1 Corinthians 14:37 “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.” 

  Years ago, some old sage stated that the preacher ought to have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The idea behind that advice was to look at current and relevant issues with a Biblical approach. That old advice is still good today. We need to look at the modern world through the lens of the Bible.

One of the things that many folks are saying today, much without looking and investigating for themselves, is that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. Nothing. Silence. By affirming this, the homosexual community implies that not only does the Bible not condemn homosexuality, but in fact, Jesus’ silence on this topic means that He was ok with it. A divine nod or thumb’s up is what they want the world to see. If God doesn’t have a problem with it, then no one else should. There are even preachers and churches who are standing behind this thought. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. That’s the common thought today.

Our Jump Start today is going to take a look at that claim. Did Jesus say anything about homosexuality?

First, there are many things Jesus didn’t speak about. It is assumed that there is a green light to all behavior unless someone can show a “Thou shalt not.” If there is no specific red light, then it allowable. Further, how dare anyone else point a finger when the Bible didn’t. This thinking is flawed. We don’t do that in our own lives. Imagine going to a quick oil change place and you tell them that you want an oil change. After a long, long wait they report that your bill is over $500. You’d flip. Five hundred dollars for an oil change?! Then they reveal that they replaced your wiper blades, your head lights, drained your radiator and your transmission fluid. You’d loudly say, “I didn’t tell you to do that.” The worker, smiling would reply, “You didn’t tell us not to.” We understand that principle in life. You won’t find the Bible saying much about a man becoming a woman, like Bruce Jenner did. You won’t find much about crack, meth or heroin. The absence of specifics does not mean that God does not have an opinion nor does it grant a green light. In the list of the works of the flesh, Galatians five, Paul ends that section with, “those who practice such things.” Such things. His list wasn’t everything. There were similar things. Like things. Those too are wrong. Silence is not a green light.

Second, righteous living is defined by God and not us. God wants us to be holy. God wants us to be like Jesus. Homosexuality is never put in the righteous column in the Bible. It’s condemned in the O.T. as well as in the N.T. Places like Romans 1, calls it unnatural.

Third, Jesus actually DID say something about homosexuality. This surprises most folks. It is commonly thought that Jesus was quiet about this. He wasn’t.

In Matthew 19, in answering a question intended to trap Him about divorce, Jesus quotes Genesis and defines what a marriage is. “He who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.” There Jesus tells us what it was at the beginning. It was male and female. It was male and female that God joined in a marriage. When God saw Adam’s loneliness, He did not send him a buddy, a pet or another guy. He sent Eve. It was always Adam and Eve, and never Adam and Steve. Man and woman compliment each other physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. They are fit for one another.

In showing what a marriage is, we see what it is not. It’s not between two of the same sex.

Further, in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul lists several things are considered “unrighteous” and will not inherit the kingdom of God. Included in that list are sexual sins of: fornication (that includes homosexuality), adultery, homosexuality.

Some from the homosexual community will scream, “that ‘s Paul writing that, not Jesus. Jesus didn’t say it was wrong.” He didn’t? Look at our verse from the top of the page (1 Cor 14:37). What Paul wrote was the Lord’s commandments. The Lord did speak about this sin. The Lord was clear, plain and certain. Those words are the Lord’s words. Get it? God doesn’t approve of homosexuality.

This Corinthian passage also showed that the homosexual, as well as the drunk, the cheat, the trouble maker can and did change. Such were some of the Corinthians. They came to Christ and gave up those unrighteous things to follow the holy God of Heaven. Is it possible to change? Absolutely. Will it be hard? Probably. Can a person stay homosexual and please God? No. Nor can he stay a drunk, a cheat, or a trouble maker. He must put aside the old stuff and become Christ like in all things.

Instead of standing with God, the modern church has turned it’s back to God and has endorsed homosexuality by ordaining practicing homosexuals in the ministry. What a sham. What a disgrace. What a dishonor. And what happens is that those who stand with the Lord are accused of judging, bigotry and hatred.  This is so upside down and inside out. Things are so messed up today. Man is trying to re-write the Bible.

There is never a place and never a time to hate anyone. That includes the homosexual. The hope of the homosexual community, the same as those who leap from relationship to relationship, ignoring what God says about marriage, the same as for the addict, the same as for the gossip, the same as it is for all of us, is Jesus. He is the hope. He is the answer. Don’t change Jesus. Change yourself.

Jesus did speak about homosexuality? YES. He did not approve of it.

Roger