What Is God's Response to the Gay Lifestyle?

Let’s start out with this question today. What Is God’s Response to the Gay Lifestyle? And the follow-up question to that is what should your response be as a child of God to this lifestyle choice? And I say choice because it is a choice. Robert L. Spitzer, the Columbia University psychiatry professor who convinced the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1973, is now stirring controversy again by saying that homosexuals can change their orientation—if they want to. “The subjects’ self-reports of change appear to be, by and large, valid, rather than gross exaggerations, brainwashing or wishful thinking,” he summarizes. Spitzer interviewed 153 men and 47 women who said counseling had helped to change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. ABC News sums up the data: “66 percent of the men and 44 percent of the women reached what he called good heterosexual functioning—a sustained, loving heterosexual relationship within the past year, getting enough emotional satisfaction to rate at least a 7 on a 10-point scale.”¹ God’s Response to the Gay Lifestyle that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Abominable Sins

The word ‘abomination’ occurs 117 times in the Old Testament.
Here is the first place it occurs in the Bible.

Genesis 43:32 (ESV) — 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

The Egyptians would not eat with the descendants of Abraham because to do so was an abomination to them.

What Is an Abomination?

So now, what is an abomination?
The Hebrew word ‘abomination’ means something which causes horror and disgust in others.
An abomination is something that offends your sensibilities.
In the case of the Lord, it’s something that offends His sensibilities.
Ask yourself, what is an abomination to you?
What offends your sensibilities?
One writer says that abomination is the turning of one’s self away from on account of the stench; to feel nausea or loathing for food; anything that produces moral loathing or disgust; an abomination.²

An ‘Abominables’ List

So Genesis 43 is the first place the word ‘abomination’ appears but there are other ‘abominables’ in scripture.

Abominable Offerings

Isaiah 1:13 (ESV) — 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Vain offerings are an abomination to the Lord.
What are vain offerings?
It is where one is knowingly continuing to sin while going through the motions of religious duties.
Israel did this when they snorted idols, all the while making sure they offered the seasonal sacrifices mentioned in the Torah.
Maybe they were trying to keep up appearances?
Offerings also bore the label of useless or ‘why did you even bother’ when someone came to bring their gift to the altar, knowing that they had just committed an atrocity against their neighbor.

Micah 2:2 (ESV) — 2 They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.

Destroying men while trying to appease God is vanity, the Lord said.

Abominable Foods

Eating certain kinds of food was abominable.

Deuteronomy 14:3 (ESV) — 3 “You shall not eat any abomination.

Abominable Taking of Life

Ezekiel 22:2 (ESV) — 2 “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to her all her abominations.

Premeditated murder is an abomination to the Lord.

Dishonesty

Deuteronomy 25:15–16 (ESV) — 15 A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.

Dishonest financial dealings are also an abomination to the Lord.

Proverbs 11:1 (ESV) — 1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.

Seven More Abominations

Proverbs 6:16–19 (KJV) — 16 These six things doth the LORD hate: Yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, Feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

Add some of these to the list above.
- A proud look
- A lying tongue
- Shedding innocent blood
- A wicked heart that devises evil
- Feet that are quick to do evil
- False testimony
- A sower of strife

Wrong Sex

Wrong sex is the sin everyone seems to hone in on.

Adultery

Ezekiel 33:26 (ESV) — 26 You rely on the sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land?

Incest

Ezekiel 22:11 (ESV) — 11 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.

Cross Dressing

Deuteronomy 22:5 (ESV) — 5 “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.

Prostitution

Deuteronomy 23:18 (ESV) — 18 You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

Same-Sex Sins

Leviticus 18:22 (KJV) — 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

So, here is the point of all this up to now: homosexuality and lesbianism is an abomination unto the Lord.
But, these abominations are not ranked in terms of severity.
One abomination is not worse than another.
They are all unbecomingly bad in God’s sight, and no follower of God should have any part of any of them.
Repeating, the gay lifestyle is not the only abomination in God’s sight.
Don’t forget that there are other ‘abominables:’ murder, dishonesty, worshiping false gods, adultery, cross-dressing, sowing strife, devising evil and being quick to do it, etc.
Why do you make this point?
Here’s why: it’s vital to make sure that you are just and right in your value system.
God is a fair and righteous judge straight across the board, and you, as His child, should be like Him.
Don’t ‘overreact’ to one particular abominable at the expense of all the others.
Often, we have a Sodom and Gomorrah response to LGBT.
That is, we want to reign fiery brimstone judgment down on the purveyors of this lifestyle.
I’m going to repeat it; there are more ‘abominables’ than just one.
So, ask yourself, do you a proportionate response to the other ‘abominables’ of scripture?

Five Main Passages on Homosexuality

So, here is what the Bible says God’s opinion is of the gay lifestyle.
These verses are what He thinks about it, what He says about it.
Now, remember those who say in our culture that you are entitled to an opinion are wrong.
If you have an opinion that is different than God’s opinion than it’s your opinion, that’s wrong.
Having a different opinion than our all-seeing, all-knowing God is automatically error.
Five main passages speak to the issue of the gay lifestyle.
The first two are in the Old Testament in Leviticus.

Leviticus 18:22 (KJV) — 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 (KJV) — 13 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.

The next three are in the New Testament.

Romans 1:24–27 (ESV) — 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (KJV) — 9 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, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 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.

1 Timothy 1:9–10 (ESV) — 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,

So, God’s thoughts on homosexuality are not just found in the Old Testament.
His Word span both Covenants on this issue.
These are His thoughts as to what constitutes righteousness.
A lesbian – gay lifestyle is an abomination.
It is unrighteousness, period.
The idea that it’s okay for a Pastor to be gay or a Bishop to be a lesbian did not originate in the scriptures.
You have to have the wrong kind of interpretative help to believe that.
With that being said, the question we need to ask is what is God’s response to the gay lifestyle because His feelings should be our response.
Is the firestorm at Sodom and Gomorrah, God’s only specific response to homosexuality, or did we miss something in that story?
So, let’s look at the happenings at Sodom and Gomorrah, specifically what we might have missed.

Sodom and Gomorrah: What We Missed

God’s judgment on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is, in some circles, the only way they know to view the gay lifestyle.
They look at gay people through the sunglasses of judgment.
Because they do, they fight this sin; fuss about it; they protest against it.
Maybe they secretly wonder if another round of fire and brimstone is what’s needed to get everything under control.
But, the ‘way of judgment’ is not your way.
Jesus said it wasn’t your way.

Luke 9:51–56 (ESV) — 51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.

Calling down fire should not be in your DNA.
It’s not the manner of a spirit you are of.
What Spirit are you of?
You are of the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of mercy, who is the Spirit of compassion, who is the Spirit of generosity, who is the Spirit of love.
Love doesn’t try to destroy people with fire; it tries to save people from the fire.
This judgmental-ism is a weak reaction for believers, and it is simply unrighteous.
Knowing that God is a fair and righteous God, ask yourself this question.
Where would we be if God rained down fire and brimstone on ALL the abominations on the list we looked at?
Have you ever got over into pride, have you ever had a proud look?
When you did, were you worried that fire may fall on you?
People think raining fire on the gay lifestyle is God’s only response.
Some believers try to emulate what they think the Lord did at Sodom and Gomorrah.
They try to rain down their version of fire when they encounter gay people.
Ill-tempered believers rain fiery rhetoric on the gay community.
They rain fiery disgust on the gay movement.
Some even rain fiery notes of separation, saying we want nothing to do with none of you.
Well, that can’t be right.
Jesus said, ‘Go into all the world and make disciples.’
How can you lead people into the Kingdom if you won’t have anything to do with them?
All these adverse reactions link back to this one account in Genesis nineteen.
But, step back and ask yourselves some questions about what happened there.
Questions like, if God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of homosexuality, then how come He hasn’t destroyed any other gay laced city or nation or empire in the same way since then?
Today there are many countries considered ultra gay-friendly.
- Argentina
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- France
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Luxembourg
- New Zealand
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Uruguay³
In one list on the internet, the nation of Israel was even on the list.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Israel are the most developed in the Middle East, and among the most tolerant in Asia.⁴
Israel is considered the gay capital of the Middle East.⁵
Why hasn’t God reigned down fire on all of these countries?
What are you saying?
People need Jesus.
They can’t find the Jesus they need if our only response to them is to burn them all with fire and brimstone one.
Now think about it, thousands of years have gone by since Genesis nineteen, and no other city experienced a fire and brimstone judgment.
So, ‘What gives, God – are you partial’?
Well, you know He is not so let’s take a closer look at Genesis nineteen.

Another look at Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19:1 (ESV) — 1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth

The angels came to Sodom in the evening.
One commentator said the distance was 20 miles.⁶
The same angels who came to Sodom in the evening were the same angels who went with the Lord to visit Abraham during the morning.
One commentator said this about the time the angels visited Sodom and Gomorrah.

in the evening. Considering the distance between Abraham’s camp and Sodom (20 miles), it may not be the same day. Etymologically, the Hebrew term for “evening” means “black.” The physical darkness of the city, with the setting of the sun, matches the moral blackness of the events that follow.⁷

Lot Is Sitting in the Gateway

The gateways of walled cities, as well as the open spaces near them, were popular places for meeting or gathering, and often the elders of the city met there to judge the affairs of the city.⁸
What does that mean, Lot was sitting in the gate of the city?
It means he was an accepted member of the city, and he was doing business in the city.
Sitting in the gate also means that he was partaking of the city as a ruler of the affairs, not necessarily speaking against what was going on.
Here is what the IVP Bible Background says.

In ancient cities the gate area functioned as a public square. Its constant flow of people made it the ideal place for businessmen to set up their booths and for judges to hear cases. The fact that Lot is sitting in the gate suggests he was doing business there and had been accepted in the community of Sodom.⁹

Now, remember what lead up to these two angels visiting Sodom in Genesis nineteen in the first place.
The Lord and two angels visited Abraham in Genesis eighteen.
Part one of the visit was to inform Abraham that Sarah would get pregnant with Isaac in a year’s time.
The second piece of business was the happenings in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 18:20–21 (ESV) — 20 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

You remember that after this, Abraham spoke with God openly about sparing the city if there were at least ten righteous there.
The God of the Universe and Abraham, His servant went back and forth discussing this issue.
The result of this prayer encounter was that the Lord agreed not to destroy the city if there were ten righteous found within their borders.
Now, you have to get that; the issue was the number of righteous in the city, not the sin of homosexuality.
The lack of finding ten righteous in these multiple cities is the primary key to putting this whole judgment in perspective.
The fact is that when the dust settled, there were not even ten good people in all of Sodom, all of Gomorrah, and all of the cities of the plain.
That’s multiple cities, a great number of people, and no righteous people.

Genesis 19:25 (ESV) — 25 And he overthrew those cities, AND all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

None righteous, no not one, in this whole area.
Now, you must realize this; there were other grievous sins in this geographical area.
You have to know that homosexuality wasn’t the only sin the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of.
Sodom and Gomorrah was a sin cesspool.
There was a lot of unrighteousness going on there.
It’s the same today as any city.
Don’t you think some murders took place in Sodom and Gomorrah?
What about proud looks, that God said are an abomination to Him?
Weren’t they some Sodomites and Gomorrah-ites who were guilty of a proud look?
What about dishonest dealings?
Do you think any of the inhabitants of this region were guilty of this abominable?
What about six things that God hates, yea, seven are an abomination to Him?
Surely, all of these other ‘abominables’ were ongoing in this city.
The Canaanites lived there.
Idol worshiping, demon worshiping, sacrificing their children to little g gods, Canaanites.
So, it wasn’t one individual sin that brought fiery judgment down; it was a whole host of sins.
The place was decadent, a total cesspool of iniquity to the point that there were not even ten clean and righteous people found there.
Consider Lot for a moment.
Look at the phrase ‘all of the valley’ for a moment in Genesis 19:25.
The Lord overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, AND ‘all the valley.’
Remember that the city of Zoar was in that ‘all the valley’ area.
Zoar was scheduled for a sulfur showdown from heaven.
But, Lot asked to flee to that city, and the Lord told him that He would spare that place.

Genesis 19:20–22 (ESV) — 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

So, that means that God spared a city that had less than ten righteous in it for the sake of one family, Lot, his wife and his two daughters.
The cities ‘righteous census’ improved when Lot moved there.
Think about that?
Now, what happens in this city of Zoar?
What takes place?
The daughters of Lot commit incest with their father.
Incest? Where did that come from?
Lot’s daughters got that from their time living in Sodom and Gomorrah.
There was incest going on in those cities along with homosexuality, along with a whole host of other heinous activity.
Those two daughters got pregnant by getting their father drunk.
Where did they get that plan from?
Two children were born out of this wicked plot, and those two children were the fathers of the Ammonites and the Moabites – two of the main enemies of future Israel.
That’s Genesis 19:34–38.
Don’t you think the Lord knew that was going to happen?
So, you see, the sin of homosexuality was not the only cause of the downfall of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Fire and brimstone came because there were no righteous people left in the region besides the family of Lot.
And, that’s one of the reasons that fire and brimstone haven’t fallen or doesn’t fall on gay-friendly places today.
It’s because there are tons of righteous people there.
Listen to God’s MO in this Parable of Jesus.

Matthew 13:24–30 (ESV) — 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

God’s way is to let the wheat and tares grow together.
The problem seen in Genesis nineteen, in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, is that all of the inhabitants were tares.
There was no righteous wheat in all the region.
So, what does that mean for you and me?
It means that the mission hasn’t changed.
Jesus said, ‘Go out and make disciples of all nations.’
Don’t judge people by looking at their abominable sins; look at their salvation, which is only in Jesus.
So, what is God’s response to LGBT?
Let the wheat and the tares grow together, and when it’s time, God will do the separating.
Until then, go and preach the gospel.

More of Why Believing and Abiding Is the Key to the Happy Life

References:

Citation: Ted Olsen, “Gays can change, says Columbia University professor’s study,” Christianity Today Weblog (5–9–01), PreachingToday.com, More Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2003), 133. ↩
F. N. Peloubet, Suggestive Illustrations on the Gospel according to Matthew (New York: E. R. Herrick & Company, 1897), 386. ↩
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/15-best-countries-lgbtq-expats-n683201 ↩
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Israel ↩
https://www.misterbandb.com/gay-blog/3771-the-top–10-most-gay-friendly-countries ↩
Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 275. ↩
Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 275. ↩
James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 27–28. ↩
Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), Ge 19:2–3. ↩

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What Is God’s Response to the Gay Lifestyle?

Podcast: Light on Life Season 6 Episode 44

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

How do you practice abiding in the Word? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Stitcher Radio Google Play

iTunes

Abominable Sins

What Is an Abomination?

An ‘Abominables’ List

Abominable Offerings

Abominable Foods

Abominable Taking of Life

Dishonesty

Seven More Abominations

Wrong Sex

Adultery

Incest

Cross Dressing

Prostitution

Same-Sex Sins

Five Main Passages on Homosexuality

Sodom and Gomorrah: What We Missed

Another look at Sodom and Gomorrah

Lot Is Sitting in the Gateway

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

How do you practice abiding in the Word? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Episode Resources

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Stitcher Radio Google Play

iTunes

Abominable Sins

What Is an Abomination?

An ‘Abominables’ List

Abominable Offerings

Abominable Foods

Abominable Taking of Life

Dishonesty

Seven More Abominations

Wrong Sex

Adultery

Incest

Cross Dressing

Prostitution

Same-Sex Sins

Five Main Passages on Homosexuality

Sodom and Gomorrah: What We Missed

Another look at Sodom and Gomorrah

Lot Is Sitting in the Gateway

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