You Can Do That? The Bible and Homosexuality

“Hi, my name is Noah, I’m a follower of Christ, and I’m gay.”

Seems weird to hear that, huh? Yeah, I know. People are constantly baffled by this; how can you be gay AND a Christian? That’s exactly what I found myself asking almost three years ago when I came out to the public. Amazingly, I didn't receive backlash for coming out. All my friends were okay with it, most of my school was, and if people weren't okay with my sexuality they never said it to my face, which is always one of the biggest fears of coming out as a teenager.

But that didn't mean I was 100% okay with it. It took me a whole year even to admit it, and once I did come to terms with who I was, I was worried God wouldn't be. Back then, I just prayed and when I felt at peace, I realized that God loved me no matter who I loved, guy or girl or somewhere in between. Later in the year, however, I realized that some people wouldn't take that as enough evidence that being gay was okay.

So, I set to research. I read articles, looked at verses, read books, prayed A LOT, and found evidence that supported what I was looking for. I never did anything with this though; I just sat with my knowledge and waited for people to attack me. But that doesn't happen...what does happen is that thousands of other teenagers in the LGBTQ community are harassed every day. How can I sit by, when people just like me are being mistreated and I hold information that I believe everyone should hear? One of my favorite quotes from the famous Martin Luther King Jr. says “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” It’s about time I wrote this article, analyzing verses and explaining my view on being gay and being Christian. This may be long, but I pray God leads you to continue reading and to open your hearts to his word.

First, let me start by stating my reasoning in the verses I use in the rest of this article. These verses are the most commonly quoted in the argument against homosexuality. I also looked to three different translations; King James, English Standard, and The Message. I used these not only in their spread out publication dates but also due to a rule that one of my favorite teachers in high school taught me; the table rule. A table with one leg won’t stand, a table with two is wobbly, and a table with three or more legs is solid, thus being the reason I looked to three translations.

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Verse 1: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

KJV: 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.

Now, I think many of us can agree this verse’s main focus is the fact that all of us were once sinners, condemned, but Jesus came and washed our sins away. But what most people focus on is the “nor abusers of themselves with mankind” In the English standard version, this particular part is made into “Nor men who practice homosexuality”. Now, looking at many different verses in the Bible we can see that “mankind” doesn't particularly always just mean men; it means people. So you can roughly change that verse to “nor abusers of themselves with people”. This is what The Message translation does:

9-11 Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

I believe The Message translation is a very accurate version of what God is trying to bring across through the Paul’s writing. When you Google “abuse”, the definition you get states “use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose; misuse.” God isn't telling us that homosexuality is bad; he’s focusing on the abuse of one another. One of the ways we abuse each other is through dirty, meaningless sex. Sex is one of God’s gifts to mankind; when we abuse it, and use it wrongly, straight or gay, it is defiling that gift. The Bible says that we are all God’s children and all made in His image. When we abuse each other, through this kind of sexual behavior, through lying and cheating, through treating our bodies unhealthily, we are abusing His image and His children. I believe this is the true message of this verse. Last I checked, my being gay did not directly relate to going around sleeping with everyone. I was not hurting anyone by being attracted to and seeking a loving relationship with another male.

Verse 2: 1 Timothy 1:8-11

KJV: 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 man slayers, 10 For whore mongers, 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.

Now, this verse can be treated in exactly the same way as the one above! The same thing happens with “defile themselves with mankind”. The ESV directly translates this to “homosexuals”, but this is focusing on the “mankind” part and not the words mentioned before. Often we take this verse as focusing on what all it says is wrong, but instead, it’s saying that the word of God is for those who are sinners; which the Bible tells us we all are. This verse can be related again back to 1 Corinthians; all the sin’s listed are those that have to do with abusing one another. The Message translation sums all of the sins listed above into one part of a verse, focusing on those “riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever!” As mentioned before, when we abuse each other, we abuse God.

Verse 3: Jude 1:7-8

KJV: 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Now comes a big, and often misunderstood, Bible story. Jude translates almost exactly from KJV to ESV and The Message, so I won’t include those word for word. Instead, I’m going to turn to Genesis 19:4-9 for the story of Sodom;

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

This is often quoted against homosexuality, looking at verse 5. The men ask to “know” the angels inside Lot’s house. This is the same in ESV, but in The Message is is translated to “Bring them out so we can have our sport with them!”. These men aren't looking to just have sex with them; they’re looking to rape them. When we turn to Dictionary.com, the first definition of rape is unlawful and forced sexual intercourse. The second definition, however, states “an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation”. This act of raping the angels is not because of their sexuality, but an act of domination and violation. They have come into the city, the city these men claim as their own, so they threaten to rape them. Now, often is also quoted that one of the reason’s Sodom was destroyed was because of their sexual immorality, but this all leads back to what is stated in Corinthians. Homosexuality wasn't the sin of Sodom; it was their abuse of each other by vile acts, both straight and not. This is what Jude is warning us about; not to become abusers of each other.

Verse 4: Romans 1:26-28

KJV: 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 recompense of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Now, this is a verse very commonly used, as it states leaving the “natural” use, as they “burned in their lust”. The ESV treats this verse with the same language. However, The Message treats it just a tad differently.

26-27 Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.

The part I want to draw attention to is where it mentions “all lust, no love.” Again, this can be related to Corinthians (Funny how God does that, huh?). This not just talking about homosexual acts; it’s discussing their sexual abuse of each other. When sex lacks love, it is defiled. Sex is something that should be used carefully, not abused, which it is when full of lust. Often this verse is quoted without the verses before. Verses 21-23 give us some background;

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things”

These people weren't just sinning; they were turning from God and to worldly idols.

Verse 5: Leviticus 18:22

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

(Verse is the same in the other two translations) Here is the most famous of the verses against homosexuality, and one I also believe is misunderstood. The problem with quoting scripture, as I've given examples of previously, is when something is taken out of context. So, to further understand this verse I want to look at verse 21. “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.”

This verse is against worshiping the idol Molech, which one of the main ways of worship involved infant sacrifice. But what I want to pay attention to even more is the last part of the verse: “I am the Lord.”

Being an Writing major, I always nerd out when I find rhetorical devices in the Bible. Here is one right here; and example of repetition. Where does this get mentioned that it’s important? Well, throughout the Bible. BUT, I want to draw attention to verse 6 “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord.” Both of these verses end with “I am the Lord", as do other commandments in Leviticus. What’s important are the verses that come after; with verse 6, it’s all laws against incestual relationships. If we look at this pattern, and apply it to verse 21, we can deduct that verse 22 is in direct correlation to the verse about Molech.

The reason these verses exist are because of God’s desire to separate Moses and his people from the Egyptians; Verse 3: “You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt”...”You shall not walk in their statutes”. What these rules are focused on are things they are doing in Egypt; one of those being worshipping idols. When we look at history, there is vast evidence in cults using (and abusing) sex as rituals for idol worship, particularly turning to lust filled and love lacking sexual acts. It’s my belief that this is what Leviticus is discussing; men and women who turn from God with their sexual acts, defiling each other and abusing each other. Not those who practice homosexuality.

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Coming to terms with being gay and a Christian was hard, but I believe God lead me through it all and blessed me with the knowledge and interpretation I am writing to anyone who reads this. What I’m trying to accomplish with this is that if a person identifies as gay (or bi, lesbian, transgender, ect), and loves God, and does not abuse another in their sexual acts, than they are just as worthy of love as a straight person. It’s when you abuse God’s gifts to you, STRAIGHT OR GAY, that it becomes a problem in His eyes. I have two last verse to discuss though. The first being Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, and the second 1 Corinthians 13:13 “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

But, if you take anything from this, it is to love one another, be you gay, straight, bi, transgender, whatever. That is the message of the Gospel; God loved us so much, all of us broken, worthless people, that he sent his son to die for us in the ultimate act of love. When we abuse each other, in any way, we are turning from God’s one true commandment. The best way to bring people to God is not through hate, but through showing them the grace and love that his has shown us, even when we don't deserve it. He has given us a way, a way of faith, a way of hope, but most of all, a way of love.