Hi Deadn,
Gen. 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Gen. 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Adam knew his wife Eve and bore a son. This language is clearly meaning to 'know carnally'. These men were so overcome with lust, that even after they were smitten with blindness they continued to scratch at the door. I think personally that their sin was worse than mere homosexuality, but they had progressed in their fornication until they were evil like unto the world that then was. Their thoughts were only evil continually, and were hopeless for repentance. Therefore, they were destroyed. It is interesting to note that the environment obviously had a terrible effect on Lot's daughters, as they employed alcohol to commit back to back acts of great wickedness in knowing their own father. I think this gives indication of the extent of the sexual immorality in the city. Jude 7 gives insight using the words ἐκπορνεύω ekporneuō is a rare verb found only in Jude 7, referring to the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah who had “given themselves over to sexual immorality.” (Renn)
Sodom and the other cities of the plain, save Zoar were destroyed by God. Lot begged Zoar to be spared. It is my view that Lot's compromise opened the door for the wickedness that eventually was found in the land when Israel came out of Egypt. The seeds were in Zoar (little) and matured in wickedness until the land was to vomit them out (Lev. 18:28) I think the parllels between Sodom and the old world are striking in that there is virtually no trace of either of the societies. In their sin God's judgment and providence sent their existence into legend.
1 Cor. 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Cor. 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Cor. 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
Our passage makes clear that sexual immorality, of any kind, cannot be tolerated in the churches of God. This is πόρνος pornos and also includes spiritual adultery (idolatry). The point here is not to abstain from contact with worldly, unbelieving fornicators, but those that call themselves 'a brother.' Eating together in fellowship tend to give the impression that what the person doing is acceptable. It is not. Paul gave word to Corinth to turn a sexually immoral man over to Satan that had relations with his father's wife i.e. his step mother (or possibly mother). The later is in view because Paul said the sin was greater than what was found in the world. This places the sin in a difficult category.
The solution was to turn him to Satan until repentance being careful not to alienate him beyond what was necessary to secure repentance. If the punishment stretched out he could have been swallowed up with much sorrow.
All these things, and many more, are mentioned in the NT. It is absolutely clear that fornication, unrepented of, is a deadly dangerous sin. (Galatians 5:19-21; ) It is not necessary to isolate homosexuality as often happens. The scripture condemns all forms of sexual immorality equally.
1 Cor. 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous* will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: xneither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,*
1Cor. 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
