In his booklet What the Bible Says—and Doesn’t Say— about Homosexuality, Mel White makes the following claim: “The Bible is a book about God, about God’s love for the world and the people of the world. It is the history of God’s love at work rescuing, renewing, empowering humankind. It was never intended to be a book about human sexuality. Certainly, you will agree.”
Respectfully, I disagree with a part of Mel’s claim. Thankfully, the Bible is a book about God and His plan to rescue and restore the world through Jesus Christ. But from Genesis forward it is also a book about human sexuality. The very first chapter of the Bible says God created human beings “in His own image” as “male and female” (Genesis 1:27).
Human sexuality begins with gender. Jesus even pointed back to this most important aspect of our sexuality, “‘Haven’t you read the Scriptures?’ Jesus replied. ‘They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female’” (Matthew 19:4). Gender isn’t an incidental footnote about humanity. The Bible isn’t saying, “Oh, by the way, the Creator God made people in His image as male and female.” Both the Old and New Testament draw attention to gender because it is foundational to the message of God’s Word.
Contrary to what some in our culture proclaim, gender isn’t a man-made social construct. Masculinity and femininity are not the result of social engineering. Gender is one of the most basic and enduring aspects of God’s design for our lives. Natural sexual attraction for the opposite sex arises out of a God-given gender identity. And the more we walk in who we are as men and women, the more we can know the joy and purpose of reflecting the strength and compassion of our Creator (Psalm 62:11-12).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 10:1-23
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To those who may dismiss the importance of gender, respectfully ask them to consider these words of Jesus: “For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition” (Mark 7:8).
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What does being a man or a woman mean to you? Why is it vital that people truly understand the Bible’s instruction on sexuality?
kram4mark on October 23, 2011 at 8:47 am
thank you for gently pointing out the fact that God DOES NOT condone homosexuality. In fact it’s an abomination to Him.
milly on October 23, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Dear Mr. Olson:
With all due respect,I need to tell you that it is very easy to use one verse out of context. Jesus was talking about divorce, not sexuality.
Also, sexual orientation is not the same as gender. I am a woman, and I love being a woman, but I feel attracted to woman the same way I feel attracted to men.
For most heterosexual people, Christians and non Christians, it is so easy to judge and condem because you do not understand.
**TRY WALKING ONE DAY IN MY SHOES**
You, being a heterosexual man, have never thought about falling in love with another man. But try, and no matter how hard you try you won’t be able to if you indeed are heterosexual.
The same is true for us, gay people. We can’t try as hard as we can not to feel attracted by the same sex, but it is impossible.
I do not recall having decided to feel this way. But I know you don’t understand.
I used to be a homophobic because I thought that by hating it, I was going to stop being one.
We condem what we don’t understand.
Homosexuality it is a topic that needs to be studied deeply, and not just repeat what your pastor told you on SUnday. There are many preachers who have never being trainned in a seminary. But they speak with so much conviction against homosexuality. Anyone can get a Bible and interpret whatever the way they please :JIMJONES.
In conclusion, for you it maybe VERY easy to say it is wrong and that people can change. You don’t know what it means to feel afraid of ending up in hell. I have been taught that it was wrong, so I faught it. I faught it to the point of hating myself.
But you wouldn’t understand.
Anything that we can not explain we condem. You can tell me I can change and I will ask you: How do you know? You have never felt like this. And all those people who claimmed having been changed, they have probably change their way of living, but not their sexual orientation.
Thank you for reading
mamba on October 24, 2011 at 8:59 am
Homosexuality is like any other sin, some people are tempted to kill, other to fornicate, others to steal. no two people are tempted in the same areas.
Christians are not condemning anyone when we speak the truth, we are called to love all people regardless of what they do, but the Bible is clear, “‘If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” Leviticus 20:13
That is pretty clear. Christians don’t make the rules, they are called to obey them. I must confess, i do not always obey God, but i can admit my sins are sins, I confess them and I turn from them,with God’s help.
Satan has definitely blinded a lot of people into the belief that homosexuality is not like any other immoral behavior, a choice. God makes it clear that it is a choice, as is any other sin. Just as someone chooses have sex outside of marriage, another chooses to watch pornography, another chooses to steal, it’s all SIN!
God made a way to deliver all of us from ALL sin and ALL urges to act on our sinful nature, His son, Jesus Christ. If you believe in Him, accept Him as your Savior, you can overcome those urges to sin. He promised us that!! He will help us, but He never said it would be easy, but it can be done!
Jeff Olson on November 16, 2011 at 11:16 am
Milly, just wanted to let you know that I read through your post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This issue has obviously been a source of deep pain for you. I wish I could sit down and have a chat with you about this issue and what you’ve been through.
You are right in that homosexuality is a topic that we need to carefully look at. There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding out there both in Christian and secular circles.
One of the misunderstandings you spoke of involves the issue of choice. While I believe it is a choice whether or not to give into and feed sexual attractions for the same-sex, I don’t believe people initially choose to feel sexual attractions for the same gender. Instead, many years of counseling and listening to people’s stories who have wrestled with unwanted same-sex attractions have convinced me that the feelings are conditioned and stem from a combination of shaping influences in a person’s life. While there is not a one-size-fits-all explanation, I believe it’s important to carefully consider the many different factors and painful realities of living in a broken world that can condition people to develop such inclinations.
There is also an important distinction to be made between feeling the sexual attractions for the same sex and indulging them in fantasy or behavior. The sin of homosexuality the Bible speaks of is when a person fantasizes about or acts out on the attractions with another person of the same sex. But having the feelings, as unnatural as they are, is not a sin. Again, the feelings are not chosen. Many Christians fail to make this important distinction and end up saying condemning and hurtful things.
I also understand that you just can’t turn these feelings off. Many people will remain vulnerable to these feelings and urges for the rest of their lives. But those who commit to honor God’s design for sexual expression and engage in the process of getting their natural needs for same-sex love and acceptance met in ways God intended have found that the attractions can diminish to the point where no longer define their identity or determine their choices. This is indeed a difficult, long and scary process, but, for some, I’ve also seen natural sexual desires for opposite sex start to emerge and to replace unnatural desires.
One last thing…please know that I don’t believe that people who have homosexual feelings or even give into those feelings are automatically going to hell. To beat people over the head with this only adds to the problem. I know there are a lot of old school preachers (some of whom are well-meaning) who say the Bible teaches that those who engage in the sin of homosexuality will not enter the Kingdom of God. And they won’t without accepting the grace of Jesus. But this true for everyone last one of us. None of us will enter God’s Kingdom without accepting the grace of Jesus.
Salvation is a matter of personal faith—believing and accepting that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead for me. It’s not about correcting my wrong behavior and getting my act together. It’s about accepting Jesus as the only one who can rescue me from my sins. And it is available to anyone, no matter what they may be struggling with. All we have to do is receive what he’s done for us—that he’s paid the price for our sins so we don’t have to. Because of what he’s done, we can be completely forgiven of all of our sins and reconciled to God. That doesn’t mean God will erase the consequences of our sin today, but we don’t have the pay the eternal penalty for those sins. He’s already done that for us. That’s part one of the good news of Jesus.
bearpair on October 23, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Jeff, you did an admirable job of briefly & concisely responding to the White’s comments on the Bible & sexuality. When you could have easily slammed the door on the whole homosexuality issue, you chose to gently, yet cogently–in what limited space you had–bring the reader back to the very basics of what God has to say about the subject. I hope that “milly” will have the courage & will to do some reading & thinking about the Bible really says, rather than simply raising the defensive wall, that the Holy Spirit will guide her to His truth. Thanks, Jeff!
japandy on October 23, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Sorry because you guys more about the Bible than I do but Mr. Olson in the first chapter God tookthe rib of the man and made woman. He did not make two people but took one from the other, I believe?
I am not God’s judge and from the moment a person is born till the day they die they could convert to Christianity. In the New Testament Paul states many tmes we have to be understanding of people as we may effect their relationship with God. That relationship is between the individual and Jesus. Even a person who has commited the most awful crime and is sent to prison for life has the possibilty of finding God.
I believe in this world where wars are still going on, where people are starving and others need help in their fight with drugs on a daily basis there are a lot more pressing issues than a person’s sexual orientation.
I am married to a beautiful woman and we are blessed with a family but every person on this earth is my brother and sister and I treat them as if they are all Christians because one day they may be. I have many gay friends and I know some of them are Christians and I don’t think it is my place to tell them how to live their lives. The only thing Jesus has ever asked of me is TO LOVE ALL.
GChoo on October 23, 2011 at 6:19 pm
I have read this book by Mario Bergner ‘Setting Love in Order’. The author is a trained pastor and he was a homosexual in the past before becoming a pastor. Homosexual or not, do read it to have a deeper understanding about God’s perspective of sexuality, and hope and healing for the homosexual. God bless.
joo_sg on October 23, 2011 at 11:47 pm
I have pondered this issue of homsexuality as I have a friend who openly confessed one day to me and she told me though she has suitors, she does not want to end up hating herself one day if she chooses the “normal path”, denying and fighting her sexual preference because that’s the way she is made.
I came away from our meeting feeling very confused. I struggled and asked God is it true some people are born gay? Then I think I got my answer in Romans 1:18-32. God’s wrath is over mankind’s unrighteousness, dishonour and lack of thankfulness of Him. Despite His self-revelation to us through nature and His word, we refuse to acknowledge Him. Claiming to be wise we became fools, became futile in our thinking, and our foolish hearts were darkened.
Therefore He gave us up to the lusts of our hearts, all kinds of sexual impurity and dishonour of our body. Romans 1: 26-27 says “women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, ymen committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error”
Just as everyone of us is born with a sinful nature, it doesn’t mean we are to condone sin. Romans 5-6 is clear about teaching of sin and how we are to resist it. Any kind of sin can be enjoyable and hard to give up, such as laziness, kleptomania. And we may even reason with God that we are made that way. No matter how innate a sinful nature is within us, the message of the Christian is and has always been this:
“Whoever seeks to follow Christ must DENY HIMSELF, take up his CROSS and FOLLOW Him”.
mamba on October 24, 2011 at 9:39 am
AMEN! you couldn’t have said that any better!!
dameon on November 16, 2011 at 4:27 am
Mark 12:30v
You must love the Lord your God with all you heart,all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. 31The second is equally importan:Love your neighbor as yourself.’*No other commandent is greater than these.
Jesus naliled it all to the cross, no matter what sin it is it’s under the blood. I pray that God will give us the strength and courage to trust in Him. No matter what you’re going thur this battle is not yours it’s the Lords.
Be couragous and take heart that God loves you, God choose you and God has said that the good work he started in us He will see finished.
To God be the glory
As Christians we need to remember that our very words can lead souls to Christ Jesus or send them running. Let’s remember the fruits of the holy spirit and show some self control and kindness even when we think what is needed is truth.
I love because He first loved me
Blessings to All!
Dave on April 8, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Wow, so touched by the many comments and MIlly sharing her feelings and thoughts.
Milly I love you just the way you are because God loved me just the way I am and has taught me that His grace is sufficient to carry me to my heavenly destination.
You have a great deal of advice to ponder, but know that in the end God loves you as much as the rest of us! Be blessed!
maryanne_intia on April 2, 2014 at 10:53 pm
HI! Just want to ask what can I do to help my boyfriend who’s an ex-gay. He worked as a male escort before also. He’s a Christian and the youth leader of our church. Lately, I have been noticing that he has been acting weird and I have this feeling that he’s having tendencies to having those feelings/attraction to the same sex. I once talked to him about it and he told me that he was just waiting for God to exhaust/ change any homosexual tendencies left. He told me to wait for him for two years until God has changed him. What shall I do? Thanks and God bless!
Jeff Olson on April 3, 2014 at 3:53 pm
Maryanne, it’s generally a good idea to ask someone if their okay and need to talk if you see something building up inside of them, whatever it might be. Just asking and listening is a way to offer the compassion of Jesus to their broken places.
Your boyfriend’s desire to have God completely remove his same sex attractions is understandable. But one thing to keep tucked in the back of your mind is that the Bible doesn’t promise complete healing and freedom from any feeling or temptation this side of new creation. Yes, those who are in Jesus are new creations. When Jesus rose from the dead new creation began in powerful ways that bring profound changes in us and in our world, but it won’t be complete until Jesus returns and makes all things new. Only then will pain, sorrow, sin and temptations of all kinds be fully removed.