Unapologetically Clear: What God Says About Homosexuality

There’s something I need to say plainly, and I won’t dress it up. We live in a world that is drowning in confusion and rebellion, and one of the areas where that confusion is being most aggressively pushed is in how we talk about sin—specifically, the sin of homosexuality. What used to be clear has now been tangled in feelings, personal opinions, and loud demands for acceptance. But we who belong to the God of Israel don’t get to redefine what He has already spoken. We don’t have the right to water it down or make excuses for it. The real question isn’t what I think or what you think or what the world wants us to say. The question is—and always has been—What does God say about it?

1 Corinthians 14:33:  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."

To answer our question, we have to go straight to the Scriptures—not filtered through modern translations that try to soften the truth, but through the original words in Hebrew and Greek, where the Holy Spirit chose every single word with divine precision. If it isn’t from HaShem, then it’s sin. Period. And He has already spoken.

Let’s begin where He began revealing His standards—back in the Torah, where God’s holy Law was first handed down. This isn’t just history. This is the heart of a holy God laying out what is clean and what is unclean, what is righteous and what is wicked, and what He expects of His people.

Now, let’s expand on the foundational passage in Leviticus, as we need to fully understand God’s standards in their historical and cultural context. God speaks very clearly in Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” The word used here for "abomination" is תּוֹעֵבָה (to·evah), a term that is not to be taken lightly. It signifies something so deeply detestable in God's eyes that it causes rejection at the highest level. The term "to·evah" is applied in Scripture to practices like idolatry, child sacrifice to molech, and witchcraft—sins that strike at the very heart of God’s holiness. When God says "abomination," He means it is something that is not just a violation, but something that violates His divine order at its core. It is from Satan.

God did not say, “Well, this is a sin if it fits within a certain cultural framework,” or “This applies to some, but not all.” No, this is a moral absolute. And that is why this command was placed so prominently in His law—it is a clear, direct declaration of His design for sexual morality.

Let’s look at another critical passage, Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination (to·evah): they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

This speaks to the seriousness of the sin. It’s not a light matter in the eyes of God. There is an incredible weight to this, not because God delights in judgment, but because He is a holy God, and sin (satan) brings destruction.

Now, I want to highlight an important point: we can’t disregard this as “Old Testament law” and claim it doesn’t apply to us today. God’s nature doesn’t change. As Malachi 3:6 says, “I, the Lord, do not change.” The holiness of God is eternal, and His moral commands remain steadfast through time. We see the same standards in the New Testament, where they are not just upheld but even clarified and deepened by Jesus and the apostles. The law of God has not vanished; it has been fulfilled and deepened in the New Covenant.

When we reach the part of Romans 1:26-27 that speaks about the women exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones, we’re diving into a profound and significant statement. Paul is showing us how far humanity has fallen in its rejection of God and His truth. But what does this actually mean? When we talk about “natural relations,” the word Paul uses is φυσικός (phusikos), which carries the idea of that which is in accordance with nature, or, in a broader sense, what is in line with God’s original design for creation. The natural relations here are those between a man and a woman. When God created human beings in His image (Genesis 1:27), He created male and female as complementary, and this divine design is reflected in the natural way sexual relations were meant to be.

But Paul is clear that, in this rejection of God, even the women exchanged these natural relations for those that were contrary to the created order. The word for “unnatural” here, παρὰ φύσιν (para physin), means “against nature” or “contrary to nature.” This phrase is not just referring to sexual behavior, but to a larger spiritual and moral abandonment of God’s will. There’s a deep distortion of what God has made good. And it’s not just about the act itself—it’s about how the rejection of the Creator’s design leads to profound consequences in the hearts, minds, and bodies of those involved. When people turn away from God’s order, they not only hurt themselves but also the community, because the act is a rejection of God's sovereign plan for human flourishing.

It’s important to understand that this passage isn’t just addressing one specific kind of sin. It’s showing the devastating impact of turning away from the truth that God has made us in His image. By choosing to abandon His design, people are ultimately rejecting God’s love and wisdom in favor of something less than His best. And when Paul says “the women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones,” it’s a way of highlighting that even those who would typically bear the responsibility of nurturing the home, raising children, and keeping the family together have turned away from their divinely ordained role. This isn’t a passive shift—it’s an active, conscious rejection of God's will, a rebellion that echoes throughout the entire culture.

Similarly, Paul goes on to explain that the men also followed this path, abandoning the natural relations with women and burning with lust for one another. The Greek verb ἐξεθέρμαναν (exethermanan), meaning “to burn,” speaks of a desire that consumes the individual, and this goes beyond simple attraction—it speaks to an overwhelming passion that controls the person’s every thought and action. This is an intense and uncontrollable urge that, in the context of the passage, shows how far these individuals have strayed from God’s intended order. Lust, in this sense, is no longer just a momentary desire—it becomes an all-consuming fire that displaces everything else.

The word ἐν ἀλλήλοις (en allēlois), meaning "for one another," is particularly significant. It emphasizes the mutual exchange of lust, showing that this isn’t just about individual sin, but a complete turning away from the original, complementary design of male and female relationships. This kind of lust isn’t simply about physical attraction; it’s about disordered desires that lead to the complete breakdown of God’s creation in human relationships.

And Paul doesn’t shy away from making the connection between these actions and their consequences. He explains that men “committed shameful acts with other men,” and again uses the word ἀσχημοσύνη (aschēmosynē), meaning “shameful acts” or “dishonorable deeds.” This is not just about behavior being morally wrong; Paul is showing that such acts are inherently dishonoring to both the individuals involved and to God. When we engage in acts contrary to God’s design, we not only hurt our own bodies and spirits but dishonor the Creator Himself.

Finally, Paul speaks of the “due penalty” for these actions. The word πληρωμα (plērōma) refers to the fullness or completion of something. In this case, it’s not just a punishment that’s handed down from God—it’s the natural consequence of these sinful choices. When people reject God’s truth, they are sowing seeds that will eventually bear fruit. Sin leads to destruction, and the “due penalty” here is not just some arbitrary punishment; it’s the inevitable result of rejecting God’s natural order. Whether it’s through broken relationships, physical and emotional damage, or spiritual alienation from God, the consequences are unavoidable.

So, in a sense, Paul is saying that God, in His judgment, allows people to pursue their own desires, but those desires lead to a point where people receive the full consequences of their actions. This “giving over” isn’t God’s active punishment in the sense of casting down fire from heaven—it’s God allowing people to experience the painful consequences of living apart from His order. And that’s the ultimate form of divine justice. God gives people the freedom to choose, but He also lets them experience the weight of those choices. In rejecting God's perfect design, humanity finds itself ensnared by a web of brokenness and shame, which it cannot escape on its own.

The focus here is clear: when we turn away from God’s truth, from His created order, we not only lose the moral compass that keeps us grounded—we end up ensnared in our own sinful desires. And this is not just a problem for individuals, but a societal issue, one that leads to the unraveling of the very fabric of human life and relationships. God’s natural design is meant to bring peace, joy, and wholeness to our lives, and when we forsake that design, we forsake the life and love that God intended for us.

When we look at Romans 1:28-32, we see a profound understanding of how the rejection of God leads to a deeper moral degradation. Paul writes that when people refuse to acknowledge God and choose not to retain His knowledge, God allows them to follow their own sinful inclinations. This abandonment isn't just about the outward acts—it’s about the internal disposition of the heart. God, in His justice, lets humanity experience the natural consequences of its own choices. Paul writes that God "gave them over to a depraved mind"—this phrase carries a sense of divine handing over. It’s not God actively inflicting punishment; it’s God permitting people to follow their own corrupted desires until they lead to destruction. A depraved mind, or ἀδόκιμος (adokimos), literally means a mind that is unfit, rejected, and unapproved by God. It’s a mind that has rejected God’s moral order and is now unqualified to discern between good and evil.

The moral spiral Paul describes is unsettling. Those who reject God’s truth fall into a state where they not only engage in wicked acts themselves but also approve of others doing the same. The word ἐγκρίνω (enkrinō) means "to approve" or "to consent." It’s no longer just about individual sin; it’s about a cultural and societal approval of that sin. And that is where we are today. We see sin, especially the sin of homosexuality, not only accepted but celebrated in society. It’s no longer merely tolerated—it’s now something we’re told we must celebrate and affirm.

This is a dangerous path. When the world affirms sin and calls it good, we must be clear that we, as followers of the true God, are called to stand firm in His truth. This is not a time to shy away or soften our words. The Word of God is clear, and we must speak it with love but without compromise.

We must be a voice of truth in a world that is lost in the fog of deception. We do not hate the sinner, but we must call sin what it is—sin. And we must never forget that even in calling out sin, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer to every soul caught in sin. For the very same grace that saved us is available to anyone who repents and turns to God.

It’s time for us to stand up, speak out, and stand strong on the truth of God’s Word. We do it in love, but we do it without apology.