Is Same Sex Attraction a Sin? Or Only Homosexual Behavior?

[Guest shiloh357]

These days, it seems that almost every week social media uncovers another eruption along the Presbyterian Church in America’s (PCA) volcanic fault line between social accommodation/compassion and biblical obedience. This week, a conference promoting strategies to address same sex attraction (SSA) has raised heads and provoked comment. This particular event seems to be a laudable attempt to balance the tension: while calling for a compassionate acceptance of SSA Christians it also makes clear statements in support of biblical marriage and takes a position against homosexual behavior that most people in our society would consider fundamentalist. Conservatives should therefore refrain from drawing the worst possible implications from what seems to be a thoughtful and responsible attempt to address this major cultural touchstone.

While avoiding hysterical division, we can at the same time note that a major question mark hangs over the normalization of SSA as a Christian category. It seems that there is a growing consensus in the PCA that we can and must distinguish between one’s sexual orientation and sinful desires. The alternative would seem to be that we tell men and women struggling with homosexuality that what they consider a part of who they are is sinful and (as some would have it) subject them to tortuous rehabilitation techniques that probably include electric shock. The bridge, therefore, between compassion and biblical fidelity is to embrace “gay in Christ” as a normal and wholesome category and then help our LGBTQ brothers and sisters live celibately with these desires.

One problem with this love-motivated strategy is that it collapses under the weight of Scripture. The biblical argument in favor of SSA acceptance goes like this: we always distinguish between desire and temptation. A heterosexual may sinlessly experience an attraction to a member of the opposite sex without giving in to lust. The same must therefore be the case for a homosexual. The orientation is not necessarily sinful, while the desire represents a temptation to be avoided. The key issue is behavior: does the person (heterosexual or homosexual) give in to temptation and commit the sin?

A first criticism of this approach will note that it fails to apply the Bible’s vastly different approach to homosexuality versus heterosexuality, only one of which can ever be sinless. But the major problem is that the Bible does not distinguish between orientation and desire, while instead categorizing desire as temptation. Biblically, temptation is the outward circumstance that prompts desire into sin. But desire for sin itself is an expression of our sinful nature. Bible-believing churches take this approach to virtually every sin other than homosexuality (it is often pointed out that we would never take the pro-SSA approach to racism, for instance). A biblically accurate approach to homosexuality must therefore be congruent with our understanding of sin in general.

One key text is James 1:14-15: “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” Notice that James does not equate desire and temptation but distinguishes them. Desire is the inward disposition toward a given sin. As James sees it, the key issue is not temptation but desire: until desire is sanctified by the grace of Christ, temptation is going to produce sinful behavior. Epithumia, the Greek word translated as “desire” identifies an inward impulse and almost always has a sinful connotation (see Rom. 7:7-8, Gal. 5:17, Col. 3:5, and 1 Thess. 4:5). Therefore, to isolate orientation from sinful desire in simply contrary to Scripture.

Theologically, the key term is concupiscence, which comes to us from Roman Catholic theology. The Latin Vulgate translated epithumia with concupiscentia, viewing it as a pre-sin orientation or disposition. The Protestant Reformation found no biblical support for a sinless orientation to sin and equated concupiscence with original sin. So, as is usually the case, we are not left to ourselves to sort out the question of SSA. Both biblically and in Reformed theology, orientation and desire cannot be separated; together, they must be cleansed by Christ and mortified by the Christian. (For valuable articles on the topic of concupiscence, see R. Scott Clark and Derek Thomas). Herman Bavinck pointed out that the rooting of sin in the will, apart from the fallen nature, is the impulse of rationalism, not the Bible. He noted that under secular humanism, “the basic idea was always that sin is not rooted in a nature and is not a disposition or a state, but always an act of the will.”1 As for any idea that God approvingly endorses any orientation to sin, Bavinck responded as follows:

“Not only does Scripture testify against this view, but the moral consciousness of all humans rises up in protest against it. Sin may be whatever it is, but one thing is certain: God is the Righteous and Holy One who prohibits it in his law, witnesses against it in the human conscience, and visits it with punishments and judgments.”2

This leads to the second problem with the loving attempt to embrace SSA but deny homosexual behavior: it collides with reality. If the desire for sin is unmortified (Col. 3:5), then it will produce sinful behavior when presented with temptation. Here is the quandary well-meaning pro-SSA churches are going to have to face: can you really embrace the desire as unsinful and persist in condemning the behavior as sinful? For some churches today, the answer is No. Indeed, this is the testimony of those PCA churches who have left our denomination for LGBT-affirmning communions. They argue that it is unloving to consign people who for no fault of their own are same sex attraction to a life of sexless loneliness and they can no longer bring themselves to refuse church membership (and, with it, leadership) on this basis. Yet the biblical and practical reality is that desire and behavior cannot be separated. This is why Solomon urged us never to rest comfortably with corruptions in the heart, but urged: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23).

So what is the alternative? Must we choose between biblical fidelity and Christ-like compassion? The answer is No – a thousand times, No! For refusing this alternative, we should appreciate PCA churches who seek to minister to the homosexual community while still upholding biblical marriage and sexual behavior. Their problem is that affirming SSA as a Christian category – “gay in Christ” – is both biblically inaccurate and humanly unrealistic. What else, then? The what else for the homosexual question turns out to be the same as for every other sin. I know of no one who would affirm an orientation toward idol-worship, blasphemy, violence, laziness, stealing, lying, or covetousness (I’m perusing the Ten Commandments, you will observe). So why would we take a more positive position towards homosexual desire than any other sinful desire, especially when the Bible speaks with particular stridence when it comes to sexual sins against the created order? The answer is that for the love of God and man we should not.

You can read the rest of the blog post here>>> www.reformation21.org/blog/2018/02/looming-debate-over-ssa.php

Read more at http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/02/13/sex-attraction-sin-homosexual-behavior/#XjjCBqXeTdlGjmLZ.99

[Guest]

Attraction itself is not the sin, IMO. It lies in lust, fornication, and adultery, along with the homosexual act. But, all sin has the same penalty - death - without repentance. The real problem is that the homosexual has said in their heart that their particular sin is no longer a sin in the eyes of GOD. Therefore they do not repent of it and remain outside the Promises and Covenant of GOD and continue to be condemned by the Law!

[simplejeff]

YHVH'S Opinion is stated clearly in His Word.  This is what matters.
  (man's opinion is of no concern to think about).

A PURE HEART is needed to even see the kingdom of heaven.   

Same sex attraction opposed to YHVH , not subject to JESUS,  is not a pure heart.

Who can save any sinner ?  Only Jesus.  With man it is impossible (despite the whole world's opinions saying otherwise).

Who can atone for sin ?  Only Jesus,  His Shed Blood.

Can anyone with defiled heart, soul and mind hope to enter heaven, to have eternal life, to be forgiven ?

Yes, Only In Jesus, if they repent and He cleanses them of all unrighteousness.

This is true for all disobedience, not just same sex desires and thoughts in the heart.

The world church says 'don't worry' , everyone come and embrace !@? 

So they all go on the wide road to destruction,  never to see life, ever.

[Guest shiloh357]

2 hours ago, Rick_Parker said:

Attraction itself is not the sin, IMO. It lies in lust, fornication, and adultery, along with the homosexual act. But, all sin has the same penalty - death - without repentance. The real problem is that the homosexual has said in their heart that their particular sin is no longer a sin in the eyes of GOD. Therefore they do not repent of it and remain outside the Promises and Covenant of GOD and continue to be condemned by the Law!

The problem is that same sex attraction cannot be unsinful.   Same sex attraction is a perversion of God's plan for humanity.   Since the act is sinful, being attracted to something sinful cannot be unsinful.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Rick_Parker said:

IMO

If you don't want people's opinions, then don't ask the question. IMO.

[Guest shiloh357]

3 minutes ago, Rick_Parker said:

If you don't want people's opinions, then don't ask the question. IMO.

I didn't ask for your opinion.  I responded to an opinion that you offered without me asking for it.  

[Guest]

'Um, your title suggests otherwise. Both title questions ended with question marks. If that is not inviting an opinionated response, then perhaps you weren't speaking English.

[Guest shiloh357]

9 minutes ago, Rick_Parker said:

'Um, your title suggests otherwise. Both title questions ended with question marks. If that is not inviting an opinionated response, then perhaps you weren't speaking English.

The title is rhetorical and is answered by the article.   The point is that same sex attraction is as sinful as being a practicing homosexual.   I wasn't asking for anyone to answer the question.

[HAZARD]

Romans 1:26-29,  26, For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
    27, And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
    28, And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate0 mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
    29, Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Most Christians agree the Bible clearly teaches it is a sin to engage in homosexual behaviour. But what does the Bible teach about homosexual feelings? Is it a sin to simply feel romantic or sexual attraction to the same gender? I think it can be. I do not 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 they choose to lustfully entertain the tempting thought rather than crushing it by directing their mind’s attention to Christ.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, HAZARD said:

 I do not 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 they choose to lustfully entertain the tempting thought rather than crushing it by directing their mind’s attention to Christ.

I believe that is what I opined. It is the same for hetero temptation. Same sin. Same sin nature. Lust. It would seem that one of the reasons that makes homosexual sin so repugnant to GOD is that HE knew that humans would decide that homosexuality would become normal and not sinful in this age.