Isn’t it interesting that whenever your fellow students question you about your faith, the one thing they focus is the issue of gender and sexuality? There’s so much I could say, but I hope the following brief thoughts are helpful.
In the book of Genesis it is striking that God creates both men and women in His image. There is no sense anywhere in the Bible that women are in any sense an inferior gender. It is also striking that it is the women in the gospels who were chosen to be the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Later on, Paul tells us in Col 3:11 that in Christ that there is no male or female, not in the sense that Jesus has abolished the differences between the sexes, but that both are equally valued members of His kingdom.
What about the issue of homosexuality? I need to make two preliminary observations at this point. I think too often the church has demonised gay people because rather like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable (see Luke 18:9-17) we find it easy to thank God we are not like those people over there. And rather like the Pharisees we can so easily be blind to our faults. Jesus’ words on lust, for example, make uncomfortable reading (Matt 5:27-28) and yet so often we have made homosexuality a greater sin than other forms of sexual expression.
Secondly, one reason why the church seems obsessed with the issue at the moment is not actually to do with homosexuality at all. The problem is, if that the church decides that homosexual practice is acceptable, it is following an agenda which says that God’s word doesn’t really have authority over our lives as Christians. So the question then arises, what else is up for grabs? Church history shows that when a denomination loses hold of God’s word, it quickly ceases to become salt and light and is no longer good for anything (Matt 5:13). So although to the wider world it can seem that conservatives like me are obsessed about gay sex, our real passion is to honour the name of Jesus and uphold His word. That can be very hard to communicate to the wider world, who may well not appreciate the underlying issue.
So why does the Bible have an issue with homosexuality? In Genesis 2 we are told – translating the Hebrew literally – that woman was created literally “a help like opposite” man (Gen 2:18). English translations talk about a “helper suitable for him” but that kind of misses the point. Woman was created to share in the God-given task of ruling over His creation, in the same likeness of God, with equal dignity and worth, but with an opposite role to that of man. The idea was that as man and woman come together in marriage, together they would fulfil God’s purposes in the world and make His image known.
The trouble is, and we heterosexuals need to admit this fact more often than we do, ever since the Fall relationships between men and women have been anything other than ideal. God expressly warns Adam and Eve that one result of their disobedience is now an unequal partnership where each strives to dominate the other (Gen 3:17). So homosexuality is in some ways a reflection of our fallen world. I know of several people who have entered homosexual relationships precisely because their experience of heterosexual relationships has been so awful. So if we are as a church are going to speak about homosexuality it seems to me only consistent to speak out also about abuse, domestic violence and pornography. But do we?
So as a church leader I find myself in this position. I want to point to the ideal God gave us in creation. Jesus Himself defined marriage as being between a man and woman (Matthew 19:4-6) and Paul used marriage as a wonderful illustration of the relationship between Christ and His church (Eph 5:22-33). There is no getting away from the fact the Bible is a heterosexual text and the most erotic part of Scripture describes the intimacy of a man and a woman together (see Song of Songs).
But, I also hear Jesus saying, “If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7). I recognise that judgement is ultimately up to God. I can lovingly, patiently teach what the Bible says but I have to leave it to the Holy Spirit to whisper in someone’s ear: “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). As I said to someone this week, I cannot say your relationship is marvellous but neither am I going to say you are going to hell because of it.
I also recognise that too often as a church we have failed to live up to our calling to the body of Christ. There is no point teaching about the love of God and the value of men and women, unless the church really steps up to the mark and becomes a community which shows the presence of the Holy Spirit in the way we relate to one another. That’s why over the past few weeks I have been so challenged by Colossians chapter 3. In today’s non-judgemental age believers shy away from telling one another to put to death whatever belongs to the earthly nature, including sexual immorality, impurity and lust (Col 3:5) but unless we show that the love of Christ really does transform our deepest desires and attitudes we lay ourselves wide open to the charge of hypocrisy when we challenge others about their sexual behaviour.
We really do need to be Christ to one another where we practice love and forgiveness towards one another, so that broken relationships are healed, the lonely are befriended, and the abused learn once again to trust. And we also need to welcome those struggling with sexual temptation and any other form of sin, making it clear that we are as much sinners as anyone else, saved only by the grace of God.
So God does hate gay people? No, His love is for everyone. But His love is shown by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place for our sins. And that love demands a response which includes dying to self and being part of His community the church. That is a message which I know goes against the grain nowadays where we are encouraged to be whoever we want to be, and where our beliefs are considered our own private business. Yet it is a message that needs to be preached. God’s challenge to all of us is by His grace to become the people He wants us to be, and we cannot escape the fact that involves the whole costly and difficult business of repentance. To simply affirm people as they are, and to skip the part about repentance, is to preach a false gospel which may give comfort, but cannot give eternal life.
I realise I may gotten a little carried away here, but I hope at least some of this torrent of words is of help. My thoughts and prayers are with all your fellow students who are so clearly searching but for whatever reason do not see the Christian faith as the answer to their seeking.
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