This topic has risen up a few times recently and in fact as of April 2013 a staggering 14 countries have passed legislation to permit gay marriage, the most recent of which is France. My country, South Africa, passed it in 2006.
I have also found some Christians who claim that the bible has nothing to say about it, or that its ok.
Before I quote the bible let’s first take a detour. What is hate speech?
Hate speech is a communication that carries no meaning other than the expression of hatred for some group, especially in circumstances in which the communication is likely to provoke violence. – US Legal Definitions
Hate speech has a specific legal meaning. It differs from country to country. But generally speaking it means… saying things that incite others to be violent towards someone or towards a group of people.
Intellectual discussions are not hate speech. Here is a very good overview of the tension between freedom of expression and hate speech in international law.
Free speech is vital to human dignity. It is the cornerstone of every democratic society, because it is an enabling right — a right that allows individuals to argue for their enjoyment of all other rights
Therefore, before I begin to quote the bible, I will remind you that God is love and Jesus Christ showed love towards all us sinners. Yes us… you and I included. But. Both God and Jesus Christ spoke about the judgement that comes on sinners.
Therefore, I ask you to bear in mind what the bible says about homosexuality (and by extension gay marriage) but at the same time to also bear in mind that God loves people – even while He hates their sin and they come under His judgement. Judgement is His. Your job is to love people.
Scriptures speaks clearly and unambiguosly about homosexuality in Romans 1…
26 For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural.
27 In the same way, their males also abandoned their natural sexual function toward females and burned with lust toward one another. Males committed indecent acts with males, and received within themselves the appropriate penalty for their perversion.
It is quite clear from this passage that homosexuality is considered to be an unnatural sexual function, indecent, degrading passion and sexually impure.
That scripture should be sufficient, but if its not, here are another four…
Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”
Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act…
1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Timothy 1:10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, [ Or kidnappers.] liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching
How should you respond to someone’s sin of homosexuality?
I ask you please to respond in the same way that you will respond to my sins which I have committed… and to your own daily sin which you ongoingly commit… respond with the love that I need. Respond with the grace, compassion, care, support, forgiveness, prayer, kindness that you need.
The Bible says homosexuality is a sin and the solution to the problem of sin (the breaking of God’s Law, 1 John 3:4) is found only in Jesus Christ. He is the Lord, the Savior, the risen King. Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1,14) and he died to save sinners.
We are all sinners and we need salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) that is found in receiving Christ (John 1:12-13).
Faith + Hope + Love 
This is an excellent post to a highly controversial and sensitive topic. Thank you.
You might want to add 1 Cor 6:11 “And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” This verse gives hope and a viable solution to homosexuality or any other sin or vice. Verse 11 could be
either be added to the earlier verses of 1 Cor 6:9-10 quoted in your article or as a separate point that in the Gospel of Jesus Christ there is a provision is made for release from homosexuality. In fact this shows that through the Gospel of Jesus provision has been made so that we can be forgiven, cleansed and redeemed from homosexuality or any other sins like fornication, adultery, drunkeness etc. Whatever our sin, we can be and must be forgiven and we should be free from them. Any sin except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ and the confession of our sins (1 John 1:9). First Cor 6:11 asserts that through Christ not just forgiveness but sanctification and deliverance sins is provided for. There is hope and mightly provision in the Gospel of Jesus. Truly good news for sinners–and we all qualify as sinners.
Your writings on emptiness I found useful and special.
God bless you Mark!
Awesome explanation! I love the way you pointed out that all sin is equal in the eyes of God and all of us have sinned.
There is an ministry dedicated to helping those impacted by homosexuality………married couples where one is struggling, parents with children struggling with this. The ministry is run thru Stonegate Fellowship and is called Crosspower Minintries. You can check it out on the web. Good job Mark!
Shelley Ingram
I’m a little confused here. Are you saying that homosexuals who know Christ are sinners or children of God who sin? Seeing that even a child of God falls short at times but are still promised heaven how then should we approach homosexuals? I was under the belief that it was all under the condition of sin. All a result of the fall.
If James 2:10 says “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Should we then withhold rights or treat differently the person who ‘steals’ copy paper from the office or ‘bears false witness’ to his wife so he can stay out later or the child who ‘dishonors their parent’ by talking back? If James is saying one sin (which were ‘all’ punishable by death) is no worse than the next sin then why does homosexuality, in fact, stand out above the others and why should they be withheld rights others sinners or Christians do not have withheld? #confused
Thanks for giving me a chance to clarify. Yes we all sin. Children sin as you say. We all do.
And that is the point of this post. As I said at the start of the post, some people say homosexuality is not a sin.
My post tries to clarify that.
Why does it stand out so much? I think that its because this particular sin – if its not recognised – enables many other important cultural changes.
For example gay marriage, changing the perception of what God intended, gay priests and clergy.
Yes all have sinned and fallen short. But we dont elevate people with existing known sins like pornography, drug addictions, prostitutes to become clergy.
Thats not to say that clergy dont have these problems… sadly we are all sinners… but we deal with those issues when they are uncovered.
We dont KNOWINGLY elevate those people to positions of leadership. Or at least… I hope we dont.
I hope that clarifies?
God bless YOU! 🙂
You gave me some points to ponder further. Thank you.