God loves everyone and wants all to be a part of His family. How does being a “homosexual” fit into the family of God? Does God love the sinner? Yes. Does God hate the sin? Yes. To understand homosexuality and salvation in God’s Kingdom we must understand what sin is and what must be done to overcome sin.
God starts out His human family creation in Genesis 1:25-31 with some remarkable and telling statements. He tells us He made “male and female”. He told them to “replenish” the earth. He finishes by saying “…God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…”. In the beginning we learn God made males and females both animal and human to procreate. Why would God make His very first command to humanity to be to procreate? We learn in Rom. 8:14-17 God is adopting sin free humanity into His Holy family. This is the purpose of mankind-to be a part of the family of God. Only males and females can create children for this glorious purpose of mankind. God wants us in His family.
What does the Bible say directly about being a homosexual who practices the sin of sexual perversion? Gen. 19 the two angels travel to Sodom to remove Lot from the sin city. One of the great sins of the city was homosexuality. This removing of Lot from Sodom occurred during the Days of Unleavened Bread which symbolize removing sin from our lives. See also II Peter 2:6-8. Lev. 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Lev. 20:13 Homosexual acts received the death penalty. Rom. 1:24,25-26 …” men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men…”. I Cor. 6:9-10” abusers of themselves with mankind” will not inherit God’s Kingdom. I Tim. 1:9-10 “Defile themselves with mankind”. God condemns “gender confusion”, “cross dressers “and the “effeminate” (I Cor. 6:9, 16, 18; Deut. 22:5). Homosexuality is a sin and worthy of the death penalty from God. Both the Old and New Testament’s make no distinction as both the Old and New, condemn homosexual behavior.
I John 3:4 “Sin is the transgression of the law.” Sin is any deviation from following God’s law. Homosexual activity is a deviation from the God ordained purpose of mankind. Therefore, it breaks God’s law. The penalty for sin is “death’ (Rom. 6:23a). God lumps the sin of homosexuality in with, adultery (Ex. 20:14); Pre-marital sex and or prostitution (Deut. 23:17,18); incest (Lev. 18:6-18; 20:11-12); sex trafficking (Lev. 19:29); homosexual activity (Lev. 18:22); bestiality (Lev. 18:23); rape (Deut. 22:25-27); carnal mindedness is enmity against God (Rom. 8:6-8). These deviant anti-Biblical sinful activities are NOT to be practiced by believers. These sins of sexual dysfunction produce an end result of separation from God and death (Rom. 6:23 and I John 3:4). Sexual sins of all types are not the acts of love but of lust and are condemned by God.
At the very end of the Bible in the word of God we read two condemning statements. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:7-8). Continuing on, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter though the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” (Rev. 22:14-15.) God makes these two extremely clear statements at the end of the age, obey Him and live, disobey Him and die. The “sexually immoral” are specifically mentioned as disobedience to His offer of salvation and those who practice it will be burned up in the lake of fire.
True love is unselfish. True love is not dominated by lust and covetous which is the basis for all deviant sexual behavior (Ex. 20:17; Matt: 5:28). Let there be no misunderstanding, homosexual sex is “deviant sexual behavior”. Is there then hope of salvation for the homosexual? Yes! God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Repentance is the key!! Repentance is the key for all mankind, no matter the sin. Repentance means to change from, turn around, sin NO more. Peter said, “Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord…; (Acts 3:19). To be saved we must all repent and STOP sinning. For the homosexual who is converted to Christ he/she MUST stop the deviant sexual behavior by repenting of sin, sinning no more and being baptized into the family of God.
Suggested readings are: https://www.cscog7.org/god-is-forgetful/ “God is forgetful” and https://www.cscog7.org/sin-what-is-it/ “What is sin.”
