Let’s read 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” These verses are very clear, are they not? If a person is known as one who continually practices one (or more) of these sins (including homosexuality), THEY WILL NOT GO TO HEAVEN. This is not speaking of someone who may fall into one of these sins temporarily (like the one in 1st Corinthians 5:1, 9-13 who later repented of his sin…see 2nd Corinthians 2:3-7); it is speaking (as you say) of one who “refuses to repent from his lifestyle.” Any attempt to deliver him/her from this lifestyle falls on deaf ears. They may even reject the notion that they are sinning and then criticize those who are bringing this to their attention. I sometimes hear one say, “Don’t judge me!” And they will sometimes go on and quote Matthew 7:1, “Judge not; that you be not judged.” The irony in this is that they USE GOD’S WORD in an attempt to “get you off their back” and at the same time they REJECT GOD’S WORD that condemns their sinful lifestyle.

It is important to read the next verse (1st Corinthians 6:11): “And SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU. But you are washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Once a person truly believes “in the name of the Lord Jesus” as their Savior (see John 1:12), they will no longer be characterized by any of these sins. Again, they may succumb to the temptation of the devil for a short time and commit one of these sins (like the man in 1st Corinthians 5), but it will not be the “character of their life.” The apostle John wrote on this subject in 1st John chapter 3:7-10 which says, “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He (Jesus Christ) is righteous; THE ONE WHO PRACTICES SIN IS OF THE DEVIL; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. NO ONE WHO IS BORN OF GOD PRACTICES SIN, because His see abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

If you know someone personally that is living a homosexual lifestyle and is refusing to repent of this sin, I would go to him in love and share these verses with him. Tell him that God LOVES HIM but He HATES THE SIN and that this sin will indeed keep him from going to heaven. You can also tell him (with loving compassion) that if he repents of his sin and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he will be “washed in the blood of Jesus” (see 1st John 1:7) and every sin will be forgiven (Acts 10:43 and 13:38-39). He will also be “washed by the Word of God” (see John 15:3) resulting in a SPIRITUAL BIRTH (see Titus 3:5 and 1st Peter 1:22-23). This New Birth will give him the desire to please God by living a godly life. He will be convicted by the Word of God about the sin of homosexuality and truly seek to be delivered from it, once and for all. He will then be able to look at 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 head on and own that he was indeed living a sinful lifestyle that was keeping him from going to heaven. But he will then thank and praise God for those precious words, “And SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU!” He will know, based on the work of Christ and the Word of God, that he is no longer a homosexual, but one who has been “WASHED…SANCTIFIED….JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”  (482.3)  (DO)