Salvation Summaries

The purpose of this very long post is to show you why God destroyed the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, and how much the homosexual lifestyle contributed to their destruction. In a future post, I will discuss whether a homosexual can be a Christian, and how the church should respond to homosexuals.

To prepare for this post, I reviewed a number of articles written by Christian heterosexuals, as well as those written by homosexuals or heterosexuals sympathetic to the homosexual lifestyle. In general, the Christian heterosexuals believed that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the homosexual lifestyle of the men who lived there and what they wanted to do to Lot’s guests. The others argued that a lack of hospitality – not homosexuality – was why God destroyed the people there. So, who is right?

Based upon my research, none of the articles accurately identified ALL of the reasons why God destroyed these towns.  Lack of hospitality was one of many problems, but likely the least of them.  Homosexuality was a major problem, but there were others too that contributed to the demise of the people there.  To fully understand why God destroyed these towns, one needs to review not only the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, but also relevant verses in Ezekiel, Jude, Romans and 2 Peter.  Based upon a review of all of these verses, and the articles I read, I present my conclusion below.

Conclusion

The people of Sodom, Gomorrah and surrounding towns were wealthy, arrogant and selfish. They neglected the poor and needy. They were filled with lust and committed sexually immoral and perverse acts. Homosexuals pursued and indulged in illicit sex with each other, and potentially animals too. Illicit sex and rapes likely took place between homosexual men and young boys. Heterosexuals pursued and indulged in illicit sex, likely with prostitutes, spouses who were not their own, and before marriage.  The immoral sexual acts of the people who lived there were occurring day after day, night after night, and without shame. This lifestyle tormented Lot, the only godly man who lived there.

The people of Sodom, Gomorrah and surrounding towns refused to repent before God and change how they lived.  They were a cancer that needed to be eliminated from the face of the earth so that it didn’t spread and infect others. God used these towns as an example to all people everywhere, and of every time period, of the punishment that He will inflict on those who live like this.

Takeaways:

• Homosexuality was clearly one of the main problems in the town of Sodom, but there were multiple problems that led to its destruction, including inappropriate heterosexual activities. Lack of hospitality may have been a problem, but it would have been minor relative to the others.

• According to verses in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, God views homosexual acts as unnatural, sexually immoral, perverse, wicked and evil. The Bible shows that homosexuality is comparable to incest and bestiality, as all three defile a person and are an abomination (detestable, something God hates) to Him. The Bible is clear that people who live in a sexually immoral way (regularly commit adultery or practice homosexuality or bestiality, etc.) will not go to heaven when they die.

• Lack of hospitality is not the type of sin that would cause the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is not one of the 10 commandments.  It is not one of the seven deadly sins of lust (though this is part of the homosexual lifestyle), gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, wrath, or pride.  It is not an abomination before the Lord (though homosexual practices are).  It is not something that prevents a person from going to heaven (though living in a sexually immoral way does).

• God wants people to know that He is loving, compassionate and slow to anger, but He also has the right, authority and power to punish those who live in ungodly and sexually immoral ways. Sodom and Gomorrah are an example of this.

• Is there a “Sodom and Gomorrah” today?  Yes, there are many. The best example would be sex clubs located in a number of major cities throughout the world, where single, married, homosexual and heterosexual men and women shamelessly indulge themselves in immoral sexual acts. But Sodom and Gomorrah behaviors can be found everywhere, for sexual immorality is rampant in our culture. Movies and TV shows increasingly show homosexuality and adultery as normal and acceptable.  Public schools promote “safe sex” instead of abstinence. Recently, the media and ESPN mocked Christian athletes Tim Tebow and Russell Wilson for their chastity before marriage.

• What can we expect going forward?  Using Sodom and Gomorrah as our guide, along with changes that are taking place in our world from a religious point of view (i.e., fewer people are attending church, the percentage of agnostics and atheists is increasing, etc.), sexually immoral activities will become more prevalent and be done with less shame.  More and more people will view themselves as homosexuals or bisexuals, and engage in sexually illicit activities.  Pedophilia (already practiced by a number of those in Hollywood and the homosexual community) will slowly become more acceptable. Bestiality and incest will gradually lose their stigma, and a small but growing percentage of the population will view these as acceptable. The number of rapes will increase.  Sexual acts with robots will take place. However, readers of this post be warned, God – at some point in the future – will punish those who live like this, for this is the real takeaway from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Notes

I realize that some who read my post and are either homosexual or sympathetic to the homosexual lifestyle may become angry and even view me as “homophobic.”  Please realize I’m not.  Truth be told, I used to work with a homosexual, and we got along fine.  I did give him a book, though, on the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle, but this was out of my love (godly) for him and his salvation.  After I moved out of that office to a different part of the company, I did not see him for more than ten years, but when we finally met again, neither of us felt upset or uncomfortable with the other.  We still have a relationship somewhere between an acquaintance and a friend.  You see, it is possible to disagree with someone’s lifestyle, and not hate them. Further, it is possible to discuss the negative consequences of one’s lifestyle out of love for that person.

Details

Introduction

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis, chapters 13, 18 and 19. It is also referenced in a number of Old Testament and New Testament books, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Amos, Zephaniah, Matthew, Luke, Romans, 2 Peter, Jude and Revelation.

Below are the main parts of the story from Genesis:

Genesis 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD.

Genesis 19:1-13 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.

12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”

Genesis 19:24-25  ²⁴ Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven,  ²⁵ and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

My Summary of this Story

Now that you’ve read the Genesis’ story of Sodom and Gomorrah, let me give you my summary of it, and then I’ll share with you two apparent reasons – from the book of Genesis – why God destroyed these towns.

The story actually begins with a predicament between Abram and his nephew Lot. Both were very wealthy, and the land they shared did not support them. Also, Lot’s hired hands were arguing with Abram’s.  As a result, Abram decided that they should move away from each other to ensure peace between their families and herdsman.  Abram chose to settle in Canaan, while Lot chose the valley of the Jordon, where Sodom was located.

After Lot and his family moved to Sodom, Abraham (formerly Abram) learned that God was going to destroy it. Wanting to spare the life of Lot and his family, Abraham pleaded with God to not destroy Sodom if God could find ten righteous people there. God agreed (Gen. 18:32).

God sent two angels, disguised as ordinary men, to see how bad the town was (Gen. 18:20-21). When the two angels approached the town’s gate, Lot met them and invited them to stay in his home for the night. They initially refused, but Lot “urged them strongly” to come with him, and they did.

After eating a meal and before going to sleep, the angels and Lot discovered that men from all areas of Sodom had surrounded Lot’s house and were demanding to have sexual relations with his guests. Although the text does not call these men homosexuals, it is clear that they were. Lot pleaded with them to not do this “wicked” act, and offered his daughters to them instead, but they had no interest in females and ignored Lot. When the men tried to forcibly enter Lot’s house, the guests quickly pulled Lot inside and blinded the men so that they could not find their way into Lot’s home. They then urged Lot to quickly gather his family and leave the city, for God was going to destroy it.

Reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah according to articles I read

Most of the articles I read about Sodom and Gomorrah blame their destruction on the desire of homosexual men to have unwanted, sexual relations with Lot’s guests.  After all, this seemed to be the main part of the story.  In addition, the destruction of the towns took place immediately after this part.

When I initially read the story, I thought that the intent of the homosexual men was the “straw the broke the camel’s back” and caused God to destroy the people there.  But after thinking more about it and reading other verses that refer to Sodom and Gomorrah, it became clear that this wasn’t the sole reason for their destruction.

Most of the pro-homosexual articles blame God’s destruction of Sodom on Sodom’s lack of hospitality. One of the verses they use to support this is Genesis 19:8:

“Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

However, this verse simply shows that Lot was trying to protect his guests from being harmed by the homosexual men.

Another pro-homosexual author claimed that the men who surrounded Lot’s house were not even homosexuals, since Lot offered his daughters to them and he would not have done this if they were homosexuals. This view ignores the obvious though. Lot was doing anything he could to appease the lust of the homosexuals who wanted to do a wicked act against his guests, whom Lot needed to protect. That these men showed no interest in having sexual relations with two virgin girls provides further evidence that they were homosexuals.

A second verse some use to support of a lack of hospitality is Ezekiel 16:49-50, especially the last part of verse 49 about the poor and needy:

⁴⁹ “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ “Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it).

There are a couple of problems with this interpretation though. First, we know that Lot was hospitable to the guests, so this interpretation can’t apply to him.  Second, failure to help the poor and needy is not really a lack of hospitality as it is a lack of compassion.  Third, to say the homosexual men were lacking in hospitality inaccurately describes what they were doing, which was displaying aggressive, sexually immoral behavior.  It is possible that other people in the town, who were not part of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, were inhospitable to out-of-town guests, but as we will see later, even if that were true, it would not be the main reason why God destroyed the people who lived there.

Reasons I believe God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah according to the verses in Genesis

I believe there are two reasons – from the book of Genesis – as to why God destroyed Sodom. One is what I call a technical reason, and the other an underlying reason.

Reason 1 from Genesis

The technical reason God destroyed Sodom was because ten righteous people were not found there (Genesis 18:32). Had more people repented and become righteous in God’s sight, He would have spared the city to keep His promise with Abraham. The only righteous people in Sodom were Lot and possibly his wife and two daughters. Everyone else, including all of the homosexual men, were unrighteous and therefore killed.

Reason 2 from Genesis

The underlying reason God destroyed Sodom was because of how the people of Sodom, especially the men, lived. They were ungodly and committed wicked acts before God.

Sodom was a cancer, and had God not destroyed it, future visitors would have become affected from going there, and those who left Sodom could easily have spread it to others.

These two reasons from Genesis help explain why God destroyed Sodom, but they don’t provide the whole picture.  To understand all of the reasons why the towns were destroyed, we need to look at other Old and New Testament verses that refer to Sodom and Gomorrah. We will start with Ezekiel, and then move to Jude and 2 Peter.

Ezekiel 16:49-50

Ezekiel 16:49-50 provides a good summary of what the people were like in the town of Sodom (and thus Gomorrah), and also why God destroyed it:

⁴⁹ “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ “Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.

From these verses we see that the people of Sodom were wealthy, arrogant and selfish. They were haughty (proud, conceited, pompous, condescending) toward others, and neglected the poor and those in need.

In addition, the people “committed abominations” before God. What is an abomination?  Merriam-Webster defines it as something that causes disgust or hatred; loathing.  According to the ISBE Bible dictionary, an abomination is a thing or practice that is opposed to the ritual or moral requirements of Christianity, and it is something that God detests and loathes. Two of the examples this Bible dictionary gives are worshiping idols and committing sexual transgressions, including incest and “unnatural offenses.”

What are sexual transgressions and unnatural offenses?  We will learn more about this later, but for now, they would appear to include homosexual acts. Why?  By definition, a sexual transgression is an act that goes against a law or code of conduct.  One example of a sexual transgression, or abomination, in the Bible is homosexuality:

“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22)

Also, an unnatural offense would also appear to describe homosexual acts ( I”ll have more to say about this later when I discuss Romans 1).

However, one article from the Religion Dispatches of the University of Southern California says that the word abomination, which came from the King James Version of the Bible, is a misconception and misleading translation of the Hebrew word toevah.  Actually, the word abomination is used in the New King James, New American Standard and English Standard versions too; the New International and New Living Translations use a similar word, detestable.

This confusing article goes to great length in an attempt to show that the original Hebrew word does not mean abomination, and thus a man lying with a man is not a bad thing. The Stand to Reason website has a succinct, easy to understand rebuttal of those who downplay the seriousness of this word.

Also, one does not need to get “caught up” in the original Hebrew (even though based upon my review of several Hebrew lexicons, this word means abhor, loathe, detest, repugnant, and morally repulsive) to understand its meaning, for what can understand it from the context of the verses before and after Leviticus 18:22.

When you read Leviticus 18:6-23, it lists a number of actions, and ALL of these are referred to as abominations in 18:26 and 29.  Nearly all of them have to do with inappropriate sexual relations, whether it is with a relative (incest), a neighbor (potential adultery), another man (homosexuality), or an animal (bestiality).  Thus, all of the actions in verses 6 through 23 are detestable to God even if, two thousand years later, certain people say that one of them (homosexuality) is not.  Nowhere in the Bible is there a provision or exception that states that if a man and his neighbor’s wife, or a man and his aunt, or two homosexual men, are in a consensual and meaningful sexual relationship, their sexual activity is OK in the eyes of God.  A relationship – of any type – cannot change what the Bible describes as unnatural and immoral.

Further, I think it is fair to say that since Bible days, most people have viewed these actions (incest, homosexuality and bestiality) as abominable or detestable; it is only in recent years when a small but growing percentage of people have changed their view on homosexuality and believe it is no longer immoral or improper.  This speaks to a change in culture and an attempt to redefine the meaning of abomination or its translation, but it does not and cannot change what the Bible clearly says is wrong, nor can it change the punishment God can inflict on those who live in this way.

I do think it is important to note, though, that the “abominations” Ezekiel mentions could refer to other actions outside of Leviticus. For example, in the book of Proverbs, haughtiness, lying and devising wicked schemes are considered to be abominations, and it is possible that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were doing these in addition to, or separate from, the abomination of homosexuality.

To summarize what we’ve learned from Ezekiel 16: 49-50, the people of Sodom were proud, selfish, and neglected the poor and needy.  In addition, they either worshiped idols, committed sexual transgressions, or both, and the latter may have included homosexuality, though we don’t know for sure (though it is clear from Leviticus that God loathes adultery, incest, homosexuality and bestiality). Because of these, God “removed them” (verse 50) or destroyed them.

Now, we have a second part to our picture.  The first part, from Genesis, shows that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were ungodly and committed wicked acts, though we don’t know specifically what these entailed other than possibly the intent to rape.  The second part shows us how the people of Sodom acted, and that homosexuality may have been part of the problem.

Let’s move on to Jude, where we will learn in more detail what the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were doing that led to their destruction.

Jude 

In the New Testament book of Jude, the author (Jude) references Sodom and Gomorrah, and tells us why God destroyed these towns and those surrounding them. The reason? Sexual immorality and perversion.

Jude 1:7 (the first part)

Jude 1:7 is the specific verse that mentions Sodom and Gomorrah.  I’ve copied it below in several different translations to help us better understand what it means. I also underlined one part of the verse I would like to focus on.

• And don’t forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and are a warning of the eternal fire that will punish all who are evil. (NLT)

• In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (NIV)

• 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. (ESV)

• just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (NAU)

• Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.(KJV)

From the first part of Jude 1:7, we see that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah lived in a sexually immoral way. However, we don’t know what they were doing that was sexually immoral. Was it adultery? Incest? Rape? Also, we don’t know who was doing it. Was it heterosexuals, homosexuals or both?  To answer these questions, we need to start by defining some terms. We will begin with “sexual immorality,” and then move to “perversion” and “indulged.”

Sexual Immorality

I searched the internet for the definition of sexual immorality, and here is what I found:

• thefreedictionary.com defines sexual immorality as “the evil ascribed to sexual acts that violate social conventions.”

• dictionary.com does not have a definition for sexual immorality, but it does define immorality as “sexual misconduct,” “an immoral act” and “immoral quality, character, or conduct; wickedness; evilness.”

• Merriam-Webster says immorality is “an immoral act or practice” with immoral as “morally evil or wrong” and moral as “considered good and right by most people: agreeing with a standard of right behavior.”

From these definitions we see that sexual immorality is a sexual act that violates the standard people use to determine what is good and right behavior (thus it is immoral). Worse, it is wicked and evil. Clearly, sexual immorality is wrong, and something people should avoid?  However, we still don’t know, from these definitions, what the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were doing that was sexually immoral. To determine this, we need to dig a little deeper and look at the term sexual immorality in its original Greek language.

Fornication

If we use Strong’s Concordance to look up Jude 1:7 in the Greek language (most of the New Testament was originally written in Greek, with the Old Testament primarily in Hebrew), we discover that the term sexual immorality is ekporneuo, which means “to give oneself up to fornication.”  Ekporneuo comes from two Greek words: “ek” which means “out from and to” or “out from within,” and “porneuo.” Porneuo can mean several things, including:

• to commit fornication (sexual immorality)
• to give oneself to unlawful sexual intercourse
• to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another
• (figuratively) to mean the worship of idols, or being unfaithful to Christ while posing as his true follower

Thus, according to Strong, the phrase sexual immorality means fornication. Fornication is lust, unlawful sexual relations, and can include prostitution. It can also be used in a figurative way to mean idolatry.

In addition to using Strong’s Concordance, I looked up fornication in several lexicons, dictionaries and an encyclopedia, and here is what I found:

• The Friberg Lexicon defines it as: to “indulge in flagrant immorality, be given to fornication, misbehave sexually.”

• The Louw-Nida Lexicon says: to engage in sexual immorality of any kind, often with the implication of prostitution; to engage in illicit sex, to commit fornication.”

• Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines it as: “to go a whoring” (act like a prostitute), to “give oneself over to fornication.”

• TheFreeDictionary defines it as: sexual intercourse between people who are not married to each other, especially when considered a sin.

• Merriam-Webster defines it as consensual sex between two people who are not married to each other.

• Dictionary.com says it is: voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each other.

• The WebBible Encyclopedia says: “The Greek word for ‘fornication’ (porneia) could include any sexual sin committed after the betrothal …In Biblical usage, ‘fornication’ can mean any sexual congress outside monogamous marriage. It thus includes not only premarital sex, but also adultery, homosexual acts, incest, remarriage after un-Biblical divorce, and sexual acts with animals, all of which are explicitly forbidden in the  law as given through Moses (Leviticus 20:10-21).

From these sources, we now have a better understanding of what sexual immorality, or fornication, means, and what the people of Sodom were doing. To summarize, fornication is lust that leads to immoral or illicit sex. This type of sex can take many forms, including prostitution, adultery, premarital sex, incest, rape and bestiality. Also, it is something that can be done by heterosexuals and homosexuals.

Indulged

Now, let’s look up one more term – indulged – and then I’ll summarize everything we’ve learned from the first part of Jude 1:7.

According to several dictionaries, indulge means:

• to yield to the desires or whims (of someone), often excessively;

• to gratify, satisfy;

• to allow someone to have or do something even though it may not be proper, healthy, appropriate;

• to do something that you know you should not do but do it anyway because you don’t care.

Thus, it appears that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were not only participating in illicit sex, they may have been doing this excessively. In addition, they likely knew that what they were doing was morally wrong, but chose to do it anyway.

Summary of the first part of Jude 1:7

Based upon a review of the first part of Jude 1:7, and the terms sexual immorality, fornication and indulged, we now have a better idea as to how the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were living and what they were doing that caused God to destroy them.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were sexually immoral. They lusted after others, and indulged in illicit sex. This sex likely included prostitution, adultery and pre-marital sex. Rape, incest and even bestiality may also have occurred. Illicit sex among homosexuals was possible, though we don’t know this for sure. It is likely that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah knew that what they were doing was wrong, but didn’t care and did it anyway. Their lifestyle was evil and wicked, and God destroyed them because of it.

Jude 1:7 (the second part)

Now that we have an idea as to the types and scope of improper sexual acts the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were participating in, let’s look at the second part of Jude 1:7 to determine if homosexual activity was part of the problem.  Like before, I copied this verse into several different translations to help us better understand its meaning.

• And don’t forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and are a warning of the eternal fire that will punish all who are evil. (NLT)

• In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (NIV)

• just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (NAU)

• Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.(KJV)

• 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. (ESV)

In this second part of Jude 1:7, we see that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were not only filled with sexual immorality, they were filled with every kind of “perversion” too.  The New American Standard and King James versions use the term “strange flesh” rather than perversion, and the English Standard version uses “unnatural desire.”  We will review the meaning of each of these terms now.

Perversion

From a brief search on the internet, I found the following definitions for perversion:

• Thefreedictionary.com defines perversion as a sexual practice or act that is considered abnormal or deviant.

• The Oxford dictionary says it is a sexual behavior or desire that is abnormal or unacceptable.

• Vocabulary.com says perversion is most often used to refer to some sort of psychological corruption or abnormal behavior (usually sexual), but it can also refer to anything that is used for a distorted or wrong purpose.

• According to Webster’s dictionary, perversion is a diverting from the true intent or purpose; a change to something worse; a turning or applying to a wrong end or use

I also searched for the term “perversion” in the Bible using the New International Version, and other than in Jude 1:7, there are only three instances where this term is used.  They are:

•  Leviticus 18:23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

• Leviticus 20:12 “‘If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

• Romans 1:27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

From a review of these definitions and Bible verses, we see that perversion is an abnormal and distorted sexual practice. This practice deviates from a true intent or purpose and twists it into a wrong purpose. It may result from, or be associated with, a psychological problem. Bestiality, sexual relations between a man and his daughter-in-law, and homosexuality are all considered to be acts of perversion.

Strange flesh

The term “strange flesh” is used only once in the King James Version and New American Standard version of the Bible. To determine the meaning of this unusual phrase, I consulted a number of Bible commentaries shown below.

• Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible: going after strange flesh— departing from the course of nature, and going after that which is unnatural.

• Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary: other flesh – than that appointed by God for the fulfillment of natural desire. Going after – departure from the appointed course of nature and seeking after that which was unnatural.

• Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament: Strange flesh(σαρκος ετερας — sarkos heteras). Horrible licentiousness, not simply with women not their wives or in other nations, but even unnatural uses (Romans 1:27) for which the very word “sodomy” is used (Genesis 19:4-11).

• Matthew Poole’s commentary: Strange flesh;margin, other flesh; he means male flesh, which is other than what God appointed for that use they made of it; or, as we render it, strange flesh, e. that which is strange, improper, and unfit for such an end. It is the description of the unnatural filthiness of the Sodomites

• John Gill’s exposition of the Bible: other flesh- “meaning not other women besides their own wives, but men; and designs that detestable and unnatural sin, which, from these people, is called sodomy to this day; and which is an exceeding great sin, contrary to the light of nature and law of God, dishonorable to human nature, and scandalous to a nation and people, and commonly prevails where idolatry and infidelity do…”

• Myer’s NT commentary: Stier, Schott, Hofmann proceed further, referring to Leviticus 18:23-24, and accordingly explaining it: “not only have they practiced shame man with man, but even man with beast” (Stier). Only this explanation corresponds to σαρκὸς ἑτέρας, and only by it do the connection of Jude 1:7 with Jude 1:6, expressed by ὡς, and the explanation: τὸν ὅμοιον τρόπον τούτοις, receive their true meaning

Based upon a review of these commentaries, “going after strange flesh” means that a person departs from what God intended as a natural and proper desire to pursue that which is unnatural and improper. It is something that is contrary to human nature and dishonors God. The examples the commentaries give are homosexuality and possibly bestiality.

Unnatural desire

The term “unnatural desire” is used only once in the Bible using the English Standard Version, in Jude 1:7.  However, if you search the Bible for “unnatural” you find its use in Romans 1:28, and we can use this verse to help us understand the meaning of unnatural desire in Jude 1:7.  I’ve copied verses 26 and 27 for context.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 

From these verses we see that sexual relations between a person of the same sex (or homosexuality) is unnatural and goes against what God intended. It is indecent, a perversion, and results from shameful and inflamed lusts.  Those who do this will be penalized in some way.

Summary of the second part of Jude 1:7

Based upon a review of the second part of Jude 1:7 and the terms perversion, strange flesh and unnatural desire, we see that they refer to sexual relations between people of the same sex, or homosexuality, though they could also include sexual relations between relatives and animals (thus, they are the same problems we read about earlier in Leviticus).  According to these sources, homosexual activity is abnormal and distorted, and it results from shameful and inflamed lusts.  Those who do this will be punished in some way. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns pursued homosexual sex, and the towns were “filled with” this perversion.

Summary of both parts of Jude 1:7

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns were ungodly people who lived sexually immoral lives. They were filled with lust, pursued illicit sex and indulged in it. This took place among heterosexuals, likely in the form of prostitution, adultery and pre-marital sex, though incest and rape may also have occurred. Homosexuals pursued illicit sex and it may have included rape and bestiality.  This activity was described as going after strange flesh, having unnatural desires and perversion. It is likely that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah knew that what they were doing was wrong, but they didn’t care and did it anyway. Their lifestyle was immoral, evil and wicked, and God destroyed them because of it.

This review of Jude completes the third part of the picture.  As you may recall, in the first part (Genesis) we learned that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were ungodly and committed wicked acts, though we didn’t know what these entailed other than the intent to rape.  In the second part we learned that the people were proud, selfish and neglected the poor and needy. We also learned that homosexuality may have been part of the problem, but we didn’t know this for sure. In this third part, we now see that homosexuality was indeed a problem, and that improper sexual activity among heterosexuals was also taking place.

There is one more part to the picture, and it is found in 2 Peter.

2 Peter 2:4-9

Like the book of Jude, Peter warns his audience to be on guard for false teachers who live immoral lives and preach evil. He said that they follow their own evil and lustful desires, and indulge in evil pleasures during broad daylight. They commit adultery with their eyes and their lust is never satisfied. They revel in deceitfulness and lure unstable people into sin.  They are proud, arrogant and boastful. Slaves to sin and corruption, they are doomed and cursed, and will be destroyed by God.  Who do these false teachers sound like?  The people of Sodom. And what is their fate? It is the same – eternal destruction.

However, unlike the book of Jude, Peter isolates his criticism to one segment of the population in Sodom – the men.

2 Peter 2:4-9   ⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;  ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  ⁶ and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;  ⁷ and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men  ⁸ (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),  ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, (NAS)

In these verses we see that the men of Sodom were unprincipled in their sensual conduct.  What does this mean?

From consulting a dictionary (again), unprincipled is defined as immoral, corrupt, dishonest, shameless, wicked and evil.

I sought out several sources to understand the meaning of sensual, and the results are below:

• The freedictionary.com defines sensual as: relating to or involving gratification of the senses, especially sexual gratification: sensual indulgence, sensual desires.

• The word “sensual” in the Greek is aselgia. According to Strong’s concordance, aselgia is outrageous conduct, conduct shocking to public decency, a wanton violence, wantonness, lewdness (obscene, indecent, preoccupied with sex and sexual desires, lustful).

• Thayer’s Greek lexicon defines it as “unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness (lacking moral restraint especially in sexual conduct), lasciviousness (given to or expressing lust, exciting sexual desires, salaciousness), wantonness (to act lasciviously), outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence

Here we see that the men of Sodom – specifically the homosexual men – had uncontrolled and unbridled lust for each other (and possibly boys too). They were preoccupied with sex and conducted outrageous and shameless sexual acts.  In short, they were doing anything and everything to satisfy their indecent, immoral and evil sexual desires. This lawless behavior was taking place every day, and it tormented the only righteous man who lived there – Lot.

This review of 2 Peter completes the four parts of the picture.