Sodom And The First Mention Of Homosexuality
Genesis is the book of beginnings. There is a rule followed by fundamental Bible students, that is known as the law or rule of "first mention." When you find something mentioned the first time in Genesis, this will set a pattern for understanding it throughout the Bible. This certainly holds true on homosexuality. "...the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly." Genesis 13:13. We are not long left in doubt of the nature of the sin Sodom was noted for.
God revealed to Abraham that He was going to destroy Sodom, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;" Genesis 18:20. God sent two angels, who appeared as men, into Sodom to warn Lot and his family to flee the city. The angels spent the night in Lot's house. That night the men of Sodom surrounded the house and asked, him, "Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may KNOW them." Genesis 19:5. It is clear that the Bible uses the word "know" many times to describe a sex act between two individuals. "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain,..." "And Cain KNEW his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch:..." Genesis 4:1,17. Lot offered to give the men of Sodom his two unmarried daughters, which had not "KNOWN man", but of course they were not interested in women. They wanted men because they were sodomites. Even when they were smitten with blindness by the angels, these wicked men still wearied themselves in trying to find the door of Lot's house.
God destroyed Sodom with fire and brimstone. Anyone should be able to read Genesis 19 and see God's attitude toward the practice of homosexuals. "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;" Genesis 19:24. This even is mentioned many other places in the Bible, by Isaiah, Jeremiah and other prophets. It is used as an example of God's judgment by Jesus, Peter and Jude in the New Testament. Not one writer or speaker in the Bible questions God's righteousness in destroying these cities.
The following definitions are taken from Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged, Second Edition, 1975:
* "Homosexuality, 1) Sexual desire for those of the same sex; 2) sexual relations between individuals of the same sex."
* "Homosexual, one whose sexual inclination is toward those of the individual's own sex rather than the opposite sex."
* "Sodomite, a person who practices sodomy."
* "Sodomy, any sexual intercourse regarded as abnormal, as between persons of the same sex, especially males, or between a person and an animal."
* "Lesbian, a homosexual woman." "Lesbianism, the sexual practices of Lesbians; homosexuality between women.
God's Law Forbids Homosexual Acts
It is easy to see that homosexual acts were forbidden by the Law. "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Leviticus 18:22. This sin called for the death penalty under the Law. "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death;" Leviticus 20:13. "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel." Deuteronomy 23:17. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14. Although this verse does not mention an homosexual act, nevertheless, it would forbid this sin. Why? Because homosexuals commit adulterous acts with persons of the same sex.
Why God Commanded Nations To Be Destroyed!
Israel was told to destroy certain nations that dwelt in the land of Canaan. This is found a number of times in Deuteronomy and Joshua. It is clear that Israel not only was told to do this, but God also said that He would help them do it. Some liberal humanistic theologians of the 20th Century do not believe that God said for Israel to do this. They do not deny that it is found in the Bible, but they deny that God said it. They prefer to believe that the writers simply made it up to cover their cruelties to the inhabitants of the land. The Bible believer must take an entirely different approach.
Let the Bible speak. In Deuteronomy 7:1, seven nations are named and in 7:2, Israel is commanded: "And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them." "And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee... LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them..." Deuteronomy 7:22,23. A careful study will reveal WHY God ordered whole nations to be destroyed by the Israelites. God warned Israel concerning a long list of sins, including incest, adultery, having sex with animals and homosexuality. "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind...Neither shalt thou lie with any beast...Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you...the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants." Leviticus 18:22-25. Man is forbidden to "lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman," and "ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them." Leviticus 20:13,23.
Judah was condemned during the time of Rehoboam, because "there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel." 1st Kings 14:24. Once again we are shown one of the principle reasons why God ordered the wholesale destruction of certain nations. God knew what he was doing, and He violated none of His attributes or laws in destroying them. His love, holiness and righteousness are vindicated by His judgments. True love will never tolerate and condone homosexuality!!
Doing Right In The Eyes Of The Lord!
Those who condoned and tolerated the sodomites were condemned by God. However, the kings who properly handled the homosexual issue, "did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord." King Asa "did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD...he took away the sodomites out of the land..." 1st Kings 15:11,12. King Jehoshaphat "did which was right in the eyes of the LORD... the remnant of the sodomites...he took out of the land." 1st Kings 22:43,46. King Josiah "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord... he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord..." (2nd Kings 22: 23:7).
Churches, denominations and preachers who advocate, condone or excuse homosexuality are NOT doing that which is right in the sight of the Lord.
"God Gave Them Up"
In Romans chapter 1, homosexuality is pictured as being at the end of the road. It is at the lowest level of human depravity. The stages of Gentile apostasy are clearly set forth. "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves...For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet." Romans 1:21-24,26,27.
Surely anyone can understand that the above Scripture condemns homosexual sins. Man turned from God to idols, to human depravity, and God gave them up. God will not countenance homosexuality, sodomy and lesbianism. Homosexual ministers and ministers who condone homosexuality have written many articles defending its practice, but they never bother to explain Romans 1. The reason is obvious. It cannot be explained away. It must either be ignored or denied. Widespread homosexuality in a society is a sign that God has given them up! If America continues to follow the widespread homosexual trend, it will destroy our civilization.
Listen to the Word of God! "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind (the homosexual), for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." 1st Timothy 1:8-10.
"Defile themselves with mankind", in the above Scripture is translated from the Greek word "arsenokoites" and it means "sodomites" according to Strong's Greek Dictionary. Thayer's Greek Lexicon defines "arsenokoites" as "one who lies with a male as with a female, a sodomite." So according to the above Scriptures, sodomy should be illegal and should be punished along with murder and kidnapping.
Some people contend that a homosexual cannot be saved. Generally they base their belief on Romans 1, which says: "God gave them up." Others point to 1st Corinthians 6:9,10 to show that the homosexual cannot be saved. However, we believe that a close study of these Scriptures will prove just the opposite. We hasten to say, that we do not believe that a person who is saved will remain a homosexual. That person who is saved will turn from it, repent of it and forsake it.