D Judges 1: 22ff Gibeah
In Judges 19 another example of inhospitality and attempted homosexual rape occurs. In this instance it is not all of the men of the city, but rather some good-for-nothings. Here, however, they were pacified with the mans concubine who was sent out to them in his place. She died after their treatment of her.
These actions led to the first civil war in Israels history, and the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin. This war was sanctioned by Gods approval after Gibeah refused to hand over the offending men for judgment .
Like many real life issues today, the sin that resulted in all this seems to have been an array of actions. First, these men attempted to do a wicked thing and know these men sexually .5 Secondly, to compound that, it was attempted on a person who was under the hospitality of anothera disgraceful thing . Thirdly, they raped and abused the travelers concubine all night and caused her death . Fourthly, the rest of the tribe of Benjamin refused to turn these men over to punishment .
Thus, after the giving of the law, attempted homosexual rape was part of the sin that resulted in a God-sanctioned civil war.
Q9 Is Homosexuality Genetic If It Is Genetic Or Natural Does That Make It Morally Okay
The issue of whether homosexuality is genetic is an interesting one. Due to the changing nature of scientific studies and the intricacies of the issue this article would soon become outdated if a discussion were entered upon at any length. For those interested, as of 2013, no genetic or DNA links have been found for homosexuality.22 However it should be strongly stressed that whether or not it is genetic in some wayis not a deciding factor on whether something is moral or not. Theoretically someone might have a genetic disposition towards drug or alcohol abuse, or towards lying,23 or kleptomania. This does not change the morality of those issues.
Two of Greg Koukls articles helpfully discuss this issue of whether something natural is necessarily moral. The first approaches the issue from a logical and philosophical angle: HomosexualityIs Unnatural: The Is-Ought Fallacy? The second approaches the issue more directly from a look at the teaching of Scripture: Paul, Romans, and Homosexuality, . Whether something is genetic or not does not necessarily follow that it is natural . Likewise, even if it is natural it does not necessarily follow that it is moral .
Intimacy Identity And Culture
Sam Allberry, a same-sex pastor from England, confronts the pain of being alone, even by choice, on the grounds of obedience to God. Celibacy is made more difficult by the elevation of marital intimacy to a lofty position above all other forms, including friendship.
Allberrys fear is that if someones only choice in life seems to be either unbiblical intimacy or no intimacy, theyre going to end up choosing unbiblical intimacy. And if thats the case, I think the wider church shares responsibility for that.
As Allberry asserts, people within the LGBQT+ community are being denied access to this kind of intimacy, so even those who are keen to follow Gods commands and to please him by their faithful obedience are drawn to other sources for belonging and acceptance.
Jesus never taught his disciples to deny friendship and familial love to anyone. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother .
He also promoted mutually uplifting, godly friendship. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends . The word friend, philos in the Greek, means beloved or dear. I have called you friends, Jesus said to his disciples .
Not everyone accepts forgiveness through Jesus but he offers dignity, love, and truth to everyone. When a gospel-believing person highlights sin in a persons life, the purpose should always be to point that person to Jesus and his saving mercies.
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Proposition : Two Of The Three Passages That Possibly Refer To Homosexuality Are Simply More
1 Corinthians 6:910 says that certain types of people will not inherit the kingdom of God. The list of such people begins with fornicators, idolaters, and adulterers, and it ends with thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers. Near the middlebetween adulterers and thievesare the two Greek words translated in the New Revised Standard Version as male prostitutes and sodomites. But no special emphasis is placed on these people they are simply listed along with the others. Similarly, 1 Timothy 1:811 says that the law was given not for good people but for bad people, and it then provides a list, giving representative examples of who these bad people might be. Included in the listthis time near the end but again without any special emphasisis the Greek word translated in the New Revised Standard Version as sodomites. In both texts, such people are mentioned simply in passing, in more-or-less miscellaneous catalogues of unacceptable behaviors, but with no special emphasis or attention called to them.
Group B is where they putcha if you may not be moral enough to join the army after committin your special crime. There was all kinds of mean, nasty, ugly-lookin people on the bench there. There was mother rapers . . . father stabbers . . . father rapers . . . Father rapers! sittin right there on the bench next to me!
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Is There An Objective Way To Respond To These Assertions
First, lets consider the claim that this Old Testament law has no relevance for New Testament believers but should be classified with kosher laws and such.
A basic rule of biblical interpretation is that any Old Testament teaching repeated in the New Testament carries the weight of command to the Christian church and faith. And the prohibition against homosexual activity is most certainly present there .
Even those Old Testament statements that are not repeated in the New Testament carry the force of principle. For instance, kosher laws tell us, at the least, that God cares about our bodies and health.
Second, it is claimed that the Leviticus passage expresses a worship code, not a moral standard.
The logic is that Leviticus is written with regard to the Levitical priests and their duties of worship preparation and leadership and does not apply as such to the larger family of faith. However, the chapter in question begins, The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them . . . . .
Nothing in the chapter limits its application or significance to the Levites. Rather, the chapter exhorts all Israel to keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them . It proceeds to forbid incestuous relationships, child sacrifice, and bestialitystandards I presume critics of Leviticus 18:22 would consider universal.
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Strange Flesh The Bible And Homosexuality
So is being Homosexual a reality and how has it come about? Well the answer is yes, being homosexual is a reality
The question is why? Lets see
Romans 1:25-29
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 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:
27 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.
28 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
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity whisperers,
So we see above that the Most High has allowed people to continue blindly in their sins when they choose not to acknowledge him.
But more specifically these sins can result in people of the same sex coming together. The bible calls this vile affections, and the act of burning in their lust one toward another men with men working that which is unseemly.
Here we see that yes! It is possible to be homosexual, but its due to our ignorance, disobedience and unwillingness to keep the Most Highs commands.
Amen!
Modern Arguments About Etymology
There is an argument that Scripture does not contain the word homosexuality and that God is not opposed to men or women having sex with consenting members of the same sex. The word zakar in Hebrew can refer to any male, including human and animal, but also to boys.
But Strongs concordance indicates that zakar, as used in Leviticus 18:22 above, refers to sodomy, a term not reserved for acts of child sexual abuse or rape but also consensual acts between adults.
Arsenokoitai is Greek for men having sex with other men. And there is no real other interpretation that makes the best sense of the evidence both in the early Christian literature and especially in the Old Testament.
Kevin DeYoung explains that Paul, a scholar and former Pharisee, coined the term. If Paul had been referring to men forcing boys to have sex, then he could have used the word biazó for violent force to denote a difference between consensual and non-consensual sex. He did not.
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Whats Next For The Church
Everyone was made in Gods image, but not all people embrace Christs message of hope, peace, love, mercy, and justice. One reason for this is religious arrogance Christians who act as though they are in a position to condemn or pardon.
But if churches shut their doors to those who defy Gods commands about sexual intimacy, the doors would be shut to everyone. The duty and privilege of Christs disciples are to offer all who will listen to the message of salvation and the promise of a love greater than anything.
His love and justice go together, but all who call on Christs name for salvation are covered by his blood. Each of us is a work in progress. We can teach his inerrant Word but must always do so without judging or persecuting anyone.
For further reading:
Iii Homosexuality In The New Testament
In the New Testament many passages generally prohibit sexual immoral activity . These commands would include homosexuality. However, homosexuality is most explicitly discussed in three passages. The first of these three discusses homosexuality at length. Whereas the last two are in lists of sins. Like the discussion in the Old Testament section this will not be an attempt to discuss every possible issue arising from these texts. Rather the goal will be to express the Biblical and Christian view on homosexuality that these verses teach. As before, further resources will be noted for those desiring a deeper investigation.
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Q7 How Do You Explain Marriage Ceremonies In Which Two Persons Of The Same Sex Are United By An Officiating Clergyman Or Justice Of The Peace
Governments in a number of regions have legalized this practice and officially recognize these unions as a marriage. This does give legal authority to them and to many it also gives the appearance of moral sanction. However, only God can truly give moral approval. He has declared homosexuality to be sin. Christians should respond to this like they should respond to all other sins: with truth and love. Some clergy and denominations claiming to be Christian allow for same sex marriages. Their actions are without sanction of the Bible or God. This is readily apparent from the contradiction between their actions and the truths of Scripture seen in this article.
Bible Verses About Homosexuality
Christians must always start with the Bible in order to hear Gods Word on any subject. His commands are not optional, and he states clearly, You shall not lie with a male as with a woman it is an abomination .
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God .
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error .
Some Christians suggest that a progressive God would overturn his own commands in a certain social climate, but God does not progress in his thinking his thoughts and commandments are always right.
We know that God does not change his mind, that he is always the same, and this is foundational to our hope and our faith in his Kingdom purposes.
God was, is, and always will be against sexual sin in all of its forms, which include lust for a person who is not ones spouse, sexual affairs, and even emotional affairs.
One must not single out someone who identifies as gay or transgender as a sinner but instead look inward. Ignoring ones own sin by way of deflection does not fool God.
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The Bible And The Punishment Of Homosexuals
One objection to the Leviticus statement remains. Dr. Walter Wink and others point out its punishment for homosexuality: If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death their blood will be on their own heads .
If we no longer execute those who practice homosexuality, are we justified in ignoring the prohibition against such activity entirely?
Those who argue that homosexuality is a biblical lifestyle point to this outdated penalty as reason to consider the prohibition to be equally irrelevant to society today.
No one I know would argue that homosexual practice should result in the death penalty today. But lets consider two facts.
First, the Levitical code was given to Israel at a crucial time in her early formation.
The nation had no functional law process or court system. Her moral character was not yet formed. And so the Lord gave the nation clear and enforceable standards that would help solidify and preserve her spiritual future. The spirit of the Levitical prohibition is clear: homosexuality is not to be practiced or accepted by the nation.
Second, a reinterpretation of the penalty prescribed by a law does not justify the decision to ignore the law itself.
Ii Homosexuality In The Old Testament
In the Old Testament homosexuality is most explicitly discussed in four passages. Two are prohibitions in the law against homosexual activity. The other two are historical events: Sodom/Gomorrah and Gibeah. We will not attempt to answer every issue that could be raised about each text. This has already been done in a number of resources that will be referenced. However time will be taken to clearly establish the Bibles viewpoint, and therefore the perspective that the Christian should hold. In our discussion we will begin by looking at the treatment of homosexuality in the Law. Then we will look at the two narrative accounts.
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What Does The Bible Really Say About Homosexuality
Actually, a whole lot less than you might imagine! That may be hard to believe given the fierce rhetoric Christians often employ when talking about homosexuality, but there are really only seven passages in the Bible that refer directly to homosexual behavior, and none of them are associated with Jesus. Compare that to the more than 250 verses on the proper use of wealth or more than 300 on our responsibility to care for the poor and work for justice, and you appreciate quickly that homosexuality was not exactly a major theme of the Bible.
Nevertheless, these seven passages have been poured over by conservative and liberal scholars alike and have occasioned considerable conversation and controversy. In order to review what the Bible actually says about homosexuality, as well as what others are saying about it, I’ll group similar verses below and give a brief summary of the major differences in interpretation. Then, I’ll outline the four most common stances Christians take regarding these biblical passages in general, as these positions greatly influence how one interprets individual verses.
Old Testament Narrative
The Holiness Code of Leviticus
New Testament Ethics
The three passages in question read as follows:
Four Basic Views
Does The Sin Of Sodom Condemn Homosexuality
The Supreme Court made history on June 27, 2003, when it struck down the sodomy laws of the state of Texas. In a 6-3 decision, the justices reversed course from a ruling seventeen years ago that states could punish homosexuals for private consensual sex. Such activity is typically called sodomy because of the text well study today.
In a survey of passages typically cited on the divisive issue of homosexuality, Genesis 19 and the sin of Sodom is usually listed first. Lot entertained two angels who came to the city to investigate its sins. These angels appeared as men. Before they went to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodomboth young and oldsurrounded the house. They called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them . For such sin, the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah , destroying them.
Is this text a condemnation of homosexuality?
Dr. Walter Wink believes not: That was a case of ostensibly heterosexual males intent on humiliating strangers by treating them like women, thus demasculinizing them . However, Dr. Wink offers no textual evidence that the men were ostensibly heterosexual. His view is only conjectural and stands against the vast majority of interpretation across the centuries.
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