What does the Bible teach about homosexuals in the Old and New Testaments?

Answer 1

ANSWER

Answer

The Bible condemns homosexuality in both the Old and the New Testaments.

There are two relevant quotes in Leviticus that address homosexuality, both condemn the act and criminalize it.

Leviticus 18:22: "'Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

Leviticus 20:13: "'If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

1Co 6:9-11 MKJV Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit thekingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers,nor homosexuals,(v.10) nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit thekingdom of God. (v.11) And such were[past tense] some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

This is confirmed by other versions:-

(ASV) Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, noreffeminate, norabusers of themselves with men,

(GNB) Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God's Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts

(ISV) You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don't you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers,male prostitutes, homosexuals,

(KJV) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, noreffeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

(MKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inheritthekingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,nor abusers, nor homosexuals,

(WEB) Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

Homosexuality will cause a person to go to hell, it is a perversion of God's set ordinances and a sin, and is contrary to sound doctrine. The Old Testament was full of condemnation of sin, but it couldn't do anything about it except continually offer sacrifices. That said, that is only half the story: instead, the New Testament gives exoneration upon repentance.

Hebrews 9

6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Some of the members of the church at Corinth had been homosexuals previously before repenting and becoming a Christian, and having their previous sins forgiven. With the exception of sin against the Holy Spirit and the unforgiveable sin which cannot be forgiven (because the perpetrator does not recognise it as a sin and therefore can't repent of it in order to receive forgiveness), upon repentance all sins can be forgiven, and that includes the sin of homosexuality:-

1Co 6:11

(GNB) Some of you were like that. But you have been purified from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

(KJV) And such weresome 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.

(MKJV) And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

(However, do not turn this Grace into a licence to sin!)

One of the problems with all translations is that there is no direct and exact equivalent of words in one language with that of another.(If there was, there would only need to be one translation!) Bibles often have Footnotes against a word (eg "Lit...., Gk says..., Or..., NU..., Sept... ) and as a result, various translations can render the same Greek word differently. This can be contentious with doctrine, such as on homosexuality, and knowing what the writer is actually saying unless you know Greek.

However, the NET Bible has overcome this problem by adding as Footnotes all the various word translations, interpretations, views, and renderings, and because it is on the internet [hence the name], and not restricted by page length, these can be as long as required. This means you can know the original meaning of the Greek without having to know any Greek and make your own decision as to what it actually means.

1Cor 6:9 [NET] Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers,passive homosexual partners, note5 practicing homosexuals ote6 6:10thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, note7 and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.6:11Some of you once lived this way note8 But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Flee Sexual Immorality

6:12"All things are lawful for me"note10- but not everything is beneficial. "All things are lawful for me" - but I will not be controlled by anything.6:13"Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both." note11 The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.6:14Now God indeed raised the Lord and he will raise us by his power.6:15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 6:16Or do you not know that anyone who is united with note12 a prostitute is one body with her? Note13 For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." note14 6:17But the one united with note15 the Lord is one spirit with him. Note166:18Flee sexual immorality! "Every sin a person commits is outside of the body"note17- but the immoral person sins against his own body.6:19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?6:20For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Footnotes ( "…noteX.." represents removed Greek words ):-

5tnThis term is sometimes rendered "effeminate," although in contemporary English usage such a translation could be taken to refer to demeanor rather than behavior. BDAG 613... has "pert. to being passive in a same-sex relationship, effeminateesp. of catamites, of men and boys who are sodomized by other males in such a relationship." L&N 88.281 states, "the passive male partner in homosexual intercourse - 'homosexual.' …As in Greek, a number of other languages also have entirely distinct terms for the active and passive roles in homosexual intercourse.".... A number of modern translations have adopted the phrase "male prostitutes" ….in 1 Cor 6:9 (NIV, NRSV, NLT) but this could be misunderstood by the modern reader to mean "males who sell their services to women," while the term in question appears, at least in context, to relate to homosexual activity between males. Furthermore, it is far from certain that prostitution as commonly understood (the selling of sexual favors) is specified here, as opposed to a consensual relationship. Thus the translation "passive homosexual partners" has been used here.

6tnOn this term BDAG 135 ... states, "a male who engages in sexual activity w. a pers. of his own sex, pederast 1 Cor 6:9…of one who assumes the dominant role in same-sex activity,...." L&N 88.280 states, "a male partner in homosexual intercourse - 'homosexual.'…It is possible that ...in certain contexts [this] refers to the active male partner in homosexual intercourse in contrast with ...the passive male partner." Since there is a distinction in contemporary usage between sexual orientation and actual behavior, the qualification "practicing" was supplied in the translation...

7tnOr "revilers"; BDAG 602 ...defines the term as "reviler, abusive person." Because the term "abusive" without further qualification has become associated in contemporary English with both physical and sexual abuse, the qualifier "verbally" has been supplied in the translation.

8tnGrk"and some [of you] were these."

10snAll things are lawful for me. In the expressions in vv. 12-13 within quotation marks, Paul cites certain slogans the Corinthians apparently used to justify their behavior. Paul agrees with the slogans in part, but corrects them to show how the Corinthians have misused these ideas.

11tnGrk"both this [stomach] and these [foods]."

snThere is debate as to the extent of the Corinthian slogan which Paul quotes here. Some argue that the slogan is only the first sentence - "Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food" - with the second statement forming Paul's rejoinder, while others argue that the slogan contains both sentences (as in the translation above). The argument which favors the latter is the tight conceptual and grammatical parallelism which occurs if Paul's response begins with "The body is not for sexual immorality" and then continues through the end of v. 14....

12tnOr "is in relationship with."

13tnGrk"is one body," implying the association "with her."

14snA quotation from Gen 2:24.

15tnGrk"in relationship with."

16tnGrk"is one spirit," implying the association "with him."

17snIt is debated whether this is a Corinthian slogan. If it is not, then Paul is essentially arguing that there are two types of sin, nonsexual sins which take place outside the body and sexual sins which are against a person's very own body. If it is a Corinthian slogan, then it is a slogan used by the Corinthians to justify their immoral behavior. With it they are claiming that anything done in the body or through the body had no moral relevance. A decision here is very difficult, but the latter is to be preferred for two main reasons.

(1) This is the most natural understanding of the statement as it is written. To construe it as a statement by Paul requires a substantial clarification in the sense (e.g., "All othersins…" [NIV]).

(2) Theologically the former is more difficult: Why would Paul single out sexual sins as more intrinsically related to the body than other sins, such as gluttony or drunkenness? For these reasons, it is more likely that the phrase in quotation marks is indeed a Corinthian slogan which Paul turns against them in the course of his argument, although the decision must be regarded as tentative.

In the Old Testament there was no hope held out for homosexuals, lesbians, etc, but the New Testament gives the solution: accept the free gift of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for sin and become a Christian: Upon repentance all sins can be forgiven, and that includes the sin of homosexuality!