In 2015, the USA Supreme Court and public opinion decided that homosexual marriage was legal and that homosexuality was ethically good and right. However, Scripture says something quite different.
Homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible. In the Old Testament, God calls homosexual conduct an abomination (Lev 18:22; 20:13). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul says that homosexual conduct is the behaviour of the unrighteous and invites the wrath of God (Rom 1:18–32; 1 Tim 1:8–11).
The current article (Part I) will focus solely on what the Bible says, with special attention to the New Testament. Part II will respond to the argument put forward by the UCA, which believes homosexual marriage is ethically good and right in the eyes of God.
Importance of the Topic
Without a doubt, one of the most significant, divisive, and impactful cultural shifts in the West over the past two decades has been the attitude toward homosexuality. Initially considered a sin by almost everyone in the West for centuries, public opinion regarding homosexuality has been changing as evidenced through movies and television shows that present homosexuality and homosexuals in a sympathetic and likeable light. In 2015, the USA Supreme Court and public opinion decided that homosexual marriage was legal and that homosexuality was ethically good and right.
In 2015, with the clear cultural shift toward viewing homosexuality as ethically good and right, the line had been drawn and churches in the West had to decide whether they would be counter cultural by continuing to teach that homosexuality was a sin or side with popular culture and teach that God approved of homosexuality and homosexual marriage. Currently the church in the West is split on the issue. Some denominations like the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) sided with culture. Other denominations like Southern Baptists (SBC) maintained the traditional opinion that any form of homosexuality was sin, including homosexual marriage. Further, many Christians are split on the issue with many older Christians holding to traditional beliefs and many younger Christians siding with culture, regardless of denominational opinion or affiliation.
The split in the church on the issue of homosexuality raises the question about what the Bible says about it and (just as importantly) whether Christians should follow the Bible’s teaching or not. As will be seen below, the decision one makes regarding homosexuality has eternal implications.
Homosexuality in the Old Testament
It should first be noted that all of the below passages refer to homosexual sex, not homosexual relationships or marriages. In the Old Testament, marriage is only between a man and a woman (see my post on biblical marriage). Further, in the Old Testament men can be friends with men and women can be friends with women, but there can be no sexual dimension to the relationship.
God’s Explicit Thoughts about Homosexuality (Lev 18:22; 20:13)
There are two Old Testament passages that explicitly state God’s thoughts about homosexuality: Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.
Leviticus 18:22 is part of the larger passage Leviticus 17:1–18:30 where God warns the Israelites not to act like the surrounding nations, especially Egypt from where they came and the nations in the land of Canaan to where they are going (see Lev 18:1–3, 24–30), and where God instructs the Israelites on how to act and behave as His people. As such, the command against males laying with males (homosexual sex) is something that people of other nations do and is not something that God’s people should do. Indeed, God says that homosexual sex and the other abominations mentioned in Leviticus 18 make a person unclean and are the reason that he is punishing the other nations: (QUOTE) “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants” (Lev 18:24–25).
Leviticus 20:13 is part of the larger passage Leviticus 19:1–24:23 where God explains how his holiness is to be worked out in the lives of his people, the Israelites. If an Israelite is to be holy as God is holy (Lev 20:26; cf. 1 Pet 1:14–16) and if an Israelite wants to remain in the land that God has given him (Lev 20:22), then he must not engage in homosexual sex.
What is of further interest in both of the above passages is that God labels homosexual sex an “abomination.” An abomination is something offensive and foreign to God and his ways that makes one unclean. Further, because God is immutable (unchanging), what he considers an abomination never changes. Scripture confirms this in that nowhere throughout the Old or New Testament is homosexual sex spoken of in a positive light. It is always treated as abominable. Thus, even though Christians are not Israelites, since God always considers homosexual sex an abomination, even today, Christians should not engage in homosexual sex because it is a sin and an offense to God.
Narratives Involving Homosexuality (Gen 19:1–22; Judg 19:22–30)
The first Old Testament narrative that involves homosexuality is the story of Lot in Sodom. God reveals to Abraham that he will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin (Gen 18:16–33). Two angels then enter Sodom and stay with Lot (19:1–3). Before the angels go down to sleep, all of the men of Sodom come to Lot’s house and demand he bring out the two angels (who they think are men) so that “we may know them,” which means so that they may have homosexual sex with them (19:4–5). The men of Sodom to do not relent trying to get the angels in order to have sex with them until the angels strike them blind (19:6–11). Thus, all of the men of Sodom prove they are sinful and wicked by their attempted homosexual rape and prove God right in destroying the city along with Gomorrah (19:12–29).
The second Old Testament narrative that involves homosexuality is the story of the Levite and his concubine in Judges 19, which is one of the most horrific narratives in the Bible. A Levite and his concubine were on a journey from Bethlehem to Ephraim and stopped in the city of Gibeah, which is in the land of Benjamin (Judg 19:10–15). Once in Gibeah, an old man invited the Levite and his concubine back to his house (19:16–21). Upon arrival, the men of the city of Gibeah who are described as “worthless fellows” approach the house and demand that the Levite be brought out to them so that “we may know him” (19:22), which is the same euphemism for homosexual sex as in Genesis 19:4–5. The old man tells the Gibionites not to act wickedly, but they persist (19:23). In the end, the Levite pushes his concubine out the door and the men of Gibeon rape her to death (19:23–30). As a result of the Gibionites’ wickedness, the rest of Israel goes to war with the tribe of Benjamin (20:1–48).
Both of the above narratives are clear that homosexual sex is an act of wickedness and those who attempted to engage in homosexual sex were killed. Although the New Testament does not comment on the Judges narrative, it does comment on the events in Sodom, claiming that the men who were killed were “ungodly” and engaged in “the sensual conduct of the wicked” (2 Pet 2:6–8). Because 2 Peter, which is addressed to Christians, labels the homosexual desires of the men of Sodom as wicked conduct of the ungodly, one can conclude that homosexual sex is still wicked conduct of the ungodly in the Christian era. Thus, Christians should not engage in homosexual sex because it is a sin of the ungodly.
Homosexuality in the New Testament
There are three passages in the New Testament that speak explicitly toward homosexuality: Romans 1:18–32, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, and 1 Timothy 1:8–11. We’ll treat these three passages in reverse order because they get progressively more detailed, giving us more information on the Bible’s perspective of homosexuality.
1 Timothy 1:8–11
In 1 Timothy 1:8–11, Paul claims that the law “is not laid down for the just” (1:9). Rather, the law is laid down for the types of people listed in verses 9b–10 who are the opposite of “the just” (also translated “a righteous person”). Included in the list of those who are not righteous are homosexuals, those who engage in sexual activity with people of the same sex. Further, Paul ends the paragraph with the claim that the legitimate use of the law in that it is intended for the non-righteous person is “in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted” (1:11).
Thus, homosexuality is behaviour of the unrighteous as confirmed by the law in accordance with the gospel. In short, those who have been justified, that is, declared righteous through repentance of sin and belief in Jesus should not engage in homosexual behaviour; nor should the person who has been justified engage in any of the other behaviours mentioned in 1:9b–10.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11
Paul begins this short passage with the clear statement that “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9).[1] Paul then proceeds to list who makes up the unrighteous in verses 9–10, which includes “men who practice homosexuality,” and ends the list by restating that those listed will not inherit the kingdom of God. Thus, Paul has clearly declared that men who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul ends the passage by stating that the Corinthian believers were the type of people listed in verses 9–10 (the unrighteous), but they have now been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit (v 11), indicating that Christians do not engage in the activities listed in verses 9–10, including homosexuality.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 is part of the larger passage 1 Corinthians 5:1–6:20. 1 Corinthians 6:1–8 is a parenthetical statement that picks up on Paul’s claim that the Corinthian believers are supposed to judge those inside the church (5:12). The linguistic connection of “to judge” (κρίνω) is present in 5:12 and throughout 6:1–8. 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 picks back up on the main topic of sexual immorality that spans 5:1–6:20. This is evident because all the vices mentioned in 5:11 are restated in 6:9–10, plus some additional ones. Further what is said about sexual immorality in chapter five is present again in 6:9–10.
Thus, 1 Cor 6:9–11 picks back up on the main topic of sexual immorality, which continues to the end of chapter 6. This is important because 1 Corinthians 5 is not about social status, but about the evilness of sexual immorality (πορνεία) and how it negatively infects the whole body. Paul’s focus is how sexually immoral acts are evil and unrighteous in and of themselves, which is why a person is barred from the kingdom of God for practicing them (1 Cor 6:9).
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 is clear that those who have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit (i.e., Christians) are not to engage in homosexual behaviour because those that do will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 1:18–32
Romans 1:18–32 is a dense passage to say the least. In order to properly understand Paul’s comments about homosexuality in verses 26–27, we need to first understand the structure and the main argument of the passage.
Romans 1:18–32 can be divided into three sections:
- Thesis: God’s wrath is now being revealed against the ungodly and unrighteous (Rom 1:18).
- Justification that the ungodly and unrighteous deserve God’s wrath (Rom 1:19–23).
- The wrath of God upon the ungodly and unrighteous revealed (Rom 1:24–32). God hands them over to
- Impurity (Rom 1:24–25)
- Dishonourable Passions (Rom 1:26–27)
- Depraved Intentions (Rom 1:28–32)
As can be seen, Romans 1:18–32 is about God’s wrath being poured out upon the ungodly and unrighteous in the era after Jesus’ resurrection of which we today are a part (see Rom 1:1–17). God’s wrath is evidenced in that he hands the ungodly and unrighteous over to impurity (v 24–25), dishonourable passions (v 26–27), and depraved intentions (v 28–32).
The second thing that God hands the ungodly and unrighteous people over to is dishonourable passions, which results in perverse sexual relations (v 26–27). One of the results of being handed over to dishonourable passions is homosexual conduct, both female homosexuality (v 26b) and male homosexuality (v 27). Both forms of homosexual conduct result in punishment: “receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (v 27b).
The claims that (1) women exchanged “natural relations” with men “for those that are contrary to nature” (v 26b), (2) men gave up “natural relations” with women for men (v 27), and (3) men “committed shameless acts with men” (v 27) includes any sexual act between two people of the same sex.
The implications of what Paul says about homosexuality in Romans 1:18–32 are astronomical and rarely discussed. Note the following:
- Practitioners of homosexuality are considered ungodly and unrighteous.
- Practitioners of homosexuality are under the wrath of God right now.
- Churches and denominations that affirm homosexuality have suppressed the truth about God.
- Churches and denominations that affirm homosexuality are worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator. By doing that which God clearly says is wrong, churches and individuals opt to serve themselves (the creature) rather than God.
- Churches and denominations that affirm homosexuality are bringing the wrath of God upon their people; they are not leading their people to salvation. The affirmation of sin is not the way to salvation. Repentance of sin is the way to salvation.
Thus, Romans 1:18–32, especially verse 26–27, claims that homosexuality is a sign that God’s wrath is upon the person engaged in homosexual behaviour, who is considered ungodly and unrighteous; it is a punishment in that God has given you up to your dishonourable passions.
Summary and Concluding Remarks
Homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible. In the Old Testament, God calls homosexual conduct an abomination (Lev 18:22; 20:13). Further, all those who practice or attempt to practice homosexual conduct are killed (Gen 19:1–22; Lev 20:13; Judg 19:22–30). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul says that homosexual conduct is the behaviour of the unrighteous (1 Tim 1:8–11), that men who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9–11), and that engaging in homosexual conduct is a sign of God’s wrath upon the ungodly and unrighteous in the Church age (Rom 1:18–32).
Because the New Testament is clear that disciples of Jesus, who are members of the church, citizens of the kingdom of God, and those under the New Covenant, should not engage in homosexual conduct of any kind, modern Christians who believe the Bible has authority over their lives should also not engage in homosexual conduct, because modern Christians are also disciples of Jesus, members of the church, citizens of the kingdom of God, and under the New Covenant.
To read my response to Christians who say homosexuality, specifically homosexual marriage, is NOT a sin, click HERE.
[1] It should be noted that the term “the unrighteous” (ἄδικος) is the antonym of the term “the just” (δίκαιος) in 1 Timothy 1:9.