The Bible on Homosexuality

There are some basic arguments that like to be floated against the view that homosexual behavior is a sin. They deserve a response.

1. "Jesus never said it."

The argument from absence is a stunning argument. What Jesus said, according to Scripture, was more than could be recorded (John 21:25). But "Jesus never said" is a horrible argument. Patently clear, for instance, Jesus never said that it was wrong to rape and murder little children for sport. No one would dream of arguing, "Well, Jesus never said it, so it must be okay." But the fact that no one makes such an argument is simply an indication that this whole objection is a "pick and choose" approach. They will hold to what "Jesus never said" if they agree and discard what "Jesus never said" if they disagree ... which makes their own agreement or disagreement the final arbiter of what is and isn't right.

2. "It's not clear."

This takes various forms. Similar to #1, it suggests that Jesus never said it and it's just not very clear in the Bible. "You know," they will say, "the Bible only talks about it in a very few places." The "very few" varies, depending on what they will accept. There is no doubt that Lev. 18:22 and Lev. 20:13 discuss the behavior. And Romans 1:26-27 seem abundantly clear. All of these have the good grace to avoid the term, "homosexual". Why "good grace"? Well, because the term has come to mean something different in the last 50 years or so. Since the 1970's the push has been on to make "homosexual" a definition of a person -- "sexual orientation" -- rather than a particular interest, something that doesn't define a person. "Homosexual" has become something you are rather than something you do. Despite the glaring lack of scientific evidence, "homosexual" has moved from an act (which the Bible and I are referencing) to a way of life, a birth condition, indeed, an entire culture of its own. So the three passages avoid that pitfall by not even using the word. They reference the act -- two people of the same gender lying together as two people of opposite gender normally would. And they are not unclear.

As for the other references, most modern Bibles use the translation, "homosexual" (in its various forms). So right off the bat, 1 Cor 6:9-10 is in trouble because of the use of the term, as is 1 Tim 1:10. These reference the arsenokoites. The word comes from two Greek words. The first is arsen, meaning "male", and the second is koites. On the face of it, the term means "a bed", but it is seldom used in that sense alone. Instead, it references the marriage bed, a place of cohabitation (either sinful or not). Examples would include Rom 9:10, Rom 13:13, and Heb 13:4. As such, the Greek dictionaries define arsenokoites as "one who lies with a male as with a female." So, however you want to slice it, there is more than one reference to the practice, and no matter how you want to define it, they aren't unclear.

"Oh," some will then say, "it's clear, but it isn't referencing all homosexual behavior. It's referencing ritual cult behaviors -- the pagan practices of cult prostitutes." While this seems to be an affirmation that it's clear, it is accomplished by claiming that all of Christendom from the beginning until now failed to comprehend the clear meaning of the passage. That's a problem. Still, is that what it means? That's really hard to hold if you read the texts in context. Look, for instance, at the context of Lev 20. What we have is a whole series of relational rules, not religious rules. These cover adultery, all manner of incest, "if a man lies with a male as with a woman", and bestiality. If we are going to take verse 13 where it lies and say, "Well, that is talking about ritual pagan practices", then we're going to have to do the same with the rest of the text. Nothing in the context of the passage references anything pagan at all. Indeed, it seems a huge leap from "adultery" and "incest" and "bestiality" to "ritual pagan practices". It just doesn't fit. Now, Lev 18 might allow this little dance since verse 21 references sacrificing children to Molech (obviously a ritual pagan practice), but it is still not in comfortable context there and it has no such context in chapter 20. Of course, the passage on the topic in Romans 1 completely ignores anything pagan or ritual. The context is the decline of mankind into deeper depravity, not simply ritual pagan practices. The context ends with a rather lengthy description of the depths of the evil:

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless (Rom 1:29-31).

Feel free to tack on "in terms of ritual pagan practices", but do so with the admission that neither the text nor the context supports it. No, it references all types of sin and is not in any way limited or connected to pagan practices. Instead, Paul is talking about mainstream sin.

I skipped right over the other problem here. The claim that it's not as clear as it appears to be has a basic requirement built into it: "All of Christendom from the beginning until now failed to comprehend the clear meaning of the passage." The accusation is not small, nor is it minor. It isn't even merely an accusation against Christendom. Jesus said His Spirit would lead His disciples into all truth. While Church history has had some twists and turns in various interpretations and translations of various texts and doctrines, this one has never been in question. The accusation, then, is that the Church has failed until the glorious end of the 20th century to figure this stuff out, and the Holy Spirit is the main culprit because He just never could get through to His people what was meant despite all their efforts to properly understand the intent of Scripture. So either we're talking about a colossal failure on the part of God and His people, or we're talking about a massive arrogance on the part of those who claim, "You've never got it right for 2000 years, but we have finally figured it out!"

3. "That's Old Testament. Are you going to favor other Old Testament laws?"

Since two of the primary references against "men who lies with a male as with a female" come from the Old Testament, this particular argument is choice. "Well, it says, that eating shellfish is an abomination. So are you going to hold to that?" "You know," they will argue, "it says you're not supposed to look at your wife naked when she's on her period (Lev 18:19). So are you going to hold to that?" It even seems to baffle those who hold that homosexual behavior in all its forms is sin. The reason this seems to cause problems is that many Christians have decided to scuttle the Old Testament. It's only here, in these last few moments as the Old Testament Law ship sinks beneath the waves, that they realize they left something they wanted on the deck. The problem is made worse because of the Old Testament penal system. "Hey, the verse you're looking at is Lev 20:13. Well, look at Lev 20:9. It says 'Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.' How many of us would survive under that rule?" Or, "Yeah, and it says that adultery carries the death penalty. Are you going with that, too?" So, with the willing discard of the Law and the apparent harshness of the Old Testament, many Christians end up with nowhere to stand. "Well, I still think it's a sin; I suppose I'll just have to be inconsistent here." Oh, no, they never say it ... that's just where they end up.

So let's take a look. First, this "It says this over here ... what are you going to do about it?" is an argument with a name. It's called "red herring". It does not address the basic discussion; it seeks to mislead. It doesn't offer a principle or a counter to the argument. It just seeks to take you down a rabbit trail. Don't go there.

Now, I need to point out that they're right in one aspect. Christians who want to claim that homosexual behavior (or incest or adultery or sexual immorality or bestiality or the rest) are sin while discarding the Old Testament are treading on stormy waters. It is inconsistent to say, "Well, I think that this stuff that I think is sin is still sin, but that stuff that I no longer think is sin is not." Indeed, it should sound familiar. It's the same argument as the "Jesus never said" folk, but from your own side. You have become the final arbiter of morality. So be careful in what you pick and choose.

I hold that the moral law of the Old Testament is still in effect. Clearly, we are not under a theocracy, so the civil requirements (the punishments) are not in our hands. I am not going to suggest the death penalty for either homosexual behavior or adultery ... or cursing one's mother and father. On the other hand, I would hold that the moral values the Old Testament encompassed are still God's view on morality. Thus, He is still opposed to adultery, bestiality, rape, murder ... and "men who lie with a man as with a woman." So I would hold that nothing has changed in the area of morality, and that, to God, men who lie with men are an abomination. (I mean, seriously, do you figure God changed on that? "Yeah, I used to hate it, but it's kind of growing on Me now. Hmm! I guess I was homophobic." Let's get real.)

There are other opposing arguments, but most either don't address the question (as in emotional responses) or they do not address Scripture. The most popular I've seen is the one that allows the world to define right and wrong and then forces that on the pages of the Bible. "Well," they seem to say, "since it's okay with a majority of folk today, the Bible can't be opposed to it." And, to be consistent, they do this with other matters. Did you know that there are websites devoted to arguing that fornication, adultery, wife-swapping, and such are all acceptable Christian behaviors? Well, of course they are ... if your measure is "What we deem acceptable today." I mean, I've actually heard it argued that "Bestiality is still a sin because it violates the animal's free will." What??!! So ... if an animal is willing, it's okay? No, these are not biblical arguments. As such, they deserve to be addressed, but not here. The Bible isn't unclear. Anyone with any clarity knows this. It takes real work to move off that mark. And then, having shifted off the clear and unequivocal, they will say, "Well, it's your responsibility to prove your point!" No, we didn't move. Unfortunately for people engaged in homosexual activities, there seems to be no shortage of hard working people who are willing to take on God and His clear Word in order to convince them and the world that this sin that God called an abomination is really okay. Really, that's not doing anyone any favors.