We hear many different ideas about homosexuality and gay marriage in our culture today. Christians in particular are bombarded with conflicting messages about how we should respond to these kind of issues. We're told that "God hates gays" by people like the Westboro Baptist group (who do not represent Christianity in general or the Baptist denomination in particular AT ALL). Others tell us to apply the popular, Christian cliche, "Hate the sin; love the sinner" to those who identify with the LGBT community. Then there are people who say that they are "gay" and "Christian" and that God is fine with that. They assert that "God made some people gay" and they imply that nothing can or should be done to change that. We also see accusations such as "hateful" and "discrimination" leveled against anyone who opposes the notion of "gay marriage". Surely followers of Christ shouldn't hate anyone, right? We're supposed to love our neighbors and even love our enemies. What exactly is the loving thing to do here?
How do we make sense of this chaos? Is it possible to be a "gay Christian"? What does real "marriage equality" look like?
As always, we need to look at this matter just like we would anything else: through the lens of Scripture. Our opinions MUST be shaped by God's Word rather than what seems or feels right at a given moment. Feelings and sentiments change like leaves blown in the wind, but Scripture provides us with a rock-solid foundation that does not move no matter what the weather is doing (Matthew 7:24-27).
So let's start by looking at what God says about marriage. After all, He is the Creator and Designer of all things, including humans, marriage, and sex. He alone is qualified to set the parameters for how things are supposed to work. In the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, God creates the universe and everything it. He saves the best for last and creates man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:26-28). This male/female arrangement is what God says reflects His image (v. 27). This is what God blesses (v. 28). This is what God calls to be "fruitful" (v. 28).
In Genesis 2:18-25, we get even more insight into the creation of the first couple and the first marriage. God started by making the man out of the ground (Genesis 2:7), but did not make the woman right away. It is worth noting that the order in which the man and the woman were created says NOTHING about their respective value or importance! Both were equally created in God's image, both equally reflect God's nature, and both are of equal value and importance to God. The man was given the privilege of coming first as well as the responsibility of being the head of the family (Genesis 3:16; Ephesians 5:23). The woman was given the honor of being the pinnacle of God's creation (He saved the best for last) as well as the privilege and responsibility of bearing children (Genesis 3:16). Men and women are DIFFERENT, yet EQUAL, which is part of God's design.
God said that it was not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). There is more going on here than merely the possibility of Adam getting lonely. God's main purpose for humanity is to bear His image. Everything about mankind (apart from sin and its effects) is supposed to say something about God's nature. We know that even though God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), He is not solitary. He exists as Trinity: three in one (Matthew 28:19). By himself, Adam could not reflect this aspect of God's nature. So God says that He will make a "suitable" helper for Adam. Notice how God defines what qualifies as a "suitable" mate: not another man, but a woman who is DIFFERENT, but EQUAL. In Genesis 2:22, we're told that God, Himself, BRINGS the woman to the man. It is clear that God's provision for a man in this area is a woman (and vice versa). To pursue anything else is to reject what God has given. Genesis 2 concludes with a firm affirmation of God's created order for marriage: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (v. 24) The scope of the language shifts to let us know that this is is not just the pattern for Adam and Eve, but for humanity as a whole. Generation after generation, a man is to leave his parents (which consist of one father and one mother) and unite himself with a woman. This mysterious and beautiful phenomenon of two DIFFERENT, but EQUAL persons becoming "one flesh" reflects the three-in-one nature of God where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all DIFFERENT and distinct from one another, yet are all EQUALLY God. It is no accident that the only kind of union that can produce life is the one that reflects the nature of the Author of life.
In case anyone thought that God was not clear enough in Genesis 1 and 2 about His design for marriage, Jesus (God the Son) restates and provides further commentary on that design during His earthly ministry. In Matthew 19, the Pharisees ask Him a question about marriage and instead of offering an opinion based on the prevalent views of the day, Jesus goes directly to God's Word and quotes Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24:
"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4-6)
Jesus regards these verses as authoritative for defining the terms of marriage centuries after they were written. He reaffirms the male/female aspect of marriage as well as the pattern for humanity laid out in Genesis 2:24. Then He gives the additional command not to separate what God has joined together. In the immediate context, Jesus is talking about divorce, but we know from Genesis 2:18-25 (and Genesis 1:27 which Jesus quotes here) that what God has brought together is a man and woman.
Unfortunately, marriage, along with every other aspect of humanity, has been radically damaged by sin. In Genesis 3, Adam and Even disobey God and everything changes. As a result of their sin, they experience separation from God, they feel shame, they are cursed, and they age and die. In that process, the relationship between humans and God was broken and the relationship between man and woman was also broken. Trust was fractured and our desires became perverted. In Romans 1:18-32, the Apostle Paul makes the connection between idolatry (worshiping creation rather than the Creator) and the distortions that result from it, including homosexual desires (v. 26-27), covetousness, malice, envy, murder, deceit, and others (v. 29-31). Therefore, the Bible contains commandments in both the Old and New Testaments that deal with inappropriate desires that go against God's created order for marriage.
In the Ten Commandments, God commands us not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). In Leviticus 18, we see commands against sleeping with relatives (v. 6-16), men sleeping with men (v. 23), and humans sleeping with animals (v. 24). All of these things pervert marriage as God designed it. People trying to defend homosexuality as a legitimate, Christian lifestyle might object and say, "That's the Old Testament. We aren't under the law anymore." However, there are at least two problems with that argument:
1.) The New Testament also deals with homosexuality (Romans 1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:8-10). Even people who try to point out that Jesus never addressed this particular issue must face the fact that He condemned "sexual immorality" as a whole in Matthew 15:19. How did first century Jews define "sexual immorality"? Answer: the Old Testament law.
2.) Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17-20). Just because we do not need to obey the law in order to be saved, does not mean that we as Christians can ignore the law. Paul says that the law is good for making us aware of our sin (Romans 7:7 & 12). Jesus says that if we love Him, we will keep His law (Matthew 5:19; John 14:21). The reason why we don't worry about eating "clean" or "unclean" foods anymore is the same reason why we don't offer animal sacrifices at a temple. Jesus' death fulfills that part of t
he law: the ceremonial law. ALL of the law still applies, but Jesus has taken over the priesthood and the whole system of making atonement for sin. As Christians, we are still called to obey the moral commandments that have to do with the way we live and treat one another. Obviously commandments like "honor your father and mother," "do not murder," "do not steal," etc. did not go away because we are still supposed to "love our neighbors as ourselves." In the same way, commandments against adultery and homosexuality did not go away either because God's design for marriage has not changed.
In conclusion, homosexuality is wrong because it involves a denial of the created order and a turning inward toward one's self to seek out that which is the same rather than turning outward and giving to that which is DIFFERENT, yet EQUAL. It also involves giving into urges that contradict God's commands (just like any other sin). Someone might say, "God made me this way!" but just because we all have sinful desires that go against God's law it does not mean that we can blame the Creator for them. Our sinful rebellion against our Creator and His design for us is what led to our fallen state, not the other way around. The hope of the Gospel is that we can become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) through faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Romans 3:22-26) and experience reconciliation with God. The good news is that God is making all things new (Revelation 21:5) and is bringing healing and restoration to our brokenness, even while we are still on earth. We can either persist in our rebellion against God and continue to go the way of the world which is wasting away (John 2:15-17) or we can confess our sin before God, repent from it, submit to the authority of Jesus Christ, and be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). This is the hope that we, as Christians, offer to everyone, whether "gay," "straight," or whatever other labels people want to throw around. As far as the question of "marriage equality" is concerned, God does not exclude anyone from getting married. But He is very clear on what actually constitutes "marriage." If people choose to reject the suitable mate that God has provided for them, God will either give them over to their desires (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) or will eventually grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25-26). We earnestly pray for the latter.
he law: the ceremonial law. ALL of the law still applies, but Jesus has taken over the priesthood and the whole system of making atonement for sin. As Christians, we are still called to obey the moral commandments that have to do with the way we live and treat one another. Obviously commandments like "honor your father and mother," "do not murder," "do not steal," etc. did not go away because we are still supposed to "love our neighbors as ourselves." In the same way, commandments against adultery and homosexuality did not go away either because God's design for marriage has not changed.
In conclusion, homosexuality is wrong because it involves a denial of the created order and a turning inward toward one's self to seek out that which is the same rather than turning outward and giving to that which is DIFFERENT, yet EQUAL. It also involves giving into urges that contradict God's commands (just like any other sin). Someone might say, "God made me this way!" but just because we all have sinful desires that go against God's law it does not mean that we can blame the Creator for them. Our sinful rebellion against our Creator and His design for us is what led to our fallen state, not the other way around. The hope of the Gospel is that we can become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) through faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Romans 3:22-26) and experience reconciliation with God. The good news is that God is making all things new (Revelation 21:5) and is bringing healing and restoration to our brokenness, even while we are still on earth. We can either persist in our rebellion against God and continue to go the way of the world which is wasting away (John 2:15-17) or we can confess our sin before God, repent from it, submit to the authority of Jesus Christ, and be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). This is the hope that we, as Christians, offer to everyone, whether "gay," "straight," or whatever other labels people want to throw around. As far as the question of "marriage equality" is concerned, God does not exclude anyone from getting married. But He is very clear on what actually constitutes "marriage." If people choose to reject the suitable mate that God has provided for them, God will either give them over to their desires (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) or will eventually grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25-26). We earnestly pray for the latter.
Some additional resources on this subject:
-Sermon by Matt Chandler on homosexuality
-"'Gay Christianity' Refuted" by Dr. James White
-"Monogamy is Unnatural" by Matt Walsh (illustrates that marriage, as God defines it, is restrictive for every orientation, not just for homosexuals)
