If we’re honest, anyone can see that homosexuality has had a detrimental effect on society as a whole. The militant pro-homosexual campaign has advocated for the destruction of the family, an institution that has been a solid foundation for stability in societies since creation. Marriage, between one man and one woman, is a creation ordinance given by God not only to the Church but to the world, along with his command to “be fruitful and multiply.”

The Bible speaks of homosexuality and sexual immorality as being given over by God to the disgraceful lusts and desires of human nature. Romans 1 makes this judgment clear, it is an unnatural perversion of God’s design for his creation. It is not only destructive to the soul, it is destructive to the world. Homosexuality has given the world the AIDS epidemic we experience today (Romans 1:27) along with multitudes of other various sexually transmitted diseases and ailments. And besides the fact that it’s just disgusting to witness, the propaganda coming from the homosexual lobby seeks to turn an entire society in favor of this destructive behavior.

Sadly, many Christians have turned a blind eye to the destructive effects of a pro-homosexual society and have advocated for a “gospel only” approach. It’s not uncommon to see homosexuals and transgender people sitting in the pews at church. I’m not arguing that the Church as a whole should not take a gospel approach — it should. After all, homosexuality is a result of rebellion against God and a product of human depravity — the kind of depravity that makes women think they’re men, and makes men think they’re women. But God ordained the civil government for a purpose — and the purpose is to bear the sword of justice (Romans 13). The two are not mutually exclusive.

I want to be clear that I’m not advocating for a Theonomic society — that is a society that holds to the Old Testament civil law. I believe a New Testament case can clearly be made for the criminalization of homosexuality. The Christian Church has taken an isolationist position — a recent phenomenon born out of progressive New Calvinism through outlets like The Gospel Coalition and the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. This movement has seen advocacy for such things as open-borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants, the decriminalization of abortion for abortive mothers, and, as discussed in this article, a position that allows homosexuality to go unchecked in society and even in churches.

While the function of the Church is to advance the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation, the function of the civil government is to wield the sword of righteousness. Historically, many civil governments have held to this principle — mainly because God has revealed himself through general revelation and the conscience bears against the evil of society. However, the Church has a duty to speak biblical truth as a witness to bear on the conscience of society through the proclamation of the gospel — and part of this biblical truth is that homosexuality destroys societies.

This really should not be up for debate — this is a biblical position to hold. How can Christians say they advocate for the criminalization of other destructive behaviors — such as murder, drug use, and various forms of lawlessness — while claiming that homosexuality should be legal with all of its destructive effects? The practice of homosexuality in a society is most certainly an act of injustice to which the sword of righteousness should be brought to bear upon. It doesn’t just affect those who practice it, it affects children involved in these families that are torn apart, it affects society through the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and it affects the mental stability of those who witness such perverse behaviors.

Christians should be as adamant about stopping homosexuality as they are about murder and other destructive behaviors.