Bible verses about homosexuality

There are six direct references to homosexuality in the Bible -- three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament.

The Word of God is evident in its view of homosexuality. The most commonly quoted Bible verses are Leviticus and Leviticus , which state that it is an abomination for a man to lie with another man as he would with a woman. In Romans , Apostle Paul says that homosexuality is contrary to God's natural order and results from rejecting God. Additionally, 1 Corinthians lists homosexuality as one of the sins that will prevent someone from entering the Kingdom of God. While the Bible is clear in its view of homosexuality, it is essential to remember that God loves all of his creation and offers forgiveness to those who repent and turn away from their sins. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Bible verses about homosexuality

It is easy enough to see at first glance why LGBTQ people, and those who stand in solidarity with them, look askance at the Bible. After all, the two most cited biblical texts on the subject are the following, from the old purity codes of ancient Israel:. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them Lev. There they are. There is no way around them; there is no ambiguity in them. They are, moreover, seconded by another verse that occurs in a list of exclusions from the holy people of God:. No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord Deut. This text apparently concerns those who had willingly become eunuchs in order to serve in foreign courts. For those who want it simple and clear and clean, these texts will serve well. They seem, moreover, to be echoed in this famous passage from the Apostle Paul:. They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions.

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh Wester: The church should baptize children of same-sex couples.

At the heart of the claim that the Bible is clear "that homosexuality is forbidden by God" is poor biblical scholarship and a cultural bias read into the Bible. For the last two decades, Pew Research Center has reported that one of the most enduring ethical issues across Christian traditions is sexual diversity. Although its unlikely that the biblical authors had any notion of sexual orientation for example, the term homosexual wasn't even coined until the late 19th century for many people of faith, the Bible is looked to for timeless guidance on what it means to honor God with our lives; and this most certainly includes our sexuality. Before we can jump into how it is that Christians can maintain the authority of the Bible and also affirm sexual diversity, it might be helpful if we started with a brief but clear overview of some of the assumptions informing many Christian approaches to understanding the Bible. In this light, the Bible is often seen as the primary source that helps us figure out how the people of God should live. Rather, most Christians make these difficult determinations by studying what the whole of Scripture says regarding a specific topic, exploring the linguistic, historical and cultural context within which the words were written, and then putting these discoveries in conversation with what we know to be true of the character of God more broadly.

He has engaged them in private conversations, in public talks and through the organization he founded, the Reformation Project. He was recently invited by the Rev. Caleb Kaltenbach, lead pastor of Discovery Church in Simi Valley, Calif,, to talk privately with a small group of evangelical leaders to discuss what the Bible says about gay relationships. After the session , they were each asked to interpret some of the most cited verses relating to homosexuality in the Bible. Text from the New International Version, edition.

Bible verses about homosexuality

The indispensable framework for interpreting the NT teaching on homosexuality is Genesis 1—2, the creation narrative. We read in Genesis —27 that God made man in his own image, but the image of God is reflected in two distinct genders, male and female. The distinction between man and woman is underlined in the fuller account of their creation in Genesis — The physical differentiation of the man and the woman, and yet the amazing complementarity of such for bearing children indicates that marriage consists of the union of one woman and one man. The creation narrative, then, functions as the paradigm for males and females, and how they are to relate to one another sexually. As we read the rest of the OT, we see that the OT consistently proscribes homosexual behaviour. Some claim that the text only speaks against cult prostitution here, but in these two verses in Leviticus there is no reference to cultic activity, 6 and homosexual relations are banned in broad terms. The OT, of course, also indicts cultic prostitution that is homosexual in nature, 8 but such commands do not suggest that there are same sex relationships that are permissible or even laudable.

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As often happens in Scripture, we are left with texts in deep tension, if not in contradiction, with each other. New Testament Commentary, Volume 6: Acts 1— The Gospel is not to be confused with the Bible. Retrieved 11 March Carey, Lindsay B. Finally, among the texts I will cite is the remarkable narrative of Acts of the Apostles Wester: The church should baptize children of same-sex couples Archbishop John C. Page "The details of Boswell's argument have been challenged by several scholars — to this nonspecialist, persuasively. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads" Leviticus Welcome to the neighborhood! Everyone is engaged in interpretation, so that one must pay attention to how we do interpretation. The result, of course, is that with a little effort, one can prove anything in the Bible. Kathleen Kelly on September 8, at pm.

What does the Bible say about? If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

In Matthew 19 and parallel in Mark 10, Jesus is asked if a man can divorce his wife. The burden of discipleship to Jesus is easy, contrasted to the more rigorous teaching of some of his contemporaries. It is not contrary to any teachings in the Bible that I am aware of. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads" Leviticus PMID Simon J. God and Sex. Celibacy is good if one is called to it, but it is not for everyone Mt. Sex in the Bible. WPetersen, VigChr 40, '86, —91; cp. Are there such things as neutral interpretations? Liturgical Press. This assumption is not conclusive, and it remains difficult to discern exactly what Paul meant by women exchanging natural intercourse for unnatural. Gender in Medieval Culture. Religion and LGBT people.