Is it a sin to be gay? What does the bible say about same-sex attraction? In this episode you’ll become familiar with the relevant scriptures that talk about homosexuality. You’ll also learn what arsenokoitai (ἀρσενοκοῖται) means in 1 Corinthians 6.9, a key battleground text for discussions of biblical sexuality. Here the Apostle Paul pulls from the Greek translation of Leviticus 20.13 as well as Roman sexual sensibilities to condemn both active and passive participants of same-sex acts.  Whether you believe in accepting gay lifestyles or think homosexual behavior is sinful, it’s important to get a grasp on what the bible says about this incredibly controversial subject.

Notes:

Creation provides the foundation for what the bible says about human sexuality:

Genesis 2:23-24

God’s original design was a man and a woman, complementing each other in marriage.  However, when our first parents rebelled, humanity fell from its original condition.  The serpent asked, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” (Gen 3:1).  After Eve confirmed God’s restriction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the serpent said, “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3.5).  He wanted the first people to distrust God, to think he’s holding them back, to imagine he’s restricting them from enjoying something good.  As a result Adam and Eve committed high treason against their maker in an act of open rebellion.  Consequently “fallenness” contaminated them and their descendants ever since.

Romans 5.12, 17, 18, 19

Today we are imperfect mirrors stamped with God’s image, but broken in all kinds of ways.  Some of us are tempted with losing our tempers, others with adultery, still others with greed.  Our fallen condition means that from birth we are out of tune with how God wants for us to think and live.  Of course, redemption is available in Christ today and ultimately complete restoration will flood our world when the kingdom comes, healing everyone from sinful impulses, physical sickness, and relational dysfunction.

Although the incident in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19) is the first mention of same-sex desire, it’s not particularly helpful for figuring out the bible’s position on homosexuality, since the men of the city wanted to rape the visitors.  (Rape, of course, is condemned throughout scripture.)  Instead, we’ll begin in the Law of Moses with two texts in Leviticus.

Leviticus 18.22

abomination: something that causes disgust or hatred.  Example: “Although once common, torture is now an abomination to the civilized peoples of the earth.”[1]

Lest you think abomination is a radical word, solely used for sexual acts, here are some other abominations in scripture: