In these last few days, there have been
many news stories about homosexuals and marriage. The stories surround the United States
Supreme Court's hearings concerning the constitutionality of a homosexual
marriage ban approved by voters in the state of California. The lawyers who are attempting to overturn
the ban argue that marriage is a constitutionally protected civil right for
both heterosexuals and homosexuals. As
part of their argument, they state that the government cannot discriminate
against citizens because of who they love.
In attempting to make homosexuality an
issue about love, those who advocate for the practice have depicted their
opponents as being against love. This is
an effective tactic that has persuaded many people to change their views
concerning homosexuality. The logic of
this argument is that if homosexuality is an expression of love and if love is
good and pure, then homosexuality must also be good and pure. Therefore, to oppose homosexuality is to oppose
the goodness and purity of love.
This
argument is utterly false. Homosexuality
is not an expression of love at all, but rather it is a vile perversion of the
desires of the flesh. While a homosexual
person may have affection for another, his practice of homosexuality does not
manifest love, for it inflicts misery and degradation on all who are involved. Consider the apostle Paul's description of
the Gentiles' descent into homosexuality from Romans 1:26-27:
For this reason God
gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural
function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men
abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward
one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own
persons the due penalty of their error.
Notice
that this is not Paul's personal opinion formed by his own prejudices, but
rather this is a message of the Holy Spirit given to Paul by divine
inspiration. If anyone would attempt to
discredit Paul's writings, then let him be reminded that Paul is also the
writer of the great discourse on love from 1Corinthians 13. This same writer in the same book also wrote
in 1Corinthians 6:9-10,
Or do you not know that
the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor
the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the
kingdom of God.
This same man who wrote of the excellent
way of love and the unrighteousness of homosexuality also wrote in the same
book, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that
the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment" (1Cor. 14:37).
Where love does play a role in the
matter of homosexuality is in restraining men and women from the practice. If love is truly present, then it will direct
these persons to keep one another from the sinful behavior of homosexuality
that will cause them to forfeit the kingdom of God. Indeed, the Scriptures command us, "Above
all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude
of sins" (1Pet. 4:8). True love will not
allow itself to cause another to sin and suffer condemnation.
True love and homosexuality are utterly
incompatible, which makes a homosexual relationship completely inadequate to be
classified as marriage. Of course, this
inadequacy is patently obvious, for marriage was designed and defined by God
from the beginning to be a covenant relationship between a man and a woman
(Gen. 2:24; Mal. 2:14). However, an
analysis of the issue of homosexuality on the basis of love makes the
conclusion even clearer. In marriage, a
man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25). Christ's love for the church motivated Him to
sacrifice Himself "that He might present to Himself the church in all her
glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy
and blameless" (Eph. 5:27). Likewise, a
husband's love for his wife causes him to sacrifice himself for the glory,
holiness, and blamelessness of his wife.
Homosexuals can never achieve this goal for one another, for the
practice of homosexuality always degrades, defiles, and corrupts those who are
involved. A homosexual relationship
results in the exact opposite effect of that which is produced by a godly
marriage.
Therefore, homosexuality is not about
love. Just as fornication, adultery, and
any other form of immorality is not about love, neither is homosexuality. These are perversions of the flesh, and their
practice is a matter of selfish indulgence rather than selfless love. It is a gross falsehood and an affront to God
to categorize an abomination such as homosexuality (Lev. 18:22) as something so
sacred and holy as love. God is love
(1John 4:8), and to imply in any way that God's loving nature implicitly
endorses an ungodly practice is blasphemous.
Those who truly love God will set aside the perverse desires of the
flesh, and those who truly love their fellow man will not do anything to cause
him to lose his soul.
