Over the past 2 weeks I’ve posted 2 essays on homosexuality and homosexual marriage. Sodom Redivivus 1 explains why homosexual marriage is impossible. Sodom Redivivus 2 explains the inevitable slippery slope down which society slides should we sanction homosexual marriage. What is the remedy? Can Sodom be redeemed? The answer is yes, but first let’s set this up with a personal anecdote.
One of my Facebook friends is a lesbian. She occasionally posts that she is in favor of homosexual marriage. One of her posts repeated a claim we often hear: “Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.” The implication of course is that since Jesus (allegedly) remained silent regarding homosexuality, then He either approved of it or at least is not one to whom we can appeal should we stand opposed to it. This is a tactic used not only by homosexuals, but by so called “red letter Christians” who de-emphasize the teachings of Scripture as a whole in favor of those parts Jesus Himself spoke.
Though I love my friend and know she loves me, I sent her a private message pointing out the fallacy of this argument. After sending to her a version of the message below, we remain friends and keep in touch over Facebook. She remains who she is, but she still respects me. And since I still love her and hold her in high regard, I hope for her repentance and want what’s best for her.
Anyway, the “Jesus never said homosexuality is wrong” argument is off base for a variety of reasons. First, Jesus repeatedly refers to Himself as keeping God’s Law. Sometimes in Scripture “law” referred to the Law of Moses specifically, the first 5 books of the Old Testament more generally, or the entire 39 books of the Old Testament. The OT law repeatedly mentions homosexuality as a sin directly or by implication. At the creation man was created “male and female,” showing us God’s design for sexuality. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 reveals (contrary to modern interpretations) that homosexuality is anathema to God. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 also condemn homosexuality as sin.
Now more to the point. All through the gospels Jesus regarded the OT law as true, an expression of God’s holy will. Thus He not only lived in a culture where homosexuality was considered sin, He implicitly affirmed that to be so because He affirmed the Law was true. So even if Jesus never mentioned homosexuality specifically, there is no reason to assume He’d have rejected the OT teachings regarding it, and every reason to assume He condemned it as sin.
Second and related to the first, it is an over simplification to say Jesus never addressed homosexuality. Mark 7:21-23 gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ views on sexual ethics. In this passage He corrects the false teachings of the religious leaders in Israel who replaced inner faith and piety with outward ritualism. Here Jesus says sin comes from the inner recesses of our hearts: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
In the above quote notice the word “fornications” which is the translation of the Greek word porneia (from which we get the English word “pornography”). It means “sexual sin or misconduct” and refers to any sort of illicit sexual activity. Again being a Jew, Jesus certainly defined “sexual misconduct” as that which would have been against the OT Law. Since homosexuality was/is forbidden in the OT, and Jesus considered the OT authoritative and true, then He too, would have forbidden homosexuality. To assume Jesus would have approved of homosexuality because He didn’t specifically condemn it, overlooks this blanket statement condemning any sexual activity forbidden by God.
Third, to sanction homosexuality based on Jesus because he didn’t directly forbid it, opens a can of worms and leads us down a path no one is really willing to follow, another inevitable slippery slope. Very simply: if homosexuality is acceptable because Jesus didn’t forbid it, then anything Jesus didn’t specifically forbid is now legitimate. Put it this way: Jesus didn’t speak specifically against drug dealing, bestiality, defecating in public, wife beating, child molesting, degrading the environment, torturing animals, or a host of other things. Does that mean any of these things is somehow acceptable? Of course not. But what do we say if someone says “Sadism is OK because Jesus didn’t mention it,” or “Pouring motor oil in the river is OK because Jesus didn’t forbid it?” Clearly some things are wrong, whether or not Jesus mentioned them specifically. But all of these things I’ve mentioned are forbidden in Scripture elsewhere by direct command or clear implication.
Furthermore, Jesus didn’t specifically speak against homosexuality because it was not an issue in first century Israel. Since it was generally unthinkable that anyone would engage in same-sex relationships in His cultural context (not to say that it never occurred at all), he didn’t see the need to emphasize it. He spoke against the sins prevalent in His day, mostly things like pride, unbelief (regarding He being the Messiah), economic oppression, mercilessness, self righteousness, and so on. Occasionally He spoke out against specific sexual sin, like adultery. Those were the sins he saw as the more pressing issues, as a reading of the gospels attests.
Fifth, Christianity has traditionally regarded the entire New Testament to be the word of God, not only the words of Jesus. Since all Scripture is inspired (II Timothy 3:16-17), then the words of Jesus in the gospels are no more authoritative than the writings of Habakkuk or Peter. Like the OT, the NT repeatedly mentions homosexuality as sin (Romans 1:24-27, 1st Corinthians 6:9, 1st Timothy 1:10, as well as all the times Paul forbids “fornication” [again, porneia]).
Clearly, no one can defend homosexuality or homosexual marriage on the basis of what Jesus didn’t specifically say. But still, those who appeal to Jesus are right in one thing, and in this Christians can see a glimmer of hope in witnessing to those caught in the sin of homosexuality: Jesus is the one to whom we should look for guidance, and thus we have the opportunity to tell others of the great things Jesus said about hope and salvation. Should someone defend homosexuality based on what Jesus didn’t say, we are given an open door to proclaim what Jesus did say. Indeed Jesus is the one to which we turn regarding moral issues, but He is also the one to whom we turn for salvation, forgiveness, and renewal.
Remember, Jesus’ message (and the biblical message as a whole) is a mixed bag. On the one hand (negative) we are told we are by nature sinful, lost, objects of God’s wrath, and doomed to eternity in hell. On the other hand (positive), we are told Jesus Christ entered human history, took upon Himself flesh, died on the cross and rose again that those who put their trust in Him may be forgiven of all their wrongdoing. Whereas we are by nature God’s enemies, Jesus died to make us God’s friends, to take away the sin that separated us from Him, and give us eternal life. This is the gospel, the good news: there is salvation available in Jesus Christ, not only for liars, thieves, murderers, gossips, egotists, gluttons, adulterers, and idolators, but anyone else, including homosexuals.
Of course We should speak this without malice and anger. Like Jesus we should see homosexuals like we do anyone else in need of salvation: “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Will Jesus Christ save them? Can Sodom be redeemed? Absolutely, if they call upon Him in faith and repentance. In John 6:37 Jesus said “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” In Matthew 11:28-30 He said “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus repeatedly ate in the homes of “tax collectors and sinners” because He loved them and wanted them to repent and enter the Kingdom of Heaven (e.g. Luke 5:27-32, 15:1-32)
We can also note Paul’s words from I Corinthians 6:9-11:
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 (emphasis mine).
My point is, those who look to Jesus to affirm homosexuality fail, but they give us a golden opportunity to explain His grace.
This does not mean we water down the message. We need to proclaim the negative aspect of the message so the positive aspect of the message makes sense. Until a person knows he’s lost, he’ll see no reason to be found. Until he understands God’s wrath, he’ll never understand God’s love. Until he realizes he’s guilty before God, he’ll not see the need to be forgiven by God. But we shouldn’t stay fixated on the guilt. In addition to pointing out the disease, we need to prescribe the cure. The cure is found in Jesus Christ who promised He will save anyone who puts their trust in Him.
However this message must be proclaimed honestly and in humility. Christians should speak out against sin in all its forms, and acknowledge our own sin. If we simply condemn homosexuality without humbly regarding our own fallenness, we sin and lose all credibility. We sin again and lose even more credibility if we spend all our time denouncing only certain sins. Of course, homosexuality is on the front burner of the culture wars, and there is a sense in which we should openly stand against it. But the Scriptures do not isolate homosexuality over and above all other sins, but mention it as just one of many transgressions. Paul’s classic opposition to homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27 is well known, but we do well to read the rest of the chapter:
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
I don’t know about you, but I see my reflection in that pool. How can I then hold homosexuals to a higher level of contempt, when I look at myself and see such anti-God fallenness?
The truth is I can’t hold them in contempt. I can only do what Paul does in Romans: explain that though “There is none righteous, not even one,” that God in His mercy sent Jesus Christ to pay for sins. I can only speak the truth in love, telling others that God saved me, brought me to Himself in spite of myself, and forgives me all my bad and sin because He is gracious and kind. As a judge He holds guilty sinners under condemnation; as a loving Father, He pities us and saves us according to His great love.
We do homosexuals no favors by “affirming” their lifestyle, or by sanctioning their behavior, as have some in the Christian community. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Affirming a homosexual in his sin only further entrenches him in it, and makes us false witnesses. There are even some homosexuals who call us to stick to the script, and encourage us to refuse to sanction homosexuality. Why? Because to do so would strip them of hope and make us liars and cowards. As one struggling lesbian put it:
To those of you who would change the church to accept the gay community and its lifestyle: you give us no hope at all. To those of us who know God’s word and will not dilute it to fit our desires, we ask you to read John’s letter to the church in Pergamum. “I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore!” You are willing to compromise the word of God to be politically correct. We are not deceived. If we accept your willingness to compromise, then we must also compromise. We must therefore accept your lying, your adultery, your lust, your idolatry, your addictions, YOUR sins. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Yes, Sodom can be redeemed, but we must never cave in to political correctness or the temptation to be relevant. We must firmly stick to the message even if it makes us unpopular. But it must be preached with love, with goodwill, and with acknowledgement or our own fallenness. If we don’t we dishonor our Lord with our self righteousness, and ensure that the hope we proclaim falls on deaf ears.
