“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” (Romans 1:26–27, KJV 1900)
All you need to do is watch the news over the past decade to realize that we are in a cultural war over sexuality. The simple fact is that it is not a new thing. This war began with the fall of man in the garden when sin entered humanity. As I mentioned yesterday, God then gave humanity over to their fleshly appetites and in their depraved state they departed from the beauty of God’s design for human sexuality.
I have met a lot of people in my time of serving the Lord. In an attempt to witness, I generally build sincere relationships with them. Once they gain trust, one of the questions they often ask is, “Is it wrong for people to participate in an alternative sexual lifestyle.” They generally are referring to homosexuality or lesbianism. I usually respond by asking them a question, “What do you think the Bible says about it?” Often this is enough to answer the question, but sometimes they will ask, what does the Bible have to say and do you think the Bible is correct?
Here is how I generally respond. Let us not talk right now about what the Bible says we should not do. Let us rather talk about what the Bible says is correct regarding human sexuality. Then I will inform them that God’s beautiful plan for sexuality has never changed. Right from the beginning, in the book of Genesis it states, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, KJV 1900) A few thousand years later, Jesus reinforced this same truth (Matt 19:5; Mark 10:7). The Apostle Paul echoed the sentiment in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph 5:31). God’s beautiful plan for human sexuality is for one man and one woman who are married to each other to enjoy a sexual relationship with each other. Every form of sexual conduct outside of this is outside of God’s design and therefore wrong (See 1 Cor 6:9; 1 Tim 1:10; Heb 134; Rev 21:8; 22:15).
Then people might say, look, the thing against homosexual conduct is from the Old Testament, not a New Testament teaching. Then I will ask, “Have you read the entire New Testament?” Generally, they have not. So, I will refer them to this passage, Romans 1:26-27, or other passages such as I have listed in the previous paragraph. The other argument they might then bring up is that those prohibitions were cultural for that day. My response is this, “Has God changed His design for human sexuality? Remember, He is immutable, He never changes.”
When you encounter discussions like this, I have found it best to ask questions which will provoke thought. Generally, people will answer their own question. But then if they persist, I will speak more about God’s perfect plan and that when people choose to go outside of His plan, they transgress His will.
Renewing the Heart 