Romans 1:24-27

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 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.

(v24-27, NIV)

This kind of giving over that God does is repeated again in verses 26 and 27. This time God is giving them over to shameful lusts instead of sinful desires of their heart. It is quite disturbing because God is giving people over to homosexuality in this case. The exchange is from the natural desires men and women have for unnatural desires.

Some may argue that this does not refer to those in committed homosexual relationships. Before we go any further, this is a wrong interpretation and homosexuality of any kind is sin. Another thing to add is that though homosexuality is a sin, we all sin in many different ways and have our own particular sins that we are more inclined to than others. That being said, some will argue that this passage is referring to those who are naturally heterosexual committing homosexual acts. By saying this, they argue that those who are naturally homosexual are not committing sins when they participate in homosexual activities.

When John Piper speaks on this passage, he brings up a few arguments to counter their points. One thing in particular is the word "burning" or "inflamed" in the NIV. This is a strong word used to refer to this desire that overcomes men in their desire for one another. However, if these men are heterosexual, why would they burn in their desire for one another? Doesn't the definition of heterosexual imply that you don't burn with desire for people of the same gender as you? If they want to participate in homosexual activities, doesn't that mean that they're homosexual by nature? So, if the text is referring to that, then it doesn't make sense. It can't be referring to only those who are heterosexual by nature participating in homosexual acts. It is in fact referring to anyone who participates in homosexual activities, because homosexual activities are unnatural. I'm not saying that there aren't people who do in fact have homosexual desires and are wired that way in a sense.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

(v26, NASB)

Another counter-point brought up referred to the phrase "that which is unnatural". That phrase in the Greek was a standard phrase used to refer to homosexuality per se. It was a common phrase that most people would have known to refer to homosexuality per se. So God is giving them over to shameful lusts. These lusts are in fact shameful and you should avoid participating in homosexual activities. But if you are I hope that you are seeking help in the same way that if someone were struggling with any other kind of sin, I hope that they too would seek help and turn from their sins.