A summary of the earth's creation relates, "And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:31) Unfortunately, in the place of the good made by God, the devil offered a sinful substitute, a perversion.
The Divine account says of man's creation, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)
But man's life was incomplete. We read further, "And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (a helper suitable for him NASV)." (Genesis 2:18)
After God created the woman, he brought her to the man (Genesis 2:22), "And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2:23) Then the Lord decreed, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) Let us observe that the Lord, instead of making another man, made the woman to be man's helper.
God's arrangement is right, but trouble comes when man departs from it. Solomon wrote, "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions (schemes, NKJV)." (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
We see in the men of Sodom the first chronicled example of men seeking perverted relationships with other men. In Genesis 13:13, we read an introduction to that evil condition: "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." The Lord's concern over the situation is recorded in Genesis 18:20-21: "And the Lord said, because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."
The wickedness of the men of Sodom is seen in their evil intentions toward the messengers God sent to warn Lot of Sodom's coming destruction. This wickedness is recorded in Genesis 19:4-5: "But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us that we may know them (carnally, NKJV)."
The messengers told Lot, "For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it."
The destruction of these wicked cities is recorded in Genesis 19:24-25: "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."
Moses' Law strongly condemned homosexuality. In Leviticus 18:22, we read, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
The Bible assigns the death penalty for homosexuality: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)
It is also forbidden in Deuteronomy 23:17: "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel."
Sodomy was one of the evils present in Judah during Rehoboam's reign. As written in 1 Kings 14:24, "And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel."
Good kings of Judah brought about spiritual and moral reform. Of King Asa, it was said: "And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made." (1 Kings 15:11-12)
Of good King Josiah, it was written, "And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord..." (2 Kings 23:7)
In Romans 1:18-32, the New Testament describes this perverted way of life at length. Verses 24-32 are very specific: "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly (committing what is shameful, NKJV), and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet (due, NKJV). And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (fitting, NKJV). Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."
In 1 Timothy 1:8-11, this same sinful conduct, as well as others, is shown to be contrary to sound doctrine, or the gospel. "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."
In Jude verse 7, Jude pointed out the punishment for the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul included homosexuals in a list of the unrighteous who will not inherit eternal life: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind (homosexuals nor sodomites, NKJV), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
Despite the gravity of the sin and the severity of the consequent punishment, there is good news. The Lord will grant forgiveness to those who repent and have their sins washed away in the waters of baptism (Acts 22:16). Homosexuals can be forgiven, but they must repent!
God offers new life to those who turn away from sin and become new creatures. In Paul's words, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
Editor's Note: There can be only one conclusion regarding people who are involved in the immorality discussed in this excellent article--they have denied God and rejected His Word. As the scriptures teach, "they refused to retain God in their knowledge and are given over by God to reprobate minds." (Romans 1:28) Men are not born as homosexuals; they choose the homosexual lifestyle. Instead of blaming God, they need to ask for His mercy and plead for His grace and help in turning away from this and other ungodly lifestyles.
God is willing to forgive the vilest of sins. His people must not be guilty of turning their backs on any sinner who is willing to repent and change his life. The people involved in this sin much acknowledge that it is sin and accept accountability for their own actions. Only in this way can repentance and restoration be accomplished.
God and His people do not hate homosexuals, sodomites, or lesbians-we hate all sins that involve sexual immorality. May God help us never to be ashamed of His law concerning homosexuality-no matter how accepted it becomes in our society. Christ died to enable men to break sin's bondage in their lives. All sin can be defeated. (KMG)