FAQ: What Is the Biblical View of Homosexuality? Part 2

C. So what does Jesus say about the laws pertaining to sexuality?

1. First of all, there is nothing in the gospels to indicate that they’ve been adjusted or set aside.
a. When Jesus breaks unto the scene, there are certain shockingly new things He proclaims, things which represent major shifts in the way God’s people are supposed to think, things which stirred up a lot of controversy among the Jews.
b. But there is none of this regarding the laws pertaining to sexuality.
2. Though there are a number of OT laws re: sexuality which are not specifically mentioned in the NT: e.g. incest, rape, bestiality, every OT law pertaining to sexuality mentioned in the NT is reaffirmed.
a. Jesus refuses to condemn the adulterous woman, but He still reaffirms the OT in condemning adultery by saying, “Go and sin no more.” (John 7:53-8:11)
b. He says that it is like adultery for a man to lust after a woman, but in saying this He still condemns adultery. (Matt.5:27-28)
c. You might think that adultery is the only sexual sin which Jesus condemns. But this isn’t true. In Matthew 15:18-20, Jesus said, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ”
(1) Again, the Greek word translated here as sexual immorality is the word PORNEIA. It doesn’t refer to one particular form of sexual immorality, but to sexual immorality in general.
(2) Now how can we tell what Jesus means by PORNEIA in these verses, since He never explains it?
(3) He doesn’t explain it because His hearers already know what it means. They know what sexual immorality is – from the OT. And Jesus doesn’t offer us any adjustments of these ideas, but simply assumes them and continues them. He doesn’t try to change the definition of the word they already have in their minds, built on their knowledge of the OT.
3. Some have argued that Jesus never even mentioned homosexuality. And as far as we know, that is true. He never mentioned it specifically. But neither does He mention incest, nor rape. Why? Because He didn’t need to. Everyone knew these were included when he referred to PORNEIA.
a. The NT doesn’t restate all the sexual laws of the OT, it simply refers to PORNEIA, sexual immorality, as the summary of them all. It assumes we know what that means.
b. So the sexual laws of the OT, like homosexuality, don’t need to be repeated in the NT. They are summarized in the word PORNEIA, which Jesus repeatedly uses.
4. The “experts” may say it’s OK!
a. But who is the true expert? Jesus is. God Himself said, “This is My Son. Listen to Him!”
D. And yet, some of the OT sexual laws are repeated and reaffirmed in the NT, and the law regarding homosexuality one of them – not on the lips of Jesus Himself, but on the lips of Paul, His apostle.
1. Rom.1:21-27 “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
a. “God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
b. Interestingly, there is no mention of female homosexuality, lesbianism, in the OT. The two places in Leviticus and the 2 stories in Genesis & Judges which mention it only refer to male homosexuality. Here in the 1:26 we have the only specific reference to lesbianism in the Bible.
2. 1Corinthians 6:9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality.”
a. “Men who practice homosexuality” There are two Greek words here, and the ESV has conflated them into one. The NIV translates it as 2 things: “nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders.”
b. The second word refers to the active partner of male homosexual activity, and the first word means “soft one” and is taken to refer to the passive partner. Some translations translate it “effeminate.”
c. And so since they seem to refer to the two sides of the same equation, the ESV combines them into one phrase: “men who practice homosexuality.”
d. Homosexuality is not new.
(1) The Greco-Roman world in NT times was rife with homosexuality, even more than we have.
(2) There was a culture of men having boys (like a mistress) when they are single, and then getting married to a woman and raising a family. (Interestingly, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all condemned it as contrary to nature and harmful to society.)
3. 1Timothy 1:9-10 “The law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.”
a. “men who practice homosexuality” The Greek word is a compound word made up of the word for male and the Greek word from which we get our English word coitus.
b. The word seems to be based on Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13, implying that law still applies.
4. But, of course, there are many passages which refer to sexual immorality in general.
III. Concluding thoughts
A. It’s important you know that all through the history of GPC there have been a number of people in the congregation who experience some degree of same-sex attraction — even though it’s the last thing they wanted, just as there are people in our congregation who have had abortions in the past.
1. Some have even considered suicide because they have feelings they don’t want to have & the shame they experience over it.
B. We need to keep this in mind when we talk about these topics. These are very painful and personal issues for people in our own circle, and we need to be sensitive and loving in the way we talk about it. It feels far from welcoming when an issue you live with is thrown around in a mocking or teasing way.
C. Just because we recognize something as a sin doesn’t mean it’s OK to joke about it or disrespect those who are caught up in these things. We want to reach people with the message of Christ’s forgiveness, no matter what their past.
D. 1Cor.6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
E. If we are going to reach the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers, we have to welcome them with love.
F. We need to remember how much damage we are capable of doing in the way we talk.
G. PCA
1. Revoice conferences and the reaction to them
2. Churches leaving the PCA
H. Is it a choice?
1. It can be. It can be done experimentally.
2. But for many it is not a choice at all – not experientially.
3. Admiring faithfulness
4. Terry Geiger, Harvest USA, www.harvestusa.org – his own experience, thoughts on whether it’s a choice