1 Corinthians 6:9-11

"Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Question:

I left my previous church and am visiting Unity in Corpus Christi at the suggestion of one of my gay friends. I cannot believe in my heart that God rejects homosexuals, but that is the Baptist church's teaching. I had struggled with this for some time. If those verses condemning homosexual activity are not interpreted literally, how does Unity explain it? I want to understand how and why I KNOW that GLBT folks are not condemned. 

Comment:

Paul is basically affirming the basic teaching of Jesus Christ that choices have consequences, and we can't make negative choices and expect positive results. The underlying error thought of all the examples Paul cites is that those people are living in denial of their own essence as Spirit. They are living as if their mortal needs should be the focus of their lives. From fornicators to robbers, they have all made their physical needs and obsessions the entire purpose of their lives.  

So is Paul condemning homosexuality? Well, yes, in a sense. And he's condemning heterosexuality, in a sense, as well. He's 'condemning' anyone whose priorities deny God. If we are allowing anything—lust, hunger, fear of lack—to become more important than our divine identity and purpose, we are basically condemning ourselves by embracing a false priority. So anyone—gay or straight—for whom the physical satisfaction of sex is more important than the spiritual power of love becomes a "wrongdoer." They cannot inherit the kingdom of God until they change their priorities.  

This passage could be—and has been—interpreted as condemning all sex. That's as nonsensical as interpreting it as specifically condemning homosexuality. It does neither. It's about making choices without love, about focusing our lives on the satisfying of cravings and desires. Those kinds of choices have painful consequences because so long as we maintain that focus, cling to those priorities, we cannot inherit the kingdom of spiritual joy and abundance that is our birthright. And, Paul is adding, once you know you are, indeed, making a choice, the consequences become even stronger. He's writing to people who have already been baptized in spiritual Truth. If they turn away from that new awareness and return to old habits, the results will be even more painful. This is not because the activity is wrong, but because it comes from a fear-based thought instead of from love—love of self and love of the other.

As a gay minister myself, I am very glad your friend introduced you to Unity. I have written on the question of homosexuality many times—they should be in the archives—and there is a great deal of information and support available elsewhere as well. If I can be of further help in clarifying the ways in which people twist the Bible to support their own prejudices, please don't hesitate to write again.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed