The sex of a human being is determined at fertilization. Subsequent to entering the female ovum, the fertilizing sperm forms a male pronucleus containing 23 unpaired chromosomes while the mature ovum forms the female pronucleus containing 23 unpaired chromosomes. Later, the 23 unpaired female chromosomes align with the 23 unpaired male chromosomes to re-form a complete complement of 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs in the fertilized ovum (or zygote or one-celled embryo).
The mature female ovum carries in its genome an X chromosome (the female chromosome). Prior to the entry of the fertilizing sperm into the female ovum, half of the mass of mature sperm carry in their genome the X chromosome (the female chromosome) and half carry in their genome the Y chromosome (the male chromosome). “The Y chromosome is one-third the size of the X chromosome and contains about 55 genes while the X chromosome has about 900 genes.”[1] If the fertilizing sperm contains an X chromosome, then the one-celled embryo will be female (XX) and will be born female with female attributes. If the fertilizing sperm contains a Y chromosome then the one-celled embryo will be male (XY) and will be born male with male attributes.[2]
There is no “gay” gene. Human beings from fertilization are either biological male or biological female. At birth, the natural emotional and physical characteristics of males are appropriately manifested in the individual and likewise in females. So-called homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual orientations are not genetic or biological. Such orientations are chosen by individuals and thus can be subsequently rejected by those individuals.
THE BIBLICAL TRUTH ABOUT HUMAN SEXUALITY
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth (1 Cor. 6:9-11) pointing out that before they had become believers some of them had been guilty of various sins including sexual immorality, homosexuality, and adultery among others and indicated that those who commit such sins will not inherit the kingdom of God unless they become believers and repent of their sins. But he also wrote that though some of them were guilty of those sins they had repented of them and had become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ being justified through Jesus Christ by the grace of God. So, some of these who had practiced homosexuality and sexual immorality, etc. had become Christians and had left that lifestyle and stopped being homosexual and stopped practicing sexual immorality, etc. We know that many practicing homosexuals have repented of this immoral lifestyle choice. All this tells us that immoral sexual and sodomitical orientations are not genetic or biological and are merely choices that can be stopped.
Additional evidence that homosexuality and sexual immorality is not genetic or biological is that the Bible does not condemn something that the person has no control over (1 Cor. 10:13). If humans were born homosexual, etc., God would not condemn them for it. But the Bible is clear that God condemns those who practice the homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual lifestyles. So, these orientations are not present at conception or birth.
God created male and female human beings and commanded that they be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). They were to come together to produce new human beings in the manner designed by God for this purpose, through sexual intercourse within the marital regime and only through this process was filling the earth to take place (Gen. 1:27, 28).
Fornication, which is sexual relations between a male and a female outside the marital regime, as well as sodomy or same-sex relationships are transgressions against God and those who practice such immoral thoughts and behavior will not inherit the kingdom of God unless they repent and believe through faith in Jesus Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9, the apostle Paul teaches that the sins of sexual immorality, adultery, prostitution, sodomy, and anyone who practice lewdness, are guilty of addiction to the sins of the flesh. The apostle is warning against the unscriptural and immoral concupiscence of the gratification of the sexual senses. All of these are immoral sins that will keep a person outside the kingdom of God (Rom. 1:24-27) unless they repent and turn from the sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through faith.
The Greek word ἀρσενοκοιτου (a compound word from árrhēn, meaning “a male” and koítē, meaning “a mat, bed” is translated as “homosexuality” in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10. This word describes a male who lies with another male as with a female; a sodomite, a homosexual. In these two verses, the apostle Paul deals with sexual immorality and idolatry directly and deals specifically with adultery and homosexuality. Paul teaches here that only sexual relationships between a man and a woman within the confines of the institution of marriage established by God are permitted. Fornication and sodomy are contrary to God’s will for human beings.
The Old Testament has something to say about homosexuality too. In Leviticus 18:22 we see You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And in Leviticus 20:13 we find If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. The Old Testament is unambiguous in its assertions that sodomitical same-sex attractions are not within God’s will for human beings. Such acts serve no reproductive purpose and are not included in God’s plan for filling the earth by reproductive generation.
The Bible teaches very clearly that God created only two sexes, male and female. He provided the progenitive act of sexual intercourse as the only natural means for producing offspring and He designed marriage to be the only regime within which this reproductive act was allowed to occur. Any other copulative acts and relationships are either fornication or sodomy and are sins against God. God’s holy Word teaches against the acquired orientations of homosexuality, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and all forms of sodomy and fornication.
Even though a civil authority makes laws that assign same-sex relationships the title of “marriage,” this does make it biblical marriage. Only connubial relationships between one man and one women are marriage. All other relations that claim to be “marriage” are not and are nothing more than immoral sexual or sodomitical unions in transgression against God’s commands.
ABOUT GENDER
The “male-or-female sex” sense of the word gender is attested in English from the early fifteenth century.[3] Prior to the mid-twentieth century, the word gender was used almost exclusively to refer to grammatical categories. In many languages, grammar refers to:
a set of classes that together include all nouns, membership in a particular class being shown by the form of the noun itself or by the form or choice of words that modify, replace, or otherwise refer to the noun, as, in English, the choice of he to replace the man, of she to replace the woman, of it to replace the table, of it or she to replace the ship. The number of genders in different languages varies from 2 to more than 20; often the classification correlates in part with sex or animateness. The most familiar sets of genders are of three classes (as masculine, feminine, and neuter in Latin and German) or of two (as common and neuter in Dutch, or masculine and feminine in French and Spanish).[4]
New Zealand psychologist John William Money was one of the first researchers to distinguish between one’s sex and gender identity in 1955. The term gender is now commonly used to designate one’s chosen identity and sexual orientation where it is different from one’s biological sex. The government as well as many private and public organizations and a large number of individuals recognize gender in this way today. In fact, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, No. 17-1618 (S. Ct. June 15, 2020), the Supreme Court held that firing individuals because of their sexual orientation or transgender status violates Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination because of sex.[5]
Although Christians live in what amounts to a post-Christian society which accepts gender as referring to more than two sexes and to gender identities and orientations different from one’s biological sex, they all understand that the Bible teaches that there are only two human sexes with unique male and female characteristics and that human beings shouldn’t make any attempt to change the expression of their natural biological sex.
DEALING WITH THE SIN OF SAME-SEX ATTACTRACTION
Sodomitical desire for a person of the same sex, whether acted upon or not, is a sinful desire that is contrary to the word of God. The same goes for any sexual desire that is contrary to the biblical covenant of marriage. Thus, sodomy as well as fornication, are sins that must be repented of and these sinful desires and acts must be put to death in one’s soul (Rom. 8:13).
Same-sex attraction is a sin. The sinner must understand and believe that his or her sin is wrong, that he or she must have godly sorrow for committing the sin, and must repent of that sin, turn from it, and ask God for forgiveness.
Those who have repented of their same-sex desires and who are justified and adopted believers are freed from eternal condemnation (Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:21) There is a place in the church for repentant, justified, believers who in spite of their struggle for sanctification from this sin, nevertheless live lives of virtue and obedience in Christ.
A Final Note
Some of you may be familiar with the Nashville Statement, a document described by its authors as being about “the good purposes of God for human sexuality revealed in Christian Scripture.” The author of the present article is in no way affiliated with the organizations that produced the Nashville Statement[6] but the author of this article is nevertheless in general agreement with the content of the Nashville Statement on human sexuality and includes a link to this document in the endnote below as a reference related at least in part to the foregoing discussion and the author of this article believes this document may be edifying to Christians.
[1] NIH website, National Human Genome Institute, https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Y-Chromosome-facts, accessed November 16, 2022.
[2] Of course, fortuitus events can intervene during development of the unborn child at certain points which might damage or otherwise interfere with ordinary development.
[3] Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/gender, accessed October 29, 2022.
[4] Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gender, accessed October 29, 2022.
[5] EEOC website, https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-sogi-discrimination, accessed October 29, 2022.
[6] Nashville Statement, https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement, accessed October 29, 2022.
