Homosexuality, Lesbianism and Christian Fundamentalism

Observations and Reflections by Rev. William A. Phillips

In 1973 I was 18 years old and a new student at Florida Bible College in Hollywood, Florida. Nearby the college was a small park where I occasionally went to talk with people about the Gospel message. On one such trip I spoke with a young man named Bill, he was a self proclaimed homosexual. Bill and I had talked before at the park but on this particular day he told me I really needed to talk to a young woman named Linda who was standing alone crying under a nearby tree. Bill said she really needed “help”. I walked over to her and she immediately recoiled – apparently she was not grateful for my presence or Bill’s referral – it was evident however that they did know each other. It was a curious situation, while I was not one to back down from a conversation about the Gospel I also knew when it was time to let it alone and move on. I would have moved on as it was obvious Linda was in no mood to discuss my agenda but she was in so much distress I did not feel comfortable leaving her. She verbally exploded letting her emotions fly fast and furious. Right about that time Bill left while I sat and listened to her. Her immediate distress was at being hungry, frightened and angry with Bill for some issue I had no knowledge of. After she calmed down just a little she began to tell me her story – she was about my age and was at odds with her family who lived in the Carolina’s. She had come to Florida and entered into a Lesbian relationship.

I have rarely been around someone who cried so hard for so long and had so much trouble getting her sentences completed before another sob literally racked her body. All I could do was sit and listen to her. Eventually this poor girl regained a semblance of composure and between the tears asked me if I would take her to the Royal Castle, a local fast food place, and buy her some food. During the course of Linda opening her heart to me I became very aware that there was more pain in this woman’s life than I was capable of dealing with in all my wisdom of 18 years. I asked her to go back to the school with me where the snack shop was open and she said yes. I was hoping and praying to not only get her fed but also find someone who could better help this girl. It was about a mile back to the college and as we started walking back she asked me if it would be ok if she held my hand. I said ok and she cried and we walked to the college holding hands – the lesbian and the young fundamentalist.

We got to the college and Linda asked to use the girls room to wash her face. Some of my friends were in the snack shop and when Linda came from the girls room we went in, I introduced her and we got some food. It was Saturday morning and I happened to look out the window of the snack shop and there in the college lobby was one of my professors – Dr. Seymour. I excused myself from Linda and my friends for a moment, went to him and told him about Linda. I asked him if he would speak with her and he said to bring her to his office in 15 minutes. Linda and I went and Dr. Seymour sat her in a big easy chair that was in front of his desk. I sat in another chair just behind and to the side. Linda once again began to sob. Through the tears she got out bits and pieces of her story including the lesbian relationship. After listening a while Dr. Seymour asked Linda if she believed that God loved her and Linda said no. Dr. Seymour opened a Bible to John 3:16 and asked Linda to please read that to him, she read the verse back to him.

John 3:16 NIV says:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I still remember Dr. Seymour going over this scripture with Linda again and again. He would ask “Linda, are you part of the world?” Linda would say yes. “Linda, God loves the world so He loves you, He loves you so much He sent His Son to die for your sins, that’s how much He loves you – can you believe that?”. Linda would bring up some reason why God did not love her and back over John 3:16 we would go.

I’d like to tell you that things went well for Linda but I don’t know if they did nor not. I do know during that meeting with Dr. Seymour Linda remarked how much she liked a ceramic white horse he had on his bookshelf. I know he met with her one more time and gave her the ceramic horse. I never saw Linda again after that day – I looked for her at the park when I was there but didn’t see her. I have thought of her often.

Why this Story?

First I want to tell you that this account of my experience with Bill and Linda is totally authentic. They were the first openly gay people I knew. Second, I want you to know that I am a Christian Fundamentalist. I have a B.A. in Biblical Education and attended 3 Fundamentalist colleges, Florida Bible College, Lancaster Bible College and Trinity College of the Bible. I am well acquainted with many Fundamentalist churches and Learning Institutions. I was ordained at a Fundamentalist church and examined for ordination by Evangelical and Fundamentalist Ministers.

I share this real account of Linda to illustrate for you the heartbeat of true Fundamentalist Christianity. Fundamentalists such as myself want all people, including gay people, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who loves us and gave His life for us all because we are all sinners. Further, after a person chooses to believe – we want and encourage believers to follow the Lord Jesus by being obedient to His written Word – the Bible. More on that later.

For now – let me be very clear – I am a Fundamentalist and I do not hate gay people. The Bible does not teach us to hate gay people. I have never, in my entire experience as a believer in Jesus Christ or as a student of the Bible, been taught to hate gay people. I am not and never have been a gay basher. While I do not approve of lesbianism or homosexuality and the gay lifestyle – I do not believe the answer to those things is to hate or beat gay people up. I am not homophobic. I am not afraid of gay people. If anything, I am afraid FOR them.

Contrary to the current thinking, seemingly promoted by the gay movement, Fundamentalists as a whole do not hate gays nor do we promote hating gays. It is true there are a few wacko’s out there hold up signs saying “God hates Gays” or “God hates Faggots”, etc. But the Scriptural evidence is clear – God loves us all, homosexual or heterosexual, as demonstrated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for all our sins. See Romans 5:8; John 3:15-18; 1 Timothy 1:15 and 1 Corinthians 15:3,4.

Just What Is A Christian Fundamentalist?

Webster’s Dictionary defines a “fundamental” this way – “of or forming a foundation or basis: basic; essential”. Christian Fundamentalists believe that certain teachings are basic and essential to the Christian Faith as set forth in the Bible, which we believe to be God’s written Word. The actual use of the term “Fundamentalist” began being used to describe Bible believing Christians around the 1920’s. The reason for this was the publishing of a set of books called The Fundamentals in 1917. The books are actually a series of essays written by conservative Bible Scholars, Teachers and Pastors. The writers came from a variety of Protestant Denominations and Learning Institutions. The denominations included Presbyterian, Anglican, Reformed Episcopal, United Free Church, Baptist, Congregational and Methodist Episcopal. They also came from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany. The reason for the Essays was to answer the Bible discrediting teaching coming from liberal minded religious schools of thought – often found within the denominations themselves. These sets of books were distributed to Bible believing Christian Workers all over the world. Believe it or not – there was a time when Protestant Denominations pretty much agreed on the basics of the Christian Faith. These basics were covered in the essays entitled The Fundamentals. Basics such as:

• The Existence of the Supernatural World
• The Bible is God’s Complete and Inerrant Written Word
• The Divine Creation of the Universe and Mankind
• The Historic Fall and Fallen State of Mankind
• The Reality and Penalty of Sin
• The Virgin Birth of Christ
• Salvation by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone
• The Substitutionary Death and Literal Resurrection of Christ
• The Trinity

Certainly within the different Protestant Denominations there was theological debate over some issues but the basics were pretty much set. The Bible was understood as the source of information for the debates and its validity and truthfulness were not in question. When the liberal schools of thought launched attacks on the integrity of the Scriptures, and thereby what the Scriptures taught on a variety of issues, the conservative schools, Scholars and Pastors responded. The 4 Volume Set is available today, published by Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is well worth reading. The “Fundamentalist Fathers” (there is one woman author also), were not afraid to face, evaluate, research and answer the negative assertions and outcomes of liberal thought. There is an example for Fundamentalists to follow today.

Previous to being called “Fundamentalists” Bible believing Christians were known as “Evangelicals”. Today many Bible believers still prefer that label. The reason “Fundamentalists” moved away from the term “Evangelical” was because of religious liberal infiltration of the “Evangelical” ranks. The term “Evangelical” began to lose its definition and identification merit. When I was in Bible College at least one professor thought we ought to start going by the term “Biblicist” because of certain unbiblical or extra-biblical teachings held by some who call themselves “Fundamentalists”.

I want to note here that Christian Fundamentalism is first and foremost a movement born of issues regarding the defense of the historic Christian Faith. It is not a political action group or a political coalition. See Fundamentalism and American Culture by George M. Marsden for further insights. More about Fundamentalism and Politics later. Christian Fundamentalism at its roots was and is an affirmation of historic Christianity as revealed in the Bible. It traces its heritage back through the Protestant Reformation to the early church. It is NOT Roman Catholic, which teaches a system of faith and good works to earn salvation and has 3 sources of religious authority:

• The Bible and Apochrypha as interpreted by the Roman Catholic Church
• Church Tradition
• The Papacy

Christian Fundamentalism holds to the Protestant Reformation Articles of:

• Scripture Only
• Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
• The Priesthood of every believer (male or female)

It is unfortunate and inaccurate that Christian Fundamentalism is portrayed and often stereotyped by the media and frankly the gay movement, as a band of Bible waving, screaming hate mongers who are on the verge of being committed to a mental institution or jail. I can see where some of this impression may be had by the public when the media continually and intentionally focuses on the ridiculous and/or sinful exploits of certain television evangelists or the antics surrounding certain isolated incidents where wrong headed individuals hold up placards saying God hates gays. Make no mistake about it – the Bible believing Christian seeks the salvation of everyone because God loves everyone and Christ died for the sins of everyone. We don’t want gays beaten or strung up – we want them to understand the love of Christ and be saved just like we want for everyone else. We love people because they are created in the image of God, because Christ died for them just as He did for us.

In spite of what the media often contemptuously portrays, Christian Fundamentalists come in all flavors and are in all walks of life. Most go quietly about their daily lives seeking to honor God by loyalty to the Scriptures, doing good and loving those around them, hopeful of bringing them to trust in the Savior Jesus Christ. Being a Fundamentalist is not synonymous with being perfect – we are painfully aware of shortcomings both privately and as a group. We are aware of our falleness (sinfulness) and our need of a Savior. That is why we initially trusted in Christ. After believing in Christ and receiving the gift of eternal life - God’s will for us is to be like Christ, that in itself is part of growing after having believed and is a lifetime pursuit. Each believer is in a different place in that pursuit – but we do pursue. Romans 8:28,29; Romans 13:12-14.

Christian Fundamentalism, Morality, Sexual Behavior and Hate

Morality – the way a world view tells us we can or should live in this world. Every philosophy of life has a morality based on some logic, reason, authoritative writing(s) and/or authoritative person(s). Fundamentalism has a clearly defined morality based on the Bible. We see the Bible as God’s revelation of Himself to humankind. It is a needed and specific revelation that tells us things we could not otherwise know about God and ourselves, things we could not know only through investigation of the natural world and the universe. The natural world, by the existence of order, design, unity, diversity and personality plainly indicates the existence and creative power of God. We need more than that to know God. The Bible tells us who God is, who we are in the universe, what our responsibility is to God and man, God’s acts in History, His plan for us and the world. We believe life has meaning, purpose and an ultimate accountability. Like it or not, agree with it nor not – that is how Christian Fundamentalists see the Bible.

Let me answer a notion being popularized today by the gay rights people. The notion is this – if people say the practice of homosexuality or lesbianism is a sin – that is hate speech and teaches others to hate gays. It gives people a basis to beat up or kill gay people. Interesting concept. A bit narrow and I believe intended to be politically self serving by the gay community. Permit me to bring some perspective to this notion of calling certain behaviors wrong or sinful and teaching hate. The Bible teaches the following sexual practices are wrong, destructive and sinful – fornication, adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism, orgies, incestual relationships and rape. As a matter of fact the only sexual relationship between people the Bible recognizes as not wrong or sinful is found in a heterosexual marriage relationship. That means Christian Fundamentalism is at odds with far more than the agenda of the gay rights people – we are at odds with any culture which allows or approves of sexual relationships between people (or people and animals) outside of the safe haven of heterosexual marriage. Based on the Scriptures – Christian Fundamentalism maintains sex with animals is breaking the law of God. Sex between two people who are not in heterosexual marriage is sinful. That means children having sex with each other is wrong. High School and College students having sex with each other is wrong. Non-married adults having sex with each other is wrong. The john and the prostitute are sinning. Business people involved in one night stands are being immoral. Casual sex or “friends with benefits” between people is a sin. People involved in group sex are sinning. These are despicable practices. Please understand the point here – Biblical teaching on sexual morality does speak to homosexuality and lesbianism – but not ONLY to homosexuality and lesbianism. Because heterosexual sin is without question far more frequent in any society, the BULK of Biblical teaching on sexual sin is aimed squarely at heterosexuals. Shall Christian Fundamentalism now be accused of teaching people to hate heterosexuals because we label ALL heterosexual sexual activity SIN when it occurs outside the context of heterosexual marriage? I think not.

Christian Fundamentalism and more importantly the Bible, does NOT teach that the response to sexual sin is hating the person. We think that sexual sin of any sort is wrong, harmful and displeases God. But just as the Lord Jesus taught us by His own example – we call sin what it is, we hate the sin and we love the sinner. We Fundamentalists are sinners too, saved by God’s grace, Ephesians 2:8,9. The same grace we try to explain and extend to ALL people. We were, everyone of us who call ourselves Fundamentalists, reached by someone who loved us and saw our need of the Savior. We were reached out to by someone who looked beyond our falleness (sinfulness) and our expression of that falleness. Be it involvement in sexual sin or some other manifestation or many manifestations of our falleness such as lying, bullying, hatred, stealing, drunkenness, etc. We were reached by someone who cared enough about us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, prior to becoming believers in Christ, we put that caring to the test and the person(s) reaching out to us had to be patient for a long time. We seek to imitate our Lord and those who loved us enough to share the Gospel message with us. We want all people to have the priceless gift of eternal life, Romans 6:23. That is why we (Bible Believing Christians) have a history, from the time of Christ on, of missionary outreach and the various forms that takes such as Schools, Medical Missionaries, Orphanages, Rescue Missions, Prison Ministries, Visiting the sick and elderly, Soup Kitchens, Vacation Bible Schools, Crisis Pregnancy Centers and even Ministries to gay people such as Exodus International (www.exodus-international.org). These outreaches are not based on hate – they are based on the love of Christ and are the direct result of his command to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”, Matthew 28:19,20 NIV.

The point here is to show that hating people because they are sinners is simply not consistent with the Biblical Christianity proclaimed by Christian Fundamentalists. It is self defeating to the cause of Christ, a misrepresentation of the Scriptures and not what God Himself modeled for us. The simple truth is that all of humanity is fallen and needs to place their faith in the Savior, Romans 3:21-26. Let me close this section with the following:

Romans 5:8 NIV says:

But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Again, 1 John 4:10 NIV says:

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away our sins”

Fundamentalism and Politics

Because Christian Fundamentalism has and does exist under different political systems I will confine my remarks to Fundamentalism in America. Let it be clear at the outset of this section that those who call themselves Bible Believing Christians, derive their view of morality and responsibility from the Scriptures. It does not matter what a political system allows, does not allow, legalizes or criminalizes, or if it seeks to remain neutral. For example, in the mind of a Fundamentalist, adultery, fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, lesbianism, etc. will remain outside the realm of acceptable sexual conduct regardless of what the American legal system says about our freedom to practice these things. Let sexual immorality have the legal system on its side – God says no, that settles it. We derive our way of life from the standard and commands found in the Scriptures.

That is one of the purposes of the Bible – to give us instruction on how to live so we don’t:
• Offend God – whose creation we are and whose universe this is
• Hurt others with our fallen, sinful, selfish behavior
• Hurt ourselves with our fallen, sinful, selfish behavior
• Miss the joy of living fully, by living within the guidelines of the One who created us and knows what it best for us

Having said that – we live in America. We recognize the many and tremendous benefits of living here. In the early years – generally moral issues were agreed upon. That is no longer the case. Our society has become more diverse politically and philosophically. So much so that now we have a definite polarization of ideas regarding sexual morality – not just political theories. Everybody has the right to the ballot box and access to the courts. Fundamentalists will always vote in accordance with what they understand as God’s standard – or atleast will vote for someone who is closer to that morality than another who is farther away. Why do we do that? We vote like that because we believe in and can see the wisdom of God’s laws for the good of society. All society benefits from a sexual morality based on God’s laws. As opposed to the detrimental effects of a philosophy that says I have a right to have sex with anyone I want.

Permit me an example. If, starting today, everyone waited until they were married to have sexual relations and confined sexual relations to their marriage, consider the following outcomes:
• Stop the spread of the epidemic of STD’s and AIDS.
• Stop the increase in AIDS deaths – 7,945 per day in 2006 – 2.9 million died.
• Stop new AIDS orphans from being created and the consequent associated costs – financially and in human suffering.
• Stop babies being infected with STD’s.
• Stop women from being sterilized by STD’s and the pain associated with not being able to have children.
• Stop women from being exposed to HPV and to cervical cancer related to HPV which causes approximately 290,000 women to die world wide each year.
• Stop babies being born to unwed mothers who do not have the financial or emotional capacity to care for them.
• Stop the pain and regret associated with premarital and extramarital sex.
• Stop almost all abortions and the pain and regret associated with them.
• Stop emotionally needy women from becoming victims of sexual conquest and impregnated by an opportunist who denies responsibility and moves on to his next fling.
• Leveling of the playing field in teaching people to respect each other and not treating people as sexual objects for conquest.
• Focus on the development of other parts of a relationship – the intellectual, spiritual and emotional aspects – before marriage - without the baggage of premature sexual union and an unhealthy or imbalanced focus on that aspect of the relationship. For instance - How many have felt they had to marry because they had sex before marriage? How many have had sex before marriage and found themselves so absorbed in sex that it blinded them to other relational issues? It happens all the time.
• Consider all the money that could be saved and spent in more productive ways by society not having to pay for the research, medical facilities, medical care and other costs associated with STD’s.
• No more open fields of opportunity for sexual predators or self absorbed sexual opportunists who knowingly hide their disease and expose and/or infect others with STD’s. Remember Gaetan Dugas, the gay airline steward who, after he found out he had AIDS continued to infect gay men with AIDS. It appears he was largely responsible for the spread of AIDS in North America. This scenario is common in both homosexual and heterosexual contexts.

In summation of this section – STD deaths with a focus on AIDS deaths in particular, are a LIFESTYLE DRIVEN HOLOCAUST of horrific proportion. I submit society and the world at large would do nothing but benefit from a Biblical Standard of Sexual Practice. Given the ongoing WORLDWIDE LIFESTYLE DRIVEN HOLOCAUST, one would think people would adopt the abstinence until marriage and faithfulness in marriage ethic based simply on outcomes and what would be best for all societies.

Abstinence until and faithfulness within marriage is the CROWN JEWEL of stopping STD’s that KILL people, create orphans, destroy families and ruin lives. I submit that the best friends any society has in this situation are those who do NOT increase the problem by exercising their “right” to have sex but use self control to not add to the pandemic already in progress. It does not even have to be a question of what the Bible teaches – but what is best for society and each person to have a healthy LIFE.

The purpose of this entire writing is to give some initial insight and explanation as to the relationship between Christian Fundamentalism, its Mission, its Sexual Ethics, the Gay Community and the world at large.

Finally, I present to the reader a list of New Testament Scriptures (the Old Testament has far more and they will be addressed in future writings) that speak to the issue of Christian sexual ethics and practice. As stated earlier, the bulk of Biblical Teaching is aimed squarely at heterosexuals. However, simply stated - the injunction to “Flee Fornication” 1 Corinthians 6:18 KJV or “Flee from sexual immorality” NIV, applies regardless of “sexual orientation”. No one gets a free pass on this. No one.

In future writings on the subject of Hedonism, False Teachers & Teaching in the Church, Pseudo-Christianity, Sexual Sin in Fundamentalist and Evangelical Leadership and other related issues, many of these texts will be revisited and expounded upon. The plain meaning of the texts is quite apparent. Even where the imagery of sexual sin is used to describe spiritual adultery, as in many of the Book of Revelation passages, the point is clear – sexual sin is not countenanced or approved by the God of the Bible. It will be judged. Further – the issue is not - will God forgive those guilty of sexual sin who come to Him in faith through the Lord Jesus Christ – He absolutely will. Colossians 2:13,14; Acts 13:38,39. Once any individual trusts in Christ – God has a sexual standard for His people to live by and that standard is - sexual purity until and faithfulness in heterosexual marriage. May we see His wisdom in this.

Some New Testament Scriptures that speak to or set the standard for sexual pratice are:

Matthew 15:16-20 NIV

16 "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17 " Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

Mark 7:21 NIV

20 He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "
Acts 15:19-20, 29 NIV

19"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood…… 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Acts 21:25 NIV

25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."

Romans 1:18 – 32 NIV

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 NIV

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NIV

9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

1 Corinthians 6: 9-18 NIV

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 12 "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."] 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”

1 Corinthians 7:2-5 NIV

2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

1 Corinthians 10:6-8 NIV

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

2 Corinthians 12:21 NIV

21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

Galatians 5:19-21 NIV

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:17-24

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 5:3-5 NIV

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

Colossians 3:5-7 NIV

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-9 NIV

3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

1 Timothy 1: 8-11 NIV

8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Titus 1:15-16 NIV

15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

1 Peter 2:11-12 NIV

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Jude 3-7 NIV

3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

Hebrews 13:4 NIV

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Revelation 2:14 NIV

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

Revelation 2:20-23 NIV

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Revelation 9:20, 21 NIV

20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 14:8 NIV

8 A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."

Revelation 17:2-4 NIV

2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries." 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.

Revelation 18: 3-5, 9 NIV

3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries." 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

"Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crime…. 9 "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'

Revelation 19:1-3 NIV

1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." 3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."

Revelation 21:6-8 NIV

6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."


I hope this writing has proven equal to the task of its purpose.


Rev. William A. Phillips
February 2008

Wajphil2@verizon.net





Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.