Matthew Vines on Homosexuality and Genesis 2:18
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| Book of Genesis, Fall of Man. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
- "The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18, NASB).
Mr. Vines says, "In Genesis 2:18, God says, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.' And yes, the suitable helper or partner that God makes for Adam is Eve, a woman. And a woman is a suitable partner for the vast majority of men--for straight men. But for gay men, that isn’t the case. For them, a woman is not a suitable partner. And in all of the ways that a woman is a suitable partner for straight men—for gay men, it’s another gay man who is a suitable partner. And the same is true for lesbian women. For them, it is another lesbian woman who is a suitable partner."
Adam's sexual orientation is never an issue in the text, but Mr. Vines inserts his orientation so as to dismiss the obvious teaching about the male and female design in God's created order. Remember, homosexuality arose in the context of the Fall of man after sin entered the world. It is obviously not God's created purpose.
Furthermore, God stated who the suitable helper for Adam was to be--a woman. To say that a suitable partner for gay men is another gay man ignores the fact that God made a woman for a man. Mr. Vines replaces God’s declaration with that of his own. God’s design was for the male and female to produce offspring and obey His divine command to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:28). He created us for a reason. Homosexuality cannot fulfill that command and is a violation of the created order of God. Mr. Vines ignores this highly important command of God that occurs after he created male and female. How then is homosexuality to fulfill such a command? It cannot.
Mr. Vines says, "But the necessary consequence of the traditional teaching on homosexuality is that, even though gay people have suitable partners, they must reject them, and they must live alone for their whole lives, without a spouse or a family of their own . . . By holding to the traditional interpretation, we are now contradicting the Bible’s own teachings: the Bible teaches that it is not good for the man to be forced to be alone, and yet now, we are teaching that it is."
If Mr. Vines wishes to discuss what a suitable partner is in the context of God's created order, then he should study what God says a suitable partner is in that same context. Obviously, God's suitable partner for a Adam was a woman. Adam was the only man. God made a woman for him. Mr. Vines has changed the meaning of the text to say that a suitable partner is not one based on gender as God has " . . . created them male and female." (Gen. 1:27). Rather, Matthew Vines focuses on an "orientation" that is in no way seen in the text. The verse has nothing to do with what Adam thinks he needs according to his orientation. Instead, it's based on what God says he needs. This is very important. Instead of focusing on God's design, Mr. Vines focuses on man's wants. Mr. Vines has altered the meaning of the text.
Furthermore, this is not an issue of "traditional interpretation" vs. “the Bible’s own teachings.” Mr. Vines mistakenly attempts to set a false dichotomy in place by which he then tries to invalidate what the Bible actually says. Mr. Vines merely proclaims that the traditional interpretation is wrong and tries to set it against what he says is "the Bible's own teaching." Really? He has not demonstrated that his particular interpretation is the the right one. Instead, he assumes that his interpretation of Scripture is correct in opposition to the Christian church throughout the centuries. This is not only problematic; it is a glaring error.
