One of the questions dividing many churches and communities today, is how to faithfully handle the growing number of alternative lifestyle choices. Are these choices acceptable to God? Are they something new to the 20th century? As a Christian should we be warmly welcoming those who are openly making such choices? What does Jesus advise?

God’s Purpose 

In the beginning, God made a beautiful world. He didn’t make the world because He thought humans deserved such a world. We are told that He made the world for His purpose. God’s stated purpose is that one day the world will be full of people who bring glory to Him (Numbers 14:21; Revelation 22:12-17) Glory is brought to God when we acknowledge that His ways are right and are the best way for us to live.

God made a woman for Adam out of one of Adam’s ribs. God had just finished creating the whole world out of nothing, and could have easily created Eve from nothing – but he chose to create her in this special way, demonstrating the importance of the relationship between a man and woman. One of the intended purposes was procreation, and the first command was to ‘be fruitful and multiply’.  (Genesis 1:28) Sexuality wasn’t created just for our own pleasure, but to sustain God’s beautiful creation. Sexuality has a purpose.

The Fallen State

Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought a curse upon the ‘very good’ creation, all of us in this fallen state, have some weakness/tendencies that are against God’s commands. There are many different weaknesses, whether it be anger, proneness to addictions, kleptomania, selfishness, murderous tendencies, sexual desires outside of marriage, lying, etc. (Romans 5:12-21; Mark 7:21-23) God has given us ‘free will’, but if we want to live FOREVER, he asks us to overcome our weaknesses and seek to follow His way, not our own. God promises His help. His Word – the Bible is there to guide us. Through prayer He will strengthen us, and He sent His Son Jesus to die for us, so that if we confess and ask for forgiveness – He will forgive ANY sin. “He who OVERCOMES shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

Our Choices

All throughout history, sexual desires have often provoked the strongest temptations of varied sorts, and for some, homosexuality is one of those temptations. Human tendencies towards homosexuality and alternative lifestyles has been noted from very first book of the Bible – Genesis 19, and is clearly referred to several times throughout the Bible, never in a positive light. Homosexuality is not new. There are very clear Bible passages that show God’s view of homosexuality, listed among other harmful tendencies that can become rampant once society loses sight of God’s Divine wisdom and purpose for His creation. (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:21-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 22:12-16) 

For instance in 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, it says: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” The passage continues on to say that all these sins can be ‘washed away’ or forgiven, but urges us to ‘flee sexual immorality’ and “glorify God in your body.”

Celebrating Sin

Desiring another person’s spouse, engaging in sex before marriage, and several other sexual acts are also clearly stated to be wrong in God’s eyes, just as thieving, greediness, drunkeness and swindling, etc. are also condemned. However, being prone to weakness and temptation doesn’t mean we are rejected from God’s love, or none of us would have hope. But if we were to say, “I’m proud to be a greedy person. I can’t do anything about it – it’s just the way I am. Everyone has to applaud me for being greedy,” then, we are unlikely to confess our selfish actions as sin, and ask for God’s forgiveness. Without confession and repentance, there is no forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9; See also Luke 24:46-47; Psalm 32:1-5; Proverbs 28:13). There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between struggling with a temptation, or choosing to proudly give oneself over to it.

Celebrating or Confessing?

Should Christians today warmly embrace those living alternative lifestyles? The answer to this depends on the attitude that is displayed. Christians who hold God’s Word as the authority for their lives, understand that we ALL need help, kindness, and HONEST direction from God’s Word and Holy Spirit to EMPOWER change…to OVERCOME.

However, when someone chooses to celebrate a weakness as something to be PROUD OF, and demands that others applaud their choice to openly embrace that tendency as something GOOD, those who love God’s Word, cannot faithfully give their approval. We know that this is God’s creation – not ours. He has a purpose with His creation. When Jesus returns to judge this world and become King of the Earth, we want to be on His side. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-11)

Do We Love Jesus?

Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” (John 14:21; 1 John 2:1-6) Many want to talk about Jesus loving us. However, how often in these discussions do we hear anyone ask whether or not WE LOVE JESUS? To love and keep Jesus and His Father’s commands, is the way we demonstrate our love for them.

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:2-4)