This is the “you’re a hypocrite!”
argument. Supporters of same-sex marriage argue that the traditional view
ignores other sins – like gluttony and divorce – and unfairly singles out
homosexual behavior.
DeYoung admits that there is truth to this charge. Sometimes traditionalists may be turning a blind eye to “respectable sins.” But even so, it does not invalidate the Bible's clear condemnation of homosexuality.
This argument is a kind of "misdirection" - don't pay attention to the clear teachings of the Bible here because of something else there. The answer is, let's be careful with every command and prohibition of Scripture.
Some quotes:
No honest reader of the New Testament can deny that Jesus and the apostles were much more concerned about what we do sexually with our bodies than with the food we eat (Mark 7:21-23; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-5). (p. 92)
Simply put, homosexuality and divorce are not identical because according to the Bible the former is always wrong, while the latter is not. Every divorce is the result of sin, but not every divorce is sinful. (p. 94)
So yes, there are plank-eyed Christians among us...But the remedy to this negligence is not more negligence. The slow, painful cure is more biblical exposition, more active pastoral care, more consistent discipline, more Word-saturated counseling and more prayer - for illegitimate divorce, for same-sex behavior, and for all the other sins that are more easily condoned than confronted. (p. 95)To order Kevin DeYoung’s What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? click the title.
