What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality? A Complete Biblical Overview - Part 1 of 2

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis

Episode: What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality? A Complete Biblical Overview – Part 1 of 2
Host: Jonny Ardavanis
Guest: Hank
Date: June 16, 2026

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Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Jonny Ardavanis and guest Hank undertake an in-depth biblical examination of homosexuality, focusing on what Scripture teaches from Genesis to the New Testament. The episode aims to offer clarity and compassion for listeners who are wrestling with questions about sexuality, seeking to confront cultural narratives with biblical truth while emphasizing the hope of the gospel for all sinners. Jonny also encourages audience participation by asking for comments and questions to address rebuttals in the following episode.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Address This Topic Now?

Timestamps: [00:00]–[08:00]

• Jonny introduces homosexuality as a pressing cultural and biblical issue, referencing Pride Month and the normalization of LGBTQ+ themes in media and public life.
• The necessity for churches and believers to teach what the Bible says—especially when culture increasingly trivializes or celebrates what Scripture calls sin.
• “It would be cowardice on my part or compromise on my part to not address it.” (A, [03:37])
• Reference to studies showing many Americans, even Christians, believe the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality is outdated or irrelevant.
• Urges that speaking biblical truth is not hateful, but loving: “Every individual that is included in a statistic is someone that is made in the image of God.” (A, [04:30])

2. Balancing Clarity and Compassion

Timestamps: [05:10]–[06:00]

• Hank underscores the challenge of approaching this topic with both seriousness and care, avoiding a “political slam session.”
• “There’s a delicate balance to strike, and there’s ditches all over on both sides of the road here.” (B, [05:10])

3. Cultural Normalization and Consequences

Timestamps: [06:00]–[08:00]

• Discussion on how sin, especially sexual sin, becomes “normal and righteousness seems strange”—a quote attributed to David Helm.
• The normalization of homosexuality in culture reflects Satan’s strategy to desensitize believers: “Satan’s strategy is to make sin seem normal and righteousness seem strange.” (A, [05:58])
• Progression of moral decline: the erosion of sexual boundaries logically leads to other societal issues (e.g., polygamy, adult-child relations).

4. Biblical Responsibility and Warning

Timestamps: [08:00]–[11:00]

• Emphasis on every believer’s responsibility to lovingly warn those in sin, referencing Ezekiel 3:18.
• “It is every pastor’s responsibility and every believer’s responsibility to tell the truth and to warn those who are living in sin. Your soul is in danger.” (A, [10:32])

5. Nature of Sexual Sin in Scripture

Timestamps: [11:00]–[13:00]

• Noting that all sin is serious, but sexual sin is given particular weight in Scripture due to its connection to the body (referencing 1 Corinthians 6).
• Eight vice lists in the New Testament—sexual purity appears in all.

6. God’s Design for Sex and Marriage

Timestamps: [13:00]–[18:00]

• Before discussing prohibitions, Jonny explains God’s original design: sex and marriage as good gifts for companionship, pleasure, procreation, and as metaphors for Christ’s relationship with the church.
• “We were sexual beings before we were sinful.” (A, [14:49])
• Marriage is presented as the beginning, climax, and conclusion of the biblical story—aligning with the marriage metaphor of Christ and His Church.

7. Old Testament Case Studies

Timestamps: [18:00]–[26:00]

• The Sin of Sodom (Genesis 19):

  • Detailed walkthrough of the story, clarifying that the “sin of Sodom” was not merely inhospitality but aggressive, coercive homosexual behavior.
  • Supported by Jude 7: “...they in the same way as these, indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh...” (A, [22:33])
  • Sodom and Gomorrah become biblical archetypes for extreme iniquity and God’s judgment.

• Levitical Laws (Leviticus 18 & 20):

  • Homosexual acts are prohibited and labeled “abomination” (Hebrew: toavah).
  • “This [homosexuality] is the only [sexual] sin isolated by itself and identified as an abomination.” (A, [24:28])
  • The prohibition is grounded in the male-female design established at creation.
  • Additional cross-references: Deuteronomy 22:5 (against cross-dressing, emphasizing distinctiveness of male and female), Deuteronomy 23:1 (prohibition against ritual emasculation).

8. New Testament Teachings

Timestamps: [26:00]–[34:00]

• Romans 1:18–32

  • Describes the downward spiral of sin in cultures that suppress God’s truth: idolatry leads to sexual revolution, then homosexual revolution, then moral collapse.
  • “God gave them over…” repeated three times; describes God’s wrath as “wrath of abandonment.”
  • “When a nation and an individual... reject God, God gives them what they want.” (A, [29:14])
  • Homosexuality is characterized as a sign of a society under God’s judgment.

• 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 & 1 Timothy 1:8–10

  • Homosexuality is listed among sins that, if unrepented, exclude from the kingdom.
  • However, the passage also declares: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ...” (A, [39:12])
  • Paul indicates the church in Corinth included former homosexuals, emphasizing hope and transformation.

9. Hope and Good News for All Sinners

Timestamps: [37:59]–[41:26]

• Both Jonny and Hank stress that the ultimate message is not condemnation, but hope through the gospel:

  • “God is in the business of saving all types of sinners, including homosexuals.” (A, [38:09])
  • “If you rob them of the diagnosis, you rob them of the remedy. And this is the remedy. It’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (A, [39:59])

• The promise is that anyone—regardless of sexual sin—who repents and trusts Christ can be cleansed, sanctified (set apart from the sin), and justified (declared righteous).

• Hank: “The good news is this sin is not a red letter identifier of a born again believer who’s placed their faith in Christ.” ([40:23])

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Satan’s strategy is to make sin seem normal and righteousness seem strange.”
  — Jonny, quoting David Helm ([05:58])

• “Every individual that is included in a statistic is someone that is made in the image of God.”
  — Jonny ([04:30])

• “It is every pastor’s responsibility and every believer’s responsibility to tell the truth and to warn those who are living in sin. Your soul is in danger.”
  — Jonny ([10:32])

• “We were sexual beings before we were sinful.”
  — Jonny ([14:49])

• “Marriage is the living, breathing analogy of Christ’s relationship to his bride, the church.”
  — Jonny ([18:07])

• “If you rob them of the diagnosis, you rob them of the remedy.”
  — Jonny ([39:59])

• “God is in the business of saving all types of sinners, including homosexuals.”
  — Jonny ([38:09])

• “The good news is this sin is not a red letter identifier of a born again believer who’s placed their faith in Christ.”
  — Hank ([40:23])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamps | |-------|------------| | Why Address? / Culture Context | [00:00]–[08:00] | | Balancing Clarity & Compassion | [05:10]–[06:00] | | Biblical Design for Marriage | [13:00]–[18:00] | | Sodom & Gomorrah | [18:00]–[22:40] | | Leviticus Holiness Code | [22:59]–[25:50] | | Deuteronomy on Gender Distinction | [25:50]–[26:43] | | Romans 1 — Wrath and Abandonment | [26:43]–[34:46] | | NT Warnings & Hope | [37:59]–[41:26] |

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Conclusion & Call to Questions

The episode grounds its arguments in Scripture’s overarching story, carefully building a biblical case and aiming to show compassion without compromise. The hosts end by inviting questions and rebuttals from listeners to address in the upcoming follow-up episode—particularly those arguments often made for affirming same-sex relationships, promising a fair and thorough response.

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Next Episode Preview: Rebuttals and questions:

• What about shellfish/pork laws?
• Is “homosexuality” in the Bible different than today’s understanding?
• How does God’s love fit into these commands?

Listeners are encouraged to write questions or comments to be addressed next time.

Transcript

[A]

This episode of Dial in is brought to you by Crossway, publisher of the Pleasures of God. Meditations on God's delight in being God and this beloved classic. Pastor and best selling author John Piper searches scripture to uncover the pleasures that delight the heart of God. Each chapter focuses on a specific joy. The glory of his son, the beauty of creation, the richness of his grace, the prayers of his people, and more. Pick up a copy of the Pleasures of God wherever books are sold or visit crossway.org pleasuresofgod to get 30% off with a free Crossway plus account. Over the next couple episodes, what I want to do is cover the topic of homosexuality, what the Bible says about it. Half of America agreed with the statement, the Bible's condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn't apply today. Satan's strategy is to make sin seem normal and righteousness seem strange. So everywhere we look, the sin of homosexuality, the lifestyle of it is, is normalized and trivialized. We are living potentially, if not probably in one of the last generations where you can talk about biblical sexuality legally. And it is every pastor's responsibility and every believer's responsibility to tell the truth and to warn those who are living in sin. Your soul is in danger. It would be like seeing someone pouring gasoline all over their body and lighting matches and saying, hey, that's fine. Do your own thing. No. If you loved them, you would say, no, you're in danger. If you're a homosexual and you're watching this or listening to this, you know, maybe you're asking, is there good news for the homosexual? Well, big time. Or for the transgender, you can not only be cleansed and forgiven of that sin, you could be separated from it. Hank, how we doing?

[B]

Doing well, Johnny, how are you?

[A]

Fantastic. Thanks for being here. Okay, so over the next couple episodes, what I want to do is cover the topic of homosexuality, what the Bible says about it. I know that there will be maybe some people that comment questions or rebuttals about, you know, what type of homosexuality was Paul condemning, things like that. Know that. I'm going to get to those rebuttals in the following episode and you guys can include some of your questions or comments about, you know, the things that maybe you've seen online in the comments so that we can address those in the following episode. I want to look kind of primarily at what the scripture says from like, just a narrative perspective throughout the entirety of the scripture, the prohibition, and then we'll get to those rebuttals in the following episode.

[B]

I would say just a note on the comments, those are really helpful because one, they can be comments that you sincerely have or two, rebuttals that you've heard that you find sincerely challenging and

[A]

you don't know what to say. Sometimes I think people get like the. The check made in a conversation. They don't know where to go from there. So our hope and our heart in this is not to, you know, just get the rah rah of those who already align with us biblically, but to teach those who maybe are confused and to confront those who maybe twist the truth and to help those who are literally struggling with what the Bible says. Maybe you're a homosexual and you're watching or listening, and I'm really glad that you're engaging with the content. Maybe you struggle with same sex attraction and I'm also glad that you're watching and listening. Every single June, our culture celebrates Pride Month. And it is a month where people celebrate a sin that the Bible describes as an abomination. I know that's a big word, but we're going to look at what the Bible even means when it says abomination. And even this weekend in our own town, there was a gay Pride festival. And I looked at a number of the sponsors and a handful of churches in our own area are those that are endorsing the event. And so I want to look at what the Bible says. And I think sometimes people say, like, what's the big deal? Why is this worth addressing? And I want to just. I have a few reasons. First of all, because homosexuality is a sin that the Creator of the universe talks about in his word. Therefore, if the Bible says what it says, it would be cowardice on my part or compromise on my part to not address it. I want to be as others minded as possible as a pastor of a church. You go to that church, Hank, and we live in Franklin, Tennessee. I would most definitely not want to be at a church where my pastor did not address something that the Bible is very clear about and is so pressing and pervasive in our culture. And so that would be like a red flag for me if I didn't address it. Sadly, I think because the church does such a poor job addressing it. In a 2018 State of Theology study that was sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, half of Americans agreed with this statement. The Bible's condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn't apply today. Meaning that half of the people who may be watching or listening to this episode. I want you to be patient with me as we kind of unroll some of the content and what the scripture says. But half of Americans agreed with the statement, the Bible's condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn't apply today. And so when I respond to that type of statistic, I have no animus towards the LGBTQ community. Every individual that is included in a statistic is someone that is made in the image of God. And sometimes it's. I think when people want to speak against the movement or the idea, there's a level of sharpness that is maybe lacking when you realize that that group of people are individuals made in the image of God. Anything to add there, just as we continue?

[B]

No, I would just underscore your point. I think you do a very good job, but there's a delicate balance to strike, and there's ditches kind of all over on both sides of the road here. And on the one hand, I can see one person responding to like, why are you even touching base on this topic? And I think you addressed it right there. Culturally, this is a pervasive issue, and it would be cowardice not for you to speak about it clearly and with directness. And on the flip side, I just hope the audience hears there's a level of seriousness and solemnity with which this discussion needs to take place, because the people listening to these episodes hopefully hear in our voice a degree of clarity and candor, but also care that this isn't like a political slam session that's meant to kind of spark up one side of the aisle.

[A]

Yeah. And this is a biblical issue more than anything. And I think another reason to address it is that Satan wants to squeeze the church and the individuals within it into a mold. That's why the exhortation from Paul in Romans is, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And I read a David Helm quote in Kevin DeYoung's book One Time that Satan's strategy is to make sin seem normal and righteousness seem strange. So, again, Satan's strategy is to make sin seem normal and righteousness seem strange. So everywhere we look, the sin of homosexuality, the lifestyle of it, is normalized and trivialized so that people actually within the church that maybe have biblical convictions become numb to really what's going on from the shows that you watch. It's hard to watch anything without a homosexual plotline or a character in it. I remember when I was in high school, the Modern Family had a gay couple in the show, and it was like, a big deal. But now that's so normal. You don't even really think twice about it. The. That's included in Cocomelon and Sesame street now. And even if you're. Yeah. And if you're watching a jewelry commercial or whatever, you know, every kiss begins with K. I remember the first time sitting there in high school where the proposal was a man to another man. And that was a moment, like a turn the TV off a dress your kid moment. And now it's just like, nah, come on.

[B]

You know, like you'd be surprised if there wasn't some kind of a. Yeah,

[A]

you would be surprised. It would be abnormal in. I think it's important to know that sin itself is never idle. It's always progressive, always aggressive. This is an important topic to talk about because once you introduce the fluidity to marriage and sexuality amongst adults, you have to logically follow that thinking to its terminus and therefore conclude that it would be arbitrary for a man to marry multiple women and therefore also arbitrary for a man to marry a child. Because if you kind of throw out the God of the Bible, you throw out biblical morality, everything's up for grabs. In a 2011 symposium in Baltimore, pedophilia was redefined as minor attracted persons and removed from being a mental disorder. And there is in America, an association that goes by the acronym nambla, the North American Man Boy Lover Association. Because you just have to think with me, and this is why the scripture is so important and why God's design is best. If marriage is a social construct and simply the expression of a bond between two consenting lovers, what is to prevent a man from marrying an 11 year old girl? Nothing. Nothing at all. Because you've removed biblical standards and biblical morality. I think the other two reasons why this is worth addressing is I'm not a doomsdayer, but I do think that we're a nation under the wrath of God. And I'm going to explain what I mean by that. But we are living potentially, if not probably in one of the last generations where you can talk about biblical sexuality legally. Obviously, that will never prevent the church from doing so biblically, but to do so in a legal manner. Because the LGBTQ movement is not looking for just acceptance. They're looking for affirmation. They're looking for allies. And if you don't endorse us, you're against us. I was reading a few days ago, teaching biblical sexuality a criminal offense. So that would be like, if you teach about biblical sexuality, you're on the scale of a thief, you're on the scale of a murderer. You know, it's A criminal offense. And I think people might be saying, well, that's Canada. But we're always just an election or two removed from being in that type of an environment. And so it's worth addressing because the believer and the church's responsibility is to be assault, which is to stem the tide of evil in our world. And one last reason, and then maybe we'll jump in before we kind of walk through what the scripture says. But this is all reasons why it's worth addressing for me and why it's worth understanding for you. Watching or listening. Ezekiel 3:18. God says, When I say to the wicked, you will surely die. And you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live. God's saying, when I say to the wicked, you're gonna die, but you don't speak out against him and tell him, he says this. That wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand, meaning, that guy's gonna die in a sin, but there's gonna be a level of responsibility on your part because you never warned him of the iniquity that he was living in and the judgment of God. And it is every pastor's responsibility and every believer's responsibility to tell the truth and to warn those who are living in sin. Your soul is in danger. As you head into the summer, one of the things that I would highly encourage you to have is some sort of digital accountability on your devices. The Puritans used to draw our attention to the reality that an idle mind is the devil's playground, meaning that when we are idle and we have time, we are more vulnerable to temptation. And in this regard, I would highly recommend you. Accountable 2 you. It's a purity accountability software that I use personally and other members of my team do as well. You can go to accountabletoyou.com dial in and use our code dial in to get 25% off your first year, and you can find out more information there. Find an accountability partner. And as my friend says, accountability is the friend of integrity. And that's our goal, to honor the Lord when we're alone, as we would in front of other people. And so just check out accountabletoyou.com that

[B]

Ezekiel passage, I think, is driving at the distinction between a sin of commission and a sin of omission. And the point being, just because you are not yourself practicing a homosexual relationship does not mean you have an excuse to be failed. To prepare to address the reality that our culture, at some point, metaphorically is gonna come knocking at your door, and you're gonna need to be prepared to give an answer for where you stand on this issue. And that when we're talking about this issue, it's not an issue plucked out of kind of the sky of arbitrary reality. This is an issue we're gonna see. And maybe we can turn there now, replete through Scripture, front to back.

[A]

Yeah, and I think one of the rebuttals is, and we'll talk about this more in the next episode, is why address the sin? You know, why address this topic at all? Maybe you're not even convinced it's sin. All sin is serious, but not all sin is the same. First Corinthians, Paul says every other sin a man commits, he commits outside the body. But the immoral man sins against his own body. So sexual sin at the top of the list is there's eight vice lists in the New Testament, and sexual purity is mentioned in every single one of those. And seven of the eight, it's mentioned multiple times. And so this is a big deal. The first rung of the Ladder as it relates to walking in the light, being a Christian, being a Christ follower. So what does the scripture say? Well, in 1 Corinthians 6, 9, it says this. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor nor effeminate, nor homosexuals. We're going to talk about that word that just means men who bed with men. It says, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. I just want to go back because the Bible's pretty clear here, but it says, do not be deceived. Meaning, if you're listening or watching, do not let anyone tell you different. Paul says, do not be deceived. Don't let a false teacher, don't let some sort of Instagram influencer ever tell you anything different than what Paul's about to say. He says idolaters or adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, if this is God's word, which it is, and if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, which he is, whatever we're gonna find in God's Word is revealing of God's view of the subject today. And I think that's important. Now, before we answer the question, what does the Bible say about homosexuality? And that's the ultimate Question to ask. Not about what, not what I think about it. What does God say about it in the Bible? What? We need to answer the question fundamentally and ask the question, what does the Bible say about sex and marriage? Because the Bible doesn't begin with a list of prohibitions. It begins with the greatest story ever told. It begins with God, who made the world. He makes mankind in his image. This is a personal God who creates Adam and Eve with intention and care. The isha, the woman is taken from the ish. They were to compliment one another. They are the two halves of humanity. And for hundreds of years, Western culture was governed by an understanding. And Nancy Pearcey talks about this in her writing, that Western culture was permeated with this. I think this cognizance that nature was the reflection of God's handiwork and there was a purpose, a telos in everything that was made. Eyes are made for seeing. Ears are made for hearing. Fins are made for swimming. Wings are made for flying. And male and female organs, sexual organs, are made to differentiate the two halves of humanity and for the purpose of pleasure and procreation. That was an understood reality. We are not the product of blind, impersonal forces. We were made by God. We were made for God. And one of the things that we see in Scripture is that God wants men to be masculine. He wants women to be feminine. This is not an antiquated view of reality. It's just a biblical one. Now, from the very beginning, and I think it's important to start here. God makes mankind, and the first command ever given is what?

[B]

Be fruitful and multiply.

[A]

Yeah. And I said this at church, and I don't ever want to be crass. And I think because the previous generation was so afraid of being crass and making sex ignoble, it was kind of almost state, you know, steer clear, taboo.

[B]

Yeah, steer clear.

[A]

Yeah. But God says, have sex and make babies. And so for me, I remember, I think I read this in a Paul Tripp book, that we were sexual beings before we were sinful. And so in the garden, when God says, tov maov, this is very good. They're naked and unashamed. God says, this is very, very good. This is a part of God's grand purpose. This is how he is glorified. And just kind of that crack your knuckles feeling. God says, this is. This is what I'm making. Have sex, make babies. This is a part of God's design.

[B]

Well, and I think you're going to start. We're going to continue to Put kind of meat on these bones because there's. There's constraints and boundaries. Not in the sense that we have checkboxes to follow, but actually buttress our joy found in it.

[A]

But it's not a cosmic killjoy. He doesn't start with saying, don't have sex. He makes it and says, have sex. And then he defines how we have it.

[B]

Absolutely. And it's just worth reflecting on. We have a good God that creates good things for our enjoyment and our betterment. And that's exciting.

[A]

Yeah. And the story of scripture starts off with these two individuals. Adam says of Eve, this is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. She is taken from the man. She is the complement to man. There is similarity, there is distinction. Together they make one flesh.

[B]

First time we get poetry in scripture, for sure.

[A]

And marriage and sex is for the purpose of companionship, pleasure, procreation, but not only that. It is the central metaphor in the scripture of the union of Jesus and his church. The reason why marriage is so important is not just because, you know, it's this cultural construct. The Bible begins with a wedding ceremony. God gives away the first bride. I say that at almost every single wedding I've done is in the beginning. God says, everything is good. Something is not good. It's not good for man to be alone. And so on that day, God himself gave away the first bride, and he conducted the first marriage ceremony. So marriage is the beginning of scripture. It climaxes, Scripture does, with the death of Jesus. For who? Well, not just a bunch of scattered individuals. The Bible says for his bride. Which is who?

[B]

The church.

[A]

The church. And the story of scripture ends with the marriage supper of the Lamb. So connecting all the scripture into one cohesive story is the central metaphor of marriage. This is not something that's arbitrary. And so I think with that, we don't get to redefine marriage because biblically speaking, God defines marriage. It is a pre political entity. Therefore, there is no such thing as homosexual marriage. Because God says very clearly that marriage is between a man and a woman forever. And so that's part of, I think, where we have to begin. So that Nancy Pearce, she talks about this in total truth, that so often we talk about kind of the prohibitions against sin. And it's like starting a story in the middle. You have no understanding of the plot, no understanding of the characters. So you have to begin here so that you're not just throwing arbitrary darts at the, you know, the advances of the homosexual movement.

[B]

And it's just so important that it's worth repeating that you cannot tell the story of scripture without the marriage metaphor. That's beginning, middle, end. It's just until you'd said that. The first time I heard you say that was several years ago. But it was the first time it clicked like that for me. And I'm not trying to bend it into something that it's not. But it should underscore the importance of what marriage is in all of our minds. If in God's word, he's re emphasizing that from beginning, middle, to end.

[A]

Yeah, it's the living, breathing analogy of Christ's relationship to his bride, to the church. Now, with that in mind, what does the scripture say about homosexuality? Well, not long after the fall in Genesis 3, 16 chapters after, actually were confronted with the sin of Sodom. Now, I know that if you've grown up in the church or even if you haven't grown up in the church, you're probably familiar with Sodom and Gomorrah. But the sin that takes place. And I think there's some familiarity, but I want to pull out some unfamiliar elements. The sin that takes place here is so obvious that for the following millennia, the sin of homosexuality has been referred to as sodomy. So homosexuality is not a modern invention. It's something we find in scripture. Now begin reading. Genesis 19, verse 1. Do you have that?

[B]

Let me just flip over from Leviticus where I.

[A]

Let me read it. I'll read it then. Now, the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. This is something that was normal in the Old Testament. Angels would take on physical appearance and appear to people. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground and said, now behold, my lords. Please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise early and go on your way. They said, however, no, but we shall spend the night in the square. Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him. That's the angels with lots of and entered his house. And he entered, and he prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Now Continue reading. Verse 4.

[B]

Before they Lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house from young to old, all the people from every quarter. And they called to Lot and said to him, where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out so that we may know them.

[A]

Now pause there. This is not a welcome party. This is. We want to not to be crass again. We want to gang rape them. It says, bring them out that we may have relations with them. And at the verse four makes it clear. This is every man. This is everybody from every quarter of the city. Bring them out to us that we may have sex with them. Now continue reading. Verse 6.

[B]

But lot went out to them at the doorway and shut the door behind him. And he said, please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not yet known a man. Please let me bring them out to you and do what is good in your eyes only. Do nothing with these men in as much as they've come under the shelter of my roof.

[A]

He's obviously a bad dad, but he's saying what's being proposed by the men of Sodom is very clear here. Some people, revisionist scholars say that the sin in Sodom was a lack of hospitality. But Lot saying, please don't act wickedly. He knows exactly what they're wanting to do. Sin is very aggressive. Sin is very demanding. Bring them out to us. We're going to do with them whatever we want. Now they're angry at Lot because Lot says, don't act wickedly. He's shutting the door behind him. And in verse nine, the men of the city say, stand aside. Furthermore, they said, this one came in as an alien and already he is acting like a judge. Now we will treat you worse than them. So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. I mean, this is aggressive. This is demanding. And they say, hey, Lot, if you thought what we were going to do to them was bad, we're going to do even worse to you. We're going to rape you next. Verse 10. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. They struck the men. This is the angels who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door. Now if I got struck by blindness, I'd probably stop what I was doing. They're struck with blindness, but their sexual appetite for men was so strong that they continue to try to push through the door. And I'll jump to the end of the story. Verse 24. Then the Lord, that's Yahweh, rained on Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all of the valley and all of the inhabitants of the cities and. And what grew on the Ground. Now, throughout the rest of the Old Testament, sodomite is used to refer to a homosexual. That's in Deuteronomy 23:17 as an example. And what takes place here is the ultimate illustration of the wrath of God. And furthermore, just to clear up any debate about what the sin in Sodom was, Jude, verse seven in the New Testament, it says, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these, indulged in gross immorality, gross immorality and went after strange flesh, they are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. I just want to draw observations. And again, I don't know who's listening or watching. There is no other sin in the entirety of scripture that resulted in the fiery destruction of two cities like this. Sodom and Gomorrah are synonymous throughout the rest of the Bible for iniquity of the highest form and the expression demonstration of total devastation by God. And we see Sodom use as an illustration of God's wrath and lamentations in Amos and Zephaniah, in Romans, in John, in Revelation. And when Jesus shows up on the scene and he wants to warn people of the wrath of God, what's his most frequent example? Sodom and Gomorrah. And so the sin that takes place here is very obvious. Now, do you still have your finger in Leviticus?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, now before you read Leviticus 18 contextually from chapter 17 onward, this is a section about how God is teaching his people to live and the underlying reason for every command given in the holiness code of Leviticus. And this is sometimes where people get lost in the Bible reading plan. But Leviticus is a book of the Bible you really need to understand, not a book you really need to avoid. The underlying reason for everything God says is Leviticus 19:2, you shall be holy, for I, the Lord am holy. So everything regarding sexuality that we read in the Levitical code is not arbitrary. It's about holiness. Because every single man and woman, they were designed to reflect the image of God. Now you have 1821.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. And you shall not give any of your seed to pass them over to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

[A]

Okay, pause there for a moment. In the ancient world, the pagans, they would offer their babies as a sacrifice to the God Molech. There's a statue of Molech. You can look it up on, you know, Google Images. He has his hands out like this. They would place their babies on those hands, and they would burn them alive as a way to satisfy the anger of Molech. God says, that's something the pagans do. That is egregious. God loves babies, and he says, don't you ever do that. Do not burn your babies alive. That is an abomination. I, the Lord your God, am against that.

[B]

Okay, verse 22, he continues, and you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female. It is an abomination.

[A]

Okay. There are several sins that are referred to as abominations in a list in the holiness code of Leviticus. This is the only one that is isolated by itself and identified as an abomination. That word in Hebrew is toavah. It speaks to something that is loathsome, egregious, detestable, repugnant to God. And the phrase in verse 22, do not lie with a male as one lies with a female, grounds the prohibition in the reality that men were designed to lie with women and women with men. Okay, now verse 23 also, you shall

[B]

not lie with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is a perversion.

[A]

Okay, so I'm just drawing some observations here in between verses 21 and 23, verse 21, about burning your babies at the altar of molech, and verse 23, a woman standing before an animal to have sex with it, there is the prohibition that a man should not sleep with a man as with a woman. It is an abomination. Now turn over two chapters with me to Leviticus 20. Leviticus 20. Can you read verse 13?

[B]

Yeah. If there is a man who lies with a male, as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination, they shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them.

[A]

Okay, I'm gonna turn over to Deuteronomy for a moment, and we're gonna get a little bit of a different angle. But you're just beginning to grasp now the rebuttal at this point is, okay, what about shellfish? What about pork? We're gonna get to that in the next episode. We're just showing you that this is a clear prohibition in the Scripture. Deuteronomy 22:5. A little bit of a different angle. A woman shall not wear man's clothing, nor shall a man put on woman's clothing. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. Now, what's the point here? The point here is that it is an abomination. To God to attempt to rub out the distinction between male and female. This is God's design. He made them male and female in his image. And this is going back to the garden, one of Satan's first attacks to rub out the distinction between male and female. Now, Deuteronomy 23:1, can you read that?

[B]

No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of God.

[A]

Okay, that's a eunuch. That's someone who had cut off his male organs for the purpose of temple service, typically. Now we're going to go over to Romans. This is maybe one of the more well known passages on the subject. And there are certain scholars in the homosexual community that would say that this is not a central concern of Paul. But it's hard to read the Scripture. And I'm going to reference some, even gay New Testament scholars that are going to say, hey, when you read the Scripture, it's hard to come up with anything other than the Bible condemning homosexual behavior. But as you make your way to Romans 1, and maybe you're listening or watching, and maybe you don't have your Bible in front of you, but I would encourage you to go back and place your own eyes on these texts because it's not something that I'm making up and I want to be loving in the way that I articulate this and yet not waver on the truth. As you come to Romans 1, there are different types of the wrath of God. There's cataclysmic wrath. That's like the wrath of God towards Sodom and Gomorrah. He pours out fire and brimstone. That's cataclysmic wrath. There's eternal wrath. That's hell, that's forever and ever. But there is a wrath that is detailed in Romans 1 that is worth noticing. And there are three times in Romans 1 where we are going to read that God gave them over. That's mankind that's in their sin. He gives them over Parodidimi, because they're exchanging something. Now read Romans 1:18 for me.

[B]

It says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

[A]

Okay, just. I think it's important to note because I think sometimes we get an idea of God that's a derivative of culture and not from the scripture. It says here again that the wrath of God, this is a New Testament because God's the same yesterday, today and Forever the wrath of God is revealed against all men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Okay, what truth? Verse 19. Because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. Meaning, even if you're watching and you're agnostic or atheist, the Bible says deep down God has written the reality that there is a creator God on your heart. You know it, you see it in nature, and there's a reality of it in your conscience in Romans 2. But when men override what's obvious about God and nature and override the conscience that's written on their heart, God gives them over.

[B]

Now, before you move forward, I remember you saying in verse 18, you had the mental image of one who suppresses the truth and unrighteousness, almost as if a man is leaning against a spring.

[A]

Coiled spring.

[B]

Yeah, fully coiled. And in verse 19, it reveals such a profound point, I wanted to hover on it for a second. God has given every single man and woman that's ever lived a conscience. And he's written onto that conscience the reality that there is a created order and design for this creation. And so we should not be surprised when we read in Sodom and Gomorrah the violence and aggression that they had towards Lot when he's trying to hold them back from wickedness. When you have the mental image of Romans one of these people who are leaning against a coiled spring, you should not be surprised when that coiled spring explodes towards you in anger and violence and arrogance and frustration.

[A]

Yeah. No, there's truth there. And obviously God's wrath is never. It's not an outburst. It's his righteous response to unrighteousness. And so in verse 24, it says this. Therefore, because of this suppression of truth, God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. Why? For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen. So when a nation and an individual, those individuals within it, reject God, God gives them what they want. And when God gives someone over, the first thing that happens is these individuals, these types of nations, become obsessed with sex. It says here that God gives them over. And then what happens to the lust of their hearts to impurity so that their bodies would be dishonored? Our bodies were made to bring God glory. And when men reject God, override their conscience and rebel against the obvious evidence of God as revealed in nature, God gives them over to do what? To sin. It's the worst thing God can do is just give someone over to the sin. I mentioned the three types of wrath, cataclysmic wrath, eternal wrath. What wrath is this? This is the wrath of abandonment. Go your own way. And when God lets you go your own way, you become obsessed with sex. That's what the text says. Then it says in verse 26, for this reason, God gave them over. This is the second time we read that to degrading passions for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural. 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. So what happens next? Well, God gives them over to degrading passions, and women exchange the natural function for that which is unnatural. Men with men, women with women. And so historically, society's decline and cultural collapse follows a repeated pattern. A sexual revolution followed by a homosexual revolution. And the scripture makes this very clear. And then it says this, receiving 27b in their own persons the due penalty of their heir. What's that? Well, sexually transmitted diseases. The Bible talks about this 2,000 years ago. AIDS, whatever you want to call, you name it. According to Dr. Clowes, who reviewed in his obituaries, the average age of death for male homosexuals hovered around 40 years old until 1995 and then began to rapidly improve. And as of 2014, it was about 60, which is still about 20 years less than the average heterosexual counterpart. Yeah, and it's just by way of reminder when we started here, every command God gives us is for our good. He loves us. He's not a cosmic killjoy. He's for us. He made us. And then it says in verse 28, and just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, third time we read this, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper. Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips, slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastfuls, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful. So sexual revolution followed by a homosexual revolution. Then God gives them over full on to the depravity of their own mind. And the result of that is that there are murders and gossips. I mean, you're living in a nation that has murdered more babies than you would think humanly possible. But this is the depravity. When you look at the news and you watch people saying, my body, my choice, I want to, you know, pro abortion, you're going, what are they thinking? They're not thinking. They're not thinking biblically. They're not thinking according to how God would think. Why? Because God has given them over to a depraved mind. Verse 32 ends this way, chapter one. And although they know the ordinance of God and that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. You know what that means? It means that the most hateful, evil group of people I could possibly think of are people that know the truth about what the Bible says about homosexuality. And under the banner of love and tolerance, give hearty approval and affirmation to a sin that God clearly condemns. It would be like seeing someone pouring gasoline all over their body and lighting matches and saying, hey, that's fine, do your own thing. No. If you loved them, you would say, no, you're in danger. And so Romans 1:32 says, Even though they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but give hearty approval to those who practice them. This is a tragedy.

[B]

I don't have anything to add.

[A]

Well, I think it's just one thing to note in Romans that the ultimate way God punishes an individual and a nation is just to hand them over to greater and greater degrees of iniquity. And when I said, hey, we're a nation under the wrath of God, this is what I mean. The worst thing that God can say is, go your own way.

[B]

And maybe to that point, the practical application of that or the reception that occurs to me is I should be less surprised. I shouldn't be surprised at all when faced with unencumbered evil. When you're faced with this reality that we are so deeply entrenched and so many decades deep in this obsession with sexuality, pouring over to homosexuality, pouring over to every form of evil.

[A]

Yeah. And in these passages that I mentioned, I think there are people that would say they're clobber passages. And I think that's important to talk about. We'll talk about this more in the next episode. But one writer, he writes about sexuality in his book, does the Bible Support Same Sex Marriage? And he says homosexuality is mentioned in at least five places in scripture. And in each place it is Prohibited. Good so far. And he says the point of these passages is not to highlight the sins of gay people, but to underscore the sins of all people. Straight Christians should never wave these texts around as proof that gay people need to repent. I just think that that is a really tragic thing to say. Like, hey, you should never point these, you know, present these passages as proof that someone needs to repent. I'm just reading his own words, because what's the point of the law? Well, the point of the law, the point of the scripture, the preaching of Jesus, the preaching of John the Baptist, the preaching of Peter, of the preaching of Paul, is to show people they are at odds with God and they need to be saved. First Timothy 1:8 says, but we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and for sinners. This is what the law is for, he says, for the unholy, for the profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars. Meaning that you preach the law, you preach the holiness of God. You preach the contradiction between man and God's holiness. Why? Well, because. So that people would recognize that their soul is in danger and that when you herald to them the truth of who Jesus is and the holiness of God, that they would cry out. But when you rob them of the diagnosis, you rob them of the remedy. And so absolutely, the point is to show all types of sinners for sure that they're at odds with God. And so if you withhold this, then you produce this acceptance of homosexuality, which means that people are never going to fly to Jesus as a savior from the sin, especially when Ephesians 5, 1 Corinthians 6 makes it clear that no homosexual will enter the kingdom of heaven.

[B]

And to maybe say that in a different light, to move this off homosexuality for a point, we're good friends. I've confessed sin to you in my life. It would be unloving to the utmost degree for me to confess sin to you and for you to point back at me and say, no, no, no, that sin that you're confessing isn't sin at all. And those passages actually have no relevance for your life. You should lean into that like it's such a. When we divorce it from the stigma associated with homosexuality and you made it. Any sins of the tongue that we've looked at in prior episodes. It somehow lands differently in people's minds. To say that that litany of sins doesn't apply is missing the entire point of Paul's call to accountability and to a holy life.

[A]

Yeah, and this is what Jesus comes to save us from. And so if you're a homosexual and you're watching this or listening to this, you know, maybe you're asking, is there good news for the homosexual? Well, big time. Or for the transgender? Big time. Because God is in the business of saving all types of sinners, including homosexuals. 1 Corinthians 6, 9. We already read it, but I want to continue. Do you not know that the unrighteous will inherit the kingdom of God? He's saying, this is something you should know. Do not be deceived. Don't let anybody lie to you. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor homosexuals, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. That's bad news. Here's the good news. Such were some of you, but you were washed. You were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. Meaning that the Corinthian Church is full of former homosexuals. Paul says, such were some of you, but God saved you. And it says, you were washed. Which means what? Cleansed. You can be totally cleansed of your sin. And I love that it says, but you were sanctified before. It says you were justified. Justified is our positional righteousness, our positional standing with God. He says, but you are sanctified. Which means what? You are separated from that sin. There's good news for you, double good news. You can not only be cleansed and forgiven of that sin, you could be separated from it. First Timothy, we just read that the law is for adulterers, for murderers, for homosexuals, for liars. And then it says four verses later, this is a trustworthy statement, worthy of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save one type of person, sinners. Homosexuality is a sin very clearly. It's an abomination to God. It's egregious. You would have to do hermeneutical and linguistic gymnastics to come up with any other interpretation in Scripture. It's a sin. But here's the good news. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. This isn't the only type of sin. And this is why Paul says, of which I am what the chief. But again, if you don't know this about the sin of homosexuality, the people that you have in your life or the churches that you may go to that are affirming, it is not loving for them to withhold these truths from you. Because again, if you rob them of the diagnosis, you rob them of the remedy. And this is the remedy. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[B]

And the good news again, to reflect in 1 Corinthians 6:11, you've been washed, sanctified and justified. And we're going to look at this more in coming episodes. But that reality then means that sin does not define you. We're talking about this in an isolated episode for the sake of clarity. But the good news is this sin is not a red letter identifier of a born again believer who's placed their faith in Christ.

[A]

No, you repent of that sin and you turn to Jesus Christ. You are as righteous before God as Billy Graham.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because all of our righteousness is an alien righteousness. It's imputed and transferred to us. It's the righteousness of Jesus, not the righteousness we produce or conjure. It's his righteousness. And so he takes our sin and he gives us his righteousness. And so that's the hope of the gospel. Now in the following episode, and we already talked about this a couple times, we're going to address all those rebuttals and you can write down some of the questions in the comments. What about, you know, the homosexuality that Paul condemns is different? What about God? I think God is a God of love. Whatever those things may be, write them in the comments. We're going to respond to those in the following episode and we'll pick it up from there.

[B]

Looking forward to it, Johnny.

[A]

Thanks, Hank.