In these last few days, there have been many news stories about homosexuals and marriage. The stories surround the United States Supreme Court's hearings concerning the constitutionality of a homosexual marriage ban approved by voters in the state of California. The lawyers who are attempting to overturn the ban argue that marriage is a constitutionally protected civil right for both heterosexuals and homosexuals. As part of their argument, they state that the government cannot discriminate against citizens because of who they love.

In attempting to make homosexuality an issue about love, those who advocate for the practice have depicted their opponents as being against love. This is an effective tactic that has persuaded many people to change their views concerning homosexuality. The logic of this argument is that if homosexuality is an expression of love and if love is good and pure, then homosexuality must also be good and pure. Therefore, to oppose homosexuality is to oppose the goodness and purity of love.

This argument is utterly false. Homosexuality is not an expression of love at all, but rather it is a vile perversion of the desires of the flesh. While a homosexual person may have affection for another, his practice of homosexuality does not manifest love, for it inflicts misery and degradation on all who are involved. Consider the apostle Paul's description of the Gentiles' descent into homosexuality from Romans 1:26-27:

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

Notice that this is not Paul's personal opinion formed by his own prejudices, but rather this is a message of the Holy Spirit given to Paul by divine inspiration. If anyone would attempt to discredit Paul's writings, then let him be reminded that Paul is also the writer of the great discourse on love from 1Corinthians 13. This same writer in the same book also wrote in 1Corinthians 6:9-10,

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

This same man who wrote of the excellent way of love and the unrighteousness of homosexuality also wrote in the same book, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment" (1Cor. 14:37).

Where love does play a role in the matter of homosexuality is in restraining men and women from the practice. If love is truly present, then it will direct these persons to keep one another from the sinful behavior of homosexuality that will cause them to forfeit the kingdom of God. Indeed, the Scriptures command us, "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins" (1Pet. 4:8). True love will not allow itself to cause another to sin and suffer condemnation.

True love and homosexuality are utterly incompatible, which makes a homosexual relationship completely inadequate to be classified as marriage. Of course, this inadequacy is patently obvious, for marriage was designed and defined by God from the beginning to be a covenant relationship between a man and a woman (Gen. 2:24; Mal. 2:14). However, an analysis of the issue of homosexuality on the basis of love makes the conclusion even clearer. In marriage, a man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25). Christ's love for the church motivated Him to sacrifice Himself "that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless" (Eph. 5:27). Likewise, a husband's love for his wife causes him to sacrifice himself for the glory, holiness, and blamelessness of his wife. Homosexuals can never achieve this goal for one another, for the practice of homosexuality always degrades, defiles, and corrupts those who are involved. A homosexual relationship results in the exact opposite effect of that which is produced by a godly marriage.

Therefore, homosexuality is not about love. Just as fornication, adultery, and any other form of immorality is not about love, neither is homosexuality. These are perversions of the flesh, and their practice is a matter of selfish indulgence rather than selfless love. It is a gross falsehood and an affront to God to categorize an abomination such as homosexuality (Lev. 18:22) as something so sacred and holy as love. God is love (1John 4:8), and to imply in any way that God's loving nature implicitly endorses an ungodly practice is blasphemous. Those who truly love God will set aside the perverse desires of the flesh, and those who truly love their fellow man will not do anything to cause him to lose his soul.

Stacey E. Durham