The issue of homosexuality has become a divisive and
volatile one within the church. This will become more
of an issue that defines conservative and liberal churches
in the future as homosexuality becomes more and more
mainstream in our culture.
The Bible's teaching on homosexuality could not be
clearer. It is how the church responds to
homosexuality that is the problem.
Leviticus 20:13 gives us God's view on
homosexuality. "If a man lies with a man as one lies
with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.
They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own
heads."
The New Testament does not call for the death penalty
like several other offenses did in the Old Testament but it
remains clear that homosexuality is wrong. Romans
1:26-27 says, "Because of this, God gave them over to
shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations
for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned
natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for
one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and
received in themselves the due penalty for their
perversion." This clearly states that homosexuality is
unnatural, indecent, and a perversion.
While it is taught that homosexuality is not a choice but
something that a person is born as, God is not at fault for
these sins. God does not create people with no choice
over whether they will do something unnatural, indecent, and
perverted in His eyes. Likewise God would not punish
humanity for something that people had no choice over but
Romans 1 clearly states that these people received their
punishment.
The church must refrain from going overboard and
attacking homosexuality. It is a sin but so is
adultery, lying, gossiping, and stealing. While we
should not overlook the sin, we must be careful not to be
overzealous in our opposition of it that we appear as bigots
as many have made the church out to be. We love people
and want them to repent of their sins. We don't accept
the sin in anyone's life, not just the homosexual. We
should welcome the repentant or searching homosexual in the
same way that we would welcome the repentant or searching
drug addict, thief, adulterer, or liar.
