Before sin entered the world through man's disobedience, heteroxesual marriage was the only sexual relationship that existed on earth. It was after man's fall that such things polygamy (Genesis 4:19), adultery (Genesis 12:17), prostitution (Genesis 38:15) and rape (Genesis 34:2) entered the world. Homosexuality was also an abvious development, as seen by the way it took over the society of ancient Sodom (Genesis 19:4-5).
Theres a very interesting website that shows evidence today that God did indeed rain fire and brimstone down upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Click the graphic below and see for yourself just how God hated this cities vial lifestyle.
Although a person may "feel" that his or her homosexuality is natural and normal, we must realize that feelings can mislead us. In the book of Jeremiah, we are told:
"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
Many people "feel" they are born homosexual, because their desires lean in that direction. But despite what some people teach, it does not mean that a person was born a homosexual, any more than people are born murderers, thieves, adulterers or liars.
Our "feelings" are not always morally right. We cannot trust our feelings to tell us which lifestyle we are to live. We MUST live according to what is taught in God's Word, and not according to our feelings.
Can a homosexual be a Christian?
Without question, the Bible condemns homosexuality in both the Old and New Testaments. Here are two examples:
Leviticus 18:22 -- "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination".
I Corinthians 6:9-10 -- Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, not idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, shall inherit the kingdom of God".
A Christian lives in obedience to the teachings of Jesus, recognizing Christ's teachings as the ultimate truth. Obedience is made possible when a person is "born again" as a result of faith in what Christ did on the Cross to redeem man's sin. After being born again, a peson abandons all things which God commands to be sinful. A Christian will no longer live as a slave to sin. He will turn from and give up all evil ways. Though a Christian may struggle with sin and temptation, he will no longer live a lifestyle which opposes God's Word.
"No one who is born of God practices sin, because (Christ's) seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the chidlren of the devil are obvious; anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not live his brother" (I John 3:9-10).
No one can be a Christian and remain a practicing homosexual. It would be a contradiction of God's Word. We are to become transformed by our Christian nature and live a Christ-like life.
Can gays become straight?
YES! In I Corinthians 6, we are told that neither the sexually immoral, nor the idolator, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders will inherit the kingdom of God. But immediately afterwards, we read:
"And that is what some of you WERE. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 6:11).
Jesus can change ANY person, regardless of the sin they have committed. The homosexual, like any sinner, only needs to acknowledfge his or her sin, repent of that sin and believe in the transforming power of Christ.
Is AIDS a curse from God?
A curse, in the Bible sense, is not something evil that is put upon a person without a reason, nor is it irreversible. God does not "put a curse on people". A curse comes as a direct consequence or a result of man's actions.
The Bible tells us that God "turns people over" to their own sin, allowing the natural consequences of their sin to take effect. If a man continues to break the law of God, God does not stop him. He allows him to go ahead and suffer the effects of that sin.
"Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their heart to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error" (Romans 1:24, 26-27).
Many people ask "Why did God allow AIDS to come upon homosexuals?" They should be asking, "Why did these people take the risk of getting involved in illicit sex?" Millions today hve been diagnosed with the AIDS virus. Hundreds of thousand of AIDS cases remain undiagnosed or unreported. Many of the sufferers are married, affecting more than just the homosexual community.
God has not cursed people with AIDS. This deadly virus is a direct consequence of immoral behavior which is now taking its toll on the general public. God warns us to stay away from sin because IT KILLS. God's moral law was not given to take away our pleasure or our happiness; it was given to protect us from our own destructive passions and sinful practices.
"The Lord is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9).
God will not violate man's free will; He will allow a person to be involved in sin even if that practice leads to death. But He has never desired that a man should perish, and He certainly has not brought on AIDS to bring suffering or death.
