HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE
BIBLE STUDY
11
Would you believe that we have addressed all of the passages in the Bible which purport to condemn homosexuality? Out of all the books in the Bible, and out of all the thousands of words in those books, we discovered that there are only seven so-called references, and we have found that not one of them speak of homosexuality as we know it today:
Genesis 19 – told the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which according to some clerics was caused by the inhabitants’ homosexuality, but which causation the Prophet Ezekiel described as pride, too much selfishness with food and prosperity, lack of hospitality (a great crime in the Near East in those days), and idolatry (Eze. 16:49-50).
Jude 7 – equates the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with the punishment of the fallen angels, both for going after a different order of creation (See Genesis 6:1-5).
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 – is a condemnation against the practices of the temple, cult or shrine prostitutes in pagan worship.
Deuteronomy 23:17 – Another condemnation against temple prostitution.
Romans 1:26-27 – A condemnation against idolatry, including temple prostitution, with a possible inference to bestiality.
1 Corinthians 6:9 – two very obscure words which could refer to being weak-willed, to temple prostitutes, or to the active and passive partners engaged in pederasty.
Isn’t it amazing that so much has been done for so long to so many for so little reason–really no reason at all!
"WHAT IF YOU’RE WRONG?"
There are those who will have read all that has been written up to this point and still not be convinced that the preceding passages have nothing to say to homosexuals. The weight of thousands of years of tradition cause them to look away and disregard the evidence. "I’ve made up my mind. Don’t confuse me with facts."
Even in the GLBT Community, there will be those who, having been told they are condemned for so long will read these words and think they are too good to be true. Because they have been made to feel excluded and condemned for a major portion of their lives, they are afraid even to dare to hope that there might be a place at God‘s table, even for them. Many, having been told so often that they are intrinsically evil, developed the attitude: "If I can’t be good at being good, then I’m going to be good at being bad.” Their hearts, bruised and broken so many times by hurt and rejection, have of necessity become calloused. Turning away from the churches that told them that God rejected them, they also turned away from the images of God presented to them by these same churches.
Both groups ask, "What if you’re wrong? What if all the passages you so painstakingly researched and wrote about really are condemnations of homosexuality? What if none of the scripture passages mentioned have anything to do with cult prostitution, idolatry or pederasty? What if homosexuality really is a sin? What if all homosexuals are sinners? Are they condemned? Does God reject homosexuals, transgendered, bi-sexuals, and lesbians?
From the Hebrew Scriptures I would offer the following words of hope:
Hosea 6:6 – For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.
Misguided teachers who have learned that human sexuality is inborn and
not chosen still teach that God requires GLBT people to live solitary, celibate
lives as a sacrifice. They ignore Genesis 2:18, where God said,
"It is not good for human beings to be alone. I will make suitable helpers
for them."
Psalm 145:8 & 9 – God is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. God is good to all; has
compassion on all that God has made.
If God created GLBT people, God assuredly loves and is compassionate
toward all of God’s creation, including GLBT people.
Micah 6:8 – And what does God require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Not one word here addresses sexuality issues.
Isaiah 55:8 – "For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares our God.
Words of hope to the GLBT community when confronted by those who speak
words of condemnation under the guise of speaking for God. We can be thankful
that their words aren’t God’s words.
Isaiah 56:4 – For this is what God says: "To
the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my
covenant–to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a
name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that
will not be cut off."
A eunuch has been described variously as one who is incapable of
marriage, one who renounces marriage, an emasculated human male, a chamberlain,
or a palace official. (We will discuss eunuchs in depth in a later study).
Deuteronomy 23:1 had excluded eunuchs from even entrance into a house of
worship. Eunuchs were to be excluded because they failed to live up to God’s
commandment to "be fruitful and multiply." (Gen.1:28) According to
Isaiah, not only is the exclusion of eunuchs (read GLBT people) wrong, God will
give them a name better than sons and daughters. In Israel the glory of a man or
woman lay in the children they produced, and of course, eunuchs do not produce
children.
To the Christian I would begin by referring to John 3:16-18A. Most Christians, if asked, seem to know John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that God gave Jesus, that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. Far fewer know 3:17-18A. I once asked a fellow (anti-gay) clergy to quote these passages, to which he replied, "You can’t expect me to have memorized the whole Bible.” I told him that if he intended to stand up and condemn homosexuals (which is what he was doing), he’d better know what he was talking about. John 3:17-18A reads: For God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Jesus. Whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned…
John wrote: Whoever believes in Jesus is not
condemned. Paul wrote in Romans 3:21-23 – But now a righteousness
from God, apart from the Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the
Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus
Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by God’s grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Are all homosexuals sinners? Yes they are, just by virtue of being
human. All human beings are sinners, according to Paul, and also according to
Paul, all sinners are justified–that means they are declared innocent
of wrongdoing–when they accept Christ.
In Romans 8:1 and 2, Paul wrote: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the Law of the Spirit of life set me free from the Law of sin and death. You may note that the first word in the above passage is Therefore, and you would do well to question what led up to the word. In the preceding, Paul had been talking about his struggle with following the Jewish Law, saying that his human nature is in conflict with the Law. In his heart Paul loves the Law, but in his body he does things he doesn’t want to do and says things he doesn’t want to say. No matter how hard he tries he cannot live up to what the Law demands in its entirety. Fortunately, he has been freed from the condemnation the Law imposes. Christ has freed him from the Law. In Paul’s freedom we find our own.
God gave Moses ten commandments, in a rather spectacular presentation. Surely, you have noticed that none of the ten address the subject of homosexuality. From these ten commandments people developed over six hundred more. These became what was called the Law. Then Jesus came. Jesus did not come to start a new religion. Jesus came to bring us back to Mt. Sinai. "I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill them," (Matt. 5:17) Jesus said. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest Law he replied, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:36-40)
According to Jesus, everything that is important to God was summed up in Jesus’ command. In reality, Jesus’ words were merely a restating of the Ten Commandments in simpler terms. Paul’s interpretation of Jesus’ words is that we no longer are bound by the Law, but by faith. In Galatians 2:20b & 21 Paul wrote: The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Child of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing. And again in Galatians 5:1-4 Paul wrote: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Hanging on the cross Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). Jesus had completed his mission on earth–taught us all that we needed to know to live in harmony with God and with each other. I can’t believe that Jesus would have forgotten anything important to tell us. Jesus has been described as living on this earth in the neighborhood of thirty-three years, yet nowhere it been recorded that he spoke one negative word against homosexuality. Not one.
Jesus did have a lot to say about those who judge others. When the woman caught in adultery was about to be stoned, she was brought to Jesus as a test. Go right ahead and stone her, Jesus said. But let the one without sin cast the first stone. Her would-be executioners turned tail and faded away.
Romans 8:31 says If God be for us, who can be against us? We must remember that who we are is who God created us to be, and God doesn’t make mistakes. God calls us to be the best that we can be. All that we are is God’s gift to us, including our sexuality. We are to embrace all that God has given us. We honor God when we do that. This does not mean we try to change ourselves into what we are not. That dishonors God. What we make of ourselves, then, is our gift back to God–joyful, humble, helpful, God-loving people.
This ends today’s study. More next week.