Some false teachers act as if it is a toss-up, offering self-refuting falsely humble lines about how both sides are just expressing an opinion and that we can’t be sure, and that it is bad to have certainly about your position. But does the mere existence of multiple viewpoints mean the case isn’t clear?
What is interesting is that of the three types of pro-gay theology – all of which are wrong — only one claims that we are misunderstanding the text. The other two concede what authentic Christians and even most atheists and other non-believers know, namely that it clearly defines homosexual behavior as sinful.
Type 1: The Bible is either not the Word of God, or most parts of it aren’t. This view claims that we can ignore the prohibitions against homosexual behavior because they were written by homophobic Jews.
Type 2: The Bible is the Word of God, but it doesn’t really say homosexual behavior is wrong. This view holds that people just aren’t reading the Bible properly, and that God’s Word is actually affirming of gay relationships.
Type 3: The Bible is the Word of God and does clearly and emphatically describe gay behavior as sinful. However, the Holy Spirit has given additional revelations such that this behavior is now acceptable. This view holds that God has changed his mind on this moral issue and not only is it now acceptable, but it is sinful if you don’t affirm this behavior and same-sex relationships.
I don’t know the precise percentages of people in each group. Sometimes they shift between categories in a contradictory attempt to make their case. In my experience the first group is the large, the second is next and then the third. No matter how you slice it, two of the types concede what the Bible really says.
Then add to that how most atheists agree that the Bible says that homosexual behavior is sinful. I realize they don’t have the gift of the Holy Spirit, but many things are plain from the text.
So you have all the Bible-believing Christians plus two out of three types of pro-gay theologians plus most atheists all agreeing that the Bible says that homosexual behavior is a sin. Should you listen to them or to the pro-gay theology subset that insists that Jews misunderstood the issue for 2,000 years and then the Christians for another 2,000 years?
The Bible is very, very clear. Don’t be fooled into thinking it isn’t.
- 100% of the verses addressing homosexual behavior denounce it as sin in the clearest and strongest possible terms.
- 100% of the verses referring to God’s ideal for marriage involve one man and one woman.
- 100% of the verses referencing parenting involve moms and dads with unique roles (or at least a set of male and female parents guiding the children).
- 0% of 31,173 Bible verses refer to homosexual behavior in a positive or even benign way or even hint at the acceptability of homosexual unions.
See Responding to Pro-Gay Theology for concise yet thorough replies to the common objections to the text.
Aside from the Bible, consider how atheist countries like the former U.S.S.R., China, etc. all consider marriage to be between one man and one woman and hold that homosexual behavior is wrong. Then add in the Buddhists, Hindus and especially the Muslims.
What always stikes me with regard to this conversation was that even if their weren’t clear prohibitions against homosexuality in the Old and New Testaments, the mere fact that God created us ‘man and woman’ and that Jesus placed such emphasis on fidelity in marriage should be sufficient for any Christian (nominal or otherwise) to reject the position that homosexuality is a suitable sexual alternative.
Jack,
While you are 100% correct, there is a certain “Christian” proponent who goes from blog to blog arguing that marriage is never restricted to male/female in the Bible, and he agrees that marriage is important, etc. When these guys make things up like this, no rational discussion will persuade them.
Gosh. I wonder to whom Glenn refers?
The most recent attempt is to try to get us to admit that it is possible that we might be wrong. It is considered arrogant and pride to insist that we know with certainty what is so plainly revealed on this issue.
But to pretend, for we must pretend we could be wrong when it is perfectly clear that we can’t be, to pretend allows them more room to carry on under that false pretense. If we are certain, then they are in sin and they don’t want that. They want their desires to be normal and blessed so that they can freely act upon them and believe they do not sin.
But they’ll have to wait until I’m dead, and the rest of us who stand for the truth are dead, so that they can all pretend their lie is truth.
Great comments all. For some reason, my shellfish post on the topic has been hit by a few recently and it amazes me how they try and use the same arguments to say that homosexuality is just fine and dandy. The recent visitor is trying to say that since the Bible condones slavery, it must be wrong about homosexuality.
You don’t need the Bible to see the perversion. It’ can be seen plainly enough simply through the physical anatomy of gender. There is absolutely no way, even through a child’s eyes, of mistaking the normal, natural, design and complimentary attributes between man and woman. As with all perversions, you can’t explain the perverted behavior apart from, or except in contrast to the norm or natural. Hence the definition … perversion. Hence the behavior… perverted.
quite a few of my friends are gay. I am not. But knowing them, i know with all my heart they were born – created – gay. It is not something they chose to be.
God is LOVE. God loves all of us. How could He not love people HE created gay?
God wants US to love one another. Treat one another with love and acceptance.
I do not believe it is the right of any of us to judge any other person – only God. I do not believe it’s about whether their behaviour is sinful or not. Who of us is without sin?
The really Christian thing to do is love your neighbour. I love my gay friends, and they are beautiful and in some cases deeply Christian – more Christian than many so called Christians who have rejected them for their sexuality.
Fiona, thanks for visiting and commenting. I hope you will consider these comments carefully and review the original post. The question is whether the Bible is unclear on homosexuality, and I couldn’t see how you addressed that.
I’ve had a lot of gay friends as well. I don’t get in their face about it any more than I do that with the sins of heterosexual friends. But I also don’t teach that the sins of any friends are acceptable to God.
You “know” that with your “heart?” Emotions are nice, but not always a good way to make decisions. Please consider Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 – And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Please note how he links love with knowledge and discernment.
I encourage you to read some research on the causes of homosexuality. It is not genetic.
And even if they were “born that way,” it is a biblical concept that we are born with a sinful nature. We don’t get an “ought” from an “is.” Sadly, I’ve been really effective at coveting, pride and selfishness since I was little, but I don’t get a pass on those sins because I was “born that way.”
I mean this in a most serious and kind way: How much of the Bible have you read? Do you not see how you could apply that to any sin? Do you not see how seriously God treats sin? My #1 recommendation to anyone debating any topic on Christianity is to read the Bible more. All of it.
That argument assumes that homosexuality isn’t sinful, but it doesn’t explain why we should hold that view. Can you show me in the Bible where we are taught to accept any sin? How about 1 Corinthians 5?
But aren’t you judging me and others who hold the view that homosexual behavior is a sin (along with many other behaviors)?
But it is about whether the behavior is sinful. That’s the point of the discussion, and you’ve already claimed it isn’t sinful. But the burden of proof is on you to reason your case from the Bible.
The fact that we are all sinners doesn’t mean that we should encourage people to remain in sin.
Your love for your friends isn’t the Biblical love of having their long-term best interests at heart. If anyone teaches the opposite of the Bible then I don’t think it is correct to describe them as “deeply Christian.”
We don’t reject them for their sexuality, we love them enough to speak the truth. I urge you to read the Bible thoroughly and reconsider your views.
Some people say that against homosexuality has presented in general two places, whom are assumed condemning homosexuality as a sin. 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10 is Greek word arsenokoites, and according to some it doesn’t mean homosexuality. Some people say that meaning of arsenokoites is also unclear in the midst of Bible scholars. There are also people who claim that apostle Paul made up this word, because we can’t find this word from Greek texts before Paul.
All preceding claims are wrong and erroneous. Concept of arsenokoites is in Greek Septuagint text, which has been made about two hundred years before birth of Jesus Christ. The Jews translated Septuagint in Alexandria of Egypt, because the Jews were scattered and part of them merged to heathen languages and couldn’t speak and understand Hebrew. For this reason, the Jewish scribes translated the Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek (Septuagint).
Septuagint and the Greek word arsenokoites:
Lev 18:22 (Septuaginta)
kai meta arsenos ou koimeeteesee koiten gynaikos bdelugma gar estin
Lev 20:13 (Septuaginta)
kai os an koimeetee meta arsenos koiten gynaikos bdelugma epoieesan amphoteroi thanatousthoosan enokhoi eisin
Arsenos means male and koiten means bed. Lev 18:22 and 20:13 teach that a man cannot lie (sexual act) with another man as he lies with a woman. The origin of the word arsenokoites means homosexual activity and homosexual. Lev 18:22 and 20:13 prove very clearly that arsenos koiten means homosexuality sex, because the Jews scribes translated words’ arsenos koiten to describe men who have sex with another men (homosexuality), which is a sin and against the will of God. Apostle Paul didn’t make up the word arsenokoites, but it was already as the concept in the Old Testament, where it meant homosexuality.
It is very clear that the words’ arsenos koiten meant homosexuality (man who had sex with another man) to Jews of the Old Covenant era. In the same way arsenokoites meant homosexuality (man who had sex with another man) to Jesus’ disciples in the New Covenant era.
Jewish philosopher Philo lived in the same time as Jesus Christ and Philo has said that arsenokoites meant shrine prostitute (male temple prostitute), and not homosexual. Some people have made from this a conclusion that the word arsenokoites meant a male temple prostitute. Philo’s interpretation was totally wrong, because the Bible proves this undisputedly and shows that Philo erred.
De 23:17 There shall be no whore (gedeshah) of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite (gadesh) of the sons of Israel.
Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie (shakab) with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Lev 20:13 If a man also lie (shakab) with mankind, as he lieth (mishkab) with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Female temple prostitute is in Hebrew gedeshah and a male temple prostitute is gadesh. Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13 are Hebrew words shakab (lie, lie down and lie sexually) and mishkab (bed, lying down, lying down sexually).
Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13 doesn’t use temple prostitute word, but words in which is denied that a man can’t lie sexually with another man. Always when the Bible speaks for temple prostitutes, so the Bible uses words gedeshah and gadesh. If Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13 told for temple prostitutes, so verses would mention them, but there isn’t, because in those verses, the Bible forbids homosexuality. It is very clear and undisputable in the light of the testimony of the Bible, that arsenokoites means homosexuality.
The text of Septuagint translators disproves totally Philo’s false interpretation:
De 23:17 ouk stai porne apo thugateron israel kai ouk estai porneuon apo uion israel ouk estai telesphoros apo thugateron israel kai ouk estai teliskomenos apo uion israel (Septuagint De 23:17)
In the text of Septuagint appear words porne and porneuon, which describe temple prostitutes. Jewish Bible translators’ scholars didn’t use the word arsenokoites to describe temple prostitute. The testimony of the Bible is unambiguous that arsenokoites doesn’t mean temple prostitute, but homosexual.
Philo was pleased Greek, Stoic and Jewish philosophy, and for this reason he believed that literal interpretation of the Jewish Bible is stifled and too complex to be understood in literal human terms. Philo was a liberal theologian of his era, who distorted the teachings of the Bible by his own human wisdom. Philo’s testimony from the word arsenokoites is invalid and clearly against the teaching of the Bible.
Arsenokoites meant exactly what Jewish Septuagint translators meant, in other words, it means homosexuality and practicing of homosexuality, which is a sin according to the word of God (Bible).
1 Cor 6:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (malakos), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (arsenokoites),
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
The word effeminate is in Greek malakos, which means soft, effeminate, of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man, of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness, of a male prostitute. According to the word of God (Bible) homosexual act between a boy and a man is a sin, and male prostitution is also a sin.
Abusers with mankind is in Greek arsenokoiteen – arsenokoites, which means homosexual. This comes out also very clear from Septuagint as we have seen it before. Arsenokoites derives from words arrhen and koite. Arrhen means a male, and koite means a bed. The Bible brings up also in the New Covenant that homosexuality is wrong and a sin. The Bible brings up also very clearly that homosexual is a sin that is obstruction of salvation. Apostle Paul taught that homosexual is a sin as we can see clearly from 1 Cor 6:9-11.
The word of God (Bible) teaches very clearly that those people who live in sinful homosexuality (and unrighteous, adulterers, idolatries and so on) cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, unless if they don’t repent their sins and forsake their sins.
1 Cor 6:9-11 show for us also that in Corinth, some disciples had been homosexuals, but weren’t anymore, because they were sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible also proves in 1 Cor 6:9-12 that homosexually oriented males can change and forsake homosexual identity for heterosexual with the help of Lord Jesus. There are also testimonies of many ex-gays who have received salvation in the Lord Jesus, and forsaken homosexuality and turned to heterosexual persons.
Reference; http://koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/homosexual.html