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I’m sure many of you have seen the story about “gay wedding” ceremonies being performed by a group in Baguio (a city here in the Philippines).  

My regular readers know where I stand on this, but I want to reiterate the biblical position for those who may be searching for the truth. What I’m about to say may not be popular, but that doesn’t really concern me.

What does the Bible really say about homosexuality? Let’s first consider three points:

The Biblical Foundation:

We need look no further than the second chapter of Genesis to see God’s original plan for love, sex and marriage:


That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. –Genesis 2:24

There you have it: God’s design for sex is one man and one woman in a covenant of marriage. He did not make a mistake when He set this standard. Jesus used this same passage when asked about marriage (Matthew 19:4-6), and Paul used it to address issues of sexual immorality in the early church (1st Corinthians 6:16).

The Biblical Condemnation:

The Old Testament law lists homosexual behavior among practices unacceptable to God:

Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
–Leviticus 18:22

The Book of Romans (New Testament) describes homosexual behavior as “unnatural”:


Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
–Romans 1:26-27

There are other Scriptures, but I’ll get to that later.

The Lack of Biblical Celebration:

The Bible repeatedly celebrates the relationship between husband and wife. Proverbs puts it this way:

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. 
–Proverbs 18:22

The Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs) celebrates the sexual love and desire between a young bride and her husband:

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
-Song of Solomon 1:2-4

But you won’t find a single verse in the Bible celebrating homosexual acts/relationships—not one! No gay “weddings,” no “Born this Way” lyrics, no indication that God blesses or condones any kind of same-sex union.

You can try to twist the Scriptures any way you like, but the Biblical message is clear: God’s plan for love and sex has not changed.

I’ve explained the biblical foundation, the biblical condemnation, and the lack of biblical celebration in regards to homosexuality. Now let me share one more thing:

The Biblical Solution—The Gospel:

Is there any hope for those who struggle with same-sex attraction? Yes! It’s the same hope that is available to murderers, adulterers, drug addicts, alcoholics, liars, churchgoers, preachers, campus ministers, and bloggers. We all desperately need the Gospel—the good news of a Savior who offers forgiveness to those who repent and believe.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord 
-Acts 3:19

This gospel has been changing lives since the ancient church. We see it in Paul’s admonitions to the believers in Corinth:


Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 
-1st Corinthians 6:9-11

Pay careful attention to the last two sentences (vs. 11). Those trapped in all kinds of sins (including homosexual sins) where changed by the power of the gospel!

Here’s what grieves me about churches that condone gay “weddings”: they have ignored the biblical definition of sin. This kind if teaching leaves us with people professing to be Christian, yet rejecting the clear teachings of Scripture.


Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 
–Isaiah 5:20

Earlier I mentioned the word “repent.” This word indicates a change of mind and a change of direction in one’s life. Repentance is agreement with God on the nature of sin and my need for the life-changing gospel. I don’t need salvation if I can conveniently ignore or redefine sin. I don’t need to repent from sexual immorality if there is no such thing!

Let me summarize the Gospel and how it relates to sexual purity:

1. All of us have sinned and fallen short. God’s holy nature required payment (sacrifice) to atone for our sins. God does not ignore sin or change his mind about it. Instead, He has dealt with it in a way that his consistent with His holy nature. Salvation is offered freely to those who repent and believe in the gospel:


For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood 
–Romans 3:23-25

2. Followers of Jesus Christ are called to be holy. This means avoiding all forms of sexual immorality:

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 
-1st Thessalonians 4:3-8

Final Thoughts:

I’m sure some of you reading this post are still convinced I’m wrong. I would encourage you to keep studying and reading the Scriptures. I pray your eyes will be opened to the true power of the gospel.

But I’m mainly writing this for those who are genuinely searching for answers. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it’s still the truth. Don’t accept a counterfeit gospel. 

Note:

I would highly recommend the Bagong Pag-asa Ministry to those (here in the Philippines) struggling with same-sex attraction. International readers should visit Exodus International Ministries.

There’s something that’s been on my mind for quite some time. I’ve been meaning to write a post about it, but it’s taken me some time to really process what I want to say. Or maybe it’s just that I rarely have profound thoughts, so I wanted to hang on to this one and milk it for all it’s worth.

It came to mind again during a recent Bible study with students. We were studying the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. I’ll explain for those who may not be familiar with the story:

Jesus was passing through Jericho, and a large crowd had gathered to see him. Zacchaeus, the local tax collector, also wanted to see. But he was a short man, so his only option was to climb a tree. Jesus saw him, called him by name, and asked to eat with him. This didn’t make the crowd very happy:


But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. –Luke 19:7

We must consider a few things before pointing our fingers at this self-righteous crowd. Zacchaeus was probably the most hated man in the whole town. He was working for the Roman government, the oppressor of the Jewish people. To make matters worse, he abused his power as tax collector by collecting more than the set tax in order to line his own pockets.

Let’s consider another little cultural factor. Zacchaeus was most likely treated as a Gentile (non-Jew) by the residents of Jericho.  This means no self-respecting Jew would go into his house—the act itself would be considered “unclean.”

Put all this together and you see why this was such a big deal. Jesus overlooked all the “good” people and chose to have lunch with this pint-sized, good-for-nothing lowlife.

That brings me to the point.  Here’s what I find so disturbing about Jesus:

1. Jesus was the holiest man to ever live.
2. Jesus often associated with the unholiest of people.

The holiest man associated with the unholiest of people—without compromising in any way. I could call these truths “challenging,” but that just wouldn’t cut it.

Like many Christians, I have failed to be like Jesus on both points. I have failed to strive for the personal holiness that God requires of me. Many times I’ve compromised and acted more like I belong to the world than to Jesus. I’ve also been guilty of replacing holiness with man-made, superficial rules.

The second truth is what really gets me—the whole “friend of sinners” thing. I think I’m beginning to make progress. Being a missionary does have its advantages: there’s something about coming into a culture as an “outsider” that helps you see thing in a different light.   I’ve had to learn a different culture in order to relate to people very different than myself.

But I still have a long way to go. God reminded me of this a few years ago while I was having lunch in the “u belt.” The place where I usually eat was too crowded, so I found somewhere else to eat. They restaurant next door had chicken adobo (one of my favorites), so it looked like a good choice.

All the tables on the lower floor were occupied, so I went to the second floor. But there was a problem—the second floor was the smoking section. I didn’t want to smell cigarettes while I was eating. I also didn’t want to go back to campus smelling like cigarettes. But I had little choice, so I reluctantly sat down and ate with the smokers.

God had a little surprise in store for me. I ended up having a long conversation with five male students from my target campus. They were very friendly and asked questions about what I was doing. I don’t remember the details of the conversation, but I do remember the lesson: I almost missed an opportunity to share because I was so concerned about the smoke. I wrote about this event in my journal with the heading, Pharisee in the Smoking Section.

I believe God has called His followers to live with an uncomfortable tension—living a holy life while relating to an unholy world. But we like comfort, so we quickly settle for something less than what Jesus modeled.  

Maybe we need to take a fresh look at Jesus. Let’s see just how radical his life was—look at how many times the religious folks complained at the company he kept. See how scandalously close He lived to those who needed Him the most.

Ask Him to show you where you are falling short. Maybe you, too, will be divinely disturbed.

The GCF Connect Ministry is offering a free anger management seminar on June 25, 8:00 a.m. at GCF Ortigas.  You can read more about it here:

GCF Call Center Ministry: Anger Management

Hey guys,
I'll be on the Word Up show this Sunday, 8PM on Zoe TV (Channel 33).  We'll be talking about the way media influences young people's perspectives on love.  You'll see me interviewed alongside a pocketbook author.