by W.E.Best
Homosexuality is unnatural. It is a
menace to society. It has not only become an accepted lifestyle but
threatens the health of many. Homosexuals have come out of their closets and are
becoming a political power. Furthermore, they have invaded many religious
institutions, claiming there is no Scripture that says homosexuality is a sin.
Thus, homosexuals and many religionists alike are blind to Biblical history and
Scriptural instruction. Apart from a spiritually circumcised ear, all Scriptural
teaching on the subject will be like the seed that was sown by the “way side”
(greek text - hodon, accusative of
hiodos, which means a way or road)
(Matt.13:19).
Among the unrighteous people who shall not inherit the kingdom of God, the inspired apostle mentioned “fornicators” (plural of pornos, a fornicator), “idolaters” (plural of eidololatres, an idolater or worshipper of idols), “adulterers” (plural of moichos, an adulterous person), “effeminate” (plural of malakos, a male who submits his body to unnatural lust), and “abusers of themselves with mankind” (plural of arsenokoires, one who lies with a male as a female) (I Cor. 6:9).
The Greek word arsenokoites is used here and in I Timothy 1:10 — “For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind This Greek word is a compound word composed of arsen, which means male, and koite, which means a bed. Hence, the reference is to male homosexuals. Although the Greek word arsenokoites is not used in Romans 1:26-27, homosexuals of both sexes are described:
“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”
Homosexuality is not new, but its acceptance
by heterosexuals as another lifestyle is new. How can that which is unnatural
become an accepted lifestyle with so many? It could not apart from a corrupted
society. One must understand that Christians constitute a “little flock” (Luke
“AND you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts ofour flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:1-3).
There was a time when sodomites were
restricted to certain places. For example, the
Homosexuality was not only exposed but punished in the Old Testament:
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as
with womankind; it is abomination” (Lev.
“If a man also lie with mankind, as
he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall
surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Lev.
(See Deut. 23:17, 18; Judges 19:2,24; I
Kings
Concerning sinners, three references to God “gave them over” are recorded in the first chapter of Romans (vv. 24, 26, 28). The Greek word for “gave them over” is an aorist active indicative of paradidomi, which means to give over into the power of another or to abandon one to his own sinful lusts for the manifestation of the depths of human depravity. Each of the times Paul said that God “gave them over” must be viewed in the light of what preceded God’s abandonment. The ones abandoned by God in verse 24 were those who:
- held down truth (v. 18),
- ignored general revelation (vv. 19, 20),
- devaluated God (v. 21),
- professed superior wisdom (v. 22), and
- exchanged God’s glory for man-made idols (v. 23):
1. Holding down truth in unrighteousness is
a heinous crime. The Greek participle, katechonton (present active participle of
katecho, which means to hold down,
to suppress, or to hold fast), denotes continuous action. The “truth” which
wicked men suppress can be either general revelation (Rom.
2. General revelation is inadequate for salvation, but it is competent to render every person defenseless before God.
3. Although all men have some knowledge about God, that knowledge is devaluated in preference to their own imaginations, because their hearts have been darkened by sin.
4. They profess to have superior wisdom, but they become fools.
5. They “exchange”(aorist active indicative of allasso, which means to change or to exchange one thing for another) God’s glory for human idols. God’s glory cannot be changed, but it can be exchanged. God gives men over to uncleanness:
“Therefore God
gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might
be dishonored among them” (Rom.
The word “Therefore” (dio) indicates that the divine retribution finds its ground in the antecedent sin and is just infliction (vv. 18-23). God withdrew all restraint and left them to theirown self destruction. Because He positively withdrew His restraint, God was not purely passive. God punishes sin by giving people over to more sins. One of the Old Testament words for “punishment” is “sin.” Cain said, “...My punishment [sin] is greater than I can bear” (Gen. 4:13). Verses 25 and 26 record another division of man’s sin and God’s judgment. The Greek word for “exchange” occurs for the second time:
“For they exchanged [aorist active
indicative of metallasso, which means to exchange] the truth of God for a lie,
and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever. Amen” (Rom.
God’s judgment, resulting from the sin described in verse 25, is declared in verse 26:
“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural” (NASB).
An examination of the Greek text on this verse is important. Paul did not use the ordinary word for “woman” (gune) but the word for “female” (rhelus, a female). Modesty, woman’s most beautiful adornment (I Tim. 2:9), was absent from the females that God gave over to degrading passions. Hence, the women exchanged natural relations with men in marriage for unnatural ones with other women.
Male homosexuality is clearly described in Romans 1:27
“.. .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” (NASB).
As grievous as fornication and adultery are,
the desecration involved in homosexuality is the lowest plane of degeneracy in
sexual sins. The word “burned” (aorist passive indicative of
ekkaio, which means to blaze out or
to be inflamed) cannot be equated with “burn” (present passive
infinitive of puroo, which means to
burn) in I Corinthians 7:9. The latter is the burning of a natural sex impulse
which is not immoral in the marriage relationship, but the burning of
man for man is unnatural. The Greek word for
“unseemly” in the LOB is aseheinosune, which means infamous lust or lewdness. Furthermore,
the Greek word for “men is the plural for arsen, which means a male. Thus, the
words for “males” and “females,” rather than for “men and “women,” are used
because of their beastly, unnatural sins. Homosexuals insist that Romans 1:26-27
teaches that they are not wrong to engage in sexual relations with the same sex
because it is their nature. On the other hand, they claim that heterosexuals are
perverse to engage in homosexual acts because they are contrary to their nature.
Such reasoning is the fruit of God’s giving them over to “uncleanness” (v. 24)
and “vile” affections (v. 26). Paul concluded that God’s judicial
abandonment was not restricted to immoral living but to giving up men to “a
reprobate mind” (a useless mind) (Rom.
Although all homosexuals disapprove of the true God and the true God pronounces them worthless, God does save some. Following the list of sinful persons who shall not inherit the kingdom, Paul said to the Corinthian Christians,
“And such were some of you: but ye
are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (I Cor.
Among the “some of you” were the homosexuals (plural of arsenokoites, the compound word made up of arsen, which means male, and koire, which means a bed) (I Cor. 6:9). There is one thing for sure: when a homosexual is saved, he does not remain a homosexual. He is not saved “in” but “from” his sin of homosexuality.
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