Journal: The Sins of Homosexuality

"With his life, David had sinned grievously against God’s commandment. Since, however, he confessed his sin and in so doing confirmed God’s commandment instead of changing it, much preferring to punish himself than punish God’s commandment, thus the sin was forgiven and did not harm him. On the other hand, Saul sinned and then justified and defended his sin, thus defaming and canceling God’s commandment, as if he were in the right and God were a liar and in the wrong. That could not be forgiven him." (Martin Luther, Luther's Works, vol. 34, p. 78)

 

 There's so much confusion about homosexuality in our culture.  Unfortunately, the church has added to that confusion rather than helped to clear it up.  The question that most people seem to ask about this issue is whether or not homosexuality is a sin that condemns people to hell.  It's really two questions in one.  The first question asks whether homosexuality is a sin.  The second wants to know if it is a damning sin. The questions are both valid and flawed.  They speak to the issue and they obscure a greater issue.  Still, the answers to these questions is clear, providing we're willing to listen to God's Word without the filters of our own agendas.

There's little doubt to a serious reader of the Bible that homosexuality is a sin.  God's commandment is clear.  Any sexual activity outside of marriage as it was designed and intended by God is sinful.  So is sexual activity within a marriage that is selfish, or self-serving, or laced with lustful thoughts of other people, or used for manipulation, or ...  This underscores the problem with this question.  There is much that is sin in our world.  Fixating on one sin while turning a blind eye to others is horribly dangerous.  Condemning one sin while endorsing and promoting others is spiritually disastrous. Homosexuality is a sin, but it is not the sin.  It is not a worse sin because it is personally offensive.  It is not a lesser sin because its practitioners truly love and are committed to one another.  It is a sin.  Nothing more, nothing less.

The fact that the Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is a sin should settle the matter for the church.  Unfortunately, there are many in the church who disregard the authority of God's Word.  They have clever and convincing (albeit self-convincing) explanations for rejecting the Bible.  This is nothing new.  Since the Fall man has resisted God's Word.  The current fashion of "changing ... defaming, and canceling God's commandment" (see Luther's comment above) is an age-old disease of man's sinful heart.  It should not surprise us when people within and outside of the church fall under its spell.  Instead, we should redouble our efforts to guard against our own tendencies to do the same thing under a different heading of sin.  How we deal with God's Word on the issue of homosexuality, or any other sin, speaks very clearly to the second question under consideration.

The question of whether or not the sin of homosexuality condemns a person to hell is terrible question in several ways.  It belies the self-righteousness of those who are opposed to homosexuality.  If offends the weak Christian who struggles with the sin of homosexuality to the point of stumbling.  But most troubling of all, it makes nothing of the righteousness that comes to us by the blood of Jesus, the blood that was shed for the forgiveness of all of our sins.  Anyone and everyone who trusts in Christ for this righteousness is assured that his sins have been forgiven -- whether they are heterosexual, homosexual, or asexual sins.  Sin does not and cannot condemn a person to hell if that person confesses that sin and looks to Christ for forgiveness.  Call God a liar, concerning either this incredible grace or His commandment to be pure, and there is no forgiveness.  Hell awaits such a person, whatever his sexual orientation.