Troublesome Topic: WAS GOD HARDER ON HOMOSEXUALITY THAN OTHER SEXUAL SINS?

No, God treated all sexual deviations with harshness.

Some people have the idea that God singled out homosexuality for harsher treatment than the rest. This has probably come from the way churches have communicated about homosexuality, but actually God was harsh on most of the people who did not keep sex within the confines of marriage. While God called homosexually an abomination, He referred to a number of other things that way as well.

Most of the regulations of the Old Testament Law about sexual misconduct prescribed the death penalty. That is why I say that they were treated with severity. In the New Testament we do not need to keep using the teaching methods that God used in the Old Testament, but the basic principles are still the same. Regarding sexuality the principle is that sexual intercourse should be kept for the marriage relationship only.

Here is the best example I am aware of to show that God was equally harsh on all the various violations of His principles about sexuality. Jesus indicated that even lust was on the same level as the other prohibited sexual acts which in the Old Testament received the death penalty.  Ouch!

If we are communicating to people, either directly or indirectly, that they will be punished with eternal damnation because they are homosexuals, we are sending the wrong message. Their lifestyle is a symptom of their spiritual condition. God wants to change the condition of their inner being, which should bring about lifestyle changes as a result of the inner change. Rather than telling people that they will suffer eternal punishment if they are homosexuals, we should communicate that people will suffer God’s punishment if they reject Jesus and the salvation from sin that He offers (see John 3:36).

The Old Testament Law was a teaching tool. Since we now live in a post-Calvary era, we do not need to follow the regulations of the Old Testament Law, but we do need to follow the principles it taught. Modern Christians are right to say we no longer apply the death penalty to people who have sexual intercourse outside of marriage, but we are wrong to downplay the seriousness of some sexual sins.

But here is another wrong message – If we tell people they don’t need to worry about sexual sins, if we ignore all sexual sins and never teach against them, if we focus only on God’s grace and ignore His holiness, we have committed a terrible injustice to those who listen to us for spiritual advice. Jesus demonstrated a beautiful balance between God’s grace and His holy standard; we should strive to do the same.

For example, Christians have been wrong to make a big deal of homosexuality while downplaying other sexual sins, such as cohabitation. Sexual sin is rampant, and all sexual sin causes some degree of damage to families and to society. In the modern era, many congregations and entire denominations have been silent about sex before marriage and about cohabitation without marriage. From what I have heard, the percentage of teenagers in America that have sex before marriage is about the same among church-going teens as among those that never attend worship services or youth group meetings. Furthermore, I cannot count the number of times I have seen a person who is living with someone they are not married to participate in the worship band simply because they have musical abilities. Their involvement in that way lifts these people up as leaders and “good examples”. That does more than ignore the sexual sin, it comes close to putting a stamp of approval on it. If we are condoning one type of sexual sin (cohabitation), we have no moral authority to condemn another type of sexual sin (homosexuality).

As humans we struggle to find balance. Most churches that I have knowledge of, have positioned themselves either too far on the condemning side, or too far on the “it doesn’t matter” side. Therefore, the Christian churches in America are one of the reasons America has the prevalence of homosexuality that it does. This must change! We must repent, and seek God’s help in finding His balance on this issue.

If you are reading the medium-length version or the full-length version of this series, the next lesson is: GENERAL POINTS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

The next lesson in Why Is That in the Bible? is: GENERAL POINTS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY