What does the Bible actually say about homosexuality?
By Kori Ashton
Quick Answer – The “labels”
of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Homosexual and
so forth have all come into our language much more recently and
are not mentioned anywhere in the original languages of the Holy
Scriptures. There are passages that condemn same-sex rape, prostitution
and idol worship. We fully recognize this and are in agreement with
the Word of God that these actions are destructive and anyone who
partakes in these sins without true repentance will not inherit
eternal life.
We could go the long, in-depth route here giving a dissertation
of the lengthy, philosophic controversy, but, there’s no reason
to go the “wordy” route with a bunch of “Thee’s,
Thou’s and Thine’s” and clutter God’s simple
truths with religious rhetoric. Nevertheless we shouldn’t
just try to find the Cliff’s Notes on Scripture either. We
hope that this article is a good balance.
Understanding the Scriptures does not begin with church tradition
and dogma but with the Biblical texts themselves. People misunderstand
and misquote the Scriptures for several reasons – one main
one – they don’t read the Bible for themselves. They
swallow any form of “truth” that sounds reasonable to
them and then spew it out in ignorance. Another explanation is that
if they do read the Word – they don’t “understand”
it.
Knowing what the Bible not only says but means is important so
that you do not allow anyone to dictate your walk with Christ or
get you off track. When you stand before the Lord - you will stand
before Him alone. You, only, will be accountable for your actions.
It's a serious responsibility to be a Christian. So dig into the
Bible for yourself and challenge your heart to find the truth -
not YOUR truth but God's truth for you. The Word says to seek and
you will find, knock and it will be opened.
That all being said - Let’s dig into the Word of
God to see His viewpoint on homosexuality.
Did you know that the words "homosexual" and "homosexuality"
do not appear in the Bible - at least they are absent from the original
Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. Those “labels” were
added in the late 19th century. The authors of the Bible had little
or no comprehension of same-sex, committed relationships. Their
languages used back then had no words for these concepts. The idea
of sexual orientation was not a part of human thinking during Biblical
culture.
However the controversy happens because out of over 30,000 verses
in the Bible there are two writers that mention same-sex acts in
six different passages and they are condemned every time. These
passages are crucial to our understanding of how we should view
sex and how we should treat others.
So let’s not just “read” these passages
– Let’s really understand them.
Understanding Scripture requires a few steps. It is essential to
learn how the Biblical authors expressed themselves during the time
of their writings and how things related in terms of their culture.
Look behind the scenes. Ask questions like: Who wrote the Scripture
and who was he writing to? What is the main topic? When was it written
and what was the culture of the day? Why was it written? Looking
behind the scenes will help you understand why God even wanted these
things recorded and how they can apply to us today.
So the first passage that addresses same-sex acts is in the first
book of the Bible – Genesis.
From: Moses – who had been born a Hebrew
slave, became a pampered Egyptian prince, a murderer, and then a
desert tribesman who led the Nation of Israel out of slavery. You
might have heard of him from the Ten Commandments or the parting
of the Red Sea.
To: Genesis is a part of what’s called the
“Pentateuch” which is a fancy name for the first five
books of the Old Testament. In the Jewish faith it would be called
the “Torah.” This is a Hebrew history book written for
the Jewish people covering from the creation story through the Nation
of Israel preparing for their exile as told in the following book
Exodus.
Re: Moses wrote this book wanting to remind the
Nation of Israel where they came from so that they could understand
where they were going. Through stories of many people who loved
and quarreled, believed and doubted, married and had children, experience
sin, consequence and grace, Moses traces their roots to a single
family and even back to the foundation of the planet.
This passage tells the story of God holding the people of Sodom
accountable and it very clearly shows the consequences of their
rebellion and persistent sinful lives.
Common Misunderstanding: God destroyed the city
of Sodom because of homosexuality.
Truth: The men of the city of Sodom wanted to
commit a brutal, homosexual gang rape. We simply cannot condemn
a sexual orientation because of a rape. There is a heterosexual
rape described in the Judges 19:1-30. Shall we condemn heterosexuality
because of that rape? This passage clearly teaches us that rape
is evil and certainly not an acceptable form of God’s idea
of sex.
2nd & 3rd passages: Leviticus 18 & 20 Specifically 18:22
& 20:13
Take time out to read it > 12
Now look behind the scenes >
From: By the time he wrote Leviticus, Moses’
attitude toward God had moved from ignorance and terror to fascination
and love. He had tried being a brave freedom fighter on his own
terms and had ended up committing murder – oops. When those
utopian fantasies were far behind him and he only wanted to be left
alone to raise sheep for his father-in-law. God sent him to be his
people’s great liberator but this time on God’s terms.
To: Leviticus (when translated means “The
LORD spoke”) is the 3rd book of the Pentateuch, and is also
known by the name it is given by Jewish rabbis, "the Priest's
Manual." Moses was writing to the people of Israel and specifically
their priests.
Re: Leviticus is a narrative pause in the story
of the Israelites on their way, saved out of Egypt, settling in
the land of Canaan. God literally sets in place a very detailed
moral standard of do’s and don’ts for His people. Magic
was popular in their day. Casting spells was a common thing in their
culture. In Canaan, where the Israelites were heading, things were
even more heathen (sinful). Canaanite gods liked having orgies that
included male-male sexual idol worship and they also liked having
children sacrificed to them. This book would become a direct guide
for God’s people challenging them to live a life of holiness.
These two scriptures Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 are explicitly
against sex between two men for the sake of idol worship. They are
also just a glimpse of a very detailed, very long list of laws found
in the Levitical Law which also contains approximately 600 other
laws like “don’t get tattoos, don’t sacrifice
your children to false gods, don’t have sex with a close relative
or animals, and don’t trim your beard.” While these
things might seem like silly rules, God wasn’t being nit-picky.
He wanted His children to be holy and set apart from the heathen
people of Canaan and not to fall into their idol worshipping ways.
So why don’t we keep all of these holy laws? That’s
just it – they were laws set in place for a certain people
in a certain cultural situation. These were a people without a government
at that time. Thousands of years later – our culture has changed
completely and so have our laws. For instance, our laws today say
that you shouldn’t have multiple wives; that tattoos are legal
for those over 18; and that it’s okay to be homosexual. Also
as the New Testament shows us, Jesus came to fulfill the law and
to sum up the entire law in a single command: 'Love your neighbor
as yourself.'
Galatians 5:13-14 (New International Version)
13. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your
freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another
in love. 14. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love
your neighbor as yourself.”
Common Misunderstanding: All male-male sex is
condemned by God.
Truth: These men were celebrating their false
gods and worshiping them with promiscuous sexual acts. These passages
clearly teach us to be set apart and be different from the world.
We should live holy lives before God and not have male-male sex
for idol worship.
Those are the three areas in the Old Testament that address same
sex sinful acts. Let’s look into the New Testament.
