Mind of a Christian

Don't Stone Gay People

Foreword: I've gotten inspiration to do this chapter from God through the 795th episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, linked in the video above. I highly recommend giving him a listen to different topics on the Christian life, and if you listen to him, I'd also like to know what you think of him.

In the previous two chapters on this topic, I made it pretty clear that gay people don't go to hell for being gay. To simply put it: we don't have to do anything to go to hell. We're going to hell already because of our inherent sinful nature as a human. That's our default destiny from the get-go.

LucySimon1010 has brought up an important point that many people have used to criticize Christians. The Bible clearly states that homosexual relations is detestable and punishable by death. 

So then why are Christians talking about loving one another yet ignoring the command to kill gay people? Or, why are Christians advocating the stoning of gay people? What terrible people we are!

But it is important to understand that as people living after Jesus' establishment of the new covenant, we should not stone homosexuals.

Shocking, right? Yet, let's not beat around the bush.

Homosexual relations is sin.

"''Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable."
(Leviticus 18:22 NIV)

"''If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
(Leviticus 20:13 NIV)

It's there, it's in the Bible, in the third book. "They are to be put to death". But don't you also notice that cursing your parents is punishable by death (20:9)? Adultery and incest is also punishable by death (20:10-12). Being a medium or spiritist is also punishable by death (20:27). Blaspheming the name of the LORD is punishable by death (24:15-16).

This explains my point with the previous chapters of this topic. Why do people make a big fuss about gays going to hell or going to be damned, when so many other sins also require capital punishment?

Now, even though I will argue that today we should not stone homosexuals, someone might still be offended that God would want such a thing in the first place. You should keep in mind that God is the perfect and ultimate source of goodness and righteousness, and His reasoning is right and just, despite what we think is right. If you want to read more on that, check out my chapter "Why I Trust that God is Righteous".

The Law, the 613 commandments outlined from Exodus to Deuteronomy, was given by God to Moses and the Israelites. Exodus 21 starts with God telling Moses, "These are the laws you are to set before them [the Israelites]" (21:1). When God is about to reveal to Moses more of the laws, He starts with "Tell the Israelites..." (25:2), and "Command the Israelites..." (27:20). At the end of Exodus 34, God says "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." (34:27 emphasis added).

Ethan, so what if God tells the Israelites to do stuff in Exodus? We're talking about Leviticus, where it says to stone gay people!

Alright, so let's go to Leviticus. Oh look, God says at the very beginning, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them..." (Leviticus 1:2 NIV).

The Law was there to define what sin is (Romans 7), and subsequently guide the people into knowing what is good and bad. The Law reveals to the people that they are sinful, which prepares them to approach God knowing that they must rely on Him only as their Savior. This is true even for today, as it was for Paul, who lived during and after Jesus' life on Earth.

Yet my whole point in this is that conducting the Law was directed towards the Israelites during their particular time period. This was the time from God leading them out of Egypt to the arrival of Jesus Christ. It was meant to be enacted with its administration of justice by a people before circa. 0 AD, as an American would uphold the US Constitution and the US federal, state, and local laws.

Now let's take a look at a handful of verses from Galatians:

"Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made."
(Galatians 3:19 NASB, emphasis included)

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor."
(Galatians 3:24-25 NASB, emphasis included)

In verse 19, the word until shows that there's an end to the initial condition. Verses 24 and 25 make it even more clear: with Jesus' arrival, conducting the Law as part of administering earthly justice is no longer a thing. This is one way we can see how Jesus has fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17). Everything changed when Jesus Christ arrived on Earth and gave up His life for us.

So, what do we make of Leviticus 20:13, where it says that homosexual relations is a sin? How do we deal with the second half, where it says to kill them?

Well, luckily for us, we have a good example from the past with how to handle this instance. In fact, it's even in the Bible. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 5, with our good friend Paul:

"It is actually reported that there is a sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father's wife.
And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?"
(1 Corinthians 5:1-2 NIV)

And more plainly:

"... 'Expel the wicked person from among you.'"
(1 Corinthians 5:13 NIV)

Let's look at where this sin and its punishment is outlined:

"If a man has sexual relations with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
(Leviticus 20:11 NIV)

Yikes! Another death penalty. This sin is in the same category of sexual sins as the infamous gay-stoning one that we covered. The sins in Leviticus 20 verses 10 to 16 go over sexual sins that are severe in punishment.

Yet, what does Paul tell the church in Corinth to do here? Stone the man for having sex with his stepmom? No, Paul tells them to remove the sinner from the fellowship and loving presence of the church (Jackson). It's disciplinary action that will help the man eventually become closer to Christ. If Paul prescribed church discipline to a man who has sex with his stepmom, then Paul would have prescribed the same thing to a person committing a homosexual act.

That's right. Church discipline, not stoning them. I am not cherry-picking the commands in the Law that I choose to uphold. There's a valid scriptural reason as to why I don't stone gay people (and would encourage others to refrain from it as well) and can still call myself a follower of Christ and a believer of the Bible.

Peace be with you.

"'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'"
(Matthew 5:17-19 NIV)

Works Cited

Jackson, Wayne. "What Is the Meaning of, "Destruction of the Flesh," in 1 Corinthians 5:5?" ChristianCourier.com. Access date: June 24, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/865-what-is-the-meaning-of-destruction-of-the-flesh-in-1-corinthians-5-5