The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 45-21, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.

Question

"I agree that homosexuality is a sin, but is it the most heinous sin, as you have said? How can a physical sin be worse than the sin of Romans 1:21 of not honoring God? Isn't not honoring God a worse sin than homosexuality?"

Answer

Well, let me just say this, not honoring God is the worse sin of all. Homosexuality is simply a result of that. In other words, you can't line them up because they are not equivalent--they are sequential. Do you understand what I am saying? First, you make the determination in your life that you are not going to honor God, and then you move into sinful living and the epitome of the expression of a life that doesn't honor God is homosexuality. I believe that is what Paul is saying here. He goes through all of these things: the ultimate thing that a man can do is to totally invert the created intention of God. I mean to totally invert it, as homosexuality does is the worst physical sin, and it is an expression of a life that does not honor God because it doesn't just pervert--it inverts the created order. I think that's why Paul uses it as the illustration of the utter sinfulness of man, when he says this is how far he has gone--he has gone to homosexuality, that is the limit of Paul's conception of sinfulness.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
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Email: tony@biblebb.com 
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