HomoSexuality & Marriage - A Biblical Perspective
In this section we will look at what is the Biblical perspective regarding Homo Sexual Marriage. We hear it every where- human rights movement supporting Homosexuality.
We may even ask? Is it not wrong to forbid people from being with their loved ones while the Bible talks about loving one another and to love others as yourself! Shouldn't homosexual marriages be legalised so they can live peacefully?
We have to address this step-by-step to arrive at a conclusive answer. We will look at what love, marriage and sex in the view of the Bible. Finally we will introduce the human rights factor to this discussion.
Let's first have a look at what love is!
What is love?
There are many things that can be said about love, but we'll keep it to a Biblical perspective. Four words/types of love in Greek- Agape, Storge, Philia & Eros (-God's (unconditional) Love; Parents' (family) Love, Brotherly (friendly) Love; Romantic love). First 3 has been used in the Bible, but the forth word eros (Romantic love) is not mentioned in the Bible (NT) but is implied from the context. Of all these words agape is used extensively throughout the Bible. This means that the Bible gives a different dimension to love in general!
It should be noted that the word eros do not explicitly mean sexual love- it is romantic love which may or may not involve sex. In English, Lust is the sexual expression of love.
When we look at the dialogue between two lovers in the Bible, it is very romantic:
Let us get up early to the vineyards;
Let us see if the vine has budded,
Whether the grape blossoms are open,
And the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love. (Song 7:12)
Lust is the sexual expression of love. And lust may or may not involve feelings and history shows that lust do not necessarily need any involvement of "love" as it comes to our mind.
Marriage in the view of the Bible
Now lets look at what does Bible speaks about marriage. In Genesis:
And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
(Gen 2:18-24)
Jesus quoted this to the Pharisees:
And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female,'
"and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
"So then, they are no longer two but one flesh....." (Mt 19:4-6)
Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. (Heb 13:4)
Sexuality in the Bible
The Bible talks about sexual act as “knowing”. Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain,..." (Gen 4:1). Other terms like “humbling” (Deut 22:29), “going in to”(Gen 16:4, 2 Sam 12:24), “to lay with” (2 Sam 12:24), "uncover the nakedness of" (Lev 18:6), "the bed of love" (Eze 23:17) are also used.
Bible condemns the illicit use of sexuality.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Cori 6:15-20)
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1 Cori 3:16-17)
Because of these strong message about sexuality, some have the idea that sexuality as in the Bible is only for procreation! Some church organisations hold this idea and forces on its subjects. But this is not biblical. First of all, if it was only intended for procreation, then God would not have given us the ability to have pleasure in sexuality anytime we want. Like most animals it would have been then a seasonal instinct.
Further Bible advices sexual enjoyment (fulfilment of lust) within the marriage:
Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured
with her love. (Prov 5:18-19) Hebrew – a-hab-aw' – feminine form of affection meaning love (GK -philia!)
It further explains why it has to be so: For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? (Prov 5:20)
The following further explains sexuality within marriage:
Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. (1 Cori 7:1-5)
Again, sexuality is to be enjoyed between one man and one woman!
Homosexuality in view of Bible
Homosexuality is widely mentioned in the Bible. Actually, the Bible condemns homosexuality as sin and abomination for God.
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. (Lev 18:22)
If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. (Lev 20:13)
as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)
In the Epistle to the Romans, it is given why homosexuality is sin:
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man; and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; (Rom 1:20-28)
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Rom 1:32)
Some may say that since the law was for the Jews and since Jesus fulfilled the law, there is no need to observe anything. But we read in the Book of Acts what is still valid for all gentiles turning to God through grace in Jesus Christ:
"Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, "but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. "For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts 15:19-21, 28-29; 21:25)
What about the "Gay" gene?
Some say since homosexuality is genetically determined, these people have no choice. Xq28 is a genetic marker on the X chromosome found by Dean Hamer and his colleagues in 1993. This has been called the “gay gene”. But, this terminology "Gay gene" is an inaccurate dubbing- his findings has been disputed for many reasons including of using selective data. Until now, no simple, single cause for sexual orientation has been conclusively demonstrated.
"Many scientists share the view that sexual orientation is shaped for most people at an early age through complex interactions of biological, psychological and social factors."the American Psychological Association
"I know of no one in the field who argues that homosexuality can be explained without reference to environmental factors." Sociologist Steven Goldberg.
So we cannot say that some one is born homosexual!
Human Rights factor
The human-rights activists argue that homosexuals are born inherently the way they are. Many believe that "it will help gay and lesbian rights very much if homosexuality were found to be biologically determined". But we already seen that it is not biologically determined but rather a developed behaviour.
Next is the argument that there is discrimination against homosexuals! As per most civil law, any person can marry whoever he or she wishes. There are certain restrictions that are valid for everyone - marrying a child/ under age partner, some one who is a close blood relative, a married person, or a person of the same sex. These restrictions apply to everyone and hence there is no discrimination involved. The problem is, some people don't want any kind of restrictions which is the spirit of chaos!
The Bible says:
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. (1 Thes 4:3-8)
Now coming to teaching of “loving others” and the right to be with the person whom you love. When we examine the passage related to love we see that it is “agape” that is mentioned there and not any other form of love. Expressions of love such as hug and kiss are not related to sex even though they are involved in the lustful expression of love. Technically, it is OK if a couple are not involved in expression of sexual love. Once they are involved in the act of sex, they are married in the eyes of God – because they become one body!
Hence marriage is exclusively meant between one male & a female. But, nobody can prevent someone from doing such things that are not Biblical. And sexual immorality is one sin that the devil tries to spread because he knows by that one destroys the “temple of God” that should had been used for His glory.
So then how should we react to such situation/behaviours? We cannot approve this behaviour as believers, but this does not give anyone the license to condemn them. God will judge everyone for what they have done. We only have the moral responsibility to tell the truth. If they accept, then God is able to change any situation. Loving someone does not mean that we love everything they do. Hence homo marriages cannot be legalised but that doesn't mean that these people should be persecuted. Jesus love the sinners but hated their sin. By showing them love, we could reach out to them.
More than a psychological disorder, its a spiritual disease! And as with any disease, it needs treatment. Let's pray that God will give wisdom and understanding to those who are facing this. There are some who misquote the Scriptures to show that homosexuality is approved for the NT believers. Sadly these were the ones who have been deceived by the master deceiver. These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage (Jude 1:16). And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts (Rev 9:21). May the Lord grand us His grace to keep ourself clean from any uncleanness.
Further References :
- Biology & Sexual Orientation Wikipedia.
- Homosexual relations and the Bible A study from Witness Today
- The American Psychological Association's pamphlet Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality
- When Wish Replaces Thought: Why So Much of What You Believe is False Goldberg, Steven Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books (1994).
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