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The Sin of Homosexuality
“That Which Is Against Nature”

by Glen Keenon

A summary of God’s creation of the earth 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 that God has made, the Devil offers a sinful substitute, a perversion.

The Divine account of creation tells us of the creation of man, “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).

Still 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 had made 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 made the woman as a helper for the man, instead of making another man for that purpose.

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).

The first example we find of man seeking a perverted relationship with other men is seen on the part of the men of Sodom. An introduction to that evil condition is found in Genesis 13:13, “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 send from God to warn Lot of the coming destruction of Sodom. This 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 revealed to 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.”

Homosexuality was strongly condemned in the law of Moses. In Leviticus 18:22 we read, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

The Bible sets forth the death penalty for this sin: “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 in Judah during the reign of Rehoboam. As given in I 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. It was said of King Asa, “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” (I 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 the New Testament, this perverted way of life is described at length in Romans 1:18-32. Verses 24-32 are very specific: “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour 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 recompence 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, covenantbreakers, 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.”

This same sinful conduct is shown to be contrary to sound doctrine, or the gospel, according to I Timothy 1:8-11, “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, the punishment for the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is pointed out, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, 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.”

Homosexuals are included in a list of the unrighteous who will not inherit eternal life, according to I Corinthians 6:9-11, “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, the good news is that 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 repentance is a must!

New life is offered to those who turn away from sin and are new creatures. In the words of Paul, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).

Editor's note: When people engage in the immorality discussed in this excellent article, it is because they have denied God and ignored His Word. As the Scriptures teach, “they refused to have God in their knowledge” (Romans 1:28).

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