The dust up over Duck Dynasty and homosexuality brought many thoughts into view. The Biblical view is that the practice of homosexuality is a sin. The lawless view is that there is no such thing as God and therefore no such thing as sin. In the middle are masses who either do not know what the Bible teaches or they know and do not care. The lawless will not be convinced by anything said here. But some in the middle might be interested. Let us present this discussion in slightly different way.
Homosexuality as the “Super Sin”
To hear some, the practice of homosexuality is the “super sin.”
There is no super sin. All sin brings rightful condemnation from a just God. Sin which seems so small in our eyes always has enormous consequences in the eyes of the righteous judge.
“but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).
Some would declare that homosexuality is the worst possible sin because the Bible declares it an “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22) . True enough, homosexuality is an abomination. But there are other abominations which are far less offensive to most Christians.
Fortune telling is an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:12).
A haughty person, a liar, one who creates division, a false witness are all abominations (Proverbs 6:16-19).
No, homosexuality is not the super sin. We have made it into such because it offends us deeply. In reality, it is little different from any other sin of an unrestrained heart.
Unrestrained Passions as Sin
At the heart of so many sins are unrestrained passions. These desires are not controlled by the individual and certainly are not controlled by the Spirit. Such free-wheeling passions arise from sin (Romans 6:12; 7:5). These human passions are not simply controlled, they are destroyed in Christ.
“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires “ (Galatians 6:24).
In place of these passions is the Spirit of Christ. As Paul says, we have died but are made alive by Christ who now lives in us (Galatians 2:20).
But unrestrained passions are not built upon Christ but upon the deadly idea that a person should always be allowed to do anything and act in any manner if he alone so chooses. This is the rationale behind the motto of the 1960’s, “If it feels good, do it.”
Man must bring his own desires and passions under the constant control of the Savior. Unrestrained passions condemn. Paul said that he “disciplined” his body daily to keep it under control (1 Corinthians 9:27). In Romans 8:13 he reminds that we do not live based upon what the body (flesh) wants but what is of the Spirit. Peter joins Paul in 1 Peter 2:11 when he reminds his readers to “abstain from the passions of the flesh.” Why? He answers: those passions “wage war against your soul.”
Homosexual conduct certainly is contained in the idea of an unrestrained heart, but so are many heterosexual behaviors.
Young people must not live together in a sexual union without the blessing of God. To do so is fornication and is a sin. Like all, a young person’s sexual appetite must be retrained to marriage only.
For example, a heterosexual man may not engage in uncontrolled sexuality. He may not pursue any and all women but is restricted to his one lawful wife. A heterosexual woman may not avail herself of just any man. To do so is adultery and is a sin. Like all, her sexual activities are restricted to the marriage.
A person divorced cannot be remarried except within the teachings of God’s word. In these examples, the heterosexual, like the homosexual, are prevented from any sexual act that is not condoned by God.
Even beyond sexuality, man is expected to control and restrain himself. God demands that we restrain ourselves from sin wherever it is found.
Homosexuality is absolutely a sin. But it is a sin just like adultery, fornication, pornography and so on. Let us reject the world’s idea and be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls all to freedom in Him. Will you respond?
