Examining The Claim That Jesus Approved of Same-Sex Relationships

By Robert Clifton Robinson on June 17, 2023 • ( 0 )

We live during a time of massive assault on the Bible as the Word of God. People twist the scriptures to give themselves license to live according to “what is right in their own eyes.”

One of the areas that is under constant attack by critics, is the subject of transgender and same-sex relationships. Now, certainly a person has a right to live in any way they want to. It is not my desire to condemn same-sex or transgender persons, or pass judgment upon their lives. This is not my job as a follower of Jesus, judgment belongs to the Lord.

The questions is, do these persons have a right to use the Bible to justify their chosen lifestyle? If the Bible has justified same-sex relationships, I would agree. The question is, can we validate from scripture, transgender and same-sex relationships by the scriptures of the Bible?

Often people say that Jesus never said anything about same-sex relationships in the New Testament. Proponents of these relationships often use this assertion; that Jesus didn’t condemn same sex or transgender persons, in the texts of the New Testament. Therefore the Christian church and society should accept these persons.

Once again, these persons can live in any way that they want to, but can they use the Bible to justify their same-sex relationships?

The Progressive Christian Movement, began the Progressive Christian church

In the doctrines of the Progressive Christian church, that claims to be biblical Christianity, transgender and same-sex persons are accepted into the church.

The justification to accept these persons, is that the Bible doesn’t prohibit this behavior. They claim that since Jesus never condemned loving same-sex relationships, the church should accept them into their fellowship.

Is this true? What are the texts that progressives use to justify these relationships? One of the frequently used scriptures to justify same-sex relationships as acceptable in the Christian church, is found in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel.

In this text the prophet writes to the nation of Israel that her behavior has degraded into paganism, and similar practices to those of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.

‎Often, Ezekiel 16:48–50, is cited as the reason Yahweh destroyed Sodom: Proponents of these texts to prove same-sex relationships say, these men at Sodom were, and this is the reason Yahweh destroyed these men in Genesis 19:24.

In other words, the traditional position of the Christian church that It was the same-sex behavior of the men at Sodom and Gomorrah that caused Yahweh to destroy Sodom, Progressives say, is not true.

Here’s the problem, and it is a problem that often occurs when people seek to use the Bible to justify their behavior: Those who used Ezekiel 16, leave out the rest of the text that says:

‎Ezekiel 16:48-50, “They were prideful and committed abomination before Me…”

The Hebrew word used here for “abomination,” is תּוֹעֵבָה tô‘êḇâ, the same Hebrew words used in Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”

‎The meaning is clear: The homosexual men of Sodom were filled with pride, which caused them to, be “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy, and they committed homosexual acts with each other, that the Lord says are, “an abomination,” to Him.

Yahweh would not have destroyed the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, simply because they were arrogant, and failed to help the poor. It was the abomination of same-sex men that brought Yahweh to visit their town.

Genesis 18:20-21 states that the outcry of sin at Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that the Lord went to these cities to see this for Himself. “And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” ~Genesis 18:20-21

‎Genesis 19:24 states that because these men were committing this abomination before the Lord, He came personally to the city and destroyed all of the men who lived there.

Genesis 19:24-25‎ “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. He utterly destroyed them all, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.”

Those who translated the Koine-Greek of the New Testament into English, understood that Jesus is Yahweh from the Old Testament, this is why they used the counterpart Greek word, “Kurios.”

‎Jesus often applied a name to Himself that is only used for Yahweh, “I AM” (John. 4:26; 6:20; 8:24,28,58; 18:5,6).

‎It was the pre-incarnate Jesus who visited Sodom and Gomorrah, and confirmed that these men there were committing the sin of abomination by having sex with each other, and Jesus, as Yahweh, destroyed all of them.

‎Jesus’ brother, Jude, said the following about the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jude 1:5-7 “So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.”

“Immorality and sexual perversion”

Did you get that? Jesus’ brother, Jude, says that it was Jesus who delivered the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt, through Moses, but then Jesus later destroyed the same generation in the desert, because they began to complain against the Lord, and refused to trust Him.”

Jude also said that it was Jesus who destroyed the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were “filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.”

In Peter’s second letter, he also describes the men of Sodom and Gomorrah: 2 Peter 2:6-10 “God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant…”

Same-sex advocates say that Jesus never condemned same-sex behavior. The texts of the Old and New Testament impeach this false assertion.

The next time you hear people trying to justify the progressive Christian church in their acceptance of same-sex persons, you know better, that Jesus destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for same-sex sin, and the New Testament writers, confirm this in their letters.