Genesis Chapter 1 provides an overall view of Creation.
Genesis Chapter 2 then gives a more detailed account. In verses 7-15 we read that man is formed from the dust of the ground and placed in the Garden of Eden to “work it and take care of it”. Then God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone I will make a helper suitable for him” (2:18), reflecting mankind’s need for companionship and love. So God created a helper for man (woman) - not from the dust or growing out of the ground, but from the man himself. Indeed, the name ‘woman’ means ‘from-man’ (2:22). The man now celebrated this event by saying “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh...” (2:23). Then Scripture tells us this is the reason for the ‘leaving and cleaving’ of marriage - “...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (2:24).
Jesus recalls this Creation Story in Mark 10:6-9, and commands no-one to separate (or ‘deviate’) from this ‘one-flesh’ relationship.
At this stage, the man and woman had not yet fallen or disobeyed God and therefore had a pure sexuality (Gen 2:25). They were unaware of their nakedness and had a sexual purity that we know little of today. They felt no embarrassment, fear or guilt. But after the Fall, they were no longer sexually pure (Gen 3:7). They were now aware of their nakedness and covered their sexual organs. Perhaps they felt embarrassed, fearful and guilty? They were, and therefore we all are, potentially sexually deviant.
One Flesh: We are told in Genesis 1:27 that God created mankind, male and female, in His image. The marriage (one flesh) relationship was therefore, originally physically but now symbolically, a re-union rather than simply a union. The woman taken from the man is re-united with him, as one, in the image of the maleness and femaleness of the Creator. The sexual organs were obviously designed to give physical expression to this union - ie to celebrate it and for procreation. Sexual intercourse outside this God ordained relationship profanes God’s image (male and female) and his intention for this union (‘re-union’). This applies to all forms of ‘orgasmic’ behaviour between people. It profanes the mystery, symbolism and underlying meaning that is represented by a true ‘one flesh’ relationship. We know the human sexual act is distinctly different from animals in terms of the emotional excitement involved. Perhaps God’s intention for the ‘human orgasm’ was to be partly a ‘symbolic celebration’ of the very act of His creation? Sex outside this ideal could therefore be compared to drinking the wine and eating the bread at The Lord’s Supper, simply for thirst and hunger, rather than for what it symbolises.
A FALLEN CREATION
We now have to see this original ideal in the context of a ‘fallen’ or ‘disordered’ Creation.
Not everyone will be married - It is not possible for every man and woman to be married. Jesus clearly appreciates this, as we read in Matthew 19:11-12. In these verses Jesus gives three reasons why a person is not married - “Not everyone can accept this teaching [on marriage] but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven”. When using the word ‘eunuch’ Jesus does not only mean those who have been physically castrated, but also people who are unable to be married for a variety of reasons and as a result are not in a sexual relationship with anyone. All sorts of different emotional, sexual and circumstantial reasons for not being married seem to be in Jesus’ mind and may have included situations in which the person concerned was not sexually attracted to the opposite sex. It is only in the third example given by Jesus that He is referring to voluntary celibacy.
Sexual Identity - The word ‘homosexual’ was not used in Jesus’ time to describe a person (in fact, the words ‘heterosexual and homosexual’ have only been used since the 19th Century). I believe that people would not have been identified by a sexual orientation in the way we are today. Sexual feelings and temptations in various forms would have been seen as a possibility for everyone, just as many other feelings and desires. Hence, Scripture only refers to specific sexual acts, and people involved in them, rather than sexual feelings and orientation. No-one is condemned for having a particular sexual orientation. Jesus therefore teaches us a lot through these verses in Matthew 19, including the following…
* Do not use a sexual feeling as a means of identity
* Marriage will not be for everyone
* There should be no sex between people outside marriage
The whole of Scripture echoes this prohibition by God of any sex outside marriage, hence adultery, fornication, bestiality and homosexuality etc are forbidden for those seeking to obey their Creator.
THE APOSTLE PAUL AND HOMOSEXUALITY
Paul is sometimes accused of lacking a modern understanding of homosexuality and even being homophobic. This is grossly unfair. In Romans 1:18-2:1 Paul highlights the disobedience of human beings, when he says we “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator...” (v25). He gives many examples of our disobedience, including male and female homosexual activity. (It is interesting to note that Paul was clearly aware of lesbianism, which may be surprising to some.) Other examples of disobedience in the passage encompass most human failings, from murder and greed to being heartless and faithless. In other words, Paul is addressing the human condition of sin in all of us, which he emphasises again in Romans 2:1 in case anyone thinks he or she is excluded.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul again gives many examples of sinful behaviour which are not compatible with membership of God’s Kingdom. He mentions idolaters (those who put anything or anyone before God) and the greedy as well as thieves and adulterers. Once again some sinful behaviours appear more ‘socially acceptable’ than others. In his original Greek he also uses an unusual word very similar to one found in the Greek translation of Leviticus 18:22 describing a man who lies with another man. This behaviour would have been quite acceptable in Paul’s culture because it would not have been seen as a reflection on that man’s masculinity. The word is translated ‘homosexual offenders’ (NIV). Another word used by Paul describes the recipients of such behaviour as ‘effeminates’ (AV) and, perhaps misleadingly, ‘male prostitutes’ (NIV). These people would have been ridiculed and seen as ‘less of a man’ in Paul’s culture.
However it seems the main point Paul wishes to make is not the sinfulness of these behaviours. He reminds the Corinthians they have forsaken those lifestyles - “..that is what some of you were..” (v11) but then proclaims very powerfully their redemption through the Cross of Jesus Christ - “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified”. Paul is not saying they no longer struggled with these sins (or indeed that they did), but instead he is saying the blood of the Lord Jesus has dealt with the punishment they deserve. He then affirms this even more powerfully by using the expression “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”. This would have been a remarkable statement for the Corinthians to hear, especially when directed at those who were despised. He goes on to describe the redeemed as “members” or ‘living parts’ of the Body of Christ.
SEX IS NOT THE ONLY ‘SIN PROBLEM’!
It is important to realise that sexual sins are not thought of as any worse than other sins in Scripture. In fact forms of idolatry (eg pride) and greed seem to be taken as seriously, if not more so, than sexual sins.
TEMPTATION AND LUST
In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus isn’t condemning all sexual attraction, or even necessarily desire or temptation. He is speaking about the desire to possess sexually (“lust”) someone else’s wife (“adultery”). In verses 29-30, He is saying it is foolish to play around with temptation and is reacting against hypocrisy.
SURELY A LOVING MOTIVE IS THE REAL ISSUE?
Two people of the same sex can have such a deep bond of love between them, they feel as one. We are told, for instance, that the souls of David and Jonathan were “knit together”. But no matter how emotionally deep and meaningful, these relationships can never be “one flesh” in the Biblical meaning of the expression. Sexual intimacy can often seem good and fulfilling in the context of expressing our love for another person, and it can be difficult to imagine why it should be wrong if no one is harmed by it. But God does not condemn sex outside marriage because of the effect it may have on ourselves or others, but because it is offensive to Him. God does want us to experience love and fulfilment, but this must come from Him and be in the context of Godly relationships.
SOME SIGNPOSTS FOR FOLLOWING THE LORD JESUS
* It is a narrow road and not always the easy option. Choose to follow Christ for what He has done on the Cross - not for what He may do in the future.
* A root of homosexual orientation is usually a low self image and a desire to be different, which often encourages perfectionism. Perfectionists may demand a total change of homosexual orientation and reject Christianity if this doesn’t happen. One of the biggest problems we face, therefore, is a lack of self-worth, manifested in one way or another. It seems to be the major root of homosexual development, ie the cause, not just the result *. We will discover our worth through the Lord Jesus as we learn to receive His love, and as we see Him using us to give love to others, whatever our feelings or situation. God will use us, not ‘despite of ourselves’, but ‘because of ourselves’.
* Receive God's love and forgiveness. Share how you are feeling with God - use your mind to listen to the TRUTH of His response, rather than your feelings. Choose to believe the TRUTH about yourself and YOUR VALUE from God.
*Understand the needs that homosexuality is seeking to meet and how God wants to meet these needs Himself and through others. Listening to yourself and God will show what He is saying about your self image, relationships and lifestyle. Beneath sexual problems and frustrations are deep rooted needs for love and affirmation. Sex can often seem to be a ‘comfort’ that tries to meet these needs. It can be difficult to break free from habitual or compulsive sexual behaviour because the driving force and feelings are so strong; but we do need to deal with the ‘presenting problems’ - often through accountability to others. At the same time the underlying ‘love needs’ or ‘driving force’ must also be met. The Lord Jesus wants us to experience love from Him and from our brothers and sisters in Christ. He does not want us to be alone, either in the sense of our personal identity and spirituality or to be without human companionship. He does not want us to depend on sexual activity for fulfilment, but instead on God’s love and on the love of others.
* Recognise you are working with the roots of your sexuality - it may or may not change. Your sexuality is a catalyst for growth - so appreciate its value, and that of others, within God’s Kingdom. Accept the value of your story - ie life experiences, good and bad