This is part three of a response to a post by Jeremy Myers. In that post, Myers summarizes the view of Ron Goetz, which proposes that Luke 17:34–35 is about saved non-celibate homosexuals. While I believe that there are saved non-celibate homosexuals, I disagree with the process of forcing a gay reading into this text (especially by using Document Q and Pagan mythology).
See Myers’s original post here. Part I has an introduction and some word studies. Part II talks about the context of Luke 17:34–35 and the Pagan myth Goetz bring into the discussion. Part III talks about the gospel, why saved people can be non-celibate homosexuals, and what saved people lose when we sin.
-Paul
So, Can Non-Celibate Homosexuals Be Saved?
The conclusion in Jeremy Myers’s post on the so-called, “Luke’s Gay Apocalypse” is:
- Non-Celibate Gays and Lesbians are not Rejected by God.
- Homosexuality is Not a Criterion of Acceptability for God.
- Lesbians and Gays are Present in the Final Eschatological Gathering of God’s Elect.
On the surface, it looks like we agree, but I think that there need to be some clarifications. If it has not been abundantly clear already, then I will repeat: I do not think that Luke 17 has anything to do at all with homosexuality. I will now weigh in on these three points from Scriptures that are relevant.
The Bible says:
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:35–40 NKJV)
Here, Jesus clearly states that belief in Him is the only criterion for being resurrected in the last day and that He will by no means cast out the believer. That sounds like Jesus agrees with the three notions above, but with the clarifications that He is speaking of the last day. So:
- Non-Celibate Gays and Lesbians are not Rejected by God at the last day if they have believed in Christ.
- Homosexuality is Not a Criterion of Acceptability for God at the last day; the only criterion is whether or not they believed.
- Lesbians and Gays are Present in the Final Eschatological Gathering of God’s Elect at the last day, if they have believed.
This does beg the question, though, of what Jesus means by “at the last day” (John 6:39). I propose that “at the last day” is a nonspecific term that includes the future Messianic Kingdom and the eternal state. Job was written before much of the information that we have today was available. Job says:
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (Job 19:25–26 KJV)
Notice a few things. First, Job is speaking about “the last day” before it was known that it would include a 7-year tribulation (Dan 9:20–37) followed by a 1,000-year Messianic Kingdom (Rev 20:1–6). There was not yet a notion of the Church, so he couldn’t have known about the Rapture. He didn’t know any of that but he did know that he would be with God at the latter day. But, do you know what else he didn’t know? He did not know for certain that he would not fall into sexual immorality. In Job’s mind, life in the last day was a guarantee completely separate from any of his deeds and misdeeds in the meantime.
Since the days of Job, we have received more inspired biblical revelation about the future. We can now draw prophecy charts that go into detail about how God will use tribulation to bring Israel back to Himself. There are disagreements about the details. It is a bit of a side issue, but I read Luke 17 as describing the end of the future seven-year tribulation, while other excellent theologians (some of my mentors included) see it as describing the rapture of the Church. It seems that Goetz might be reading Luke 17 as descriptive of something entirely different, but regardless of how we get from this side of eternity to that, we would both come down on the same side of saying that active gays and lesbians will be in eternity. I don’t know what criteria Goetz and Myers have for eternal life, but I would say that it is by faith alone in Christ alone.
Now, there is one relevant piece of prophecy in this discussion that I would like to bring in. I believe that between now and the Messianic Kingdom, there will be an event called, “The Judgment Seat of Christ.” Paul describes it:
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:9–10 NKJV)
Paul is speaking to the believers in Corinth (1 Cor 1:1–9) about a judgment of their works. They have already been accepted before God through faith alone, in the sense that they will be with Him in the last day, but the Judgment Seat of Christ is about something else: eternal rewards. We will not all be equal in eternity, each playing a single harp on a cloud. Rather, we will be rewarded for what we have done in the meantime.
Another way of wording this is in terms of the future Messianic Kingdom; we who have eternal life will enter the kingdom through faith in what Christ did, but we will inherit the kingdom (meaning we receive eternal rewards) because of what we do. I would encourage you to do a more exhaustive study of entrance and inheritance on your own sometime, but we will only consider a few examples here.
Jesus begins His famous evangelistic conversation with Nicodemus:
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5 NKJV)
Jesus is speaking about eternal life and He uses the Jewish lingo, “enter the kingdom of God.” He then explains how to enter the kingdom:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16–18 NKJV)
That is kingdom entrance. Anyone who has eternal life will enter the kingdom. Here is what it means to inherit the kingdom at the Judgment Seat of Christ:
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. (Col 3:23–25 NKJV)
Notice that Paul is writing to believers who already have eternal life and will enter the kingdom (Col 1:1–8). Paul is telling them that they will receive reward, which he calls inheritance. This is where homosexuality comes in. Paul writes to believers who have struggled with homosexuality:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor 6:9–11 NKJV)
Notice a few things. First, Paul is speaking about inheritance because these Christians were already justified, they already have eternal life, they will enter the kingdom because of faith regardless of works. Second, Paul is telling them how to inherit the kingdom, that is, how to receive eternal rewards. But also, notice that homosexuals and sodomites are on the list. The word translated, “homosexual” is malakos (μαλακός) and “sodomite” is arsenokoitēs (ἀρσενοκοίτης), together, the two words denote both members of a gay couple.
For some reason, people want to focus on “nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,” rather than “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers… nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners.” Paul says, that some of the believers in Corinth had struggled with these sins. Paul himself struggled with some of these sins. He openly admits to coveting (Rom 7:7–12), which might be why covetousness makes Paul’s “sin list” more often than homosexuality in the New Testament. Saved people can actively struggle with sin, even the sins listed in 1 Corinthians 6 (including covetousness and homosexual activity), because Christ paid for all sin on the cross. Our sin is not an issue for salvation; we only need to believe in Christ to be saved.
Some who wish to bring an extra measure of judgment upon homosexual sin are quick to point out that under the Mosaic Law, homosexual acts were a capital offense because it is a serious perversion of God’s intention for marriage. This is true, but it is worth mentioning that extramarital affairs were also capital offenses for the same reason. On the other hand, there are those that try to excuse homosexuality, on the ground that we are not under the Mosaic Law. It is true that we are not under the law and homosexuality is not a capital offense, but are they also willing to excuse extramarital affairs since they are not capital offenses anymore either? What about the capital offense of murder? What about the lists in 1 Corinthians 6 and elsewhere? Is it ok to steal, revile, and extort? Of course not.
Ok, I’m beating a dead horse now. In short, homosexual behavior is a sin, but Christ saves sinners through faith in Him. There are saved homosexuals, but their sin is hindering their eternal reward, just like my sin is hindering my reward and your sin is hindering yours.
That was Part III. Part I has an introduction and some word studies. Part II talks about the context of Luke 17:34–35 and the Pagan myth Goetz bring into the discussion.
If you have any questions about salvation, please feel free to contact us!