Natural and Abnormal

Indeed, homosexuality is natural

Contrary to what many folks believe, homosexuality is indeed natural. However, it's not normal and not what God planned for his human creation.

Understandably, the very suggestion that homosexuality is natural makes many people apoplectic. And yet, not only is homosexuality natural, so are a lot of other things that many people consider repugnant. Such behavior is inherent in mankind's fallen sinful nature that drives human beings to do awful things.

When the apostle Paul preached the gospel during his travels in the early days of the church, he said things like this: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3:5-11)

Paul stated that everyone is born with a sinful nature that influences them to rebel against God's laws and commandments. Where does that fallen nature come from? It entered the human race with the original sin of Adam and Eve, and it's been passed on to all of their descendants. Certainly, it manifests differently in each person. Not everyone is driven to murder, violence, theft, dishonesty, idolatry or attraction to the same sex. But everyone is driven toward some type of sin.

Thus, homosexuality is indeed natural. But it's abnormal and it must be rejected. Paul wrote this: "Do you not know that evildoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

For some reason, only homosexuals seem to have a problem with that scripture. However, Paul also used God's transcendent moral law to condemn adultery, greed, theft, drunkenness, idolatry and fornication. The folks who commit those types of sins don't seem to object to what Paul wrote.

Paul's antidote for the sinful nature is to crucify the flesh. What did he mean by that? Did he recommend that we kill ourselves? Absolutely not. He clearly meant that the way to conquer the fallen sinful nature is by setting "your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:2-4)

When our minds are preoccupied with worldly things, our fallen nature controls us. What earthly things? Things such as money, material objects, greed, lust, sex, pleasure etc. 

Concerning homosexuality, Paul wrote this in his epistle to the early Roman church: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." (Romans 1:21-27)

Even the secular world used to recognize that same sex attraction was abnormal. For example, the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental disorder until 1973. Why did the APA change its position on same sex attraction? Because of pressure from powerful gay activists who wanted the negative stigma removed from their lifestyle, rather than any empirical data that suggested homosexuality was biological.

To date, no empirical evidence has been discovered that supports the biological theory. Same sex attraction is a moral choice--albeit a choice that's influenced by a powerful fallen nature. If homosexuality wasn't a moral choice, then God's word would be cruel and unfair in its condemnation of the gay lifestyle. (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9)

But God's word isn't unfair to those who practice the gay lifestyle. Rather, it's a warning to them to repent of that lifestyle and get out of it before it's too late.