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Does The Bible Say Homosexuality Is An Abomination

Homosexuality In The New Testament: Romans : 26

Does the Bible Say Anything About Homosexuality?

The first is Romans 1:26-27: 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.

At first reading, Paul seems clearly to consider homosexual activity to be unbiblical. But there is another way to interpret the passage, suggested by those who support homosexuality as a biblical lifestyle.

In their reading, Paul is addressing the issue of heterosexual men and women who choose homosexual activity, which is unnatural for them. If this is true, Pauls statement bears no relevance to those who consider themselves homosexual by innate or natural orientation.

Is such an interpretation the most objective way to read the text?

No, for two reasons.

First, Paul describes homosexual acts themselves as shameful lusts , indecent acts, and perversion . To suggest that his descriptions relate only to the decision to engage in such activity by heterosexuals is to strain the Greek syntax beyond its meaning.

One can conclude that Paul was wrong, that homosexual orientation can be natural and its sexual expression therefore natural relations. But one cannot argue on the basis of this text that homosexuality is biblical, for Pauls scriptural words clearly state the opposite.

Homosexuality Is A Detestable And Unnatural Act

Yes. Men having sex with each other is an abomination and condemned by God. Women having sex with each other is also an abomination and condemned by God. This isnt new news, its not like all of sudden Christians have come on the scene proclaiming sodomy is a immoral act and a sin in eyes of God.

23 The man said, This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh She shall be called Woman Because she was taken out of Man. 24 For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.

Matthew 19:4,5,6

Scripture is crystal clear on the subject of homosexual behavior, same-sex marriage, and all sexual immorality.

God is also clear on marriage. Marriage is between one man and one woman. Hard to twist Genesis 2:23 & 24, right? Theres nothing in these two verses about a man marrying a man or women be joined with a woman is there?

Amoral lacking a moral sense unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something.

The Bible is crystal clear on the subject of homosexuality.

Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman it is an abomination.

A Homosexual Person Deserves To Be Treated With Dignity And Respect

He or she is acting out a lifestyle that many of us understand to be unbiblicalbut so are any of us who practice slander, gossip, heterosexual lust, or egotistical pride.

So-called gay bashing is always wrong. Any action or attitude that demeans a person or makes them less valuable is the opposite of the grace and unconditional love of Christ.

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People Are Also Reading

Because we tell the truth means we love you, not hate you. This is why we continually pray for you.

Please don’t ask Bible-reading Christians to accept a sinful lust, a vile affection, an abomination as an alternate life style. We have to believe God rather than man.

People who believe only the parts of the Bible they agree with need to get in contact with the author. We aren’t going to be judged by our opinions, societies or the Constitution of the United States, but by God’s Holy Word .\ Gregory A. Hayworth\ High Point

Gods Love To The Sinner

Does Leviticus mean homosexuality is an abomination?

Before we answer the question: Where in the Bible does it say that homosexuality is a sin, you need to know that although God hates sin, He loves the sinner to the point of death. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting .

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Jude : 7 Describes Gods Punishment For Sexual Immorality

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

God has always frowned at sexual immorality. Avoiding them entirely and following Jesus Christ through faith is the only way to have eternal life.

And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.1 Kings 14:24

What About Leviticus 1: 22

The next text typically cited on our subject is Leviticus 18:22, and it is far less ambiguous: Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman that is detestable. The Hebrew is as clear as the English translation.

The obvious sense of the command seems to be: homosexual sexual relations are forbidden by Scripture. This is the way the text has typically been understood by Jewish and Christian interpreters across the centuries. It is the way most read the text still today.

But those who advocate homosexuality as an acceptable biblical lifestyle have found ways to dissent. Dr. Walter Wink admits that this text unequivocally condemn same-sex sexual behavior. But he theorizes that the ancient Hebrews saw any sexual activity which could not lead to the creation of life as a form of abortion or murder. He adds that the Jews would have seen homosexuality as alien behavior, representing yet one more incursion of pagan civilization into Jewish life.

And thats not all. Other critics see the Levitical laws as expressive of worship codes, not universal moral standards. And they argue that all such laws were intended only for their day and time, such as kosher dietary laws and harvest regulations.

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Those Who Consider Themselves To Be Homosexual By Sexual Orientation Should Practice Sexual Celibacy

Many will counter that I have no idea how difficult such a lifestyle decision would be. Theyre right.

But given that I understand the Bible to teach clearly that homosexuality is an unbiblical lifestyle, the only conclusion I can draw is that the practice of this lifestyle will lead the person out of the will of God and into harmful behavior.

Abstinence is, by this logic, the option that is in that persons best personal interest. I can only hope that my heart is clear in offering this suggestion. My desire is not to condemn but to offer biblical truth as I understand it.

This article is offered with the prayer that the Lord of Scripture will use his word to bring healing, hope, and help to hearts and homes troubled by the issue of homosexuality. To the degree that these thoughts have shed more light than heat, my prayer will be answered.

Background To The Verses

What the Bible says about homosexuality | Kristin Saylor & Jim O’Hanlon | TEDxEdgemontSchool

So whats going on in the two verses that were looking at? First of all, these verses are addressed only to males there is no mention here of two women. Secondly, how are the Israelite people going to be distinct from, different from their neighbours by putting these into practice?

Well, in the surrounding cultures, the major socially acceptable form of same-sex activity was with male shrine prostitutes as part of temple worship to pagan gods and goddesses. And there is repeated rhetoric against these shrine prostitutes at different parts of the Hebrew Bible .

Looking wider afield, there were cultures like Ancient Greece, where the dominant form of male-male intercourse was men with boys pederasty. And did you notice that the verses said a man lying with a male, not a man lying with a man?

Now, occasionally Ive seen some commentators claim that this is trying to link it back to Genesis , but if so it is rather strange that female isnt used its as with a woman and not female.

I think it more likely that male is used here precisely because it can include lying with boys as well as men.

So two main contexts for the Israelite people to be different from male-male intercourse linked with pagan temple goddess worship, and pederasty.

Note how different these are from what we are looking at today with faithful, loving, committed relationships.

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How Should We Apply These Verses

But theres actually a much bigger issue here. If youre a Christian rather than orthodox Jewish, why are you assuming that you have to obey these verses anyway?

Because if you are going to obey these verses strictly then why not the whole verse? Leviticus 20:13 says they shall be put to death. Do you want the death penalty for homosexuality? If you dont, youre ignoring part of the verse. If you do are you consistent? Do you want also want the death penalty for adulterers ?

And what about tattoos? Should everyone with a tattoo be cut off from the community? Or what about clothes with mixed fibres I hope you dont have any cotton-polyester blends in your wardrobe. And dont even get me started on ham and cheese sandwiches.

The first church argument was about whether non-Jewish Christians had to keep the law, the Torah, of which Leviticus is a part. It forms the backdrop to some of Pauls letters, and the Acts of the Apostles. And the outcome?

Christians dont have to keep the Law.

Why not? Because, with the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus, the time of the Law has come to an end. .

We have been given a new law the law of love. Love God, and love your neighbour . So it doesnt matter whether you get a tattoo, or wear a cotton-polyester blend, or work on a Saturday .

The only thing that matters is whether what you are doing is loving.

For Leviticus, this is sexual immorality it is just as bad, just as abominable, as a man lying with a male.

God Is The Highest Authority

Our personalities, inclinations, reactions, orientations, viewpoints, opinions etc. are complex. Some of these are hardwired in our genes, whereas others are influenced by our environment, circumstances, education, upbringing, and other factors.

Societies, cultures and norms are continuously changing and evolving, but God and His Word and the Spirit in the Word remain unchanged. When God specifically forbade homosexual activity and other sexual immorality, it wasnt because He was unenlightened, naïve, or intolerant. The law was given because people had strayed from His original purpose and blessing. What was immoral by Gods standards then has not become moral today just because the majority tolerates and accepts it.

We are fortunate in this day and age that human rights and freedoms have been in focus, clamping down on oppression, abuse and injustice. Every person has the right to choose their own faith, outlook on life and way of life, and that must be respected. However, if we want to live as believing Christians, Gods Word cannot be ignored. The Bible gives us many promises, but also conditions, for a good and happy life. God is our Creator, and it is only His will, as expressed in the Bible, that is unchanging and perfect in time and eternity.

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Proposition : At Most There Are Only Three Passages In The Entire New Testament That Refer To What We Today Would Call Homosexual Activity

None of the four gospels mentions the subject. This means that, so far as we know, Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, and we simply have no way of determining what his attitude toward it might have been. Moreover, there is nothing about homosexuality in the Book of Acts, in Hebrews, in Revelation, or in the letters attributed to James, Peter, John, and Jude. Further, homosexuality is not mentioned in ten of the thirteen letters attributed to Paul. It is only in Romans 1:2627, 1 Corinthians 6:910, and 1 Timothy 1:811 that there may be references to homosexuality.2 The paucity of references to homosexuality in the New Testament suggests that it was not a matter of major concern either for Jesus or for the early Christian movement.

What The New Testament Says About Homosexuality

Homosexuality is a Sin an Abomination in the Eyes of God

The Fourth R Volume 21-3 May-June 2008

Mainline Christian denominations in this country are bitterly divided over the question of homosexuality. For this reason it is important to ask what light, if any, the New Testament sheds on this controversial issue. Most people apparently assume that the New Testament expresses strong opposition to homosexuality, but this simply is not the case. The six propositions that follow, considered cumulatively, lead to the conclusion that the New Testament does not provide any direct guidance for understanding and making judgments about homosexuality in the modern world.

Proposition 1: Strictly speaking, the New Testament says nothing at all about homosexuality.

Proposition 3: Two of the three passages that possibly refer to homosexuality are simply more-or-less miscellaneous catalogues of behaviors that are regarded as unacceptable, with no particular emphasis placed on any individual item in the list.

Group B is where they putcha if you may not be moral enough to join the army after committinâ your special crime. There was all kinds of mean, nasty, ugly-lookinâ people on the bench there. There was mother rapers . . . father stabbers . . . father rapers . . . Father rapers! sittinâ right there on the bench next to me!

Proposition 4: It may well be that the two lists of unacceptable behaviorsâ1 Corinthians 6:9â10 and 1 Timothy 1:8â11âdo not refer to homosexuality at all.
David Loves Jonathan
Works Consulted

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Homosexuality Is An Abomination To God

Homosexuality is an abomination to God. Anybody that says otherwise is simply justifying their sinful state and denying what the Bible says. Here is why. God is very clear on His stance on being a homosexual. The Lord God said, if a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death their blood shall be upon them.For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. Truly, these people are not for God and need to repent.

Corinthians : 911 1 Timothy : 811

In the context of the broader immorality of his audience, Paul the Apostle wrote in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 6 verses 9-11:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate , nor abusers of themselves with mankind , Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Timothy 1:8â11 states:

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind , for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

In the letter to the Corinthians, within the list of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God, Paul uses two Greek words: malakia and arsenokoitai .

Interpretation

Some scholars consider that the term was not used to refer to a homosexual orientation, but argue that it referred instead to sexual activity.

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The Lust Of The Heart

How low can people go? While in recent years same-sex relations have been glamorized in some sectors of society, Jesus confirmed that Gods will for marriage has always been lifelong heterosexual monogamy .1Alternatives may be fashionable, but they are expressions of Gods abandoning people to the lusts of their hearts and to impurity, which can also be translated vileness .

These verses reflect not a low but rather a high view of sexuality. Dishonoring . . . their bodies by same-sex erotics implies that opposite-sex relations can have the effect of honoring human bodies. God intended marital relations that have the potential for fruitfulness and population of the earth . Old Testament teaching affirms the virtue and joy of physical intimacy in marriage . Elsewhere Paul condemns the forbidding of heterosexual marriage . Paul is not sour on sex. He seeks to warn readers of the grimy origins and consequences of misuse of one of Gods greatest gifts: human sexuality.

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