The Truth Behind Homosexuality

Let me say this on the onset that I have no intention of humiliating nor shaming the homosexual community. This is not also meant to judge their eternal destiny for only the Lord who knows every heart. But let me be quick to quote the apostle Paul who wrote, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (2 Tim. 2:19) In other words, if a person is truly a disciple of Jesus Christ there must be a desire to be transformed by hating every form of sin, that includes the desire and practice of homosexuality.

Is homosexuality a sin? Why do men and women practice homosexual relationship? When did this begin? What is the difference between gays and lesbians? Is it okay to be a non-practicing gay and lesbian but retain the homosexual desire? Is it true that they were born with a “gay gene” giving justice to their practice and behavior? Does the Scripture really approve faithful and committed homosexual relationships? There are probably more questions about this subject than solid answers. Since I am a Bible-believing Christian, I will base many of my arguments from the very word of God, the Holy Bible.

When the Lord designed an intimate human relationship, it was between a male and a female. However, the archenemy of God planned to wreck this by distorting such relationship to be polygamous, incestuous, adulterous, bestial, and homosexual. If the same-sex proponents will argue that the Scripture is only against unfaithful homosexuals and not the faithful ones, then the polygamous and incestuous people can also use the same reasoning as well. A polygamous man can say that he is faithful to his five wives, while a pedophile can confess that he and his ten-year old lover are committed to each other. Not to mention a lady who can also confess that she is very much in love with her dog that she wants to tie the knot with her pet. Until when will this warped thinking end? One reason why the people in Sodom and Gomorrah behaved the way they did was due to their corrupt minds. The men acted wildly to the point of wanting to have sexual intimacy with Lot’s two visitors (See Gen. 13:13; 19:5). The Scripture does not mention anything about a committed and faithful same-sex relationship because they are not natural relationships but unnatural (See Rom. 1:26-27).

Homosexuality has been a practice for many centuries after our first ancestors committed the first sin by rebelling against God Himself. The Book of Genesis showed us that God joined together a male and a female, named Adam and Eve who became one flesh. It also gave us a default model that these two individuals will produce their own kind just like the animals and sea creatures. In fact, the command of the Lord for the first human is to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). If the Lord’s standard of intimate human relationship was same-sex, then how would they do this? Anything that is not standard is substandard (that is, inferior, low quality, poor, faulty, imperfect, defective, and unsound). The same-sex proponents cannot argue about the relationship of Adam and Eve being the first then came another kind of relationship which is same-sex relationship. This is absurd and twisted reasoning.

In fact, the apostle Paul was very clear in his writing to the Roman believers that as a result of their idolatry, He “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,” (Rom. 1:26-27). It is very clear from this writing that the words “dishonorable passions” (Gk. παθη ατιμιας, pathos atimia) could also be translated “wicked, depraved, immoral, shameful, and offensive” affection or desires. In other words, this kind of relationship does not bring glory and honor to God for this is shameful. There is no other way around the Greek word.

Many same-sex proponents would like to believe the term “sodomite” which means “male temple prostitute” only refers to such wicked practice. They want to communicate the Hebrew term “קָדֵ֖שׁ” (Heb. qadesh) does not include homosexual practices done in a loving and faithful way. However, the fact that this perverted sexual practice was done in a temple shows the purpose of corrupting the orthodox sexual intimacy done between a husband and a wife. Another way of how the same-sex apologists renders the practice of homosexuality powerless is by trying to do a word study of the Greek words μαλακοι (effeminate) and αρσενοκοιται (homosexual) found in 1 Corinthians 6:9. Some non-affirming writers would like to interpret that this passage does not really condemn gay nor homosexual people. The Gk. word μαλακοι refers to “soft raiment” describing men who deliberately portrays themselves like women. No wonder men are not allowed to shave their hairs and beards for to shave it is mimicking femininity. In the Ancient Near East culture, to shave any part of your head or beard is not allowed to display masculinity. This may not be true in our present culture. However, there are ways of recognizing male from female through external movements and clothing. In the Philippines, it is not customary for male individuals to wear a skirt. If a male Filipino wears such clothing, he will be immediately branded as gay. On the other hand, straight males in Scotland can wear skirt as part of their traditional culture but they are not necessarily judged as gays. We need to understand that there are practices in the Ancient Near Eastern culture portraying males as effeminate or homosexuals that need to be avoided.

The word αρσενοκοιται is a compound word that needs to be taken literally based on its word meaning, that is, “one who lies with a male as with a female” like μετανοησατε literally “change of mind,” (See Acts 2:38). Remember, the apostle Paul was a Jewish scholar who knew the Old Testament law by heart. He was very much familiar with the Septuagint Version of Leviticus 18:22 where the words ἄρσενος and κοίτην were used separately saying, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Same-sex apologists are truly bankrupt in using the Scripture to defend their position. Their argument to defend gay and lesbian emotion and practices are foreign from the pages of the Holy Bible.

In fact, they also long for a “gay gene” to be discovered to justify their position, but this remains to be unfounded. Furthermore, several research had been made to discover the conception of homosexuality during the early stage of childhood. There are many factors involved why a young boy or girl will most likely end up in a homosexual struggle and lifestyle:

The parents did not affirm his/her gender at an early age.
The father or mother is not always present to serve as a model for him/her.
The people (a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a sibling, a stranger, a classmate) sexually abused him/her at a very young age.
There was an exposure to pornography at an early age that confused his/her sexuality

It is not true that they were born gay and lesbian. As Sean McDowell states, “I’m not suggesting people are born with homosexuality, but that it’s developmental. The causes and influences happen before the child is making conscious decisions on such matters.” (Sean McDowell, Apologetics for a New Generation) In fact, something happened to them while growing up that they are not aware of or would not reveal. In addition, there are also cases of children born as hermaphrodite which means they have an external or additional sexual organ. The child only has one gender while the other temporary reproductive organ serves as an abnormality. It is my hope that the parents and the medical people should help each other to determine the gender of the baby by examining the reproductive and the psychological system of the person. During his interview with Anderson Cooper in April 14, 2007, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, a clinical psychologist and president of National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) said, “We, as citizens, need to articulate God’s intent for human sexuality.” He also boldly stated in a February 10, 2007 Love Won Out sponsored by Focus on the Family conference in Phoenix that, “When we live our God-given integrity and our human dignity, there is no space for sex with a guy.” Dr. Nicolosi also said, “We advise fathers, if you don’t hug your sons, some other man will.”

The Lord Jesus Christ loves the people who are struggling with homosexuality that He wants them freed from their sinful emotion and practices and be victorious over every form of sexual temptations. Let us not be homophobic but learn to love and be compassionate with homosexuals by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to them and praying for them while abhorring that sin of homosexuality. There is hope for every member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. There are several former LGBTIs who have been spiritually saved and transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ. Let me end with the following quote from the Scripture,

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. – John 8:36