{"id":2218,"date":"2019-01-08T23:13:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T23:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=2218"},"modified":"2024-11-26T18:07:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T00:07:47","slug":"are-gay-people-going-to-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-gay-people-going-to-hell\/","title":{"rendered":"Are gay people going to hell?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Is it true that gay people go to hell? I’m not gay, but a lot of people are, and it’s not out of choice. They are just born attracted to men. So if it’s not an option, why should they get punished for it?<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

“Attraction” just means what you find appealing. Some people find flowers appealing; others drool over a shiny sports car. But even if I find a sports car appealing, it doesn’t mean I own one or want to own one (I might find the cost of ownership too high).<\/p>\n

Sexual attraction is also in the eyes of the beholder. Some find long hair or the shape of a woman or even a part of a woman’s body attractive. Some see some men as attractive — not because they want to have sex with them but because they find the male shape, in general, to be attractive.<\/p>\n

There are so many factors that go into attraction that it is hard to pinpoint the origins of any attraction in a particular person. But what we do know is that Satan uses our desires against us to tempt us to sin. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death<\/em>” (James 1:14-15). You have built-in desires to eat, to sleep, to have sex, to be liked by others, etc. Each of those desires has a purpose, which is to help us survive as human beings, and none of those desires are wrong in and of themselves. But they can be satisfied in the wrong ways. I can satisfy my desire to eat tasty food by eating when I am hungry. I can misuse that same desire by eating even when I’m not hungry (which is gluttony). I can satisfy my desire for sex by getting married to a nice woman. I can misuse that same desire by having sex with a woman I’m not married to (which is fornication). Satan takes our desires and says, “See, you can have it. All you have to do is …”<\/p>\n

John tells us that there are three routes Satan can take to sell sin: “For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world<\/em>” (I John 2:15). Lust of the flesh refers to all the desires that arise from the fact that we are in a physical body. Lust of the eyes refers to our desire for pretty things. And the pride of life arises from the fact that we want to think well of ourselves.<\/p>\n

Having a desire is not a sin. Being tempted is not a sin. However, accepting that sin is justifiable is now a problem. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,\u00a0 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man<\/em>” (Mark 7:21-23). Of course, acting on a temptation, doing what is being offered, is what we call “sin.” It is the breaking of God’s law. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness<\/em>” (I John 3:4).<\/p>\n

No one is born homosexual. Even science currently agrees. See:<\/p>\n