(cont.) What does the Bible actually say about
homosexuality?
By Kori Ashton
Now look behind the scenes >>
From: Unlike the disciples who had traveled with
Jesus, Paul was an intellectual. He had been schooled by the rabbis
and had also been exposed to Greek logic. Before his miraculous
conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul (then known as Saul) had
been a persecutor of Christian. However, God revealed His Truth
to Paul radically changing his life and ultimately changing countless
lives as God told him to go witness to the Gentiles – that
means anyone who didn’t identify as a Jew. In all, Paul wrote
13 books in the New Testament that became premier documents of Christian
theology.
To: Just like the title suggests this is a letter
written to Romans – from Rome, Italy. Paul had never even
seen Rome when he wrote to the several hundred Christians there.
He had met a few of them traveling through other cities, but he
wanted to introduce himself and his thinking to those who had only
heard the gossip about him. Some of them were Jews who thought of
Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Many were non-Jews sorting out what
Jesus had to do with them. All debated how a follower of Jesus ought
to live, and they were eager to hear Paul’s account first
hand.
Re: Paul’s mind is so open to the wonderful
plan of God’s salvation for mankind. Throughout this letter,
Paul wrestles with questions about the role of Jews and Gentiles
in the plan of God, the relationship between grace and the Law,
the effects of Christ's death and resurrection, and even with his
own identity as a Jewish Christian and as God's apostle to the Gentiles.
In his effort to deal with these profound, thorny issues, Paul crafts
a very complex argument and presents to his readers a foundation
on Christian living and salvation as a gift of God that comes through
grace and through having faith in Jesus Christ.
In verse 24 we see that these people Paul describe have taken up
idol worship once again worshiping created things instead of the
One True God. The specific verses of 26 – 28 tell us that
“Refusing to know God” people became sexually confused
and began to abuse one another and defile each other. They were
filled with sinful lust and they had no love. The passage continues
to say that because of their disobedient hearts toward God, they
turned to murder and all sorts of hurtful things.
Common Misunderstanding: Same gender sex is a
sin.
Truth: Ignoring God leads to a downward spiral.
This passage clearly teaches us that any relationship outside of
God that is full of abuse and no love will destroy you.
Now look behind the scenes >>
From: This is another one of Paul’s 13 books
(letters) found in the New Testament. The more Paul came to grips
with Jesus the more he wanted to take the Message to the very “pagans”
he’d been raised to avoid. He asked God which parts of the
traditional law that he’d been raised in were moral absolutes
and which ones were cultural preferences that he could set aside
when relating to non-Jews like the Corinthians.
To: This is a letter to the church in the port
city of Corinth. This city was full of rich merchants and sailors
all looking for a good time. Corinth’s temple of Aphrodite
housed a thousand priestess-prostitutes. Corinthians had a reputation
in the ancient world as an unruly, hard-drinking, sexually promiscuous
bunch of people.
Re: As Paul began to share God’s truth with
them, the people of Corinth found salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ but they still had their old sinful and idolatrous ways about
them. So Paul wrote this letter challenging their moral standards
in hopes to bring them in line with God’s ways.
Paul seems frustrated at the church for their “higher-than-thou”
attitude toward God’s commandments. In this letter he included
other problems too like their attitudes toward the apostles (4:1-21),
incestuous behavior (5:1-5), and lawsuits between Christians (6:1-9).
Then Paul deals with other sexual sins (6:9-11). He talks about
the people who ignore God and abuse each other and how they will
not be a part of the kingdom of God. Homosexual is listed in among
adulterers, prostitutes and a few others.
This is the first time we see the actual word "Homosexual."
But if the word “homosexual” was added to the Bible
later – what was the original word used? There were two Greek
words mentioned in this Scripture malakoi
and arsenokoitai. Good luck pronouncing
those – and no one is definite about their meanings either.
There wasn’t a word in their dialect for homosexuality. They
are thought to have meant effeminate or male prostitutes. Could
this again be Paul referencing the cultic temple or shrine prostitutes
he had seen who had male-male sex for idol worship? It certainly
doesn’t reference a homosexual who has a heart for God and
follows His teachings.
In verses 16-20 Paul continues teaching on sex telling us that
sex is more than just skin touching skin. He asks them to consider
the concept of the “two becoming one” and how sex is
a spiritual mystery. He tells us “to not pursue any kind of
sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely
than ever – that kind of sex can never ‘become one’.”
This book also contains the “love chapter” (13) that
explains what love should look like and how we should love one another.
Common Misunderstanding: The Scripture uses the
label “homosexual” condemning anyone engaged in same-gender
sex.
Truth: We must not misuse our liberties in Christ.
This passage clearly teaches us that sex is a beautiful intimate
mystery designed by God and meant to be shared in a loving, committed
relationship. Other Scriptures tell us that sex should be only shared
in marriage.
Now look behind the scenes >>
From: Paul’s ministry was a team sport,
not a solo performance. He joined with Barnabas on his first missionary
trip and later took on other such as Silas and Luke. Timothy and
Titus helped train new believers and carried letters back and forth
between Paul, who was imprisoned several times, and the churches
his team had planted. Paul loved these guys like they were his own
sons.
To: This letter however was written to Timothy.
Timothy was raised with his Jewish mother’s religion, but
not circumcised in deference to his Greek father. An outsider among
both Jews and Greeks in his Galatian town, the teenage Timothy embraced
Paul’s news of Jesus, left home to travel with Paul, and even
endured circumcision to become fully Jewish. Ouch!
Re: Paul had charged Timothy to stay in a city
called Ephesus and become the leader of the church there. In this
letter we see Paul encouraging and guiding the development of just
such leadership. What he had learned so thoroughly himself, he was
now passing on, and showing them, in turn, how to develop a similar
leadership in local congregations. His consistent theme is Godly
leadership in the face of internal opposition.
In verses 8 – 10 Paul again addresses that people are ignoring
God and defying His authority. He lists several things that include
murderers, liars, and anyone who perverts sex. It depends on what
translation you read as to whether or not the word “homosexual”
is used but again the original Greek language doesn’t have
a word for this and the closest we can come to it in our modern
English is “male prostitute.” This would also be consistent
with Paul’s other writings referencing the temple male prostitutes.
Common Misunderstanding: The Scriptures use the
word “homosexual” here condeming anyone engaged in same-gender
sex.
Truth: Living as a Christian requires obedience
to God in all we do. Leaders especially must not assume to be above
God’s law. This passage clearly teaches us that we are in
need of moral guidance and that left to our own agenda we quickly
get off track.
Conclusion
The Bible is a beautiful, powerful collection of stories, letters
and poetry authored by human hands and inspired of God. In the Old
Testament Moses was used by God to give us the law that should,
as Christians, set our moral compass. After the birth, death and
resurrection of Jesus, Paul in the New Testament, shows us that
we have come into a “new day.” While we are to hold
the laws as God’s authority, we should now embrace salvation
through faith and grace – not works.
Nowhere in the Bible is a loving, committed same sex relationship
condemned or approved. While the Bible is silent on sexual orientation
(LGBT), it still remains our authority on sex. The Word of God teaches
very directly about sinful, abusive sex and challenges us to abstain
from those hurtful actions. It teaches us how we are to love each
other and to live our lives to please God.
Ultimately, Jesus longs for a relationship with us. That’s
why we were created. If the Word if God is silent on the subject
of homosexuality, why is the church so loud about it? Seems just
as in the Bible days the church, as a whole, still has their “higher-than-thou”
attitude and spends too much time in turmoil with each other.
Embracing the label of “Christian” should move us to
be a righteous example of God’s truth and challenge us all,
as believers, to get back to the basics of loving each other and
pursing Christ! We are surrounded every day with people who will
die never knowing Jesus as their Savior. Our passion should be to
live our lives as a daily example of God’s grace and redeeming
power, growing closer to Him as we follow His ways.
Resources: The Bible, The Message Bible, www.americanbible.org,
www.biblegateway.com
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REPRODUCE © 2009, Kori Ashton Postell |
