Last week, one of my recent articles was published on The Gospel Coalition website. I have realized over the years that any time I write about the ever-controversial topic of homosexuality, I should expect a couple truckloads of criticism to come rolling into the comments section. This TGC article was no exception. I scrolled through "the aftermath" on Facebook and Twitter the day following its publishing, trying my best to humbly process the comments of some disgruntled readers.

Quite a few people commended my commitment to celibacy but also shared that they believe my ongoing experience of same-sex attraction is a sin. They believe my temptation to engage in same-sex acts persists because I am not fully submitting myself to God. Some said God will not be pleased with me, and I will not be walking in true obedience, until my same-sex attraction ceases to exist.

I mean . . . are they right? Is my mere experience of same-sex attraction a sin? Is it impossible for me to please God as long as these feelings persist?

My short answer is no, I don't think these folks are correct — but neither do I think the common counterargument is correct.

Other Christians insist there is nothing wrong with simply experiencing romantic and sexual desires for the same gender. They believe it only becomes a problem if you act on those desires. Homosexual behavior is wrong and sinful, they say, but the feelings, in and of themselves, are morally neutral. They see nothing wrong with having a "gay orientation." Though I lean more toward this camp's position, I can't fully embrace it either.

Most Christians agree the Bible clearly teaches it is a sin to engage in homosexual behavior. But what does the Bible teach about homosexual feelings within the heart? Is it a sin to simply feel romantic or sexual attraction to the same gender?

I think it can be. I don't believe a person commits sexual sin merely by experiencing an unintentional, spontaneous temptation to sin sexually. But I do think a person commits sin if, rather than refusing to crush that tempting thought, they choose to lustfully enjoy it.

The other day I was walking down the street and felt a spontaneous sexual attraction toward some guy I passed, but I immediately took that thought captive and crushed it by the power of the Spirit. I don't think I sinned. Rather, I think I glorified God by triumphing in a moment of temptation.

But what if I didn't take that thought captive? What if I had let it flesh out into a lustful fantasy . . . even if just briefly? Would I have committed a sin even though I technically did not "act"? Yes — absolutely!

"Acting" is not necessary to constitute sin. It's totally possible to sin secretly within the thoughts and intentions of your heart. Just ask Jesus: "I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." – Matthew 5:28.

Jesus didn't condemn feeling an unintentional, spontaneous temptation to sin sexually; he condemned looking with lustful intent. Lustful intent is the key phrase here.

When I passed the guy on the street, my initial attraction to him was not intentional. It just happened! I crushed the thought by setting my mind on Christ and therefore do not believe I sinned. But had I intentionally continued to entertain that unintentional thought and allowed myself to lustfully fantasize, I would have sinned.

In summary, there is a difference between lust and temptation. Lust is intentionally allowing a sexually tempting thought to fester and grow for your own perverted enjoyment. Lust is sin. Temptation is experiencing an unintentional, spontaneous enticement toward sin. Temptation is not sin.

However, was my initial desire toward the guy I passed on the street a natural and morally neutral experience? Is it comparable to a married man being instinctively attracted to a woman who is not his wife? I don't believe so.

Though I don't believe it is a sin to experience spontaneous, unintentional same-sex desires, I also don't believe it is a natural or morally neutral experience. Homosexual desire was not part of God's initial design, but came running in on the heels of sin — it is unnatural. And though heterosexual desire can manifest in unnatural ways (think pedophilia or a desire to rape), a man's instinctive attraction toward an adult woman who is not his wife is natural.

If Adam had never fallen and human nature was never corrupted by sin, I don't believe the temptation to commit homosexual acts (or heterosexual rape and pedophilia) would exist within human hearts. When Adam sinned against God, his nature was corrupted — and every one of his descendants has inherited that corrupt nature.

We are not born good or even morally neutral; we are "brought forth in iniquity" and "conceived in sin" (Psalm 51:5).

It is from our sinful nature that sexual perversities spring up. However, some would argue that Jesus, whose nature was NOT corrupted by sin, was tempted to commit homosexual acts because Hebrews 4:15 says "in every respect [he] has been tempted as we are." If they are correct and Jesus was tempted to commit homosexual acts, it logically follows that he was also tempted to commit every other kind of sexual sin, including heterosexual rape and pedophilia. However, it's my opinion that this verse does not mean Jesus was tempted to commit every sin that every fallen person is tempted to commit.

"What is here said of the similarity of our Lord's trials to ours, does not imply an exact likeness; for he was free from that corruption of nature which, as the consequence of Adam's sin, has infected all mankind."

I don't believe the temptation experienced by Jesus, and by the pre-fallen Adam and Eve, would have involved the temptation to commit same-sex acts. I believe the temptation to commit same-sex acts is experienced only by those whose hearts and minds have been ransacked by original sin. According to Romans 1, a refusal to love and worship God preceded things like homosexual desire. Same-sex attraction is an unnatural byproduct of man's sinful nature.

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." – Romans 1:21-27 (emphasis mine).

Because I believe homosexual feelings can only rise up from a fallen, sinful nature, I don't think they should be viewed as natural or "okay." Feeling sexually drawn toward the same gender is not the same as a married man feeling an unintentional, spontaneous heterosexual desire for an adult woman who is not his wife.

Again, I do not think spontaneously experiencing same-sex attraction is a sin if one continually takes those thoughts captive rather than letting them run lustfully wild. But I believe the Bible teaches that the smallest inkling of desire to engage in any level of homosexual behavior is rooted not in God's design for human sexuality, but in original sin's corruption of human sexuality. And therefore, I can't view it as a neutral or "okay" experience.

So what does this mean for people like me who experience this perverse, unnatural desire on a daily basis? Do I walk around in constant turmoil, hating myself and telling myself what an evil and godless piece of crap I am? NO!

The good news of the gospel is that though we are UTTERLY messed up, God loves us and sent his Son to save us. One day, when I have a glorified body that is free from the effects of original sin, all of my unnatural desires will cease to exist. But until that day, the unnatural desires that remain inside of me do not define me; Jesus defines me. I am no longer the corruption that lies within me; I am the righteousness of God in Christ.

I believe my same-sex attraction will continue to dwindle in intensity as God continues to sanctify me. However, if my experience is anything like the SSA strugglers who have gone before me, it's probable that this pattern of temptation will persist at some level until the day I die or Christ returns. And until either of those days come, I will cry out honestly and hopefully with the apostle Paul: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" – Romans 7:24-25

Matt Moore is a Christian blogger who was formerly engaged in a gay lifestyle. You can read more about him at www.moorematt.org.

Regarding many homosexuals and other sinners when you say hate the sin and love the sinner, it has no meaning for them.

Let's cut to the chase...

Genesis 13:13

Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.

Genesis 18:20-21
20. Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous
21. that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
Genesis 19:4-7
4. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house.
5. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
6. Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him
7. and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing.

Psalms 12:8 The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

Isaiah 3:9 The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
2 Peter 2:13b Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

Ezekiel 16:49-50
49. "`Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
50. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

2 Peter 2

1. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
3. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
5. if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6. if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7. and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men
8. (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--
9. if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
10. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;
11. yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
12. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
13. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

But there IS hope!!!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10. nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11. 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 our God.

If you could NOT change, you would be in most pitiful shape...

The Health Risks of gay sex.

I identified and lived as a lesbian a long time ago, and on this man’s statements I’ll tell you what I believe.

But I also have to add that in my belief, also, it is not possible to talk about what he says without also talking about the church today, and how it has been and is slowly abandoning its foundation of God’s Word. That means that homosexuality’s acceptance today isn’t what’s causing people to turn from Christianity, but that the church itself is helping this happen and the acceptance of homosexuality is also in part a consequence of that. This is a most serious matter.

For the better part of two decades now, I’ve lived as a Christian who rejects homosexuality, and as I said, that includes the life I lived myself. So I’ve now had quite a lot of time to consider the question of whether or not same-sex attraction is a sin, and on that I would have to say that I essentially agree with the article writer.

I will talk about whether or not I believe same-sex attraction itself is part of our sin nature, but for the moment, I just want to consider the question of what is happening when someone experiences same-sex attraction, and whether or not that experience is sin even if someone doesn’t act on it, and rejects it in his or her thoughts.

1. The Bible passage that is brought up having most to do with this is when Jesus says that a man has already committed adultery if he looks on a woman to lust after her.

On this, I agree with the author’s interpretation, and believe it is faithful to the Bible.

When he experienced a moment of same-sex attraction, he took the thought captive. And from what he writes, it is implied that he isn’t trying to take the thought captive as a mere formality to permit him to engage in homosexual acts or fantasy.

In other words, he isn’t saying that he tried to follow what the Bible says and just couldn’t, so it must not work. He demonstrates that he knows that “taking the thought captive” means seeking to follow the Lord all the time, and not just waiting to think of Him when temptation happens.

2. What being a Christian really means is not being saved from Hell, but to live with God and know Him, and Jesus Christ whom He sent:

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

The Christian’s life ISN’T ABOUT SIN, even so as to avoid it, but about KNOWING GOD.

And Paul in Philippians 3:9-10:

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

What it really comes down to, then, is living a life of faith, or not.

And I agree with this man, then, when he experiences a moment of same-sex attraction, and takes the thought captive, he is glorifying God. He is demonstrating the conversion God performed in his heart, so that he recognizes the sin tempting him for what it is. And I believe he also demonstrates faith that he believes the life he has in the Lord, having repented of his sin, is the way of true life and fulfillment.

4. On whether or not same-sex attraction itself is a sin, I agree with what the author says when he points out that God made the sexes for each other, and so same-sex attraction goes against the nature He gave to Adam and Eve.

But there are other things to consider:

With all that people in ancient times had to deal with that we don’t, and all the things that we have that they don’t, marriage to them didn’t mean the same thing as it does today. Meaning that today, it is almost entirely about happiness through continual romance (and if and when the romance ends, so often does the marriage). Back then it was about happiness, too, but happiness included many other things, not the least of which is to reliably secure the basics of life for the sake of physical comfort.

Biblical marriage is still the only sexual relationship that truly works but modern life has undermined it.

And then, as we know, some people, including Christians, have chosen celibacy. We have a record of that in the Bible. I have wondered if many who chose it during that time especially did so because they were more suited to it by not having so much attraction to the opposite sex, and likewise many of them did so truly, too, out of their devotion to God. And they were also aided in living celibate lives as, for one thing, same-sex relationships were unthinkable.

5. Something else to consider, too, is what I mentioned about the church in these times. We live in a decadent culture and over time the church has more and more accepted the decadence. Paul wrote about being content with food and clothing, and that idea is in keeping with the whole New Testament. The Christian life was the way of the Cross. Today, though, the church has invited in almost all the pleasures of the world, under the idea that “God wants us to be happy and enjoy His creation.” That’s true enough, yet He wants us to enjoy it according to His commands and according to His will for us.

I have to say, as someone who did live as a lesbian, it is a terrible sight to see so many Christians speak against homosexuality and then excuse all manner of sin and ungodliness because certain sins happen to be their sacred cows. Today, for instance, the fruits of secular entertainment are clear, and there are Christians who recognize that, but many others who will zealously attack anyone who exposes these fruits. God is a God of mercy, but He calls us to follow the upward call towards spiritual maturity, through meditation on His Word and calling up on Him. And Christians only get there by committing to be fruitful all the time. The world has the notion of there being work time and leisure/idleness time, to fritter away one’s time in pleasurable pursuits, but there is no such thing for Christians. When we don’t follow the world’s ideas of leisure - that is, to be unproductive - but instead seek to serve and honor God even in “leisure,” then we won’t end up with the emptiness that the world ends up with, but our cup will runneth over with joy.

This is an excellent article. As I’ve written here at other times, I lived as a lesbian myself many years ago. I agree with this author on a lot and posted a reply about that here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3428640/posts?page=67#67

Another thought I’ve had is that possibly, in the context of the world in ancient times, where marriage wasn’t primarily for romance, as it is today, but much more for the sake of providing the best life one could make, with as much relief from pain and discomfort as possible, that what we recognize as same-sex attraction wasn’t such a trouble to people in marriages, and in the church, it might have been a gift or even *the* gift that allowed one to live a celibate life. In that time and place, it might more have meant a decreased attraction to the opposite sex, and same-sex relationships would not only have been unthinkable, but not have been as desirable as they seem to be today, either. The early church paid a high toll in terms of persecution, and the devotion of many if not most of those Christians would seem to have made it unlikely that they would sin in any sort of way.

On the matter if an attraction is a sin or not, too, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ can involve our interpretation of the thought. I have thought that same-sex attraction is a form of misusing fellowship and friendship, just as adultery misuses marriage.

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