If same-gender sex is not the natural consequence of an innate homosexual essence or identity (as I suggested last time), then why do people do it? What leads them to this sort of behaviour?
The shocking answer of Romans 1 is that God does.
Well that might be stating it a little strongly, but only just. Paul’s argument in Romans 1 is that the knowledge of God’s eternal power and divine nature is available to everyone in the world just by looking around them at his creation. But rather than honouring, thanking and worshipping this self-evidently powerful God, humanity (and I think he is especially talking of the great mass of Gentile humanity) ignores and suppresses that knowledge, and foolishly worships and serves idols and created things instead.
This is all wrong. To worship and serve the created things rather than the Creator who so obviously gave them existence? It’s stupid and wicked and perverse.
Romans 1 says that God’s punishment on people for this outlandish rejection of him is to consign them to the world that they have chosen—a world of stupidity, wickedness and perversity; a world of foolish and darkened thinking; a world of anti-social, debasing and destructive behaviour.
This is where ‘same-gender sex’ fits into Paul’s argument (if I can use that short-hand for man having sex with men or women having sex with women). Being consumed with passion for people of the same gender, and having sex with them, is one example of the dishonourable, perverse, creation-denying behaviour that rebellious humanity is ‘given over to’ by the judgement of God (see verses 24-27). It is by no means the only example—Paul gives lots of others, ranging from murder and malice through to covetousness and disobedience to parents—but it is there.
So Romans 1 is not so much saying that God will punish people in the future for wicked and perverse behaviour (although he will, as other parts of the Bible make clear). His point here is that being given over to wicked and perverse behaviour is the punishment. For example, that we see women going around having sex with other women, far from being a sign of our liberation and sophistication is, according to Romans 1, a sign that God’s judgement is already being revealed on our benighted world (as is the prevalence of murder, strife, malice, deceit, ruthlessness, and the rest).
Now Paul’s point here only really works if same-gender sex is wrong and self-destructive; if it is the kind of behaviour that functions as its own penalty, in much the same way as the sickness, violence and general dehumanization of drunkenness is its own reward.
This is another truth that we are not allowed to say aloud: that same-gender sex is simply wrong and perverse.
What’s more (and this is what we’ll get to in the final instalment), everybody knows this is the case.
