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What Does the Bible Say About..Lying About Homosexuality?

Am I living a lie if I am a homosexual and do not admit it to anybody else? It is understood that heterosexual men have sexual desires for women. Do I lie when I don't state otherwise? A lot of jokes are made about homosexuals. Do I lie when I just nod and smile? Am I condemned if I don't ask for forgiveness every time I have sexual desires toward other men?

Answer

In answer to your last question first, you are condemned if you have not had your sins forgiven. That is accomplished initially through belief that Jesus is the son of God, repentance (a sorrow for sin and a resolve to change), and immersion in water (baptism). Thereafter it is accomplished through continuing to try to live in the way God would have you live, and asking God for forgiveness when you do sin. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sin continues to cleanse those who have become his. That being said, do you have to repent and ask forgiveness every time you have sexual desires toward other men? Would you have to repent and ask forgiveness every time you had sexual desires toward women, if you had them? Frequently, sexual desires are feelings that come upon us unsought. God doesn’t hold us responsible for our feelings, as a rule, but does hold us responsible for our response to them. It is not wrong to be angry, but it is wrong to hold a grudge. (“Be angry and sin not. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” Ephesians 4:26) In the Bible a homosexual is not one based on his feelings or desires, but his actions. Certainly, if a saved individual engages in a homosexual act they must repent. It is not so clear that just the desire is sinful if you don’t dwell on it or act on it.

Your other questions really come down to what defines a lie. If a man says that all people are ugly, do you have to point out that it is an improper generalization? Do you take exception to every proverb ever written because there may be an exception to the rule? If a person tells lewd jokes that offend you (regardless of their subject matter), are you lying if you just ignore him? Generally, these would not be considered lying. If you have committed homosexual acts and someone asks you specifically if you have done so, then yes it would be a lie if you say no. The Bible defines a murderer as one who has murdered, and a homosexual as one who has committed a homosexual act. If you have had the desire to kill and not acted on it, then you can honestly answer that you are not a murderer if someone asks. Biblically, the same is true about being a homosexual.