Doesnt The Bible Condemn Homosexuality
Doesnt the bible condemn homosexuality? The short answer is, no.
The bible certainly records human fears and prejudices, as well as human hopes and resilience, but the bible, as a whole, isnt about condemnation.
The bible is a collection of stories, songs, sermons, sayings, poems, and prayers covering centuries and continents and even a few languages. It is a rich and wonderful anthology that invites readers to think and feel, explore and imagine, heal and grow. In light of this understanding of our sacred texts, it would be difficult to think of them as being condemnatory.
Lifted from the larger narrative or divorced from cultural, linguistic, literary, or historical contexts, any sentence or phrase from scripture can be used to endorse or vilify almost anything imaginable. That is not, however, the most faithful way to engage the bible.
Relationship, hope, courage, generosity, second chances, compassion, and love are the values that are repeatedly featured in our scriptures.
For me, love is the biblical message and mandate, and love does not condemn love. Love does not diminish people. Love does not seek to deny justice or dignity or safety to anyone. Love does not suggest that anyone is unworthy of or beyond the reach of love.
Does the bible, an anthology of writings whose running theme is love, condemn same-gender loving people? As someone who has spent my life studying, teaching, wrestling with, and even playing with the bible, I must say unequivocally, it does not.
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 Due to the changing nature of scientific studies and the intricacies of the issue this article would soon become outdated if a discussion were entered upon at any length.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 .
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.
Recommended Reading: What Does Ceasing Means
The Best Christian Argument For Marriage Equality Is That The Bible Got It Wrong
How often did Jesus get things wrong?
For many Christians, opposing homosexuality is as simple as opening the Bible.
You could be reading the Old Testament, for example, and come across this particularly harsh passage from Leviticus: If a man lies with another man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death. Or you might be studying Pauls first letter to the Corinthians and read something like this: Do not be deceived,writes Paul neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality will inherit the kingdom of God.
Now, its possible to read Pauls rhetoric here as something other than a condemnation of same-sex relationships, and many trained theologians have been doing so for years. Its possible, too, that other biblical passages that have historically been used against gay people, like the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, could be similarly re-imagined in less anti-gay ways.
For decades now, the halls of academia have teemed with well-meaning scholars and bible commentators anxious to show that, actually, the Bible isnt as anti-gay as we think, and that if we all just followed their hermeneutical lead, wed see that both the Old and New Testaments speak positivelyalbeit codedlyof homosexual love.
What Does The Bible Teach About Homosexuality
Everyone has an opinion However, Gods opinion is love and truth, and what we are judged by. We need to be saved and to have our lives glorify God. Parents should be concerned for their childrens safety. As a nation, we need Gods protection.
- Gods Love & Truth Romans 1:22-32, Deuteronomy 22:5
- Judgment & Damnation Jude 7
- Forgiveness: Confess Homosexuality is Sinful 1 John 1:9
Don’t Miss: What Is An Omer In The Bible
Lusts And Sexual Immorality
Our sex drive is not a sin. But sexual desires outside marriage between a man and a woman are what the Bible calls lusts, and giving in to them is sin. This includes premarital sex, extramarital sex, giving in to impure sexual thoughts, and practicing homosexuality. This is described in both the Old and the New Covenants. Some of these verses are listed at the end of this article.
V Conclusion: Loving In Truthmy Background
The Bible is realistic about human nature. It tells us that we all fall short of Gods standard of righteousness, and thus none are righteous before Him . All other religions of the world somehow offer the hope that by self-effort heaven may be achieved. The Bible does not do that. Instead the Bible gives us Gods humanly-impossible-to-attain standard.
But then God intervened. While it was impossible for me to overcome, it was not impossible for God. He used a combination of His Word that I was reading, and of messages that I heard on the radio to open my eyes to the rest of the truth.
My journal at this time goes from records of my continual failures each day, of my heart being so hard against God, of my struggling anguish, of the realities of my sinfulness, of knowing that I needed to repent yet could not in my cold-heartedness to all of a sudden ecstatically thanking God for His amazing love.
What happened? Over time I had realized my sinfulness in its awful self-destroying reality. I realized fully my incapability. I could not fix my life on my own. I could not earn Gods love, approval, or forgiveness. In my pride and self-sufficiency I needed to see the realities of my situation before I would or could humble myself enough to throw myself entirely on Gods grace. But as I did see those realities and surrendered myself to Him, He opened my eyes to also truly realize His love and grace.
Also Check: What Does The Bible Say About Burial Vs Cremation
The Tribulation Kingdom Of The Antichrist Will Be Defined By Homosexuality And Religious Pluralism
Revelation 6 warns that the end-times Antichrist will ride forth on a white horse conquering and to conquer holding aloft a bow .
men
Chapter 6 of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John closely parallels a portion of the Olivet Discourse in Matt 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13, in which Jesus summarized the sequences of end time events before His return. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse represent the four phases or aspects of what Jesus calls the beginning of sorrows just before the start of the tribulation .
The white horse represents the Antichrist, and the bow which he holds is almost certainly the rainbow. Remember that the Antichrist is an imposter who seeks to deceive the world into thinking he is the messiah. The real Christ will return in the clouds at His second coming , and on a white horse. Revelation 19:11 states And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
Remember also that the rainbow, which God set in the clouds after the great flood is the symbol of Gods authority over the earth and evidence of His presence . The Antichrist will apparently appropriate the symbol of the rainbow for himself as part of his claim to deity.
What Does The Bible Teach About Sexual Relations
The historic Christian view according to accurate biblical interpretation is that sex outside of the sacred bonds of male-female marriage is wrong. One practical reason the Bible forbids it is because of how powerful sex is. God created sex to be a strong adhesive, bonding two fragile souls together. This is why feelings of “heartbreak” often happen when people who’ve engaged in sexual intercourse then go their separate ways. In God’s good design, sex is reserved for a man and a woman who have entered into a legally binding marriage covenant. This kind of life-long commitment forms the basis for a garden-like relationship in which true intimacy can grow into a loving family. Multiply that same model many times over and a healthy society blossoms and thrives.
You may not agree with this view of human sexuality, but it’s what the Bible teaches. If the point of this conversation is to foster better understanding, let’s agree to accurately represent each other. To be a Christian, then, is to be a reasonable person who promotes wholeness, joy, and genuine love. We aren’t judgmental prudes who are dead-set against anyone enjoying life. We are for human flourishing. We aren’t bigots or homophobes. Such name-calling is weak, counterproductive, and it ultimately distracts from a fair consideration of the issue.
Time Out for a Quick Disclaimer:
But in light of this widely used tactic, I offer the following disclaimer to the reader:
Recommended Reading: What Does The Bible Say About Mixing Races In Marriage
Tragedy Of The Tribe Of Benjamin
This is a very difficult story in the Bible. Be warned, that if you read it, it has more horror, death, and tragedy than most movies that Hollywood puts out. It is very graphic in places. At its root though is an event where a group of men from the tribe of Benjamin attempt to homosexually rape a Levitical priest. The end result is that most of the men of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin are wiped out.
The big picture is where it is placed in the book of Judges. Judges starts out with everything going fine as the new Israel is being created as a nation. The more that the book progresses, the more the people get away from God and following the Law of Moses. The end state is a rise of homosexual practice that causes a localized civil war among the tribes of Israel. Again, we see the idea that homosexuality in a society arises when a nation moves away from God and that judgement will follow.
They Spoke Up For The Powerless And Vulnerable
At the root of all of these is the Christian belief that every human being is an image bearer of God, and therefore worthy of dignity and being treated equally to others. In our Do Justice message series, the Pastors of Crossroads address how the church can bring justice in four key areas in our modern culture.
Read Also: What Is The Chronological Order Of The Bible
How To Please God Despite Having Same
The Bible says: Dont be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. To kill wrong desires, which lead to wrong actions, you need to control your thinking. If you regularly fill your mind with wholesome thoughts, you can more readily dismiss wrong desires. While you may struggle greatly at first, it can become easier. God promises to help you to be made new in the force actuating your mind.Ephesians 4:22-24.
The same struggle is faced by millions with heterosexual desires who wish to conform to the Bibles standards. For example, those who are single with little prospect of marriage or who are married to a partner who is unable to function sexually choose to control their sexual urges despite any temptations they might face. They are able to live happily, and those with same-sex urges can do so as well if they truly want to please God.Deuteronomy 30:19.
Reasons God Loves Gay Christians
1.The term homosexual didnt exist until 1892. Some modern Bible translations say that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God, but neither the concept nor the word for people with exclusive same-sex attraction existed before the late 19th century. While the Bible rejects lustful same-sex behavior, thats very different from a condemnation of all gay people and relationships.
2. Sexual orientation is a new conceptone that the Christian tradition hasnt addressed. Many Christians draw on their faiths traditions to shape their beliefs, but the concept of sexual orientation is new. Until recent decades, same-sex behavior was placed in the same category with gluttony or drunkenness as a vice of excess anyone might be prone to not as the expression of a sexual orientation. The Christian tradition has never spoken to the modern issue of LGBT people and their relationships.
3. Celibacy is a gift, not a mandate. The Bible honors celibacy as a good way of living Jesus was celibate, after all but it also makes clear that celibacy must be a voluntary choice. Requiring that all gay people remain celibate is at odds with the Bibles teachings on celibacy, which are grounded Scriptures core affirmation that Gods physical creation is good.
Recommended Reading: How Many Times Does The Bible Say To Forgive
When Did It Become Christian To Endorse Sin
Feelings of same-sex attraction are often unwelcome and spontaneous for those who are tempted to engage in homosexuality. It is not sinful to be tempted. It’s sinful to yield. This truth about temptation applies to everyone, regardless of the sin. Those saying that homosexuality should be affirmed in the name of Christian love contradict the Bible.
When President Obama “made history” in 2011 by endorsing same-sex couples, he cited supposedly “Christian” reasons for doing so. Obviously, it is not a Christian virtue to hate people who sin. Christians are not against people who practice homosexuality . Likewise, Christians are not against the people who become ensnared by homosexuality. But Christians do oppose sin , and we must kindly disagree with the president’s misguided view.
People who use the Bible to argue that accepting homosexuality is how we are to ‘love our neighbor’ wrongly omit the first half of what Jesus said in that context. Jesus actually said, “The great and first commandment is ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'” . In other words, love for one’s neighbor is bounded by one’s primary allegiance to God. How can one claim to love God, yet despise what His Word says about homosexuality and disregard His design for marriage?
Iv Jesus On Sexuality
When discussions of Jesus and homosexuality or the LGBT15 lifestyle come up some might try to claim that Jesus never dealt with the issue. However that is not really accurate. Jesus, as God, was a unique teacher. He often dealt authoritatively with the principles that were behind not just one action, but a whole host of possible ones. He often discerned through to the heart and intent of people and exposed both our sinful hearts, and His holy standard. The following two examples carefully show us that we all fall short and are desperately in need of Gods grace.
Recommended Reading: Is Rhema Bible College Accredited
What The New Testament Says About Homosexuality
Volume 21-3May-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.
Q5 Does Committing A Homosexual Act Automatically Mean One Is Going To Hell
No. Jesus came to bear the penalty of sin upon Himself and offer forgiveness to all who trust in His work on their behalf. Any who do truly trust in Him will not go to hell. In this way homosexual sin is the same as any other sin. It can be forgiven. Conversely, like every other sin, it too needs forgiveness, and it too needs to be overcome by the grace of God. See the biblical discussion above for more details.
Also Check: What The Bible Says About Tattoos