Is Homosexual Orientation Sinful?

Does the Bible condemn homosexual orientation as sin?

The Bible is somewhat ambiguous about orientation as such, only because that language is relatively new language. So you are not going to find a specific verse that talks about orientation. What the Bible does say clearly is that to perform same sex acts—to engage in homosexual practice or behavior—is sin.

What the Bible does say clearly is that to perform same sex acts—to engage in homosexual practice or behavior—is sin.

Leviticus says that a man should not lie with a man as with a woman. In Romans, Paul talks about exchanging natural relationships—men with women—for unnatural ones with persons of the same gender. In 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1—a vice list of sins—one of the sins mentioned is men who practice homosexuality. So the emphasis clearly is on the consciously chosen activity of homosexual intimacy.

What does that say about orientation? Well, it would certainly suggest that the sexual desire for somebody of the same gender is sin, if it arises to the level of lust (just like lust for somebody of the opposite sex would be sin as Jesus says in Matthew 5). And I think we go a little farther to say that the desire itself—the kind of attraction—is disordered, meaning it’s not the way that God designed things from the beginning.

What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?

Kevin DeYoung

Offering readers a valuable resource for thinking through a contentious issue, this timely book by award-winning author Kevin DeYoung summarizes the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality and responds to popular objections raised by Christians and non-Christians.

Now having said that, there are many desires we may have in the Christian life that are disordered and all of us need to come daily to God in repentance for all sorts of desires.

So is homosexual orientation sinful? I wouldn’t want somebody watching this who has a struggle with same sex attraction to think that they are beyond the pale of God’s mercy or forgiveness. At the same time, I want them to know that Scripture clearly says that to act upon those attractions and to engage in that behavior is sinful.

Kevin DeYoung (PhD, University of Leicester) is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. He has written books for children, adults, and academics, including Just Do Something; Impossible Christianity; Daily Doctrine; and The Biggest Story Bible Storybook. Kevin’s work can be found on clearlyreformed.org. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children.

What Does "Arsenokoitai" Mean?

Kevin DeYoung

April 09, 2015

That word is an unusual word. It’s a new word; we don’t know of any other instances of the word until Paul coins the word in 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1.