Sexuality

God's Design Contrasted with Our Culture

Ronald W. Leigh, Ph.D.

Bible and Cross

January 24, 2016
Copyright © 2016 Ronald W. Leigh
Bible quotations are from the New International Version

A.  God's original design:  One man, one woman

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number …  (Genesis 1:27-28)

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife …  (1 Timothy 3:2)

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.  (Hebrews 13:4)

B.  God's original design:  Permanent commitment

When reading the following passages, it should be kept in mind that there is a difference between being divorced and causing a divorce.

"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel (Malachi 2:16)

… anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress …  (Matthew 5:32)

3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'
5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?
6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."  (Matthew 19:3-9)

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.  (1 Corinthians 7:10-13)

C.  The spiritual basis of sexual impurity

21 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.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.  (Romans 1:21-27)

D.  Various sexual activity prohibited

The following passages explicitly prohibit all kinds of sexual immorality, including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bestiality, and incest.

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality  (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.
19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  (Matthew 15:18-19)

(Romans 1:26-27, quoted above)

22 Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
23 Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.  (Leviticus 18:22-25)

10 If a man commits adultery with another man's wife – with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
11 If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.
13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
14 If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.
15 If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.
16 If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
17 If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.
18 If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.
19 Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.
20 If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.
21 If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.
22 Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.  (Leviticus 20:10-22)

E.  Our culture – Total confusion

"They invent ways of doing evil" (Romans 1:30), such as:

F.  Supreme Court approves same-sex "marriage"

On June 26, 2015, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that gays and lesbians in all 50 states have a right to marry.  Here is a link to court decision and opinions – dissenting opinions begin on p. 40 (using the PDF count).

G.  Are some people born gay?

Focus on the Family has a series of articles on Understanding Same-Sex Attraction.  The third article in that series answers the above question.

One of the lines of reasoning heard from the gay community is the notion that an individual is born with a certain internal, psychological gender identity which is determined by that person's genes, brain structure, or some other biological characteristic.  This identity may or may not match the person's anatomy.  Many claim that this identity is fixed and beyond the individual's control.  "I can't help it that I was born this way."

However, scientific research has not identified any such biological trait.  In contrast, common observation indicates that sexual preference can be fluid, and is greatly influenced by a person's experiences including various combinations of the following:

With such factors in mind, it is fair to say that sexual orientation is greatly affected by one's social environment and is thus largely learned.  Sexual orientation is just one part of a person's overall self-image, which is greatly influenced by our life experiences, especially our interaction with others.

As further evidence that sexual orientation is not "locked in" at birth, consider the many who have changed orientation during their adult lives (both directions, from straight to homosexual and from homosexual to straight).

This is a complex issue.  Some are quick to try to reduce this discussion to only two categories, genetics and choice, as though it has to be completely one or the other.  But that is an unhelpful oversimplification.  In addition, many of our attitudes and behaviors are learned at a less-than-fully-conscious level.  This fact makes it somewhat unfair to claim that, since sexual orientation is not determined genetically, it is solely a matter of choice.

A more realistic approach involves at least four categories:  genetics, nurture, choice, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

H.  Personal responsibility, the Holy Spirit, hope

Personal responsibility must be understood in biblical perspective, which takes a person's knowledge into account.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."  (Luke 23:34)

Before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.  (Romans 5:13.)

Anyone . . . who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.  (James 4:17)

And when dealing with someone with whom we disagree sharply on matters of sexuality, keep in mind what the Holy Spirit's conviction centers on:

8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.  (John 16:8-11)

And regarding the Christian believer, we must not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and move the willing individual in the right direction.

God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:5)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 15:13)

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being …  (Ephesians 3:16)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  (Ephesians 3:20-21)