Upside Down... As Christians, How Should We Respond To Homosexuality?

   The purpose of this series of articles is to examine, from a scriptural perspective, issues that are turning our culture as a nation upside down!  Thus far we have looked at three issues that have contributed to our moral decline as a society: open acceptance of homosexuality, legalized gay marriage, public support for the transgender lifestyle.  As Christians, how should we respond to homosexuality?

   Our response should be two-fold.  First, we should recognize the immorality of the gay lifestyle.  As brought out in previous articles, the Bible is not vague on the subject. Homosexuality is clearly, emphatically and repeatedly condemned in scripture in both the Old and New Testaments (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:27; 1 Cor. 6:9).  As noted, God destroyed cities (Gen. 19), and the tribe of Benjamin was nearly wiped out (Jgs. 19-20) because of sexual immorality.  Homosexuality was highlighted among the sexual sins in both cases.
   Determining the rightness or wrongness of any issue, including homosexuality, is not a matter of majority opinion.  Nor is it up for popular vote.  The movers and shakers in the gay movement have been very effective in reshaping and glorifying the social image of homosexuality.  But a society’s mindset does not determine righteousness.  God has declared homosexuality to be sin, and we cannot stand righteous before God if we approve and condone what He has clearly called sin!  “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20).
   We must stand against all unrighteousness.  That’s central to being the seasoning salt and shining lights that Jesus stated we should be as His faithful followers (Matt. 5:13-16).  We need to remember that when Jesus came as the Savior almost everybody rejected Him (Isa. 53:3), but that did not change the truthfulness of what He taught.  Truth is truth whether anybody believes it or not.
   The second way we should respond to homosexuality is that we need to love those caught up in the homosexual lifestyle.  As Christians we need to demonstrate God’s love.  God loved mankind so much that He sent His Son to the cross to pay the price for our sins (Jn. 3:16).  God demonstrated His love for us in a most graphic way through the death of Christ.  None of us deserved such love.  We were still sinners, enemies of God, when Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-10).
   The message of the gospel is a message of love.  It calls all people to come to the Savior for forgiveness and salvation (Matt. 11:28-30).  At the same time the gospel calls for repentance.  When Jesus began His public ministry he called for people to “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17).  Jesus did not come to save people in their sins, He came to save them from their sins. 
   We need to love those caught up in homosexuality enough to patiently and kindly reach out to them with the gospel and teach them how they can be forgiven and be victorious over sin through Jesus Christ.  We cannot compromise the truth, but they need to see the love of God in us…