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Luke’s Journal July 2026  |  Vol.31  No.2  |  Sexuality

This brief article aims to help make biblical sense of the phenomenon of same-sex sexual attraction. I use the longer phrase, “same-sex sexual attraction,” because, as we’ll see shortly, same-sex desire – i.e. the desire for relationships with people of one’s own sex – is a multifaceted reality that doesn’t have to (and is not intended to) include a sexual dimension.

As I write, I am aware that this subject will be deeply personal for some readers – either because you have experienced romantic or erotic feelings for members of your own sex or because you have a family member or friends for whom this is so. I am also aware that in our current cultural context, same-sex sexual relationships have been so celebrated that advocates of ‘gay rights’ are no longer asking for tolerance but insisting on commendation.¹

While many Christians are concerned by this societal shift, some are confused by it as well. This confusion is only deepened by books like Matthew Vines’ God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships.

What is this case? According to Vines:

The bottom line is this: The Bible does not directly address the issue of same-sex orientation — or the expression of that orientation. While its six references to same-sex behaviour are negative, the concept of same-sex behaviour in the Bible is sexual excess, not sexual orientation.²

Vines’ argument, then, is that the Bible condemns “sexual excess” (i.e., promiscuity) not faithful same-sex sexual relationships. Consequently, “it isn’t gay Christians who are sinning against God by entering into monogamous, loving relationships. It is the church that is sinning against them by rejecting their intimate relationships.”³

What does the Bible say?

This then raises the first question, what does the Bible teach? I will restrict my answer to three key points.

Same-sex friendships are good

The first is that same-sex friendships are good. God made us to enjoy strong, supportive, intimate but non-romantic, non-erotic relationships with a range of people: parents and siblings, relatives and friends – both male and female, young and old.

The Bible is full of examples of same-sex friendships: Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus and John, and Paul and Timothy.

Same-sex sexual desires are contrary to nature

Second, the Bible is clear that same-sex sexual desires are not part of God’s original design but, like all desires contrary to creation order, are a result of humanity’s fall into sin and the consequent corruption of our natures. This is the understanding that lies behind the prohibitions in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.⁴

But this is not just an Old Testament teaching. Jesus unambiguously condemns porneia (sexual immorality), a term which includes same-sex sexual relationships (Matt 15:19–20; Mark 7:12–13).⁵

Moreover, his judgment on heterosexual lust (Matt 5:28), by implication, also condemns homosexual lust.

Paul likewise regards same-sex sexual desires as being “contrary to nature” (Rom 1:26). In fact, he sees them as a destructive form of exchange that results from an even deeper and more disastrous exchange of “the truth about God for a lie” (Rom 1:25). For this reason, he continues:

God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; _²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (Rom 1:21-27)

Now, it’s not the case that same-sex sexual desires are more sinful than other sexually immoral desires. But there is a difference between desires that are according to nature and desires that are contrary to nature. For, as one writer has expressed it, “there are godly ways of expressing heterosexual sexual desires. There are not godly ways of expressing homosexual sexual desires.”⁶

Same-sex sex is contrary to God’s will

This is why the experience of homosexual desires (however ‘natural’ they may feel to some) can never justify homosexual behaviour. Indeed, as Paul explains, those who exchange “natural relations for those that are contrary to nature” invite upon themselves “the due penalty for their error” (Rom 1:27).

In short, same-sex sexual acts are always contrary [to] God’s will – regardless of whether they are loving, monogamous, or consensual. Why so? Because they are “intrinsically disordered” (as the Catholic Catechism has it) and therefore destructive of those who engage in them. Indeed, the consequences are potentially eternal. That’s why, in 1 Corinthians 6:10, Paul warns that those who engage in homosexual practices (just like those who engage in immoral heterosexual practices) “will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

“Consequently, it is no small error to confuse righteousness and sin, creation order and fallen disorder.”

So, Scripture is clear on the morality of same-sex desires and practices. Consequently, it is no small error to confuse righteousness and sin, creation order and fallen disorder. But the ultimate tragedy of attempts (like Matthew Vines’) to invert Scripture’s meaning is that they mute God’s loving call to repent of sin, experience His forgiveness, and “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).

Where does same-sex sexual attraction come from?

The next question to explore concerns the origin of same-sex sexual attraction.

The reality of human fallenness

We’ve already seen that, just like the origin of every inclination toward sin, the roots of same-sex sexual desires are to be found in our common fallenness. For a range of reasons – some inherited, some inflicted, some learned, some chosen – we are all fractured versions of what we were meant to be, and we are all, in one way or another, sexually distorted.

“…we are all fractured versions of what we were meant to be, and we are all, in one way or another, sexually distorted.”

That, of course, only explains the general, not the specific. It tells us why we are all prone to sinful desires, but it doesn’t tell us why person A struggles with gambling, person B with alcohol, and person C with same-sex sexual temptations. So, is there anything more we can say?

The uncertainty of biological contributors

While many have assumed that the answer must be biological, the support for this hypothesis is negligible at best. It is, of course, possible that we may yet discover a biological contribution to same-sex attraction, but to date there is no clear evidence that it is biologically based.

In brief, “The understanding of sexual orientation as an innate, biologically fixed property of human beings – the idea that people are ‘born that way’ – is not supported by scientific evidence.”⁷

The significance of environmental factors

However, there is considerable evidence that environmental factors play a significant role in shaping many people’s experience. For example, a disrupted or dysfunctional relationship with a same-sex parent or same-sex peers can, for some, lead to feelings of being different from others of their sex. This may then lead to gender dysphoria or gender non-conforming behaviour.

There is also some evidence that poor emotional bonding with the same-sex parent can create a deficit in the relationship with that parent. This, in turn and in time, can give rise to a corresponding drive to make good this deficit through the experience of same-sex relationships of a romantic or sexual kind. This often happens in adolescents when “the exotic becomes erotic.”⁸

“Nevertheless, each person’s story is unique, and often there are multiple contributors that combine to produce same-sex sexual attraction…”

Nevertheless, each person’s story is unique, and often there are multiple contributors that combine to produce same-sex sexual attraction – e.g. adverse family dynamics, a lack of early socialisation, LGBTQ+ indoctrination, sexual experimentation, sexual abuse, sexual shaming, pornography exposure, peer pressure, and bullying.

And yet, as Christopher Yuan notes, “many individuals seem to have near-perfect Christian upbringings but still experience unwanted same-sex attractions.”⁹ So then, causation can be complex and sometimes inscrutable. For this reason, Robert Gagnon’s summary is apt:

“It is probably not possible to pinpoint any one socializing factor that leads a person to develop a homosexual orientation. Nevertheless, environmental factors and reactive psychological development (where choice in some limited sense may be included) appear to be key ingredients.”¹⁰

How can we care for those who experience same-sex sexual attraction?

This brings us to a final question:
How do we care well for Christians who experience unwanted same-sex sexual desires?

Supporting their pursuit of holiness

The first thing we can do is to support them in their pursuit of holiness. Ultimately, holiness is more important than heterosexuality – given that the latter doesn’t guarantee the former.¹¹ Therefore, despite being predisposed towards same-sex sexual temptations, with the help of God’s grace and God’s people, a believer can make progress in holiness of both mind and body.

“…with the help of God’s grace and God’s people, a believer can make progress in holiness of both mind and body.”

Of course, changing one’s behaviours is often more possible than changing one’s inclinations. And so, the reality is that most who experience same-sex sexual temptations are likely to battle with them, in some way, for the rest of our days. That doesn’t make heterosexual marriage impossible for all, but it will for most.

For others, the battle can recede and bring them a real reduction in the frequency and ferocity of their desires. And some, albeit a minority, are given an experience of reorientation – i.e. a radical change of desires. Of course, they still battle with all kinds of other sins and temptations (and perhaps some new ones too!), but their same-sex sexual desires seem to have disappeared.

Affirming the goodness of chastity

However, for the majority, for whom heterosexual marriage is either impossible or inadvisable, we need to affirm the goodness of abstaining from sexual activity – i.e. chastity. Despite what our culture says, there is nothing unhealthy or dehumanising about refraining from sexual expression – just ask Jesus!

It is important to realise that this call to chastity applies to all who are unmarried – it is not only those who are same sex attracted who are to resist giving expression to their sexual desires. The key point to note is that this call is a good call, for it comes from a good God who knows what is best for us.

Encouraging healthy friendships

Finally, we also need to promote the development of healthy, non-erotic, friendships – same-sex and opposite-sex. This is true for all of us, but particularly for the unmarried and especially for those who experience same-sex sexual attraction. For, as many have testified, this is one of the keys not just to surviving in our daily struggle with sin, but to thriving in following Christ.

Conclusion

The brevity of this article should not cause any of us to conclude that living with same-sex sexual attraction is a simple matter. No, it’s a fight and often a demanding one. But it is one that all Christians share together. Far better still, it is one that Jesus, our good shepherd, shares with us to see that we are victorious.

As John Newton once expressed it, “He himself is their guide and their guard; He keeps them as the apple of his eye; the hairs of their head are numbered, and not an event in their lives takes place but in an appointed subserviency to their final good.”¹²

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1. Denny Burk, What is the Meaning of Sex? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 187.
2. Matthew Vines, God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships (New York: Convergent Books, 2014), 130.
3. Vines, God and the Gay Christian, 162.
4. Gordon J. Wenham, “The Old Testament Attitude to Homosexuality,” Expository Times 102 (1990–91), 363.
5. Paul Carter, “Did Jesus Ever Talk about Homosexuality?,” TGC Canadian Edition (May 6, 2019), https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/ad-fontes/jesus-ever-talk-homosexuality.
6. Sam Allberry, “The Christian Debate over Sexual Identity,” Desiring God (July 13, 2018), https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/the-christian-debate-over-sexual-identity.
7. Lawrence Meyer and Paul McHugh, “Gender and Sexuality; Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” The New Atlantis 50 (Fall 2016): 7, http://www.thenewatlantis.com/docLib/20160819_TNA50SexualityandGender.pdf.
8. Darryl J. Ben, “Exotic Becomes Erotic: A Developmental Theory of Sexual Orientation,” Psychological Review 103, No. 2 (1996): 320–35.
9. Christopher Yuan, Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story [Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2018], 36.
10. R. J. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2002), 413.
11. Yuan, Holy Sexuality and the Gospel, 52.
12. John Newton, Letters of John Newton (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1960), 34. People around you. Hold firm. Stand upright. And may the God of grace and peace guide you in all things.