The Bible, Homosexuality, and a Christian Response – Part 7

Raphael, Paul in Athens, 1515

The Golden Rule and Common Ground

In discussing the Christian response to homosexuality, these articles have mostly been apologetic in nature. That is, I have been defending the biblical position against the position of liberal and revisionist theologians. I haven’t really talked much about what a Christian’s attitude should be when discussing the issue of homosexuality. I have mentioned the Golden Rule and the Greatest Commandment and I will reiterate those in this article. In the next few articles, I’m going to dig deeper into the ideas contained in the Golden Rule and the Greatest Commandment in light of what our attitudes should be when dealing with homosexuals.

As you will see, these ideas should be applied in our interactions with everyone. I’m not perfect. I get a little sarcastic and I get frustrated and I get angry. But our goal should be to apply the teachings of Christ to every area of our life.

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

– Matthew 7:12

The Golden Rule is memorized by church kids in Sunday school, it is taught by our parents. In fact, the Golden Rule appears in some form in pretty much every religion in the world.

Buddhism

Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.

– Udana-Varga 5,1

Islam

… and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

– Qur’an – Surah 24:22

Judaism

… thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself…

– Leviticus 19:18

Wicca

An it harm none, do what ye will.

– Wiccan Rede

It has been paraphrased: “Treat people the way you want to be treated.” Our parents taught us that to make friends, “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” A modern word is empathy. To the wise of all nations and religions, being nice to people just makes sense.

I’m not an ecumenical. Not by a long shot. I do not believe that all religions are essentially the same, I don’t believe that we are all going to the same place, nor do I believe that if you are sincere in your faith, everything will turn out alright in the end.

Areopagus (Mars Hill)
viewed from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece

I believe in the exclusivity of Christ and Christianity. That doesn’t mean that I can’t recognize similarities in various religious teachings and scriptures. Recognizing the similarities helps me to find common ground with people of other religions and that helps open the door to evangelism.

The apostle Paul did the very same thing when he preached. In Acts 17, we read of Paul witnessing to Greeks in Athens at a temple on Ares’ Rock (Greek Areopagus), more commonly known by the Roman title, Mars Hill which is just northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

²² So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵ nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷ that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

²⁹ Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰ The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

– Acts 17:22-31 (ESV)

Paul, rather than completely avoiding or shunning people of other religions, walked right into their midst. Rather than insulting them, he actually finds common ground with them by quoting their own philosophers and poets.

The men Paul was speaking to were probably Epicureans and Stoics. His very first quote is of a Roman Stoic philosopher, Lucius Annaeus Seneca “God… does not live in temples made by man.” Verses 25 through 27 are paraphrases of Seneca, verse 28 contains another direct quote of Seneca and the second quote is from the Phaenomena of Aratus, and then in verse 29, Paul paraphrases Seneca again.

Paul was trying to convince the Greeks that their worship of the “unknown God” was tantamount to idolatry. But rather than building his case on the Jewish or the relatively recent Christian scriptures, Paul built his whole case against idolatry from their very own religious and philosophical texts.

When talking with anyone, finding common ground is very important. It may not be that you are interested in the same things, but rather that you show that you take an interest in other people.

In sales, many people are taught F.O.R.M. to break the ice and build rapport. F.O.R.M. stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation (what do you like to do for fun?), and Mutual acquaintances. It’s not just for sales, it can be used in any conversation. Even if you are an introvert, you can have a pretty good conversation and get to know people based on these four things.

When you take an interest in people, you will find that common ground. When people see that you are interested in them, it humanizes you, makes you more approachable, and easier to talk to. It shows you actually care. It will be easier for you to explain your position to others and make it more likely that your position will be heard in spite of the possibility they may disagree with you.

The Bible, Homosexuality, and a Christian Response – Part 6

He Qi, Song of Solomon, 2003

Attraction, Lust, and Choice

In discussing homosexuality with fellow Christians, there often seems to be some confusion over the difference between lust and sexual attraction. Many seem to think that sexual attraction is rooted in lust. This isn’t a scriptural belief, but rather societal conditioning from centuries of teaching that sex is somehow a bad thing.

God commanded Adam and Eve to be “…fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” (Genesis 1:28 ESV). How could Adam and Eve fulfill that part of God’s commandment without sex? They couldn't. God created sex as part of His creation. At the end of His creation “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). If God created sex as part of His creation and then said it was very good, then sex is very good (disclaimer: individual experiences may vary).

Attraction and Lust: They’re Not the Same Thing

Behold, thou art fair, my love;

behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

– Song of Solomon 1:15

²⁷ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: ²⁸ but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

– Matthew 5:27-28

Throughout the Bible, we read of many people who recognize the beauty of the opposite sex. One could say they were recognizing their sexual attractiveness.

·         Abraham’s servant recognized the beauty of Rebekah (Genesis 24:16)

·         Jacob recognized Rachel’s beauty (Genesis 29:17)

·         David’s servants recognized the beauty of Abishag (1 Kings 1:3)

·         Ahasuerus recognized Vashti and Hadassah’s (Esther’s) beauty (Esther 1:11, 2:7)

·         Solomon wrote a whole song about the beauty of the Shulamite woman (Song of Solomon)

While each of these people had their flaws, God never criticizes them for noticing the attractiveness of the opposite sex. Even God inspired the writers of scripture to note the beauty of people.

·         Moses was called fair (Acts 7:20)

·         Saul was called goodly (1 Samuel 9:2) and his description could best be summarized as strapping and ruggedly handsome.

·         David was called fair (1 Samuel 17:42)

·         Tamar was called fair (2 Sam 13:1, 14:27)

·         Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were all described as having “no blemish” (Daniel 1:4) and being fair (Daniel 1:15)

Recognizing that a person is beautiful or good looking isn’t necessarily attraction. It would better be described as admiration. A person’s attractiveness can be recognized without there being any actual attraction.

There is more to attraction than just physical looks. It may begin there, but many times, a person may find a person physically attractive, but once they get to know that person, they find their personality to be offensive and are soon repulsed by them.

The opposite is also true. A person meets someone who would not meet the worldly criteria of attractiveness, but after getting to know the person, they become attracted to them based on their personality.

In both attraction and admiration, there is recognition of a person’s dignity and worth. Attraction and admiration don’t dwell on the sexual aspects of physical beauty. Instead, they notice physical attributes but focus on character. Attraction and admiration are both selfless acts.

Sexual attraction is absolutely the same way. Sexual attraction is a necessary part of procreation. Sexual attraction can happen as a result of physical appearance, but it can also happen in spite of it. Sexual attraction was created by God and is very good. It is beautiful.

¹³ Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴ but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

– James 1:13-15

Lust on the other hand is not good. Lust is selfish. Lust does not recognize the dignity or worth of another person. Lust looks at other people as simple objects to fulfill sexual desire. Lust may begin with sexual attraction, but it doesn’t become lust until a person dwells on the sexual nature of the attraction.

Because of the selfish nature of lust and the danger that lust could lead to a physical transgression, Jesus says lust and adultery are actually the same thing. James says that every man (that means every woman too) is tempted. Temptation by itself is not sin, but how we respond to the temptation determines whether or not we sin. The message of the whole Bible is that giving in to temptation is sin.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

– 1 Corinthians 10:13

Even Jesus was tempted, but He never sinned.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

– Hebrews 4:15

One person gave me a pretty good explanation of the difference between attraction and lust: “The first look is natural, the second look is sin.” Expanding on this idea though, imagine how you respond to meeting someone you find attractive. You find them physically attractive, your pulse quickens, you get a little nervous and blush a little. That is often a natural reaction. Where you cross the line is when you start to undress the other person with your eyes, think about what they look like when they’re undressed, and have sexual fantasies about them. That’s lust.

The natural recognition of beauty and the normal physical response isn’t sin, how we respond to our attraction is.

Attraction is not sinful. Lust is.

Homosexual attraction

Even though God designed mankind to have opposite-sex attraction, a minority of people find people of the same-sex sexually attractive. Even though it is outside of the norm, same-sex attraction in and of itself is not sinful. How a person responds to same-sex attraction determines sinfulness.

I have been harping on self-righteousness in these articles and this one won’t be any different. Just because same-sex attraction is outside of God’s original design, we can’t say that it is sinful any more than opposite-sex attraction is sinful. If a person has same-sex attraction and they recognize the dignity of people, but do not follow their attraction with lust or physical consummation, then same-sex attraction by itself is not sinful.

Where same-sex attraction becomes sinful is when it is followed by selfish acts of lust or physical consummation.

While there is still a debate over whether or not homosexuality is a psychological disorder, if we look at homosexuality from the perspective of a psychological disorder like depression, then we can’t say it is sin either. There are many reasons why people suffer from depression – it may be that they had some psychological trauma, it may be they are genetically predisposed because other family members suffer from depression, and it may be some environmental or situational issue that causes depression.

Some people go through therapy and are cured of depression. Some people can take anti-depressants to deal with depression. Then, there are others like myself, for whom therapy and medication don’t work, but they learn to manage it and live with it. Many are never delivered from depression or any other psychological disorders. Some of the most famous Christians in history dealt with severe depression – Martin Luther, William Carey, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon to name a few.

Whatever the case, we don’t – or at least we should not say that depression or any other psychological issue is a sin no matter what the cause. Just like many psychological disorders, the pathology of homosexuality is very complex. Just like many other psychological disorders, people may not ever be “cured” of homosexuality. Most attempts at a cure, like reparative therapy have been more psychologically damaging than helpful.

In a study conducted by Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law[1], 19 million Americans (8.2%) admitted to engaging in same-sex behavior at some point in their lives, 25.6 million Americans (11%) admitted to having some same-sex attraction. That would seem to confirm Alfred Kinsey’s estimate that about 10% of people engage in homosexual activity at some point in their lives[2]. However, the Williams Institute study also noted that only 3.8% of the population identify as lesbian or gay (1.7%), bisexual (1.8%), or transgender (0.3%). Based on this and other demographic studies it seems that just letting people be is the best way to “cure” homosexuality. The CDC National Health Interview Survey says the LGBT percentages are even less.[3]

Born That Way or Not?

Most people involved in the debate about homosexuality want to boil down the argument to one of two options – homosexuals are born that way or they choose to be that way. As I said in the first article, the debate is much more complex than that. Frankly, neither is true.

A lot of research has been done in this area. Some even go so far as to say that it has been proven that homosexuality has been proven to be a genetic, “born that way” trait. No research has really borne that out. At best, the results of the research into a genetic cause for homosexuality could be best summed up with: Maybe, but probably not.

A great article, called "This is the Way God Made Me"--A Scientific Examination ofHomosexuality and the "Gay Gene" was written by biblical apologist Dr. Dave Miller and Dr. Brad Harrub who is a doctor of anatomy and neurobiology. While the article was written more than a decade ago, it digs deep into much of the research that has been done on a possible genetic cause for homosexuality. Not much has changed or progress been made in the past decade.

Interestingly, geneticists who believe there is a “gay gene” don’t say that it is the only reason people are gay. Dean Hamer is a geneticist and a leader in the search for the “gay gene,” and he is also a homosexual. He said of the gay gene, “we already know that half or more of the variability in sexual orientation is not inherited. Our studies try to pinpoint the genetic factors, not to negate the psychosocial factors."[4]

In other words less than half of what determines if a person is gay is their genetic make-up. Some of it is determined by how we are raised, issues in our past, cultural issues, and more.

Even if homosexuality could be determined by genetics alone, nobody would say it is normal or normative, just like we don’t say other genetic abnormalities are normal. We don’t say that a person with Downs Syndrome is normal and we also don’t say they are sinful. We also shouldn’t shame people who are born with genetic disorders or disabilities.

¹ And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. ² And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? ³ Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

– John 9:1-3

There are some Christians who believe that if a woman gives birth to a disabled or malformed child that God is somehow punishing them. Sometimes, a woman’s health habits may contribute to birth defects such as those caused by the use of drugs, smoking, or alcohol. But many women lead completely healthy lives and still have children with birth defects, miscarry, or can’t conceive at all. It is an absolute fallacy to blame the parents’ sin for every birth defect, miscarriage or inability to conceive.

There are some Christians who believe that people who develop disabilities are being punished for something. Again, lifestyle choices may result in negative consequences. Sometimes, accidents happen. Sometimes, genetic traits don’t reveal themselves until late in life. I will allow that sometimes, these things might be a judgment from God. Often, though, it is allowed by God so that His power and glory can be revealed in the life of the person suffering with disability. Most of the time, disabilities are just the result of living in a fallen world. Remember Paul and his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7)?

Having followed the research into the possibility for a genetic cause for homosexuality, I can confidently say that the evidence does not support the “born that way” conclusion. There are some exceptions, but rather than disprove my point, they strengthen it. Sexual identity exceptions include gender mosaics where people are conceived with more than just XX or XY chromosomes. The most common form of mosaicism is what is called a trisomy (XXX, XYY, or XXY). Other exceptions would be hermaphroditism (people born with either both sets of human gonadal tissue) and pseudohermaphroditism (such as an XY male born with the physical appearance of a female).

These conditions are exceedingly rare and often do result in gender identity issues because their genders are ambiguous. These types of conditions are some of the reasons why gender identity discussions are way more complex than just an option of choice or born that way.

I provided some examples of people who say that they choose to be gay in my first article (link) in this series. Camille Paglia said, “There’s an element of choice in everything we do.” Cynthia Nixon was quoted as saying, “… for me, it is a choice.”

There are also many who identify as gay in their sexual orientation, but choose to live straight, even having heterosexual relationships. These relationships have been documented in Salon[5], the BBC[6], and TLC even created a reality show called My Husband’s Not Gay.

For most of us though, no matter what our sexual identity is, we don’t choose to be that way.

While there are some people who openly admit to choosing homosexuality, the majority of homosexuals didn’t wake up one day and say, “You know what? I really want to be a societal pariah and gosh, wouldn’t it be fun to be disowned by my family. I think I’ll be gay today.”

Many homosexuals struggle with their identity for years before coming out. By the time a person “comes out” they have struggled for so long, prayed, cried, and worried so much, they have no doubt they’re gay.

That’s why I say it’s neither a choice nor are people born that way.

Here’s the point: God never condemns us for admiring physiques or being attracted to people, even same-sex attraction. You absolutely will find no biblical support for condemning same-sex attraction. As long as the admiration or attraction is selfless and recognizes the other person’s human dignity, there is literally nothing wrong with that.

While God doesn’t condemn us for our attractions, He does hold us accountable for our thoughts and actions, which is why I encouraged gay Christians to pursue celibacy in my last article. I would add that it is also possible for gay men to have straight relationships too.

Christian, if the idea of someone of the same sex being attracted to you bothers you, too bad. There’s nothing you can really do about it. If you are heterosexual, a gay person knows it and is attracted to you anyway, you will probably never know it.

If someone does admit their same-sex attraction to you, or if they “come out” to you, don’t react in horror or revulsion. That’s self-righteous, selfish, hypocritical and not helpful in anyway. Instead, realize the trust that person has put in you. They are sharing something that is probably very private and personal to them.

I can’t emphasize it enough: remember the Golden Rule. Treat them how you would want to be treated. If you respond negatively, you will kill whatever chance you may have had to reach them for Christ. That ultimately is the goal. We shouldn’t be pushing for people to change from homosexuality to heterosexuality, but from unbelievers to believers. It may be that many if not most gay people will never be able to change.

As I was thinking about these issues, I ran across this article: What about gays needs to change?It may not be what you think! It is a great article written from a very conservative Christian perspective that gay people don't necessarily need to change.

Because of that article, I sent the following e-mail to several pastors:

I am polling several pastors about how they would handle this unique situation:

A person who admits to having a homosexual orientation or attraction comes to the church. The person says that they understand the Bible's position on homosexual conduct and have attended two reparative therapy courses, but could not overcome their same-sex attraction. For this reason, they have committed to celibacy and to avoid all romantic and sexual relationships.

Would you allow this person to become a member of your church and would you allow them to be involved in various ministries such as choir, sound, etc.

Thank you so much for you consideration and may God bless you.

The following is representative of many of the responses I have received.

Thank you for your email and question.

Every potential member must go through a "Membership Class" and then agree with our doctrinal statement. It is very clear regarding our position on homosexuality and the definition of marriage. If a potential member agrees to abide by our doctrinal statement, then yes, we would vote that person into the membership.

I know that kind of response isn’t what most homosexuals or LGBT activists want to hear. They would prefer that they be allowed to continue participating in homosexual conduct. That’s completely understandable. There are churches that will ignore or reinterpret scripture to fit that agenda and you can go to one of those churches. Just know that there are conservative churches, pastors, and Christians who want nothing more than to love you and for you to know that God loves you and wants to spend eternity with you.

I hate to end on a negative note, but I have to admit that there is still a lot of hate and ignorance in too many conservative Christian churches. Even in good churches such as the one I received the above e-mail from, you will likely run into hateful and ignorant Christians. Just keep in mind if you do try to find a church home in a conservative church that church is not a club for perfect people. Church is a hospital for sinners.

---

[1] Gates, Gary J. How Many People Are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender? Los Angeles, CA: Williams Institute, 2011. University of California Los Angeles.

[2] Kinsey, Alfred C., Wardell Baxter Pomeroy, and Clyde E. Martin. Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1948. 651. Print.

[3] Somashekhar, Sandhya. "Health Survey Gives Government Its First Large-scale Data on Gay, Bisexual Population." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 July 2014.

[4] Toufexis, Anastasia. "New Evidence of a "Gay Gene"" Time. Time Inc., 24 June 2001.

[5] Clark-Flory, Tracy. "“We Do Have a Very Good Sex Life”: Gay Men with Straight Wives Are Coming out — as Happily Married." Salon.com. Salon.com, 19 Apr. 2015.

[6] Derbyshire, Victoria, and Megan Bramall. "'I'm a Gay Man but Married a Woman' - BBC News." BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation, 22 June 2015.

The Bible, Homosexuality, and a Christian Response - Part 5

The New Testament

Today’s article is a long one and I don’t even really like the conclusion. I tried to break it into two separate parts, but I couldn’t do it in a way that made sense to me and still allowed me to post it today.

A couple of weeks ago I read a quote attributed to Leonardo DaVinci:

“L'arte non è mai finita, solo abbandonato.”

– Art is never finished, only abandoned.

It’s kind of a stretch to call my blog posts “art,” but it’s kind of how I feel about this post. And yes, I do see the irony of quoting DaVinci who some believe was homosexual.

Anyway, I’m probably not going to be posting again until Monday, so you have all weekend to digest this article. I appreciate all those who have taken the time to read these articles… or at least open them up and read a few words.

Today’s article primarily deals with the New Testament verses on homosexuality.

Romans

²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

— Romans 1:26-27

This is the first New Testament passage that refers to homosexual conduct and refers to both gay and lesbian activity.

There has been a lot of hemming and hawing regarding this passage among liberal scholars. The fact is that it does refer to consensual homosexual activity.

Some have proposed that this is referring to pagan temple prostitution. It is true that there were male prostitutes that other men frequented and that of course would have required homosexual activity. The language of this passage doesn’t support the interpretation that Paul is referring to pagan homosexual temple practices. Gay activists who say otherwise are interpreting this passage in light of their agenda.

Now Christian, before you go, “AHA! You see? God does hate fags!” You had better go take a very close look at Romans 2.

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

— Romans 2:1

Romans 1:26-27 is part of a list of things that offend God. That list begins in verse 18 and goes all the way to the end of the chapter in verse 32. In addition to homosexuality, it includes things like idolatry, other sexual sin, gossip, pride, arrogance, and on and on and on. Read that whole passage and then look at what Paul writes in Romans 2:1. He says, “who are you to judge when you are doing the very same things?!”

So when you wag your finger at a homosexual for violating God’s design for sex, don’t forget that you are a sinner too and you need forgiveness and grace just as much as a homosexual does.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

James 2:10

The message of the New Testament is that nobody can keep the law. Yes, the New Testament teaches us that we should aspire to the Moral Law, but we will fail. We all have secret sins that we deal with. For some it is gossip. For some it is alcoholism. For some it is pornography and sex addiction. And for some, it is homosexuality. Everybody is dealing with something, so nobody should be self-righteous about being heterosexual.

As I studied this passage in the context of the rest of Romans, I realized that Paul wasn’t pointing and wagging his finger at the people who were guilty of breaking the Moral Law. I came to the realization that Paul was writing this wagging his finger at people who are overly judgmental without realizing that they are guilty of many things too. He was wagging his finger at hypocrites.

This is kind of like what Jesus was talking about when he accused the Pharisees of condemning people and likened it to the Pharisees trying to pull a splinter out of someone’s eye when they have a beam in their own (Matthew 7:3-5).

Paul also wrote that he had struggles and failings of his own. In Romans chapter 7, Paul opens up about his constant struggles and failings. A lot of preachers like to put Paul on a pedestal. He did accomplish some amazing things in his life, but Paul preached in a way that knocked himself off the pedestal and put Jesus on it where He belongs.

Here’s the thing that a lot of Christians miss. Our attitude toward sin shouldn’t be yelling, screaming, disowning, or excommunicating. Our attitude toward sin in the lives of others should be a humble realization that we ourselves struggle with sin. When we do approach someone about suspected sin, it should be with the spirit of restoration.

Many churches don’t practice any kind of discipline these days. Of the ones that do, the biblical pattern for discipline isn’t followed. The biblical pattern is not about putting everyone’s dirty laundry on display for all to see, but rather it is about lovingly and humbly restoring those who have gone astray remembering that “all we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).

I’ve promised to deal with a lot of issues in the future. Hopefully, the biblical framework for church discipline will be one of them.

1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy

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, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 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.

— 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

⁸ But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; ⁹ knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; ¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

— 1 Timothy 1:8-11

In these passages, the phrases in question are found in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10. It is the phrase, “abusers of themselves with mankind” and “them that defile themselves with mankind”. Modern translations have translated these phrases in a number of ways. Some translate it the same way as the King James Translators did. Some translate it as “sodomites” which is incorrect, as I pointed out two days ago. Some translate it as “homosexuals” which is a better translation.

At issue is the Greek text. The whole phrase “abusers of themselves with mankind” comes from one Greek word, ἀρσενοκοῖται (arsenokoitai) which doesn’t appear in any other writings of the ancient world. This word appears two times in ancient Greek writing, evidently, and they are both here in these passages. Many liberal scholars and textual critics say they are confused over this word, but that seems strange to me. If a person has studied Greek to where they are considered a scholar or an expert, a simple etymological study would help to understand what Paul is trying to communicate.

The word arsenokoitai is a compound word combining “arseno”, meaning “man” and “koitai” meaning “to bed” and is a euphemism for “to have sexual intercourse with.” Koitai is where we get our modern word “coitus.” Thus, Paul coined a new word that literally translates to “men that have sex with men.” Since arsenokoitai is only one word, the most direct translation would be “homosexuals” which is fine because in ancient Greece, there were a lot of euphemisms for homosexuals, but no direct word that had that plain meaning.

Some have postulated that Paul is talking about men who were partaking of the pagan male prostitutes. Some have even said that the translation of the word μαλακοὶ (malakoi) which the KJV translates as “effeminate” may refer to the male temple prostitutes and the arsenokoitai were their clientele.

Malakoi is just the masculine of “soft” and is translated that way elsewhere in the bible. A man who was malakoi would be a soft man. Essentially weak. Since Paul doesn’t put a lot of spiritual stock in physical fitness despite being an athlete, Paul is not talking about a person who is homosexual or a prostitute, but a person who is morally weak. If Paul wanted to talk about male prostitution, he had several well-known words to choose from: Pornai, astynomoi, and hetera to name just a few.

When dealing with the word arsenokoitai, there is still one more piece of evidence to consider. Most Jews in the first century actually didn’t speak Hebrew. Even in Israel, Jews mostly spoke Aramaic. The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, so how would a Jew who didn’t speak Hebrew be able to read the Bible for themselves? By the second century BC, the common language of the Mediterranean and the Middle East was Greek. So, Jewish scholars translated the Bible into Greek. This Greek version of the Old Testament is known today as the Septuagint.

Paul, being trained as a rabbi under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), probably spoke Hebrew fluently, but his letters show that he was fluent in Greek too. That makes sense since he was a Roman citizen. Latin was used primarily in Rome and for official Roman business while Greek was used in everyday life and for regular business. That means that Paul would also be very familiar with the Septuagint.

Leviticus 18:22 (Septuagint):

καὶ μετά ἄρσενος οὐ κοιμηθήσῃ κοίτην γυναικείαν, βέλυγμα γάρ ἐστι.

Kai meta arsenos ou koimethese koiten gunaikeian, Belugma gar esti.

Leviticus 20:13 (Septuagint):

καὶ ὃς ἂν κοιμηθῇ μετά ἄρσενος κοίτην γυναικός, βδέλυγμα ἐποίησαν ἀμφότεροι· θανάτῳ

kai os an koimethe meta arsenos koiten gunaikos, Bdelugma epoiesan amphotroi Thauato

θανατούσθωσαν, ἔνοχοί εἰσιν.

Thanatousthosau, enochoi eisin.

In these verses, as the Rabbinical scholars translated them, the words arseno and koitai are used to translate “man” and “to sleep with.” Paul coined a brand new word. It was a word that joined two other words that would have been very familiar to a person who had been exposed to the Septuagint. Ultimately, arsenokoitai simply alludes to Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.

We have already dealt with those two verses, so I won’t revisit them. But before we move on, let me point out one more thing in these New Testament passages. Note again, that just like in Romans, homosexuality isn’t the only sin mentioned. There are a lot of other sins mentioned in the verses in these passages. But then look at 1 Corinthians 6:11. Paul says, “and such were some of you.” That’s past tense. There were people who had become Christians and joined the church at Corinth who were previously doing some of these very same things, but they had changed.

The rest of First Corinthians shows that there were still people struggling with a lot of other sins. Actually, they weren’t really struggling, they were enjoying their sin. The church wasn’t practicing any kind of discipline and one man was having an affair with his own step-mother. There was a lot of embarrassment over this. One of the reasons Paul wrote to the Corinthians was to get them to practice some church discipline and Second Corinthians shows us that they did.

The bottom line is that 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 are referring to homosexual conduct and condemn it. However twhen you compare Romans and 1 Corinthians 6:11, we can see that the bible also gives hope that people can change.

That being said, let me say this. God doesn’t always take away all of our struggles. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that he had a thorn in the flesh and asked God three times to heal him, but God never did. Paul records in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that Jesus revealed to him “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

In light of what Paul wrote in Romans, that the Romans were struggling with sin and Paul himself admitted to struggling with sin as well, it may be that some homosexuals will never, ever, ever be delivered from homosexuality in this lifetime. When a person examines the life of Paul and his writings, one can deduct that he was probably asexual and encouraged celibacy based on his own. However, he knew that marriage was designed by God and recognized its beauty and importance. In fact, Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:2 that one of the requirements for a person to be a pastor is that they be a married man.

While marriage was designed by God to be beautiful, Christ taught that celibacy could be beautiful too.

¹²For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

– Matthew 19:12

In some countries, the term eunuch referred to a man who had been emasculated. In the ancient world, some countries also used the term to mean a person who was in a position of government authority. An example would be the Ethiopian Eunuch mentioned in Acts 8 who was a servant of Queen Candace, although many scholars say he was a literal eunuch as well. When Jesus spoke of eunuchs, however, he wasn’t referring to either of those things. He was referring to people who remained celibate. There are those who were born asexual, there were some who were placed into positions that required them to remain celibate, and finally, there were people who became celibate to dedicate themselves solely to God’s kingdom work.

Celibacy is a good option for Christians who struggle with same-sex attraction. That’s a tough statement for gay people to accept and I understand that. As Jesus said, “He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” In other words, not everyone can receive it. Celibacy is a hard life to live. Contrary to what Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, and other prosperity preachers say, the call to holiness is not a call to a life of ease, and neither is the Christian life. Biblically, becoming a Christian means a blessed eternal life, but a hard life on earth.

The Christian life is a struggle. It’s a life of persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), and even sickness (2 Corinthians 12:7). In spite of all that, we can still have joy (Galatians 5:22). Even in the face of persecution (Acts 5:41), temptation (James 1:2), and sickness (2 Corinthians 12:9), a Christian can experience joy.

Biblical joy doesn’t depend on circumstance and it doesn’t mean that you constantly walk around with a syrupy smile on your face. Biblical joy means that we live our life with an assurance of salvation and eternal life beyond this world.

Popular street evangelist and preacher, Ray Comfort gives the illustration of a person in a plane with a parachute who is about to jump out because the plane is crashing. The person isn’t going to be very excited about being on a crashing plane. If the person is like me – afraid of heights, they really aren’t going to be excited about having to jump out of the plane. One thing is for sure, they are really grateful for the parachute. That’s pretty much what biblical joy is. We’re not happy about the trials we face, but we are happy that we have Jesus, salvation, and eternal life.

In an earlier post (Let’s Talk About Sin) I spoke briefly of repentance. I said that repentance is “…turning from unbelief to belief while simultaneously turning from sin to follow after righteousness…” Truly repenting means that you are in a struggling with sin to make righteousness and holiness your habit rather than giving in to sin. True repentance means that you are in the struggle to live righteously. The fact is that because all mankind have an inborn sin nature (Romans 5:12), no matter how hard you try to live righteously, you may sin less, but you will never be sinless.

Let me close with a passage from 1 John 1:

⁵This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: ⁷but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

– 1 John 1:5-10

There are two things we can conclude from this passage: 1. Everybody sins, even Christians, so we should never be self-righteous simply because we think our sins aren’t as bad as everyone else’s (Remember James 2:10); 2. When we sin, we should feel some guilt, but we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it. The guilt should move us to repent and rededicate ourselves to righteous living. We should ask for forgiveness, trust that these verses are true – that God will forgive us, and keep pursuing holy habits.

The Bible, Homosexuality, and a Christian Response - Part 4

Old Testament

In this article, I'm only going to look at the Old Testament commandments regarding homosexuality.

First I'll address Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 together.

²² Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

— Leviticus 18:22

¹³ If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

— Leviticus 20:13

To “to lie with” is a biblical euphemism meaning “to have sex with,” simple as that. These verses obviously condemn homosexual behavior and don’t give any other qualification.

Now some say that these verses are part of the holiness code which is part of The Law and since Jesus fulfilled the Law, we are no longer under any obligation to obey these verses. This objection reveals a misunderstanding about Jesus’ work on the cross for one, two, it shows a misunderstanding of The Law itself, and three, it ignores some very important facts contained within The Law.

¹⁷ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

— Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus did say that He came to fulfill the Law, but he also qualified that statement by saying that complete fulfillment wouldn’t be accomplished until “heaven and earth pass” (Mt 5:18). Obviously Heaven and Earth haven’t passed, so all the Law hasn’t yet been fulfilled.

The Law actually consists of three different kinds of law: Civil, Ceremonial, and Moral.

The first kind of Law is civil law. Much of this is pragmatic, cultural or directed specifically toward a Jewish audience. Things like dietary restrictions, clothing restrictions and so forth. A lot of restrictions were put on the Jews so they would be recognized as different from the countries surrounding them. They weren’t to blend in and adapt to cultures other than their own. Some of the civil restrictions had to do with the wanderings in the wilderness like the commandment not to wear clothes made from two types of fabric since that would cause the clothes to wear out quicker. When the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivities at the end of the 6^th century BC, many of the Jews wore all kinds of clothes of all kinds of materials and combinations. The civil law also deals with penalties for breaking other laws including the Moral Law.

The second kind of Law is Ceremonial law and deals with offerings, sacrifices, religious observances and so forth. The message of the New Testament is that these laws were fulfilled by Christ on the cross. He is our Passover Lamb, He is our Sabbath, He has carried our sin away like the scape goat on the Day of Atonement.

The third kind is Moral Law. The Ten Commandments are the basis for moral law in the Bible. Whenever the Bible speaks on issues that The Ten Commandments refer to, then that issue falls under the moral law. On the subject of homosexuality, the Commandment referred to is the Seventh Commandment.

¹⁴ Thou shalt not commit adultery.

— Exodus 20:14

When you study ancient rabbinical teaching, you discover that, according to Jewish thought, adultery in the Seventh Commandment referred to any kind of sexual conduct outside of a marriage between one man and one woman and not just marital infidelity. In other words, if you had pre-marital sex, you were also guilty of adultery. So, whenever you read laws about sexual conduct in The Law contained rest of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis through Deuteronomy), understand that you are dealing with Moral Law.

So are we under The Law or not?

In Acts 10, God reveals to Peter that believers are no longer required to observe dietary restrictions. In Acts 15, the Council of Jerusalem under the guidance of the Holy Spirit reveal that men are no longer required to be circumcised. When it comes to clothes, the New Testament mandate is simply modesty. But in the New Testament, we find that we are still prohibited from worshipping false gods, committing theft, murder, sexual sin, lying, and covetousness.

Some of the civil law also related to practices that were part of paganism like tattoos, piercings or shaving and braiding beards in different ways. I’m going to tell you right now that I won’t ever have a gauged ear and I probably won’t have a tattoo, but I won’t hold it against anyone who does do those things because frankly, in modern society, none of those things are associated with pagan religious practices anymore. Not to mention, the reason why beards are frowned upon in many evangelical churches despite the great hirsute preachers like Spurgeon and Moody has to do with facial hair being associated with rebellion in the 50s and 60s.

In other words, if you want to be clean shaven and have tattoos and piercings, knock yourself out.

Because of the general misunderstanding about how The Law works, Homosexual activists will claim that Leviticus 18 and 20 are part of the holiness code, so we are not bound by those laws anymore. The problem with that claim is that Leviticus 18 and 20 also prohibit incest, pedophilia, group sex, and bestiality. Are those things ok now? If not, why not? Why is homosexuality ok, but not the others?

Another objection would be that since Leviticus 20:13 prescribes the death penalty for homosexual conduct, should Christians advocate for the death penalty for homosexuals? The simple answer is no.

The longer answer is that while the Levitical command is to put homosexuals to death, all penalties under The Law are part of the civil law. Under The Law, the government sets penalties for breaking its laws. Even when we disagree with the moral aspects of a government’s laws, we still have a responsibility to obey them to a point.

¹Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. ²Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. ³For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: ⁴for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. ⁵Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. ⁶For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. ⁷Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

– Romans 13:1-7

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). He did not command us to try to set up His kingdom in this world. Christ said that when He returned, He would set it up. Until Christ returns, our Great Commission is to make disciples of all nations. It is not the job of the Church to try to get the governments of the world to become Christian theocracies. It is not the job of the Church to try and change people. Rather, it is the job of the Church to preach the gospel, encourage people to repent and turn to God in Christ and then He will change people.