People find the Bible full of surprises; one shocking aspect is its endorsement of reincarnation, Eastern religions, Jesus as a spiritual guide and divorce for any reason – just to name a few of its more surprising topics.
One popular theory holds that homosexuality was the cause of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction, yet is this an accurate assessment?
Lot and his family
Genesis 19 is an iconic tale of gross immorality and extreme depravity, while also depicting God’s fierce anger and ultimate judgement.
Abraham quickly learns of Sodom and Gomorrah’s impending destruction and immediately pleads for their lives, including those of his family members. Eventually he manages to convince God to spare the cities as long as at least 10 righteous individuals can be found within each city.
Abraham sends two angels away, who then arrive at Sodom’s gate where they are met by an angry mob demanding they hand over the visitors. But Lot takes this as an opportunity to demonstrate his virtue of hospitality by welcoming them into his house and giving them hospitality as much as he possibly can.
The angels
Two angels disguised as men arrive in Sodom. Lot invites them into his house, but just before bedtime “all of Sodom, both young and old, from every quarter surrounded the house” (v. 4).
These men demanded that Lot bring his visitors out so they could have sexual relations with them, even offering his daughters as hostages in order to protect them, but these men would not accept no for an answer.
Angels then struck blind men, pushing them from his house. God then sent down an army of angels with thunderbolts of sulfuric fire from heaven, destroying Sodom and Gomorrah with all their people, animals, vegetation and vegetation. Lot and his family fled Sodom while Lot’s wife looked back but became an eternal pillar of salt (v 17). It is essential to recognize that Sodom and Gomorrah weren’t guilty of homosexuality sex but something else entirely (v. 18). It is essential for readers of any interpretation to understand that the sinful actions taken against these two cities weren’t sexual sex between heterosexual males but something much greater – something which went way beyond just homosexual sexual relationships (v.18-20).
The sin of Sodom
From Sodom and Gomorrah’s attempts at sexual exploitation to God’s judgment with fire and sulfur rainstorms, the story of these two cities has long captured readers of Scripture. From its viscous attempt at sexual exploitation all the way through to its ultimate destruction by both Jewish and Christian religious communities alike.
Many scholars have deduced from readings of Sodom’s story that its sin was rampant sexual immorality and perversion, thus being blamed as the reason for God’s destruction of Sodom.
This line of interpretation is prevalent within Christianity; however, the biblical text does not support it. When Lot’s house was surrounded by Sodom men demanding visitors be brought out so they could have sexual relations (sexually). They broke every principle of hospitality and morality for violent sexual gratification. Furthermore, until Philo’s writings in the first century AD, Nowhere does the Bible connect this specific sin of Sodom to same-sex behavior – rather their sin was inhospitality and arrogance that prevented them from helping those in need.
The destruction of Sodom
Sodom and Gomorrah is an alarming story from the Bible, serving as both a warning of God’s coming judgment as well as showing humanity’s wicked nature.
Though some Christians may interpret this passage to mean that homosexuality was the primary offense that brought down Sodom and Gomorrah, that interpretation is incorrect. While homosexual activity is obviously sinful, Scripture clearly indicates that God took their entire wickedness into consideration before making His decision (Genesis 13:13 and Jude 7).
Sodom was not solely known for sexual perversion; pride, greed and lack of hospitality to those in need also played a part. Jesus used Sodom as an illustration that those who reject Christ will meet an even worse fate (Matthew 18:28) on judgment day than it did for Sodom in its day of Lot.