In the Bible Sodom & Gomorrah were two of the most wicked cities on the planet. However, is our world today becoming just as sinful and rebellious as Sodom & Gomorrah? Genesis 13:13 described the inhabitants of Sodom as being “wicked, great sinners against the LORD”.
In Genesis 18:22-33 God had revealed to Abram His plan to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah because of their taboo and grievous lifestyle.
The sins of the people in Sodom & Gomorrah were so abhorrent and heinous to the extent that God Himself said “I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me”(Genesis 18:20).
Therefore what were the primary sins of Sodom & Gomorrah which led to God utterly destroying these two cities? Why was God’s judgment on these two cities so severe? Is our current world with its ever-changing culture and value systems, becoming more like Sodom and Gomorrah?
What was the Primary Sin of Sodom & Gomorrah?
The primary sin of Sodom & Gomorrah was related to sins of sexual immorality and homosexuality. The two cities were enslaved by the sin of homosexuality which eventually produced God’s severe judgment.
Jude 1:7 says: Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
In Genesis 19:1-26 two angels of the Lord arrive at Sodom to carry out God’s investigation and judgment. Lot meets the angels (who were disguised as men) and invites them to stay the night with him and his family. However all the men of Sodom then surround Lot’s house and demand that the visitors be brought to them so that they can rape them. Lot refuses and instead foolishly offers his daughters to protect the 2 visitors, but the men of Sodom forcefully insist on desiring to have sex with the male visitors.
Why Was Sodom & Gomorrah’s Sin so Unique?
Taboo and unthinkable sexual acts and lifestyles became the norm to the extent that the entire Sodom population, both young and old were homosexual.
These were cities without any moral or spiritual restraint. Their sin was so infectious and the inhabitants were so sexually taboo that it required God’s extreme judgment.
A closer scrutiny of different translations of Genesis 19:4 reveals that all the men in the city were homosexual and none or few were heterosexual. Therefore with the exception of Lot and his family, the entire population, both old and young, was engaged in homosexuality and many other unnatural sexual acts.
Genesis 19:4-5 NLT says: But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. 5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”
Genesis 19:4 ESV says: But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house…
Genesis 19:4 NIV says: Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom — both young and old — surrounded the house…
So all the men of Sodom sexually lusted for other men and by observing their conversation with Lot, all these men had no sexual desire for women at all (Genesis 19:4-9).
Morally and spiritually, the society in Sodom had become completely depraved and unrepentant. Despite Abram’s intercession for God to spare the city if several people were found righteous, the inhabitants of Sodom were unfortunately so enslaved by their sexual sin that they were virtually irredeemable (Genesis 18:22-33).
To understand the extent to which the sin of homosexuality had affected the society in Sodom and Gomorrah, it is important understand the inhabitants and why God punished them
1.The entire Sodom population consisting of both young people and old people had become homosexual. The entire population had been uniquely corrupted by the same kind of sexual sin.
2.Their homosexual lifestyle was a perversion of the created order. Anatomically God did not create men’s bodies to physically or sexually desire each other – and neither for women to have physical sexual desires for one another.
3.The homosexual lifestyle is a perversion of the procreation command. God desires us to procreate and to multiply. Sodom and Gomorrah had become cities that did not want to procreate but instead these cities were engulfed by unnatural and violent lusts and passions.
4.The Sodom and Gomorrah society and sinful lifestyle was strangely contagious and difficult to give up. The inhabitants loved to be art of the sinful environment and they were too accustomed to the toxic culture in those cities.
For example, Lot’s son-in-laws thought Lot was joking when he told them that Sodom would be destroyed because of its grievous sin (Genesis 19:14). This resulted in the son-in-laws staying in Sodom while Lot and his family fled.
Another example is when the angels warned Lot & his family not to look back when they flee from Sodom during its destruction (Genesis 19:17). Unfortunately Lot’s wife looked behind to watch and she turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Her turning back symbolizes her desire to return to the sinful Sodom & Gomorrah lifestyle instead of looking ahead in the direction of God’s rescue from sin.
Is the World Becoming like Sodom & Gomorrah?
In the world today we have not yet reached the total irredeemable state of Sodom & Gomorrah. However there are many signs which reflect that this world is being primed and headed towards the Sodom & Gomorrah culture and lifestyle.
2. The world no longer accepts the male and female genders as being the only forms of gender identity. LGBTQ ideology promotes the existence of more than 2 gender identities. Today LGBTQ ideology teaches that there are more than 50 gender identities. This is a violation of God’s creation order and God’s declaration that there are only 2 genders. Genesis 1:27 says: So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
3. The world is destroying God’s original design and purpose for marriage. According to Scripture, marriage is meant to be exclusively between a male and a female. Two people of the same sex cannot become one flesh. So by advocating for same sex marriage and all kinds of gender identities, LGBTQ ideology is a complete attack of God’s teachings about marriage and a godly family structure.
Jesus exposed homosexuality, transgenderism and the issue of different gender identities in just a few sentences.
In Mark 10:6-9 Jesus said: But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
4. Many churches have been infiltrated with the LGBTQ agenda and indoctrination. Many false teachers and churches including famous gospel singers have been indoctrinated into accepting and supporting LGBTQ ideology despite its opposition to the Bible.
Christians and the Church should be the standard that upholds and maintains God’s word and God’s value systems even in the face of opposition.
However many false churches and false believers have been corrupted into supporting LGBTQ ideology to the extent of disobeying the Bible. The Bible teaches that friendship with the world means enmity with God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality… will inherit the kingdom of God.
5. The growth and influence of homosexuality is spiritual evidence that God is handing over a society to its own wickedness and eventually to face God’s wrath and judgment. Romans 1:24-28 says: Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason 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. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Conclusion
Is the world becoming like Sodom & Gomorrah? There are certainly signs that we are headed there. The world is slowly losing moral and spiritual restraints in pursuit of satisfying increasingly demonic lusts and passions.
However it is the purpose of every genuine Christian believer to uphold God’s word and to never suppress the truth. Instead Christians must speak the truth in love. Christians must boldly teach the moral and spiritual truth that is found in God’s word.
According to Jude 1:7 the punishment of Sodom & Gomorrah serves as an example of God’s eventual judgment and wrath on any society that lives without restraint.
According to Scripture the sin of homosexuality will lead a person to hell. Furthermore a person cannot be a gay Christian.
However if we repent and turn to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, God is quick to forgive us and give us pure and godly desires through Christ.
Romans 12:2 says: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Therefore Christians must never conform to the value systems of this world. Instead we must work towards teaching the world and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ so that the world may know that there is a Saviour who paid the price for our sins so that we may have eternal life and walk in accordance with His moral and spiritual values.
DO YOU WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN or A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST?
1. ACKNOWLEDGE: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
This means that we have all broken God’s laws and God’s 10 Commandments like those mentioned in Exodus 20:1-17. For example, if you have told a lie; if you have stolen something; if you have lusted after somebody or if you have coveted. This means you are guilty of breaking at least one or more of God’s 10 Commandments. Breaking God’s commandments makes us sinners. The fact that we are sinners who have broken God’s law means that we are accountable to God who is the Lawgiver. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” You must acknowledge that you are a sinner who has broken God’s commandments and that you therefore need Jesus in your life.
2. REPENT: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3), “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19)
Repenting means: to change your mind; a sincere turning away, in heart, mind and action; Therefore God wants you to change your mind about sinful values and of sinful living. God wants you to decide to follow Him and to make Jesus the Lord of your life.
3. CONFESSION: “If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9) God is a forgiving God. God will forgive any sin that you have done because Jesus died for ALL your sins and to set you free from the bondage of all types of sin in your life.
4. BELIEVE: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
You must believe that ONLY Jesus can save you and restore your relationship with God. You must believe that Jesus is the ONLY way by which you can have everlasting life and escape from eternal separation from God. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and resurrected from the grave.
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive him, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12) Through faith, You must receive Jesus as Your Lord & Savior and therefore; you become a child of God; you become born again; you become a Christian; you restore your broken relationship with God
Why Not Make Your Eternal Decision NOW?
We become born again Christians by GRACE through FAITH or TOTAL TRUST in Jesus Christ as our Lord & Savior (Galatians 3:26) & (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation is a FREE gift received through FAITH in Christ.
PLEASE NOTE: You can choose to pray in your own words. This prayer is a sample prayer and it is only an EXPRESSION of your faith, belief & trust in Jesus. Salvation is by GRACE through FAITH or BELIEVING in Christ Jesus as your Lord & Saviour.
“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love. I thank You that You died on the cross for me and resurrected so that I may have life through You. I confess Lord that I have sinned against You and today I ask You to forgive me of all of my sins, past present and future. Today I repent and have decided to follow you. Thank you for forgiving all my sins. From this moment, come into my life Lord Jesus & take full control of my life. I want to follow You Jesus and I want to follow Your ways. Save me and from today, make me the person You want me to be. I receive You Lord Jesus right now by faith. I trust You as my Lord and Savior – Amen”
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Inspired Walk is dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and providing a Biblical defense for the Christian faith. This ministry also seeks to provide answers to curious questions and alternative topics from a Biblical worldview. Read More ...
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