Homosexuality: The Debate of Our Generation
#2. Homosexuality and Change: Can People Change their Sexual Orientation?
I.
The Homosexuality Movement’s Argument Against Sexual Orientation Change Efforts
(SOCE)
A. What is the LGBT argument against changing sexual orientation?
B.
American Psychological Association:
“The longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences, and the health and mental health professions,
since the 1970s, is that homosexuality and bisexuality are per se normal and positive variation of human sexual
orientation. The research consistently failed to provide any empirical or scientific basis for regarding homosexuality or
bisexuality as a disorder or abnormality. There is a large body of research evidence that indicates that being gay,
lesbian or bisexual is compatible with normal mental health and social adjustment.[5] Because of this, the major mental
health professional organizations do not encourage individuals to try to change their sexual orientation from
homosexual to heterosexual. Indeed, such interventions are ethically suspect because they can be harmful to the
psychological well-being of those who attempt them; clinical observations and self-reports indicate that many
individuals who unsuccessfully attempt to change their sexual orientation experience considerable psychological
distress.
C. California: federal court of appeals upheld the first state law in the nation banning
psychological treatments that seeks to turn gay youth straight.”
II.
The Response of Biblical Christianity
A. Properly Diagnosing Homosexuality
i. World’s Diagnosis: Homosexuality is normal human behavior that should
not be changed
ii. Bible’s Diagnosis: Romans 1:18-32
B. Homosexuality is just a consequence to the root problem
i. Our Rebellion. Humans exchange God for what God has made (verses
23, 25, 28)
ii. God’s Judgment. God hands us over to what we prefer (24, 26, 28b)
iii. Consequences. Humans act out externally and sexually in response to
our exchange of the creator for the created. (end of 24, 26b-27, 28c)
C. Doctrine of Sanctification Applies to all Sin including Homosexuality
i. Homosexuality is not a “special sin” that cannot be sanctified. (I Cor 6: 911).
ii. The only sinner who can successfully battle homosexuality (or any other
sin) is the justified sinner.
iii. For the justified sinner there the forgiveness fo sin, the imputation of
Christ’s righteousness and the power to change.
iv. Sanctification is not complete until Heaven- Glorification. Rom 8:20-23
1. We have forgiveness from sin now. As Christians, we have the
means to grow in holiness. We will have complete freedom from
sinning later in heaven.
III.
Other Points (time permitting)
A. Why does the Bible Characterize Homosexuality as a Sin?
i. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his
wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I
am saying that it refers to Christ and his Church.” Ephesians 5: 31-32
ii. Marriage is a representation of Jesus’ love for the church. Sexual union in
the covenant of marriage represents pure, undefiled worship. The right
worship of God is represented in the right ordering of our sexual lives.
iii. Homosexuality is the worship of man by man.
B. The Sinful nature is not an excuse to holiness
i. The sinful nature is hard-wired or ”genetic”. Rom 3:23 and Rom 5:12-19.
1. As a result we cannot avoid sinning. Rom 7:15-20.
ii. Yet God demands holiness and accountability for sin. I Peter 1: 14-16
iii. In spite of our sinful nature, change is possible through Jesus Christ. Rom
6:23.
iv. Conclusion: God call us to holiness in spite of our sinful inclinations and
gives us way to do that (Jesus). God does not excuse us because we are
by nature sinful.
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