I have been asked more than once if Jesus was gay. This question usually comes from someone believing it, or asking because of the human nature of a man loving another man. Part of their support of this is John’s reference in John 13:23 of himself being “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” along with John’s reference to himself leaning back against Jesus to ask him a question. Another way this is misapplied is using 1 Samuel 18, where David and Jonathan were closer than brothers.
Jonathan and David were not gay, they were best, closest friends, not sex partners. The Bible says they were closer than brothers, not that they were lovers. Granted, it is hard to understand men in love with Jesus because our broken, earthly, physical minds can’t comprehend a pure love that isn’t about our physical body. But I’ve known many men who passionately loved Jesus without it being physical.
In my experience it is almost always worship leaders who fall in love with Jesus in this Bridegroom context, understanding it isn’t a sexual thing but it is a matter of their heart being one with Jesus. There are men who get involved in the sexual aspect of love for Jesus but I truly believe this isn’t purposeful, just confusion born out of a true heart for Jesus.
In no way are my remarks here to be taken as judgment or condemnation against ones who are living a homosexual lifestyle. Our purpose on earth is to love others, modeling Jesus. Please understand that my words are about the practice of homosexuality, not about the person.
The Bible clearly speaks against homosexuality in any form. There is only a marriage and love between a man and a woman referring to a person’s gender at birth. The fact that men desire men or women desire women is not from God, it comes from living in a fallen world. The way God gently draws them to him is up to God, not us or our self-righteousness. We are to love everyone as God’s creation and treasure.
There is no possibility that anything to do with God, Jesus, or Holy Spirit is linked to homosexuality. God makes it clear that, while he loves the people, he hates the act of homosexuality. Here are a few places it is mentioned.
Romans 1:27
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Leviticus 18:22-24
22 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
23 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 “ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
Leviticus 20:13
13 “ ‘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.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
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.
1 Timothy 1:8-11
8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.
9 We also know that the 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 the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Romans 1:26-28
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual 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 shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
1 Corinthians 7:2
2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.
But remember, it is only the act of homosexuality that God hates, he loves each of us as his treasure. It is your heart towards God that he is searching, give it to him and he’ll show you the way. He loves you.
