What About Environmental Conditions
Studies have been conducted of identical twins who were separated at birth, where one developed a homosexual lifestyle but the other did not. Particular family or circumstantial patterns are sometimes seen in these cases to contribute to sexual orientation. But again, other interpreters disagree with such conclusions.
What Do Jehovahs Witnesses Believe
Jehovahs Witnesses believe that the Bibles moral code is the best standard for living, and they choose to abide by that code. This means that Jehovahs Witnesses reject all sexual misconduct, including homosexuality. That is the Witnesses lifestyle choice, and they have a right to it.
Jehovahs Witnesses strive to follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way they themselves would like to be treated
At the same time, Jehovahs Witnesses strive to pursue peace with all people. While they reject homosexual acts, Jehovahs Witnesses do not force their view on others, nor do they participate in homophobic hate crimes or rejoice when they hear of them. Jehovahs Witnesses strive to follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way they themselves would like to be treated.Matthew 7:12.
Leviticus : 13 On Death Punishment For Homosexuality
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination they shall surely be put to death their blood is upon them.
After God delivered the Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh, God created many laws for them to live according to his will.
One of those laws was severe punishment if any man or woman committed the sin of homosexuality. If you are Gay, you shall die.
So, why dont gay men and women die from their sin?
Gods commandment to the Jews in the book of Leviticus instructed death for anyone involved in homosexuality. However, this is not applicable today.
This is because we have been set free from the law of Moses through Christs death. Christs death put away the curse of the law, and we are set free in liberty.
The law is not based on faith on the contrary, it says, The person who does these things will live by them.Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole. Galatians 3: 12, 13.
However, this does not mean we can live in sin. Instead, we must live in ways that please God. If we indulge in homosexuality that does not bring praise to the body of Christ, we fall from his grace of eternal life.
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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.
The Bibles Dress Code
I will start with how the Most High expects us to behave.
In todays society people wrongly believe that because a person behaves a certain way, they must be gay
So lets begin with conduct that the Most High expects of man and woman:
Deuteronomy 22:5
5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a womans garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
Above we see that cross-dressing is out! As you can see the Most High says in Deuteronomy 22:5, that it is an abomination in his eyes for men and women to wear each others clothes.
We know in todays society that a man that is in the habit of wearing womens clothing is very likely to act effeminate i.e. in a feminine manner.
It should also be noted that the Most High doesnt condone women wearing mens clothing, either. So being a tom boy is also out of the question.
All of this highlights the wisdom of the Most High. It shows that effeminate behaviour and cross dressing aka being a transvestite doesnt necessarily mean youre homosexual.
There are people that just like to dress in the clothes of the opposite sex and this behaviour is not condoned in the bible either.
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Homosexuality Definitions And Overview
Lets start with the word homosexuality and how the dictionary defines it.
So, looking at the definition above, a homosexual is somebody that has a relationship with somebody that is of the same sex as them.
Another popular word used to describe somebody that is homosexual is Gay. Im sure you know the term originally meant happy or Merry. If you didnt. It did.
As early as the 17th century it began to be connected with act of two people of the same sex having a relationship i.e. Homosexuality.
Today the word Gay is commonly used when referring to a person that is Homosexual.
If youre a homosexual person reading this, Its important you understand that these terms were not created by the Most High.
These are man made words, used to categorise your behaviour. The scriptures give more clarity on homosexuality, so keep reading theres hope
What Does The Bible Say
Attitudes about homosexuality may vary from one culture to the next or from one time period to another. But Christians arent governed by popular opinion or carried here and there by every wind of teaching. Instead, they base their view of homosexual conduct on the standards set forth in the Bible.
The Bibles standard regarding homosexual acts is clear. Gods Word says:
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You must not lie down with a male in the same way that you lie down with a woman.Leviticus 18:22.
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God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts, . . . gave them over to uncontrolled sexual passion, for their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature.Romans 1:24, 26.
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Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit Gods Kingdom.1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
In reality, Gods standards apply to all people, whether they have homosexual desires or heterosexual desires. The fact is, everyone must exercise self-restraint when it comes to urges to engage in conduct that displeases God.Colossians 3:5.
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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.
How Can I Learn More About Being An Lgbtq+ Christian
Q Christian Fellowship has a variety of resources for individuals hoping to reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We recommend reading our Sexuality & Spirituality Guide and joining one of our many seasonal Q Community Groups, particularly the Coming Out Support Groups if you are unsure of next steps in your faith journey as an LGBTQ+ Christian.
If you are trans or gender non-confirming, we also recommend reading our Affirmation Guide for Trans/Gender Expansive Identities and joining our seasonal Trans/Gender Expansive Community Group.
Q Christian also has a large online network of LGBTQ+ Christians on our Online Forums and an annual Conference with extensive programming created for and by LGBTQ+ Christians.
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David Emphasizes The Pleasantness Of Their Mutual Love
by using the Hebrew word meod, meaning, exceeding abundantly. The Holy Spirit described Jonathans delight in David as hapes meod. David describes his love for Jonathan with the word meod. The Hebrew word translated pleasant is naem, meaning pleasant, beautiful, sweet, delightful, lovely.
The Hebrew word for love is ahabah. It conveys the idea of romantic sexual desire. The Hebrew word for wonderful is pala which conveys a sense of the wondrous, surpassing, beyond ones power to express, extraordinary. The love Jonathan demonstrated for David was so powerful, David the artistic poet-warrior of Israel has difficulty adequately describing it.
Bible Verses That Have Been Used To Condemn Lgbtq People
When seeking to understand any Bible verse, it is important to know the context of the verse, as well as how the verse has been translated from the original language. The following are points to consider when thinking about the verses that have been used to justify prohibitions on same-sex marriage and full participation in church community for LGBTQ people. Nowhere in the Bible, taken in its original language and context, is there a prohibition against loving, consensual same-sex relationships, nor against people living as their authentic genders.
Genesis 19:1-13 The Sodom & Gomorrah story is preceded by examples of Abraham and Lot being very welcoming to strangers. The lack of hospitality and the desire to do violence to the visitors were considered grave transgressions, regardless of the gender of the visitors. The reference in Jude 1:7 to strange flesh likely refers to the fact that the angels they wanted to assault were not human. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned they did not help the poor and needy.
Romans 1:26-27 Here, Paul is condemning the sinful and harmful acts he perceives in Roman culture at the time. Since same-gender and non-heterosexual attractions are natural, this condemnation is not directed at LGBTQ people.
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God Knew That Homosexuality Would Be Controversial
God has a wise purpose for everything He allows. Knowing the controversy homosexuality would cause in the modern church, God inspired Samuel to record David’s unambiguous statement about his loving partnership with Jonathan.
Jonathan Greeting David
after David killed Goliath, by Gottfried Bernhard Goz, 1708-1774. Do Davids unambiguous words about Jonathan support or deny the view that there are no gay couples in the Bible?
Background To The Verses
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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What Does The Bible Say About Lgbtq+ People
Conversations around what the Bible says about LGBTQ+ people can be contentious. Due to the dense nature of this content, you may want to consider studying the additional resources listed under How can I learn more about the Clobber Verses and LGBTQ+ theology?. Consider this an introductory overview to these passages, as shared by QCF Board member, Rev. Danny Cortez:
The Apostles Theological Test
There were at least two pillars of what it meant to identify as a faithful Jewish man. The first was to obedience to the Sabbath and the second was male circumcision. Jesus re-imagined an understanding of Sabbath obedience that allowed for non-traditional understanding of Sabbath keeping. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and allowed his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath. He even said, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath . Jesus was stating that the Sabbath should never be made a burden for people. If people are being harmed by your understanding of the Sabbath, then give preference towards the people. Let them work or help their animal escape from a ditch, even though the fourth commandment states, You shall not do any work . The disciples saw Jesus application of the Scriptures repeatedly. What they didnt realize was that they would soon be put to the test.
The removal of physical circumcision was an unprecedented theological change that shook the Jewish- Christian community to its core. The disciples were accused of no longer upholding the authority of Scripture. But what the disciples did was merely an extension of the way Jesus taught them to uphold the spirit behind the Law. And in discovering the spirit of grace and love, the Law would be upheld along with faithfulness to God.
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The Queen James Bible
After hearing such self-justifications, many pro-family Christians wonder what bible the homophiles are getting their information from.
Believe it or not, there is an actual Gay Bible. The Queen James Version alters the eight verses in the 1769 King James Version that deal with homosexuality in a way that makes homophobic interpretations impossible.2
A person may disagree with the Bible on what it says about homosexuality, but it is just flat dishonest to produce a new version and then pretend that it is genuine. Perhaps this is why the editors of the Queen James Bible have wisely chosen to remain anonymous.
In reality, few sins are condemned by the Bible as explicitly as sodomy. Both the Old and New Testaments contain passages stating quite plainly that people who engage in homosexual activity will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
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!
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Romans 1 Is Beyond Words
Neither of these words appears in Romans 1, yet that scripture graphically condemns homosexuality, lesbianism and homosexual lusts. By now, the response of the gay advocate is predictable. They insist that this scripture is speaking of temple prostitutes who idolize sex, and not committed homosexual couples. Anything that appears to speak negatively about their lifestyle, they deflect the condemnation elsewhere.
Again there is no reason to limit the scope of those condemnations described in Romans 1. Any student of scripture knows that Romans 1 speaks of the sinfulness of man who has rejected God, and this thought crescendos and culminates in Romans 3 where all men are deemed guilty. Paul is building up to the idea that all have sinned and fallen short of Gods glory. It makes no sense for him to limit his condemnation to temple prostitutes. The context only allows for a wide application of the condemnations detailed. Romans 1 condemns all homosexual acts and lusts.
Is being gay a sin? According to the NT, yes.