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Homosexuality in the Bible
Hello, Church Family!
I know recently on the internet and even in everyday conversations it is becoming increasingly more common to hear people say: “The Bible really doesn’t condemn homosexuality,” or “The word ‘homosexual’ wasn’t added to the Bible until the 1900s, it’s a modern mistranslation.”
In our current time, these statements float around social media, YouTube, and popular books, creating confusion not just outside the Church but often within it. It’s important for us to think clearly, respond biblically, and lovingly explain what God’s Word teaches about this sensitive subject.
Let’s start by acknowledging the heart behind these objections. Many who raise them genuinely want to reconcile faith with contemporary culture’s messages about sexuality. Others are responding to real pain caused by the Church’s past mistakes. As followers of Christ, we’re called to balance truth with grace. So, let’s aim for both.
First, what about the claim that the Bible doesn’t address same-sex relationships? This is simply not true. There are at least six clear passages in Scripture that deal directly with same-sex sexual behavior: Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; and 1 Timothy 1:9-11. Each passage, across both Old and New Testaments, consistently describes such actions as outside of God’s intentions for human sexuality.
But some say, “The Greek and Hebrew words don’t mean what we think they mean,” especially since the English word “homosexual” didn’t appear in Bibles until the 1900s. Here’s the truth: while it’s correct that the particular English term is relatively modern (making its debut in translation around 1946), the actual meaning of the ancient texts hasn’t changed.
Paul’s terms like “arsenokoitai” in 1 Corinthians 6:9 combine the Greek words for “male” (arsēn) and “bed” (koitē), directly referencing the sexual prohibitions found in Leviticus. What matters isn’t the English label, but the original intent and usage.
Biblical scholars, including those who are not Christians, nearly universally acknowledge that these passages are speaking about same-sex sexual activity, not merely exploitation or abuse.
Some further argue that biblical writers couldn’t have meant today’s loving, consensual same-sex relationships because such relationships didn’t exist in the ancient world. But this also isn’t accurate. History shows that long-term, committed same-sex relationships were known in both Greek and Roman societies.
The apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wasn’t ignorant of these realities, he wrote clearly with them in mind. The context of Romans 1:26-27, for instance, is crystal clear, he describes people “giving up natural relations” and “committing shameless acts with men.” This is about actions, regardless of how someone feels or identifies.
So, does the Bible “condemn homosexuality”? Scripture doesn’t single out same-sex desire as a worse sin but, like all of us, it calls those with every sort of inclination to surrender our lives (and desires) to Christ. Paul’s list in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 includes not only “men who practice homosexuality,” but also the greedy, drunkards, and swindlers.
Yet, the hope of the Gospel is for “such were some of you” because all who turn to Christ find forgiveness, healing, and new identity in Him.
Church family let’s be the kind of people who neither minimize nor exaggerate what Scripture really says. Let’s show compassion and clarity, standing on the truth of God’s unchanging Word while offering the unusual kindness of Jesus to every person we meet.
As always, our calling is not to win arguments or turn gay people straight, but to point lost people to the Savior who welcomes all kinds of sinners, ourselves included, into grace and transformation.
Pastor Justin Wyckoff
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