Book chapter:verses [NLTse]
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Last Sunday during the Second Service a young man sitting in the front row interrupted my sermon to ask, out of the blue, “Does God hate gay people?” As you can imagine, everyone was shocked and taken aback by the question. (Perhaps the same way you are feeling right now. J) I quickly responded to the man, saying that God did not hate gay people, and quoted John 3:16 to him – that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whomever believed in Him would never perish but have everlasting life”. I then got back to the rest of my message by committing to him that I would address the question more fully at another time.
But as this past Monday came, and Tuesday, with all the reporting about states voting to legalize gay marriage and TV shows like Glee, True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy and so many others including gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered characters, I felt increasingly compelled by the Lord to address this question directly today: Does God Hate gay people?
The answer to this question, as well as the reason for this question, comes from the Bible, of course. Would you open with me to Genesis 19:4-8… Two angels have been sent by God to the great city of Sodom to investigate whether the reports of the city’s wickedness were true or not. Afraid for their safety if they spent the night in the city square, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, has pleaded with them to spend the night in his home. And Genesis 19:4 tells us:
4 But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. 5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”
6 So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. 7 “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing.”
So here’s the first place, right here in the very first book of the Bible, where homosexual practice is described as being a “wicked thing”. But does God hate gay people?
Let’s turn to Leviticus 18:22… This is probably the most famous Old Testament passage concerning homosexuality. Moses writes: 22 “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” And if you keep on reading your Bibles you will see Deuteronomy (23:17) banning gay behavior in Israel, and Judges (19:22-23) declaring homosexuality as a “great wickedness”, and 1 Kings (22:46) celebrating a king who banished all sodomites from the lands of Judah.
Clearly the Old Testament writings show that God detests gay sexual practices. But does God hate gay people?
Romans 1:26-27 is probably the most popular New Testament passage about homosexuality. Let’s turn there together… Paul’s writing about the progression of human depravity that follows when people seek to live life apart from God and make gods in their own images. And He writes: 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
So the male and female gay sex-acts are described as “shameful” and the result of God having abandoned men and women when they chose to obey their passions instead of obeying Him.
And we can go on in the New Testament and see how 1 Timothy (1:9-10) includes homosexual practice in a listing of behaviors that are godless and rebellious, and how Jude 7 speaks of homosexuality as a “gross immorality”. So there is a consistent condemnation of the homo-sexual behavior across the Scriptures. But that still leaves our question unaddressed: Does God hate gay people?
If you would turn with me to 1 Corinthians 6:9-12… I believe this passage is the most revealing of all the Bible’s messages about homosexuality. Paul writes: 9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
So, “Does God hate gay people?” No. It is God’s desire to adopt gay people into His New Covenant family and cleanse them of the power their same-sex attractions have had over them, and make them holy, and make them right with God through the Holy Spirit as they call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And yet this great love God has for gay people, and these great plans the Father has for gay people, aren’t just for gay people. His great love and great plans are for those involved in other sinful sexual practices, too (because there are many more than just homosexuality), and all those who are worshiping idols, and all those who are having affairs, and who are stealing, and who are greedy, and who are set on getting drunk, and who are abusive in their relationships, and who cheat others. God loves sinners of every shape and size and has good plans for us all!
And Romans 5:8 Paul makes clear that “God demonstrates His Own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He didn’t love us once we got our acts together and purged all the sin from our lives. In this the whole human race is addressed: While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
If you have come here today because you have perceived the Father’s love for you, don’t let that trick you into thinking that your lifestyle must then be OK to God. Because God shows us His love by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners.
At the same time, if you have come here today because you’ve perceived the Father’s love for you, then let the truth of that fill you with awe and wonder: The almighty, perfect, and holy God loves a wicked sinner like you. Let that fill you with awe and wonder: The almighty, perfect, and holy Son of God has taken off His divinity, and humbled Himself to live the weak and finite life of a human being, and died because He loves a wicked sinner like you.
If you have perceived the Father’s love for you, let it take you to your knees today in amazement at such an act; such a gift; such a love. And if you’ve received the Holy Spirit’s gift of God’s love into your heart, the only right response is to be so in awe of His washing away our guilt, and so in awe of the power He’s given us over sin, to now leave our every sinful practice and behavior behind and live to give Him all the credit and praise.
Our Father in Heaven can and wants to satisfy the love a gay person – and every person – is longing for: Those desires for love that lead us into homosexual behavior and stealing and cheating and greed… And the Father can – the Father has – and He desires for you and me to transform us and our desires so that our adulterous desires for others outside of our marriages, so that our attractions to other religions and powers, so that our desires for drinking or food or drugs might be satisfied by His love. And as He satisfies us with His great love, and as He sanctifies us and we let Him grow us to be more and more like Jesus, our sinful desires are replaced by His Own perfect and life-giving desires and His Own perfect will. So that our lives that were once filled with longing and desire and need and wanting more and more and more, can be transformed into lives fulfilled by the love and security of a good Father in Heaven: Lives of peace, joy, and contentment in the Holy Spirit, where we can plan our day and our lives and make our decisions based – not on our worry or discontent – but on His righteous will.
John 3:16 says that 16 “For God loves gay people and all people so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that every person who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son to gay people and to all people not to judge them, but to save them through Him.
If you’re here and are struggling with homosexual attractions, don’t keep it a secret to yourself: Tell someone; let it out! Of course, whatever your struggle and temptation, don’t keep it to yourself: Confide in someone whom you know you can trust to encourage you and pray for you. Last week we were talking about having a discipleship partner, someone we can share our temptations and struggles, our victories and falls with, who will support us in living by faith, hold us accountable, and pray for us. Get a partner. Confess your sins to one another. Be healed! And live! The Father wants to adopt you and wash you clean and grow you in holiness until you and I are just like Jesus!
O the plans He has for me and you!