Should Homosexuals be Put to Death by the Government?

For decades now—and with great success—cultural elites have been pushing the normalization of the abomination of sodomy.  We have now gotten to the point where sodomites are being allowed to “marry,” and the normalization of homosexuality—with the related marginalization of Biblical Christianity—continues at a ferocious pace.  Bible-believing Baptist churches, and other Christian conservatives, stand against sodomite “marriage” with one voice—but have we, too, been influenced by the cultural pressure for the normalization of sodomy?

Let me state, first of all, that I am against reconstructionism, against Presbyterian theonomy, against the Roman Church-State and Calvin’s Geneva, against focusing on politics instead of gospel preaching.  I am for NT Baptist churches, dispensationalism, freedom of religion, preaching the gospel to every creature as our focus, and so on.  I agree that homosexuals can be saved and rejoice if they come to church services and hear the gospel.  I am not afraid of homosexuals (that is, I am not “homophobic”) nor do I hate people who are involved in that sin. I recently did a series of evangelistic Bible studies with a homosexual man who had all kinds of filthy pictures posted all over his house on the wall.  My fellow Baptists and I were kind to him, showed him Christian love, invited him to church, and even invited him over to our house for lunch.  There were various times when he needed a ride, since he didn’t have a car, and a ride was offered on our part and was accepted on his.  Unfortunately, after spending a number of hours with him patiently giving him the gospel and dealing with his objections, while he was, I believe, convicted at various points, he was not willing to repent of his sodomy—at least not as of my writing this post.  I have even shed tears over his unconverted condition.  He knows we care for him, and for others involved in his sin.  Our church has given the gospel to many sodomites (and, naturally, very many people not guilty of that perversion) through house-to-house evangelism and mass evangelism at events where large groups of people are gathered together, whether a State fair with large numbers of normal unconverted people or a “Pridefest” with large numbers of sodomites.  We have sought to speak kindly and respectfully to people at all such venues and give soft answers that turn away wrath when ridiculed, cursed at, threatened and so on.  While bold proclamation of the gospel will often bring opposition, we have not sought to whip up unnecessary opposition as some, unfortunately, do at such events.  I even grew up in San Francisco and have friends from my youth as an unconverted person who are homosexuals, and we seek to be kind to them and show them Christian love and give them the gospel.  We have sent them cards on special occasions, given them gifts, and so on.  The writer of this post is not some crazy person filled with a deep hatred for homosexuals—indeed, if you who read this post don’t like what the following paragraphs say, before you say that I hate homosexuals, you ought to consider how much time you spend giving them the gospel—if you don’t give them the gospel, perhaps I am the one that loves them, and you are the one that hates them. If you are afraid to talk to them because of their gross sin, but I speak to them politely and treat them like human beings created in God’s image, like people who have eternal souls that need to be saved just as my own sinful soul was saved, perhaps you are the one that hates them while I love them.

With all of the above stated as an introduction, there is no reason why God’s laws in Israel about the State putting sodomites to death (or adulterers, for that matter, Lev 20:10) would be bad laws today. God’s laws are good laws—very good, glorious, and wonderful laws—the best possible laws. What does Scripture say is the responsibility of the State toward those who engage in homosexuality?

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:  they shall surely be put to death;  their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13)

I am happy if thieves attend church to hear the Bible, although the State should punish theft.  I am happy to preach the gospel to murderers, whether in a prison ministry or elsewhere, but I still agree with Scripture that murderers should be executed by the State.  Similarly, we should show love as individuals, and be part of a church that shows love to sodomites, while recognizing that, ideally, the State should enforce a death penalty for sodomy.  We should want a godly government that takes away the sodomites out of the land, as godly government did of old (1 Kings 15:12; 22:46).  The Passover and other ceremonial laws are types of Christ which have been abolished, but the death penalty for sodomy that God gave Israel is not a type of anything and has not been abolished—it is valid for today.  How could we know what laws would be good for the State to enact if we can’t listen to the Bible?  Can we not learn anything about what a godly government is like from the laws God gave the Hebrew republic?

Furthermore, before the Mosaic law, Scripture states that that among the pre-law Gentiles such as Job, adultery was “an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges” (Job 31:11)?  If adultery is righteously punished by a Gentile State, is not the greater sin of sodomy also?  Scripture does not teach that the criminalization of sexual iniquities such as sodomy and adultery are things that the State should just ignore.  They should be illegal, and they should be punished the way God punished them in the Bible.

Since both Jews and Gentiles in Scripture recognized that sexual perversions were Biblically described as criminal and/or worthy of death, it would be good law, were Biblical values practiced (as they are not likely to be in the USA again before the Rapture, unless there is a great national revival), to have a death penalty for sodomy.  A death penalty for sodomy would result in far fewer dear people deciding they were “born that way,” hardening themselves to the gospel, and dying young of AIDS—many lives would be saved.  What is more, God be glorified as more of His Word was put in practice.  Sodomites would also refrain from being proud, but be fearful instead because of their sin, and be more willing to hear and receive the gospel of the grace of God.  A death penalty for sodomy would be a good law.

To reiterate, I am not at all arguing for people being vigilantes or taking the law into their own hands.  The individual Christian’s duty is to love and do good to all men, including sodomites.  I am arguing that the State should re-criminalize sodomy and enforce a death penalty for those that commit it and are found guilty after due process of law.

I would also like to point out that if what I have said seems “extreme” or “wrong” or “un-Christian” to you—but you cannot refute it from Scripture—that you have been influenced by our culture’s incessant drumbeat for the normalization of sodomy.  It was only in 2003—merely ten years ago—that our activist Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas struck down American laws declaring sodomy illegal, reversing its own 1986 ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick that upheld the constitutionality of American anti-sodomy laws.  Our culture has slid towards Sodom very quickly in these last ten years, and Christians have been caught up in it.  You are one of them, if you can’t refute this post Biblically, but are not willing to agree with it.

If you think that what I have said is true, but it ought not to be preached because people won’t like it, you also have been influenced by our evil culture.  While our country descends ever further into the pit, let the Lord’s true churches pass down all the truth and reject all unbiblical cultural influences.  It might cost you something. It is still okay to believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, but if you agree with this post, and people at work find out, you might lose your job.  Nevertheless, Bible-believing churches need to recognize and unashamedly preach and teach all the truths in the Bible, both those that pertain to the individual’s responsibility to do good and act kindly towards sodomites, and those that pertain to the State’s responsibility to execute those found guilty, after due process of law, of this unspeakable perversion.

-TDR