Homosexuality and Bestiality – The Seventh Commandment

Homosexuality and Bestiality

The Seventh Commandment

Leviticus 18:22

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”

Leviticus 20:13

“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.”

Leviticus 18:23

“And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.”

Exodus 22:19

“Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.”

Leviticus 20:15, 16

“If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

The Law of God condemns homosexuality and bestiality. The New Testament agrees on the former and, by association, assumes the latter (cf. Rom. 1:26, 27; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). There have always been, and doubtless always will be, homosexuals in any culture. Some homosexual tendencies are the result of imbalances in the physiognomy of a person; others are simply the result of misplaced affections. Either way, homosexuality—and bestiality—are contrary to God’s purposes.

Times change and unbelieving cultures sometimes become more agreeable toward sins of the flesh, as in our day. But people are living a lie who think they can ignore or reject God’s standards and not experience the judgment in their own flesh of their wicked ways (Rom. 1:26ff.). We do not recommend capital punishment for homosexuals. Believers should love them with the love of Jesus; however, we must also call homosexuals to repent and believe the Gospel and to lay aside this and any other practice that is contrary to the holy and righteous and good Law of God (Rom. 7:12).

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.