southwark Cathedral, Dr. Carey said that he would rather emphasise the ”common humanity” between homosexuals and heterosexuals than highlight the differences between the two. But as a leader in the church, Dr. Carey should not be deliberately obscuring the moral issue which lies at the heart of this debate. He should be urging repentance and reconciliation with God rather than reconciliation between those who wilfully follow a sinful lifestyle and those who seek to uphold a biblical morality.

It is quite grotesque that the LGCM's meeting in Southwark Cathedral should have been entitled “A Service of Penitence, Intercession and Thanksgiving”. To describe such a meeting as a 'service' — with its implications of worship—is little short of blasphemy. It would have been no worse had Satan himself climbed into the pulpit and removed his pants. Even Antiochus Epiphanes' sacrifice of a pig in the temple of God in Israel in 167 B.C. was no more of an affront to the Lord than this sodomite 'service' in Southwark Cathedral. If these people had truly been penitent, prayerful and thankful they would have come to that cathedral to renounce their sinful lifestyles, to pray to the Lord for forgiveness, and to thank Him for rescuing them from the powers of darkness. But precious words and values are today being twisted to mean something far different from their original designation. It is into this double-speak that the prophet cries: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa.5:20).

These are serious times in which we are living, and we must stand for the truth of the Lord compassionately but without compromise. If there is no direction being given by those who have spiritual leadership in the churches how can an example be set to those who have political or any other kind of moral authority in the world today? What is needed is a clear appraisal of biblical teaching on human sexuality. With God's help, this we seek to do. We cannot possibly do full justice to all that is entailed in this subject in this brief paper, but it would be fruitful to explore the issue under four primary headings.

I. GOD'S GENDER PLAN FOR HIS HUMAN CREATION

When the Lord created this universe He had a cosmic design which specifically involved the creation of both men and women for its consummation. In Genesis 1:26-28, we discover three principles which govern this gender-plan and clearly spell out to us God's intentions for His creation:

1. Male and Female were Made in the Image of God

In these verses we are immediately struck by the fact that human beings, as male and female, were originally made in the image of God. In Gen.1:27 the Scripture says: “So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”... Two inescapable elements emerge here:

i. The Image of God is Specifically Reflected in the Complementary Characteristics of Male and Female

To be made in the image of God is reflected in the creation of both male and female. In other words the two genders of male and female complement each other in such a way that they are a reflection of the image of God.

Now, obviously it would be foolish if we were to attempt to say that God Himself is either male or female or even a hermaphrodite. “God is Spirit” (Jn.4:24), and spirit is neither male nor female. But the creation of both man and woman in the image of God must manifest a complementarity which represents the being of God.[11] In spite of all the attempts to force a socially-engineered equality on the world today, there are fundamental God-ordained differences between men and women which are vital to the working out of His plan on earth.

It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for woman or wife, ishah, is derived from a root which means 'soft' or 'delicate'.[12] Although this word is similar to the Hebrew word for man, ish, there is actually an intentional contrast in meaning, as this word appears to be derived from a root which means 'to be strong'.[13] So there is a deliberate and complementary contrast in our gender-gifts from God, ensuring that men and women recognise a completion and fulfilment in their relationship with one another. This is the true mystery of male-female marriage, and also provides a stunning symbol of the relationship between Christ and His Church (Eph.5:22-33). Adam plainly acknowledged this Divinely-ordained unity of the male with the female when he said of Eve: ”And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Gen.2:23).

Therefore men and women, although having individual gender characteristics and roles, are intended by God to engage in a lifelong bond in conformity with His spiritual purposes: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And they shall become one flesh” (Gen.2:24). Note that it is the man and the woman who become one flesh in the creation mandate—not man and man, nor woman and woman, for that would be a total violation of God's gender-plan. Man united with woman in a lifelong bond is the norm for any expression of human sexuality. It is the norm that has been built innately into the creation of this universe by its all-wise Creator.

The apostle Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, also stressed the sanctity of the special union between a man and a woman when he warned its readers not to have sexual contact with prostitutes: “For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh'“ (1Cor.6:16), thus defiling their bodies which are “not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body”. (1 Cor.6:13). This process of becoming “one flesh” (Gen.2:24) is reiterated in the New Testament a number of times, and Jesus Himself affirms the creation and exclusive union of man and woman, adding the rejoinder: “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. (Mt.19:6). Further, what God has joined together, let not man violate.

Here we can perhaps understand the significance of the devil's undermining of marriage between man and woman. In his thinking, if such a union has been, and still is, of supreme spiritual importance for the outworking of God's plan, then by attempting to destroy stable manifestations of this union, it may be possible to undermine the plan itself. Mass marital discord and breakdown is a major part of this element in the spiritual battle—which explains the role Feminism has played in Satan's war against the saints. But the most far-reaching tactic in the satanic destruction of marital integrity between man and woman has been the widespread growth of homosexuality.

As we shall later show in some detail, homosexuality is a most profound and even compound sin—not merely because it is 'disgusting', or 'perverted', or 'unhealthy' (for these judgements, although true in their context, are merely secular), but above all because it is disobedient to God's will. When we deny the spiritual significance of the heterosexual union in marriage and that heterosexuality is the Divinely-ordained norm for all human creatures, we effectively deny our Creator. Perhaps we can now understand why homosexuals are forced to take refuge in such inept euphemisms as 'gay'.

ii. The Image of God was Originally Reflected in True Righteousness and Holiness

A second element arising from the fact that the man and woman were made in the image of God concerns an inherent morality based on Divinely-ordained objective standards. In other words, when our first parents are said to have been made in the image of God, this not only refers to the fact that they were created rational creatures with innate ingenuity but also that they were a glorious reflection of their Maker's righteousness and holiness. It is clear that if they were possessors of such qualities then this would also have involved the recognition that there are norms to which creatures must adhere. For those made in the image of God there was to be no deviation from the Law of the God in whose image they were made. There would be no room here for the modern prevalent idea of situation ethics. This would especially be the case with our first parents' approach to their sexuality. God ordained that a man and woman were to be the norm for human sexual relations. Those made in the image of God in righteousness and true holiness and living in a state of pre-Fall innocence would adhere to that standard unswervingly.

2. Both Male and Female were Blessed by God

We also discover in Gen.1:28 that the man and the woman are blessed by God: the male and the female as one flesh has the blessing of God. It is most important to understand this. We are confronted here, in the opening pages of the Bible with the endowment of gender gifts in the creation of man and woman—and they are blessed. A blessing is given by God on that coming together of the male and the female as one flesh. No other form of sexual relationship is blessed. On the contrary, same sex relationships are condemned as ”an abomination”, as we will later show. Unrepentant homosexuals can never have God's blessing.

3. Male and Female were Commanded to Procreate

A third element involved in God's gender-plan as revealed in Gen.1:26-28 is the commandment for procreation on the part of the male and the female: ”And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply'” throughout the whole earth: “Fill the earth and subdue it”. All that was to take place, the dominion over the earth by the human race, through procreation between a man and a woman. That again provides us with the clear biblical norm for participants in a sexual relationship. There is no way that homosexuals can be fruitful and multiply. The only way one can justify any deviation from that norm is by denying the authority of Scripture. Ultimately, it is on this that any controversy over human sexuality hinges. 

* * * * * * * 

So, those are the three aspects of God's gender-plan for His human creation. First, we see them made in the image of God so that in some mysterious way male and female coming together as one flesh have a complementarity that reflects that image in righteousness and true holiness. Second, we discover that male and female coming together as one flesh are blessed by God. The union of male and female in monogamous marriage has the stamp of approval of God the Creator. Thirdly, we see that embodied in God's gender-plan for His human creation is procreative activity uniquely on the part of the male and female.

Plainly there have been a number of developments throughout history—and especially things we see happening around us in the world today—that don't square up with God's gender-plan for His human creation. So what went wrong?

II. SATAN'S INTERVENTION IN GOD'S CREATION-BASED GENDER-PLAN

At some point in the early history of the cosmos, a rebellion took place among the angels which was led by the prince of angels whom we now know as Satan or the Devil (Mt.25:41; cf. Job 4:18), resulting in the 'fall' of a vast quantity (but not the majority) of angels who became apostate (Rev.12:4a). Not only are there allusions to this but it must also be inferred by the fact that the fallen angels (which are referred to as demons in Scripture) began to undermine God's human creation in Eden.

Therefore, God's gender-plan and its outworking in the world throughout history must be understood in the context of a mighty spiritual battle which has been taking place from the beginning of time. One of Satan's primary battles has been in the area of human sexuality. At the heart of his evil work in the subversion of our first parents in Gen.3:1-6 was not only the questioning of God's Word and the incitement to disobedience, but there was also the attempted fouling up of God's gender-plan in creation. He practically destroyed the relationship between Adam and Eve by tempting the woman into making a decision which effectively ruled out her husband as head of the household (Gen.3:6), and then turned them against each other (Gen.3:12-13). Here were the beginnings of that corrupting condition of human sexuality which we know today as Feminism.

And when we look at homosexual acts, where a man and a man or a woman and a woman come together as one in a sexual relationship, these things threaten godly family relationships and boundaries because they run counter to the divine command to procreate—a command that is a part of the order of creation.

In terms of the moral life of humanity, we discover that the Fall recorded in Gen.3:1-6 led not only to a withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from our first parents (and all their posterity by nature) but also a hideous distortion of the image of God in human beings. The Lutheran Formula of Concord (1580) makes a sweeping affirmation on this post-Fall human condition which brilliantly sums up its totality:

“Original sin in human nature is not only a total lack of good in spiritual, divine things, but at the same time it replaces the lost image of God in man with a deep, wicked, abominable, bottomless, inscrutable, and inexpressible corruption of his entire nature with all its powers, especially of the highest and foremost powers of the soul in mind, heart and will”.[14]

In the Scots Confession of 1560 there is a comparable emphasis concerning the effect of the Fall on the image of God in man:

“Because of this transgression, commonly called Original sin, the Image of God was utterly defaced in man, and he and his posterity of nature become enemies to God, slaves to Satan, and servants unto sin”.[15]

So the original sin of the first Adam caused the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from human beings and a loss of the image of God in terms of righteousness and true holiness (which completely negates the liberal idea of “the innate goodness of man”). This had enormous consequences for the moral and spiritual progress of the human race, effecting the subsequent development of human sexuality.

Although Satan's interference in human sexuality began in the Garden of Eden, the degenerative process came to a head prior to the world-wide Flood recorded in Gen.7:7 – 8:14. In Gen.6:1-4, a quickening of this process came about through an interference in the procreation of the human race by the corruption of human sexual relationships which filled the earth with evil.[16]

Satan's interference in human development was again involved in the major incident surrounding the building of the Tower of Babel, when the Lord had to intervene by confounding human language (Gen.11:1-9). The crime here was not merely spiritual pride and arrogance against God but also a refusal to obey God's express commandment for men and women to procreate after the flood: “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.'” (Gen.9:1). God said “replenish the earth”, procreate far and wide. But the people said in response: “let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth”. (Gen.11:4). Again, we have an interference by the powers of darkness with the procreational aspect of the development of humanity. It has always been the intent of the evil angels to undermine God's plan as a whole; and people have needed little persuading.

III. MAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD'S CREATION-BASED GENDER-PLAN

We have just seen how Satan and his fellow evil angels have a vested interest in disturbing the whole aspect of human sexuality, thereby undermining God's procreational plan through men and women. But alongside of that, there has been the corrupted response of human beings to God's sovereignty over His creation as its Creator—a response which found its culmination in the Theory of Evolution. This response is seen clearly in the first chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. There, we discover that the truth of a righteous and holy God who requires righteousness and true holiness of his human creatures has been clearly revealed through His works in the creation (vv.18-20). That there has been a moral and spiritual Fall of Man is assumed by the fact that now “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…” (v.18)

The greater part of chapter one of Paul's epistle to the Romans tracks the corruption of the moral and religious life of humanity—the starting point for which is idolatry. The point of departure in the response of the human race to its Creator involved turning away from dependence upon Him to the deification of idols:

“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 fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (vv.21-23).

As the Holy Spirit puts it: “And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge…” (Rom.1:28). In other words, they rejected God the Father Almighty, the Maker not only of heaven and earth but also of themselves. And in rejecting Him they rejected His original gender-plan embodied in the creation. The result of this was that God then left them to their own moral and spiritual devices and all the consequences that this would bring upon them. This is an awesome thing indeed, the depth of which can only be perceived by those who have had their hearts illumined by the Lord. There is no worse condition than to be “given over” by God so that you become entrenched in your own rebellion and stupidity and thereby develop numerous other even worse sins than those which led to your being “given over” in the first place. This is known theologically as the judicial hardening of the human heart, the reality of which is evidenced throughout Scripture. For example, we find that the reason Pharaoh would not let the children of Israel leave Egypt was because God had hardened his heart in judgement (Exod.4:21-22; see also Rom.9:17-18). And when the children of Israel themselves turned away from God, He said to them:

“I [am] the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: [and] they walked in their own counsels” (Psalm 81:10-12).

It is this concept of the Divine judicial hardening of the human heart which provides us with the context for homosexuality and all the other sexual perversions which beset the human race. This is what is meant by God being said to give them over ”to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting”. So it has been from the beginning of time to the present day. Once God's human creatures have rejected the Lord and everything that He stands for—His authority, His right to rule over His creatures, and all the principles of morality and spirituality embodied in the creation—what happens then? As the Scripture clearly says: God gives people over “to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Rom.1:28), “to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves” (Rom.1:24), and “to vile passions” (Rom.1:26). This is what accounts for the fact that when so many of the heathen nations have fallen into ruin it was inevitably heralded by a descent into homosexuality and other sexual perversions. The ”things which are not fitting”, the “uncleanness” and the ”vile passions” are explicitly exposed in the Scripture:

“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 toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” (Rom.1:26-27).

In other words, what we discover here is that homosexuality is not merely a sin in and of itself, but it is actually a judgement for a besetting sin that has already gone beforehand. And that besetting sin is entrenched disbelief in God: a wilful and hubristic rejection of your Creator. When such a condition comes into being, God “gives you over” to the logical moral and spiritual outcome of your humanistic rebellion. When that occurs, spiritual pandemonium breaks out in your inner life, spilling over into your social circumstances in “vile passions” and “uncleanness”. Therefore, the phrase “Gay and Lesbian Christian Movement” is a hideous contradiction in terms, because the deviant relationships and sordid sexual practices which this organisation promotes occur as a result of a just judgement from God on those who have already rejected Him. Thus the promotion of homosexuality can never be compatible with godly religion and is in fact a manifestation of antichrist.

Any society which is in a state of moral and spiritual decline will always promote the perversion of the sexual orientation which is intrinsic to God's creational gender-plan. We have already noted that the collapse of empires has always been preceded by widespread and rampant perversion of human sexuality. Homosexuality is the natural outworking of judicial hardening in people who have already turned away from the living God. It is the sexual expression of apostasy. And this is precisely because homosexuality is a compound sin which indicates an already existing moral and spiritual corruption. Surely we are seeing that in our own culture now, as it spirals into total decadence.

Homosexuality among men and lesbianism among women is a direct defiance of and challenge to the Creator God of this universe. The very word, “Lesbian”—as in the phrase “Gay and Lesbian Christian Movement”—is derived from the Greek island of Lesbos which, in the sixth century B.C., was host to a group of women dedicated to the worship of the 'female principle' and the service of Aphrodite and Artemis. These two goddesses are of some biblical significance. Aphrodite was the goddess of sex-magic, the Greek version of the Roman goddess Venus, the Babylonian Ishtar, the chief goddess of Tyre, Asherah, and the Canaanite goddess Astarte/Ashtoreth. In the Old Testament, she was referred to as ”queen of heaven” (Jer.44:17,18,25) and worshipped by apostate Hebrews, as well as bringing about the downfall of King Solomon (1 Kings 11:5).

The other Lesbian goddess, Artemis, was the Greek version of Diana, the Roman goddess whose main centre of worship was at Ephesus in the Roman state of Asia (cf. Acts 17:23-41), and whose worship was characterised by sensuous orgies and ceremonial prostitution.

The law given to Israel at Sinai, written by the hand of God, was utterly opposed to any form of sexual perversion because it goes against God's creation mandate.

“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through [the fire] to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination” (Leviticus 18:21-22).

Now the Hebrew word tebel, which is translated here as “perversion” is denoted in the lexicon as referring to “a violation of nature or the Divine order”—a specific rebellion against God's gender-plan embodied in the original creation. When we diligently search the Scriptures, what we discover is that homosexuality is not a medical condition, or a psychological problem, or a social development, or a political act of defiance, or a fundamental human right. Rather, it is a violation of the Divine order. It is a spiritual problem occurring as a result of divine judgement because of rank idolatry and practical atheism. Therefore, any nation-state or community which permits the flourishing of this unclean spiritual condition has succumbed to apostasy and renders itself liable to the full weight of the wrath of God. That is why Holy Scripture reveals these perversions to be ”an abomination to the Lord”—acts of extreme wickedness. A true reading of the Bible can leave one in no doubt concerning its view of homosexuality.

In the Book of Judges there is an incident in which a number of homosexual perverts came to a man's house and beat on his door, and spoke to the master of the house saying, ”Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him” (Jdg.19:22). In other words these men all wanted to have homosexual sex with him. They are explicitly referred to as “certain sons of Belial”. To be a “son of Belial” in Scripture is to be a disgraceful person who is a servant of Satan and an enemy of God.

Again in the Book of Genesis, chapter nineteen, there is the renowned incident at the city of Sodom involving Abraham's nephew, Lot, in which we have a very similar situation where a number of men (it appears to be a majority of the city's males, cf. Gen.19:4: “the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter”came hammering on the door with intent to engage in homosexual gang rape. Lot had been hospitable to some angels who had come to stay with him, manifested in human form. Being angels they were no doubt extremely good looking and these perverts were sexually attracted to them. The entire thrust of this incident is that the sinful condition of Sodom was patently summed up in the perverted desire of these homosexual men.

Homosexuals today claim that the real problem with the incident at Sodom was not the fact that these men were homosexual but that they were filled with lust and violence and the desire to rape. But it is impossible to sustain such a view when one compares the incident in the light of other Scriptures which plainly declare the mind of the Lord on this issue. For example, ”If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them”. (Lev.20:13; cf. Lev.18:22). Or, again, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel..”. (Deut.23:17).

Now the purpose of the Mosaic Law (as the Apostle Paul shows) was the preservation of the purity of Israel, as a nation living in the midst of morally and spiritually perverted nations, until the time that the 'Seed' which had been promised originally in Genesis 3:15 would come into the world as the Redeemer (Gal.3:19,24). The prevention of moral national decline and of sexual perversion was vital to this preservation on a purely practical level because the undoing through homosexuality of God's gender-plan for men and women would destroy the procreative process by which descendancy occurs. For this reason it was imperative that “there shall be no...sodomite of the sons of Israel”. The biblical authority of these moral laws is still endorsed today by orthodox Jews. For example, in 1987, the Chief Rabbi in the U.K., Immanuel Jakobovits, giving the Jewish view of homosexuality, wrote:

“The Jewish view is plain and uncompromising. All the authentic forces of Judaism condemn homosexual relations as a heinous offence. No verbal acrobatics, no feats of casuistry, no attempts at rationalisation and no outpouring of sympathy can modify this verdict, harsh as it may be. Anyone who pretends otherwise deceives himself and those he addresses, for he no longer speaks in the genuine accents of Jewish thought and law. Moreover, the prohibition is deemed to be binding on all humans, as shown by the term sodomy—the depravity of a heathen city”.[17]

That was written in 1987. One decade later, it seems almost shocking in its naked honesty. So rare is it to hear such clear and unequivocal convictions on moral issues from religious people that it demonstrates how much further society has gone down the spiral of human depravity. To imagine a Christian leader of today making such a statement is virtually unthinkable. Even if such a thing was to happen, he would no doubt be submerged beneath a welter of “politically correct” abuse from both the world and his professing Christian colleagues!

In view of the complete absence of moral and spiritual direction from the false 'church' of today—consisting primarily of the vast majority of the denominations with their spineless bishops and organisational apparatchiks—it is vital for us to know how the orthodox Christian should respond to deviations from God's gender-plan.

IV. THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSE TO DEVIATION'S FROM GOD'S CREATION-BASED GENDER-PLAN

We have seen that sodomy was highly unacceptable in ancient Israel and also amongst orthodox Jews of today. What should be the position of those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ and bear His name? Has there been a change since the New Covenant was established and since the judicial and ceremonial laws of ancient Israel were abrogated? In order to discover this, we must find out what the New Testament has to say, firstly, about Old Testament laws concerning sexual deviance and, secondly, about human sexuality in general.

1. The Orthodox Christian Regards the Breaching of the Laws on Sexual deviance in the Old Testament Era as Essential Warnings to a Wayward World

Although the minutiae of the judicial and ceremonial laws of the Mosaic Law are no longer legally binding under the New Covenant, the moral law of God which lay behind them has never been abrogated—neither can it be (Mt.5:18). For this reason, although we would not execute a homosexual today (cf. Lev.18:22-30), the Bible-based Christian must acknowledge that homosexuality is still “an abomination to the Lord”.

When Paul the Apostle gives the warning: ”Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand”. (1 Cor.10:8), he is referring to the wayward desert generation of Israel who lived in the wilderness for forty years. Most significantly, he then goes on to say in v.11 “Now all these things happened unto them for examples”. The Greek word translated as “ensamples” is tupos, from where we get our word “type”, meaning a pattern which has a spiritual message. What happened to this desert generation was typological—as were many other aspects of life in ancient Israel—thereby providing a pattern for us today who have the benefit of New Testament hindsight. This is why the Apostle clearly states that Old Testament history has been “written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1Cor.10:11-12).

In other words the true Christian looks at all the perversions that happened in the Old Testament, takes note of God's severe attitude towards them and recognises all this as a warning which still carries a powerful message for the world today.

2. The Orthodox Christian Regards Homosexuality as a Serious Breach of God's Moral Law

In the light of all the biblical data, a genuine Christian can only regard homosexuality as a serious breach of God's law. This must be proclaimed unequivocally. As the Scripture says:

“But we know that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust”. (1 Tim.1:8-11).

We discover here that fornication and sodomy are contrary to sound Christian teaching. The Greek word translated here as “sound” is hugiaino, from where our word “hygiene” is derived. Sound doctrine is clean; behaviour which is contrary to it is unclean. The Greek word translated here as “fornicator” is pornos, referring to a man who prostitutes his body to another person's lust. The Greek word which is translated here as “sodomite” is arsenokoites, which refers to sexual intercourse between two men, from the Greek words arsen, male, and koite, a bed. In the Authorised Version arsenokoites is graphically translated as ”them that defile themselves with mankind”, i.e., men who defile themselves through having sexual intercourse with other men as they would do with women. How much more explit could it be?

So we see that whatever view one holds personally about human sexuality, it cannot be denied that the New Testament is as unequivocal as the Old Testament in its condemnation of sexual deviations from the moral law of God. We could go on to discuss the duty of the civil powers to protect a society from these forces of uncleanness, because they have been mandated by God not only to prevent anarchy through the rule of law but also to ensure the general welfare of the people. On that basis there is a good case for the outlawing of homosexual practice.[18] One only has to consider the rampancy of diseases related to sodomy and fornication to realise this.

When the Creation-based norms laid down by God for human sexuality are cast aside, the inevitable result is physical and spiritual disease and uncleanness. It is bizarre in the extreme to witness the glorification in the media of the many show-business sodomites who have died as a result of AIDS. Anyone with an understanding of the Bible sees this as a clear judgement on their fornication. Although the “social engineers” and “spin doctors” of “political correctness” attempt to brainwash us to believe otherwise, the stark truth is that they are reaping the just deserts of their lifestyle. God's law can never be breached with impunity. One will have to pay the price—either in this life or the next.

3. The Orthodox Christian Affirms that there can be no Place for Unrepentant Homosexuals in the Kingdom of God

The case for this could not be more plainly stated than in the words of the Apostle in 1Cor.6:9-10:

“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 homosexuals, nor sodomites...will inherit the kingdom of God”.

Again, the Greek is very revealing in this passage. The word translated here as “homosexuals” is malakos, which originally meant “soft clothing”—referring to the kind of unmanliness and posturing effeminacy which is a hallmark of homosexual subculture. The Greek word translated here as “sodomites” is arsenokoites, one who has illicit sexual intercourse, who lies with a man as with a woman. Such people have no place in the kingdom of God, that is, they cannot be a part of the body of Christ, the true Church, and no place in heaven will be found for them.

A similar position is also found in Eph.5:5: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”. Those words cannot be bent. Deviant sexuality is a no-go area for the true Christian. This is why Paul adds the warning: “Be not ye therefore partakers with them” (Eph.5:7). Where does that leave the bishops and many other clergymen today who are not only partakers but also practisers? The Bible's own witness is that there is no place for them in the kingdom of God; yet they gaily busy themselves as leaders of churches. Surely what we see here is a part of the building of that global counterfeit “church” which is part of the great apostasy prophesied in 2 Thess.2:3,9-12.  

4. The Orthodox Christian Regards Homosexuality as a Disqualification from Entrance into the New Universe

Not only do unrepentant homosexuals find themselves alienated from the kingdom of God in this life, but the Scriptures naturally go on to reveal that they will be disqualified from having any inheritance in the reconstituted universe—the new heaven and the new earth (Rev.21:1-5)—which God will inaugurate when the Lord Jesus Christ returns at the end of this present evil age. Concerning the true Christian, the Lord states: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be My son”. He then goes on to say:

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. (Rev.21:7-8)

And in the following chapter, John writes:

“For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Rev.22:15).

To put it bluntly, homosexuals and all other sexual deviants who die in an impenitent condition will spend eternity in conscious torment in hell. That is what Christian orthodoxy must affirm; and all the “political correctness” in the world can never eradicate that awesome truth.

However, if that was the last word on the matter, the position of the sexual deviant would be hopeless. But there is something else which remains to be said and which brings the whole issue into perspective. For Christ did not “come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. (Matt.9:13). Therefore, we have no hesitation in wholeheartedly making the following assertion:

5. The Orthodox Christian Regards Homosexuality as Being a Forgivable Sin on Condition of True Repentance

It is not our purpose in this brief paper to hammer a drum and rail against these things. We have sought primarily to point out the truths recorded in Holy Scripture which show that homosexuality is incompatible with Christianity and that the term “Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement” is a contradiction-in-terms. To demonstrate this fact, consider the following logical syllogism:

Major premise: A true disciple of Jesus Christ will naturally obey God's commandments, because obedience is a sure sign of faith and love towards God (Jn.14:15,21: 15:10; 1 Jn.5:2-3).

Minor Premise: Homosexuals who show no sign of repentance are being disobedient to the clear teaching of Scripture, which is the Christian's only source of objective authority.

Conclusion: Therefore, unrepentant homosexuals do not have Christian faith, clearly do not love God, and cannot possibly be genuine disciples of Jesus Christ. 

However, although one cannot be a Christian and a homosexual, there is a way for a homosexual to embark on becoming a Christian, and that is to first repent of his or her homosexuality.

As with any other sin, it is possible to receive forgiveness if there is true repentance. It is interesting to note what Paul says after stating that “neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind...shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor.6:9-10). For he then reminds his readers: “...and such were some of you”, plainly revealing that some were at one time homosexuals but later repented and came to Christ, having renounced that lifestyle. Further proving that to become a Christian one must first renounce homosexuality, he then adds: “But ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor.6:11). Homosexuality is certainly a heinous sin which is incompatible with Christianity, but it is not an unforgivable sin. There is Divine forgiveness for the truly repentant homosexual. 

However, we cannot deny that there are some special problems associated with repenting from homosexuality. Firstly, when you partake in a sin that has become so ingrained because you have so forcefully turned away from God, it actually becomes such a vital part of your entire constitution that your physical posture, body language, mannerisms, way of speaking, and every other aspect of your persona gets caught up in it.

A second problem associated with repenting from homosexuality is that it is a compound sin (as we discussed earlier) resulting from being “given over” by God to a just judgement for rejecting Him. This means that homosexuals tend to have hearts which are even more hardened to Gospel truth than many other sinners and thus find it even more difficult to repent. For this reason it was surely ridiculous of Michael Baughen, Bishop of Chester, to say that homosexual acts “were sinful but less so than greed or theft”.[19] On the contrary, in many ways it is far easier to repent of the primary sins of greed or theft than the compound sin of an all-consuming homosexual way of life.

A third problem is that homosexuals tend to be very aggressive and can even become violent when they feel their 'lifestyle' is under threat.[20] This is hardly surprising as they have a very deeply ingrained sin to defend. They must at all costs prevent the reality of the darkness in their souls from being exposed.

For these reasons, homosexuals who genuinely seek after the Lord are worthy of our sincerest compassion. We must never be remotely unwelcoming but we must stretch out a hand to all sinners who come to our churches for spiritual help. And with that welcome, we must also point out that it is impossible to come and worship God without a spirit of contrition and penitence (Psa.51:16-17). Furthermore, it is imperative that we do not become carping people who love to point the finger. We have to somehow find a way of not just condemning people but actually reaching through into their hearts, showing them that they are out of relationship with God in their present situation and enabling them to understand how they can be restored to Him.

As we noted earlier, in terms of righteousness and true holiness, the image of God in Man has been utterly defaced through the original sin of ”the first man, Adam”. But it is also true that ”the last Adam”, the Lord Jesus Christ, brings about a restoration of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the fullness of the divine image in those who come back to God in faith and repentance, pleading with Him for mercy (Col.3:9-10; Eph.4:24).

EPILOGUE

To be in the grip of homosexuality is surely the most pitiable of human conditions. There is nothing worse than the sight of a human being entrapped in a dark world of sin from which there is no apparent escape. But nevertheless we cannot possibly allow those who commit such abominations, and who wilfully form homosexual and lesbian movements, to dictate the social direction of human sexuality in the world or, most especially, in the Church. One wouldn't entertain the idea of a “Murderers Christian Movement” or an “Idolaters Christian Movement” or an “Adulterers Christian Movement”! Even if such movements existed, would the bishops allow them to hold services of alleged “worship” in their cathedrals? The very idea is ludicrous. So why do they tolerate the “Sodomites Christian Movement” pursuing their perverse agenda in their churches? To build an organisation on the basis of a sin is bad enough; but then to go on and coerce the world and the Church to accept it as a normal (or even superior) way of life is a violation of Divine law which must be profoundly resisted. To violate the holy law of God through the advocation of homosexuality is infinitely worse than any imagined violation of human rights in opposing it.

Many will not like what we have written in this paper. No doubt some would wish to prevent us legally from being able to speak these truths. Others would want to silence us permanently from ever saying such things. But all this is part of the socially-engineered suppression of truth which characterises the mindless “political correctness” pervading our culture today. “Political correctness” is a clumsy attempt to prevent the human mind from discerning the difference between truth and falsehood. Genuine Christians must refuse to be corrected (either politically or in any other way) by the advocates of rebellion against God. Instead we should be correcting the world by proclaiming the authority of the Bible which has been ”God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2Tim.3:16). One of the most prominent hallmarks of modern society is its proud refusal to be corrected by a higher moral and spiritual authority (cf. Prov.21:2).

Ultimately, this entire issue hinges on the authority of Scripture. The main reason that homosexuality and other heterodox practices have been able to make such headway in the Christian scene is because those who rule the major denominations—especially the Church of England—no longer uphold the Bible as their rule of faith and practice. This is a very serious matter. Hypocrites have unjustly seated themselves in the assembly of the saints. But do not be dismayed, because “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal.6:7).

True Christians will soon be subjected to increasing persecution, as the earth becomes accumulatively ”corrupt before God” and ”filled with violence” (Gen.6:11-13; cf. Mt.24:37). And it will not get any easier. We are in the midst of a furious spiritual battle (Rev.12:17; Eph.6:11-12) and we must continue to the end our witness to a progressively perverse and crooked generation (Phil.2:15; Rev.12:11-12). Remember the advice of the hymn-writer: “Christian seek not yet repose”. It is true that the apostate church, in conjunction with the antichristian world-powers, may appear to prevail for a time; but their gloating will be comparatively shortlived. For “we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Heb.12:28); and the Lord will consume them all ”with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess.2:8).

—AM

* * * * * * * 

NOTES & REFERENCES

[1] For detailed information on this, read Peter Jones, The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, P. & R., 1992; and Alan Morrison, The Serpent and the Cross: Religious Corruption in an Evil Age (K & M, 1994).

[2] Occultism and moral libertinism often go hand-in-hand. For example, the former Anglican vicar, Charles Leadbetter, co-leader with Annie Besant of the Theosophical Society, was a well-known paedophile. Oscar Wilde, too, had connections with Rosicrucianism.

[3] See The Murder of Christ and Character Armour for a glimpse into Reich's idealised picture of the “genital man”. Reich's work was very influential on the 'bioenergetics' stream of psychotherapy, such as Janov's Primal Therapy and the 'rebirthing' movement.

[4] Encyclopaedia Britannica CD 97. ARTICLE: United States of America, History, The United States since 1945, The Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, Social Changes.

[5] The Guardian, 30th December 1987, p.12.

[6] From a press release from Ecumenical News International, the World Council of Churches News Service, December 6th 1996.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Daily Mail, 27th November 1996.

[11] It is worth noting here that in spite of the fact that God is neither male or female, He is still represented in Scripture with masculine pronouns. The most likely reason for this is that in the Old Testament the nations surrounding Israel worshipped female deities and indulged in many kinds of sexual perversions associated with this. God is therefore represented very powerfully in the Bible as being male. Furthermore, if even the Lord Jesus Christ spoke continually of “the Father”— even commending God's people to pray directly to Him as such (Mt.6:9) —who are we to contradict this?

[12] The New Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament, (1906 ed., Hendrickson, 1979), p.61.

[13] Ibid., p.35.

[14] Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article I, §11.

[15] Scots Confession, Article III.

[16] It would require a paper in itself to expound this passage of Scripture, about which there are two principal theories, one claiming that evil angels had sexual relationships with human women and another claiming that what was involved here was a commingling of men out of the godly line of Seth with ungodly women of the world. There is evidence for and against both theories, although the present writer favours the former.

[17] The Times, November 9th 1987, p.16.

[18] We could also cite the practice of witchcraft as another corrupting influence on society which should never have been legalised. Once sorcery and sexual corruption pervade a culture it inevitably becomes governed by situation ethics and amoral individualism.

[19] The Guardian, 12th November 1987, p.1.

[20] For a great deal of evidence of this read C. & D. McIlhenny, When the Wicked Seize a City, Huntington House, 1993. This is a riveting autobiographical account by an Orthodox Presbyterian Church minister in San Francisco of his experience with the homosexual population and government of that city. Very portentous.