A Theology of Sexuality

by Dr Andrew Corbett, 17th September 2012

I'm not the first one to point out that the discussion regarding sexuality from the Biblical perspective has often been an exchange of vitriolic name-calling. The adage, "Ridicule is not an argument" seems to be pertinent. There are people on both sides of this debate who seem more interested in shouting than listening - let alone giving reasoned cases. This article in no way seeks to vilify anyone and does not endorse any acts of hatred.

For those who take a rather low view of Scripture, the Biblical statements on sexuality are, to them, outdated and therefore irrelevant. Not surprisingly, these folk also dismiss other statements by Scripture about the creation of Adam and Eve, the Fall of mankind into sin, the virgin birth/deity/physical resurrection of Christ and the absolute necessity of turning to Him in faith and repentance for salvation, as also out-dated and written by fallible men from a perspective of scientific ignorance.

There are others who also claim to be Christian and rather than take this liberal theological view of Scripture, they interpret Scripture through a Post-Modern lens and claim that homosexuality and Christianity are perfectly compatible. I will examine both sets of arguments and compare it to what the Bible teaches.

As a pastor, I am aware that there are many for this topic is not merely theoretical. For you it may be very personal. Perhaps you are torn. On the one hand you are battling with desires which on the other hand you find Scripture not condoning. You may be "battling" precisely because you feel the tension. This exposition may hopefully strengthen you in your battle.

HOW WE INTERPRET THE BIBLE

The Scripture declares that it is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2Tim. 3:16) as He moved upon men to write down His revelation (1Peter 1:10-12; 2Peter 1:21). Jesus affirmed the Scriptures as the Word of God (eg. Luke 22:37). Because of this, we affirm the inerrancy of Scripture since it's Divine Author can not be mistaken. Most of the objections raised against Biblical Inerrancy come from interpretations of Scripture, not the Scriptures themselves. The classic case, still cited by some as an objection to Biblical Inerrancy, is "Geo-centrism" (that the Universe revolves around the earth), which at one point, was declared by the Roman Catholic Church as "what the Bible taught." Copernicus and Galileo observed that the Sun was actually the centre of our solar system ("Heliocentrism") and this caused some to doubt the Bible's inerrancy. But what really was at stake was not the inerrancy of Scripture, but the interpretation of it by the Papacy. There are expressions in Scripture that are perspective metaphors (such as, "the rising of the sun") which have mistakenly been interpretted by some as wooden-literal statements. ... [Read full article]