Christians are supposed to love everyone and allow God to speak to them about their sins through the Holy Spirit. It's not our place to tell anyone that they have to change (because God doesn't require them to) before they can come to God through a relationship with Jesus and be called a Christian. That includes Homosexuals.
The Facts:
1) Did Jesus ever mentioned homosexuality during his time on Earth as recorded in the Bible?
No. Jesus spoke on many issues and broke down many social traditions but he never spoke on homosexuality.
2) Is homosexual orientation mentioned in the Bible?
No. Feel free to prove me wrong, but there are no discussions on homosexual orientation in the Bible.
2) Is the physical act of homosexuality mentioned in the Bible?
Yes. The word the Bible used for homosexuality is the Greek word arsenokoitēs which describes the physical act of sexually intercourse with someone of the same sex. Homosexuality as a physical act is mentioned twice in the Bible: 1 Timothy 1:10 and 1 Corinthians 6:9. Lets look at each in their full context:
Timothy:
1 Timothy 3-11 is a warning from the apostle Paul against false teachings. There were a lot of religious folk going around claiming they were experts and drawing people away from the core teachings of Christianity. He wished that "all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point" (1 Tim 1:5-6).
He then list a series of people or sins, that Jesus came to help: "The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God" (1 Tim 1:10-11)
Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 6:9-20 is made up of two parts: inheriting the Kingdom of God and sex outside of marriage. Homosexuality is mentioned in verse 9 along with idol worshippers, drunkards, and cheats as examples of the types of people who will not inherit the Kingdom of God (another name for going to Heaven). But before you scream out "that's crazy I got drunk once does that mean I'm not going to Heaven", we need to look at what Paul says in the next sentence. He says that a lot of us were like that and did those things but we were cleansed and made right with God when we accepted Jesus. This then means that homosexuals, idol worshipper, drunkards, and cheats will all go to Heaven if they call on the name of Jesus to be saved.
But wait there is more. Right after saying this Paul spends the next 9 verses letting us know how dangerous sex is if not done as God designed it. He says "Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body" (1 Cor 6:18).
My Take:
Homosexuals have no more or less right to be Christians than anyone else and Paul says they can be, so lets drop any misguided hatred that we may be holding onto. Religion, which is a bunch of do's and don'ts, teaches us to hate sin. Christianity, which is a relationship, teaches us to love people the way Jesus did. Let's be known as Christians who are for people, instead of the group that is always against stuff.
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| No this is not a depiction of a homosexual relationship between Chewbacca and a police officer, just a LEGO house my son made. |
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