From the beginning of time, there have been people who have questioned God, His existence and His authority on morality including His view on sexuality. People have wanted to believe and adhere to their own ideologies and not be accountable to a supreme judge for their actions and shortcomings… and it is no different in today’s society.

Merriam Webster’s Learners Dictionary defines morality as, “beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior.” But who decides on what is right and wrong? Do I determine if murdering someone is morally ethical or not? Was Hitler right in putting to death six million Jews and convincing his people to carry out his plan? Is it right for a man to sexually abuse a child on the premises of his own sexual gratification? Or is there an absolute moral law that reigns supreme over mankind, nations and governments determined by an absolute moral law giver?  If morality is left up to individuals, then there is no such thing as absolute moral law or good versus evil because morality would be subjective to any given person.

Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist, said in an essay titled The Polemic Shot In the Foot, “Some time ago I was speaking at a university in England, when a rather exasperated person in the audience made his attack upon God. ‘There cannot possibly be a God,’ he said, ‘with all the evil and suffering that exists in the world!’ I asked, ‘When you say there is such a thing as evil, are you not assuming that there is such a thing as good?’ ‘Of course,’ he retorted. ‘But when you assume there is such a thing as good, are you not also assuming that there is such a thing as a moral law on the basis of which to distinguish between good and evil?’ ‘I suppose so,’ came the hesitant and much softer reply. ‘If, then, there is a moral law,’ I said, ‘you must also posit a moral law giver. But that is who you are trying to disprove and not prove. If there is no transcendent moral law giver, there is no absolute moral law. If there is no moral law, there really is no good. If there is no good there is no evil…'”

There can be no such thing as an absolute moral law without an absolute moral law giver – God. If there is an absolute moral law giver, then we need to get to know Him and what He thinks is right and good for our lives and what He deems as evil and inappropriate.

Where can someone find the answers about God, morality, life and the future destiny of mankind? The Bible, as opposed to other holy books, has stood the test of time and the most difficult scrutiny by critics who have set out to disprove it. However, when people seriously examine scripture, they find overwhelming evidence for its validity. It is compiled of 66 books, written by 40 authors over a period of 1,500 years. The Bible speaks from a historical, philosophical, theological, systematic and prophetic standpoint. If there were incorrect historical facts that surfaced or prophecies that were wrong or systematic thinking that could be disproved, then the Bible would not be a trustworthy source to follow. However, the exact opposite has been found. Hundreds of prophecies foretelling future kingdoms and events, the coming of Christ and His death and resurrection have come to pass with extreme accuracy despite its numerous authors and different time periods written. Taking into account prophecy and the hundreds of other historical examples prove the authenticity of the Bible as being the divine inspiration of God and can be trusted as the supreme authority on God, morality and the path to eternal life.

The Bible was given to humanity just as God intended it to be for our instruction, training, correction and conviction of sin. The Bible says, “Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action)…” (2 Timothy 3:16 AMP). We are to study the Word of God – the Bible, to gain insight into God’s ways and to help us live out a godly life. God did not intend for us to accomplish this on our own, but He gave His Holy Spirit to people who would seek after Him and place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to lead them away from error and into Truth. “But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth)…” (John 16:13 AMP).

As God exposes areas of our lives that do not conform to His nature or commandments, we have a choice to trust God and obey His principles or reject them and go our own separate way. God loved us enough to give us a free will to choose His plan or rebel against it, and when we decide to do what we want rather than follow God, we sin and the consequences of sin is spiritual death. The Bible teaches us that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23). We have all gone our own independent way and are in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was the only bridge to reconcile man back to God so that those who place their trust in Him could experience peace with God and eternal life with Him in Heaven forever and ever (John 3:16, John 14:6).
People who refuse to trust God and let go of lifestyles that are not pleasing to Him will ultimately pay the price of their sin. The Bible says, “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people–none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God” (See 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). God wants to help us overcome sin, but we have to turn to Him and acknowledge our need for help. We can trust His grace to empower us to overcome any sin, including homosexuality. Notice that there are many lifestyles listed that can keep us from experiencing eternal life.

Watchman Nee says in his book Secrets to Spiritual Power, “There are three aspects of our flesh that resist God the most: the wisdom of the flesh, the strength of the flesh and the vainglory of the flesh. If these have not been crucified, we will not be able to do much work for the Lord.” If we continue to live for our carnal nature and reasoning, we will never submit to God and experience the abundant life that God wants to give His children!

A maturing Christian is a person who is learning to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit and allows God to direct his steps, including letting go of sinful strongholds. His own fleshly will has been broken and submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is no longer trying to figure everything out in his carnal reasoning, but willingly submits to God even if his sinful nature wants to get its own way. The Bible says, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-17).

A true leader appointed by God allows the Holy Spirit to direct his steps and speaks truth from the Word of God. He is not teaching things that will lead others astray and cause them to sin. The Bible says, “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered” (2 Peter 2:1-2).

With that said, based on the authoritative Word of God, it is wrong for any pastor, teacher or spiritual leader in the church who professes to be a Christian to live a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s Word – whether it is sexual immorality, homosexuality, gossip, slander, or greed, regardless if a specific denomination or church says it is alright. Does that mean a person will never make mistakes? No, nor does it mean if a person falls into a various sin, he is disqualified from his or her destiny. God’s mercies are new every morning for a person who acknowledges he made a mistake! God can heal people and restore people, even those in a spiritual leadership position! The key is to turn away from things that displease God and ask for His help to live a godly life!