Giving Them Up to Vile Passions

The Extremes of Corruption

(Romans 1:26-27)

Spiritual corruption and moral corruption are two sides of the same coin. Spiritual corruption is inevitably followed by corruption in conduct. When humans serve created things instead of God and stubbornly reject Him, God gives them up to vile passions. The Bible refers to homosexuality as a representative example of this.

1. Those Who Go Against Nature
Homosexuality is defined as an act of “exchanging the natural use for what is against nature.” By abandoning the Creator, one ends up destroying even the order He established. Look at the men of Sodom; even after being struck with blindness as judgment for trying to violate Lot’s guests, they searched for the door like zombies until they were utterly exhausted. A fanatical lust that paralyzes reason and destroys the soul rises like fire to dominate them. While the world tries to justify it in any way possible, God hates it.

2. There Is No Hierarchy in Sin
However, the Bible does not say that only homosexuality is the problem. Fornicators, drunkards, revilers, extortioners, and those who cause strife—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. Evils such as those who try to destroy and divide the church despite receiving grace, perjurers who spread deceitful propaganda, and those who distort the truth are afflicting the church even more severely than homosexuality. There is no hierarchy where some sins are evil and others are acceptable. Unless one repents, all will be judged equally.

3. Repentance Is the Only Answer
Homosexuals can also be forgiven—if they repent. Just as a swindler is not born a swindler, sin is not a predetermined destiny at birth. If we find ourselves going against God’s truth, whatever the nature of that sin may be, we must not reassure ourselves by finding excuses but must humbly come before the Cross. God earnestly desires that we do not perish but live as a holy people within the Truth.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim