God's
plan for sexuality
"So God created man
in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
-Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)
"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. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
-Genesis 2:18-25 (NKJV)
The image of God is
both male and female and is reflected in a godly union between male and female where the creative power of God, His life-giving,
His self-giving and His moral nature are perfectly expressed. This is only possible in a heterosexual union.
When God created a partner
for Adam He created Eve - not another Adam. This means that perfect partnership requires some level of difference as well
as a level of similarity so great that Adam could cry out loudly, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh". Sexual
intimacy between a man and a woman is the normal method of male/female bonding (emotionally and physically) because it corresponds
to the design of our bodies and because it is the normal means by which offspring are created.
If God had intended
the human race to be fulfilled through both heterosexual and homosexual marriage, He would have designed our bodies to allow
reproduction through both means and made both means of sexual intercourse healthy and natural. Homosexual anal intercourse
carries a high risk of disease, this is recognized in Scripture where gay men are said to receive in their bodies the due
penalty for their error (Romans 1:27).
What Jesus taught
"And He answered and
said to them, 'Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'"
-Matthew 19:4 (NKJV)
"But from the beginning
of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'"
-Mark 10:6 (NKJV)
When Jesus was asked
questions about marriage he went straight back to the defining passages in Genesis that say that marriage is between male and female and is meant to be life long. He saw the creation accounts in Genesis as authoritative
in His day. And what is authoritative for Jesus is authoritative for Christians also. While Jesus did not specifically teach
on homosexuality, His establishment of the Genesis passages as the fundamental passages on marriage (even more fundamental
than the Law) leaves no doubt as to the outcome.
What else does the Bible
say?
"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."
-Romans 1:26-27 (NKJV)
"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 homosexuals,
nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."
-1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
"Knowing this: that
the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the
unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,"
-1 Timothy 1:9-10 (NKJV)
These three references
indicate that homosexual passions and acts are unnatural, shameful, contrary to sound doctrine and deny entrance to the Kingdon
of God. This being so they cannot be the basis of a Christian marriage sanctioned by God's Church. The
Church exists to save people, not to bless the means of their damnation. No marriage can be sanctioned by the Church if the
very basis of the marriage involves acts that put the couple outside of eternal salvation. No matter what our society may
legislate, the law of God is clear - that a marriage is not a godly marriage if it is a same sex union.