“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Genesis 1:27
Humanity Created in God’s Image
God created humanity in his own image, both male and female. Although made in God’s image, both males and females have great variation: height, weight, hair color, skin color, bond structure, etc. Individual likes and dislikes regarding food, activities, work, relaxation, etc., vary wildly. The majority of people will like similar food. But some people prefer very spicy food. Others have different preferences. God also gave us the freedom to make our own choices.
The world God created followed natural laws, evolving with selection of the fittest. God also provided rules and laws in the form of scripture for sanitation and human welfare to allow God’s chosen people to be fruitful and multiply. The only enduring truths were the natural laws, like selection of the fittest
The world has changed greatly since God gave Moses and his chosen people sanitation and health rules and laws. We don’t need to carry a spade to bury our excrement (Deuteronomy 23:13) .
Just as individual food likes and dislikes vary wildly, so do individual sexual likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, human nature is to compare yourself to others and use the differences to put the others down. God sent his own Son, Christ Jesus, to model and emphasize the Golden Rule (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 7:12, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27) to the world. The Greatest Commandment and the Golden Rule take precedence over all other scripture (Mark 12:31b).
Sexual Immorality
Sexual immorality refers to sexual acts which are morally wrong. The problem is that we cannot all agree on what is morally wrong. Since the Golden Rule requires Christians to love and respect the beliefs of other people, we cannot impose our moral code on others without further investigation. I believe we need to look at each type of sexual act.
Nonconsensual sex is generally both illegal and a sin. These acts inherently violate the Golden Rule. Coercing someone into sex or with someone unable to legally give consent is a sin.
Although adultery and promiscuity may involve consenting adults, they also violate the Golden Rule. Adultery is a violation of your commitment to your spouse. Promiscuity demonstrates a lack of commitment and respect to your sexual partners.
Adultery, promiscuity, and all types of nonconsensual sex are immoral and a sin.
Homosexuality
Homosexuality, like heterosexuality, does not hurt individuals. Both are sexual orientations. Both can lead to long-term, loving relationships. If coercion, adultery and/or promiscuity are involved, people get hurt. Although Jesus paraphrased Genesis 2:24 that a man leaves his parents and joins with a woman, he added a warning note: “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”.(Mark 10:9, Matthew 19:6) Whoever God brings together; it is a sin to separate them. Jesus’ commands require us to love homosexuals and treat them just as we do heterosexuals.
Impact of Judging Homosexuals
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.“
Matthew 7:1-5
Consider your impact on an adolescent going through puberty and finding themselves attracted to individuals of the same sex. “Puberty provokes physiological upheaval that can be psychologically traumatic and destabilizing.”[1] Realizing that your parents/grandparents do not approve of your feelings and being informed that God considers homosexuality to be an abomination will make puberty much more traumatic. Gallup telephone polls in 2023 also found that 22% of adults ages 18-26 self-identified as something other than heterosexual.[2] This means that 1 in 5 of the children in our church cannot get married to their partner in our church.
I knew a gay organist who tried going straight and got married. Consider the impact on him and his wife when he felt he was living a lie and she realized he felt little sexual attraction to her. It is no surprise that they ended up divorced although they remained friends.
Homosexuality in God’s World
In August, I was surprised to read a headline that one of a “world-famous gay penguin power couple” had died. The penguins were together for six years and raise two chicks. Homosexual behavior has been observed in about 500 species[3]. “God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.”(Genesis 1:21)
LGBTQ+ / LGBTQIA+ / LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA / LGBTQQIP2SAA
A person’s gender identity or sexual orientation is unimportant to God. God made everyone in his image. The important thing is that we treat everyone in accordance with the Golden Rule. But that is not the case for LGBTQ+ high school students in a 2023 study[4]:
- 14% LGBTQ+ students Threatened or Injured With a Weapon at School During the Past Year
- 19% Did Not Go to School Because of Safety Concerns During the Past 30 Days,
- 25% Electronically Bullied During the Past Year
- 29% Bullied at School During the Past Year
- 65% Experienced Persistent Feelings of Sadness or Hopelessness During the Past Year
- 41% Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide During the Past Year
- 32% Made a Suicide Plan During the Past Year
- 20% Attempted Suicide During the Past Year
- 5% Injured in a Suicide Attempt During the Past Year
Childhood and puberty are difficult enough without adding bullying and and physical threats. The effects of bullying and harassment can last a lifetime. Everyone needs to be accepted for who they actually are.
Conclusions
A person’s sexual orientation is not a sin. God made them is his image. All Christians should respect their preferences and treat them in accordance with the Golden Rule.
[1] Frontiers in Psychiatry, “Case Report: When Does Puberty Become Traumatic?”, Published online 2021 Feb 2, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7884329/#:~:text=Puberty%20provokes%20physiological%20upheaval%20that,of%20predictability%20and%20well%2Dbeing.
[2] Gallup, Inc. “LGBTQ+ Identification in U.S. Now at 7.6%”, March 13, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/611864/lgbtq-identification.aspx”
[3] Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior, August 28, 2024.
[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013–2023. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2024.