Homosexuality and the Bible

The end of last August I became a Christian. The very beginning of last September I found out one of my friends had a very strong belief that homosexuality was a sin. I found this opinion troublesome. It did not sit well on me that a whole sweep of people who had a label stuck onto them could be convicted of being a sinner by a single person. I was then aware that in the future I will hear more opinions like this on subjects besides homosexuality. Without actually having read the bible, I was not in a position to talk about it. Without being aware of the text content of the bible, I would not be able to have a meaningful debate. I would have to take someone else’s interpretation as fact. So I prayed to God that he would help me gain insight when reading the bible, so I could hopefully see the truth.

I am just a twenty-five year old Christian man. I am not a preacher. I have not studied theology. I am just me. If anyone reads this post, bear that in mind. I tried to be objective when reading.

The version of the Bible I read was the NIV. If you are someone who is seeking a more thoroughly researched article on this subject, perhaps find someone who had read multiple versions in various languages.

I will try to quote the passages I’ll be using in context. Meanings of passages can mean anything without the context. I will underline the key words though.

Genesis 19:1-8

The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom–both young and old–surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.“

Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

What is brought up here are the themes of rape and orgy. The city men wanted to have sex with the angels without consideration if the angels wanted to – rape. There are a lot of men and boys who wish to have sex. This would make it an orgy. They are also wanting to have sex with angels (they might not have known they were angels).

It seems strange (from the point of view of a 21st century person) that Lot offered his daughters to the crowd instead of his guests. Thing socially would have been different back then. But if that to happen today, it would sicken me.

Leviticus 18:22 (read Leviticus 18 as a whole for a fuller context on Unlawful Sexual Relations. There is too much to write down. They do not refer to homosexuality)

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

Leviticus 20:13

“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”

Lie is an interesting word used here. Does it mean to lay down beside another man as a man in bed? Does it mean do not have sex with another man as a man? If it is the latter, then there’s a strange meaning that could be derived. This is going to be descriptive of sex. However, you are reading a blog post that explores if homosexual sex is a sin. A man would “lie” with a woman by penetrating her vagina with his penis. Men do not have a vagina. It is physically impossible for a man to penetrate another man’s vagina since men do not have vaginas. The death penalty has be supercede by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.

Romans 1:26-27

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

“Indecent acts” is vague. “Lust” implies having uncontrolled sexual urges; orgies/having multiple sexual partners. First time in the Bible (as far as I know) to reference homosexuality in women.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the same name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Vague. Could mean anything. Could mean homosexual people. Note the word “offenders”. It’s not explicitly convicting the person based on them being homosexual. They are an offender who is also homosexual. It is not clear. Not definitive.

1 Timothy 1:8-11

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers–and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

There is no reference to homosexuality in this passage. Sins are listed in this passage. But homosexuality is not mentioned.

Conclusion

There is no answer. I cannot find a definitive “yes” or “no” if homosexuality is a sin or not.

Orgies and having multiple sexual partners would have been bad because of STDs.

Anal penetration would have been bad because the anus would not have been designed for penetration by a penis. Faeces also comes out of the anus. If any internal damage were to be done in the anus, the faeces could pose a high risk of infection. This is ignoring a penis being exposed to faeces.

I cannot see any passages from the bible that states homosexuality is a sin. I cannot see any logic in homosexuality being a sin.

A sin is an act by a person that distances them from God. Therefore, if homosexuality is indeed a sin, then it is between the person and God.

Luke 6:41

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Luke 6:22

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”

(Same sex marriage is something even more uncertain)