Fact check: Jesus/the Bible says nothing against homosexuality

In fact the New Testament lists homosexual acts among a number of sins.

A difficult, contentious subject

I think it is worth looking at what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. It is a difficult subject, but it is important surely for any discussions about this regarding the Bible to start with what the text actually says.

Amy Grant’s hosting of her niece’s gay wedding has brought this subject to the attention of social media and the media. This was Franklin Graham’s take on it:

Franklin Graham @Franklin_Graham

Amy Grant announced that she & her husband Vince Gill are going to host a same-sex wedding on their farm for her niece. Amy is quoted as saying, “Jesus you just narrowed it down to two things: love God & love each other.” 

toddstarnes.comAmy Grant to Host Same-Sex Wedding - Todd StarnesFamed Christian music artist Amy Grant shocked many when she announced she is hosting a same-sex wedding. The singer-songwriter and

Like most Australians I want to say, “Live and let live”; for God’s sake, it’s her own niece, leave her alone.

But of course, Amy Grant herself spoke to the Washington Post about it, so she is herself largely responsible for all the publicity.

Washington post article; fair use.

But what does the Bible say?

When I researched this subject some time ago, I myself did not want to discover that the Bible says what it actually does say.

In the seventies and eighties in Australia when I was growing up, men and boys who preferred books to sports or were artistic or didn’t fit in to the prevailing narrative of how men should behave were sometimes insulted and bullied, regardless of their actual sexual orientation, particularly in Primary School (what is Elementary School in US), but also in high school, and many people in those days carried those attitudes into adulthood, and targeted gay men at times.

It is very wrong for Christians to bully or insult or mistreat anyone or revile anybody, whatever their views or beliefs or sins or activities, for the New Testament makes it clear that we are to demonstrate Christian love towards everyone as well as tolerance and kindness, particularly regarding those labelled by society as sinners and outcasts, which homosexual men were in those days.

Neither Paul nor Jesus reviled anyone.

John the Baptist, who preceded Jesus as the final prophet of the Old Testament times, did not insult anyone for being any kind of sinner; however John did call the Pharisees and Sadducees, i.e. the high status religious hypocrites of the day, who judged others, snakes and scorpions.

And while Jesus makes similar harsh statements to John the Baptist ( in Matthew chapter 23 Jesus calls the Pharisees and teachers of the law snakes and a brood of vipers and he says “woe to you” to them in Luke 11 ) the Lord’s strongest language is in calling the Pharisees sons of Gehenna (hell), which Jesus intended literally I believe — and being God He would know, wouldn’t He?

He also calls them blind guides and hypocrites, ὑποκριταί (hypokritai), which is far more mild than it sounds; in Greek, saying ὑποκριταί is like calling someone an actor, or a fake, actually, for “actor” is what the Greek word ὑποκριταί literally means; the modern English word hypocrite is a far greater insult, having abandoned the original theatrical connotations.

By this standard, anyhow, it was quite wrong in the old days to call people names because of their presumed sexual orientation: the only people Jesus called “snakes and scorpions” were the religious hypocrites who judged others.

The problematic thing today is, though, is that the pendulum has swung the other way: it seems today that anyone who fails to express absolute approval and complete agreement towards the LGBT agenda in every single detail receives the same vitriol and bullying that was meted out upon homosexual people 40-50 years ago.

Surely this is wrong, too, particularly among those who call themselves Christians. Even among non-Christians, in a democratic society, tolerance towards those with whom you disagree is both a virtue and a great necessity. And among Christins in particular Agapé love as it is spoken of in the New Testament must at least involve tolerance towards those who disagree with you: in fact, it should involve blessing and praying for your enemies and those with whom you disagree; either way.

So I want to make it very clear that when I researched this I had no agenda: I simply wanted to know what the Bible actually says.

What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11: ἀρσενοκοῖται and μαλακοὶ

For the English translations I will use the Berean Standard Bible, which is very literal, or the King James version, which is also quite a literal translation and free from modern biases.

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 men who submit to (μαλακοὶ) or perform homosexual acts (ἀρσενοκοῖται), nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, 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 name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Berean Standard Bible

Regarding the good news in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Before I start talking about what the first half of the verse means, let me say what wonderful news it is that we can be washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God, if we believe in Jesus! For we have all sinned: no one since Adam has been exempt from that human tendency towards sin except for Jesus, who was the willing sacrifice for our sins. We need God to save us from sin, and He wants to: all we have to do is ask.

This is wonderful news, for anyone who admits the obvious fact, that we are incapable of saving ourselves from sin.

I hope and pray that everyone who reads this will seek the Lord, and submit their lives humbly to God: for Jesus is so very loving and generous and humble and welcoming that He will cast out no one who comes to Him. He will work with us where we are now, we don’t have to wait until we are perfect before asking for His grace and help. As the old hymn says, “Just as I am, without one plea…”

ἀρσενοκοῖται

ἀρσενοκοῖται (arsenokoitai) is a compound word formed from two Greek words, ἄρσενος (arsenos) meaning man and κοίτην (koitén) meaning lie down; from κοίτην comes the English word ‘coitus’.

In using the word ἀρσενοκοῖται, Paul is without any doubt referring to Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13, in the Old Testament.

Before I give the translations from the King James Bible of these two passages, let me say that the punishment in Leviticus 20:13 is not one that any Christian church I know about would want to be put into practice today, any more than any civilised Christian would recommend Exodus 21:17 be put into practice (anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death) or Leviticus 20:10-11 (anyone who commits adultery must be put to death, anyone who lies with his father’s wife must be put to death).

In fact, even in the times of the Old Testament in Israel, these laws were obviously not practiced strictly, otherwise King David would have had to be stoned for his act of adultery (2 Samuel 11-12). I think it is clear, in fact, that most of Israel would have had to be put to death if they took these laws literally, for they were often guilty of idolatry (Deuteronomy 17:2–5), a practice widespread throughout most of the history of Israel (see Ezekiel 20 for a list).

Here are the verses we are looking at in Leviticus:

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 18:22

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 20:13

For those who know Greek, here are the two passages in the Greek of the Septuagint, the translation made under the auspices of Alexander the Great, the definitive Greek translation used in First Century Judaism and today in the Orthodox church:

καὶ μετὰ ἄρσενος οὐ κοιμηθήσῃ κοίτην γυναικός· βδέλυγμα γάρ ἐστιν. Leviticus 18:22

A very literal, word for word translation would be:

And with man not sleep-with lie-down (as with) woman

καὶ ὃς ἂν κοιμηθῇ μετὰ ἄρσενος κοίτην γυναικός, βδέλυγμα ἐποίησαν ἀμφότεροι· θανατούσθωσαν, ἔνοχοί εἰσιν. Leviticus 20:13

And whoever sleeps with man lying-down (as with) woman… etc.

I think it can be seen in the second example how close the two adjacent words ἄρσενος κοίτην (arsenos koitén) are to the compound word ἀρσενοκοῖται (arsenokoitai).

I can imagine that in the rabbinical school Paul attended before he became a Christian (Paul attended the school of Gamaliel, Acts 22:3), this might have been the technical word used in Greek for these Old Testament passages.

μαλακοὶ

μαλακοὶ (malakoi) is simply the plural of the word μαλακός (malakos), ‘soft’, in all the senses that the word “soft” is used in English. However, it also has a second meaning that was widely used in the First Century Graeco-Roman world. BDAG, the definitive dictionary of New Testament Greek, lists many references in Greek literature in the entry for μαλακός that make it clear that the word also means the ‘passive’ partner in a male-male sexual relationship, and gives many Greek references from the time. Probably the clearest example of this usage of μαλακος in Greek can be found in the The Roman antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus, 7:II:3-4, which can be found here in the middle of pages 150-151.

In the context of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, taken together with ἀρσενοκοῖται, it is very clear that this is the meaning that is intended.

Many Christians might actually wish the passage said something different, but this is an honest assessment of what this passage does actually say.

παις

Some LGBT theologians argue that ἀρσενοκοῖται refers only to pederasty, the immoral practice particularly in Greece of an older man taking a young boy as his lover. This dreadful practice was considered normal by Plato and Socrates and many in the ancient Graeco-Roman world, particularly in the period before the advent of the Roman empire. This argument does not hold any water, as the word ἀρσενοκοῖται refers so obviously to Leviticus, and taking it this way the word clearly encompasses both meanings.

However, recently an argument has come to the fore that the Centurion whose servant was healed in Matthew chapter 8 and Luke chapter 7, was a gay pederast, and the servant was his παις, or gay lover. παις’ meaning is simply, boy, though sometimes it was used in the other sense, if not usually, it could also mean, servant boy. The range of meanings of παις in Greek can be seen in the English word “boy” - a person might just say “boy” meaning a boy, or they may use the word in a demeaning way to a servant or an inferior, “Boy, come over here!”. Clearly παις could be used affectionately as I believe it is in the reading from Luke’s gospel below, without being intended to mean anything sexual at all; more a fatherly concern, perhaps.

Roman soldiers including Centurions could not be married; thus their slaves and servants may well have been like family to them.

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my boy (παις) will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

— Luke 7:1–10

Gerd Thiessen, in 1987 wrote a book called, “The Shadow of the Galilean: The quest of the historical Jesus in narrative form.” Translated by John Bowden (London: SCM, 1987) this strange book first raised the idea that παις might indicate a pederastic relationship.

Everyone knows that most of these Gentile officers are homosexual. Their orderlies are their lovers. But Jesus isn’t interested in that sort of thing. He didn’t ask anything about the orderly. He healed him – and the thought didn’t occur to him that later someone might think of appealing to him in support of the view that homosexuality was permissible.

In fact, while the practice was prevalent particularly in Greek culture, according to Phang’s book, the Marriage of Roman Soldiers, Roman commanders were stamping out the practice of pederasty in the military in the First Century AD. (I haven’t been able to fact check this claim, as I don’t have access to a copy of Phang’s book, but it sounds plausible in the historical context. The Roman military was a highly disciplined force and the Romans had a high view of marriage and family. )

παις is not a convincing argument, regardless of the fact

Simply from a rhetorical point of view the argument that παις in Luke is intended in a pederastic sense is an enormous fail as an argument for the approval of homosexuality; because you can’t argue on the one hand that ἀρσενοκοῖται isn’t the same as modern homosexuality because it’s referring to pederasty, and then argue that the relationship of the Gentile officer with his servant boy is the same as modern homosexuality because it is pederasty.

If modern disapproval and the illegality of such activities doesn’t stop a small percentage of LGBT lobbyists from arguing in this way, Jesus’ prohibition against leading little ones into sin in Matthew 18:6 should put a stop to such evil arguments and justifications:

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Dishonourable passions in Romans

Another section, in Paul’s letter to the Romans, Romans 1:26-27, is just as unequivocal in called homosexual behaviour a sin. Romans 1 describes how the sin of idolatry took hold of humanity, and what the consequences of this were.

For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

An interesting point here is that verse 26b, “Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones”, quite naturally refers to Genesis 6:1-2:

Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.

The sons of God in this passage are fallen angels.

The meaning of “Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones” when you consider the context seems to be intended to include sexual acts between two women as well¹.

Gay Marriage.

I won’t cover this argument here in depth. It’s enough to point out that the Old Testament in Genesis 5:2 agrees with the New, Matthew 19:4, where Jesus said God made them “male and female”, for this reason etc. — and much as I might wish for the sake of tolerance in the modern world to say that the good Lord didn’t mean it — but Jesus Himself said His own words are eternal (Matthew 24:35).

It seems a poor and unwise trade, to exchange the eternal truth of Jesus’ words for what might probably turn out to be a temporary cultural custom, and I know that there are some LGBTI people who would agree with me about this.

Addendum

This article on bible.org goes into more depth about the subject:

https://bible.org/article/review-mel-white-s-what-bible-says-and-doesn-t-say-about-homosexuality

Change Log

24-12-2022 Fixed an error where I said Matthew’s gospel and meant Luke’s gospel.

Added the section about Romans 1:26-27, Genesis 6, and the Torah and Leviticus 18.

28-12-2022 Honed a few sentences here and there to more accurately convey the truth.

Other Evidence: Early church fathers and documents

The early church also held to this understanding of scripture.

The Didache, part II.1 II

1. Δευτέρα δὲ ἐντολὴ τῆς διδαχῆς· 2. οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ παιδοφθορήσεις, οὐ πορνεύσεις

1. Second commandment of the teachings. No murder, no adultery, no pederasty, no sexual immorality, etc.

note - πορνεύσεις sexual immorality (porneuseis) generally includes all sexual activity outside of marriage.

Athenagoras of Athens (2nd Century)

That Athenagoras’ writings contain a prohibition against homosexuality is very good evidence that this teaching was received from the apostles as he was second century, not long after the scriptures were written.

Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325, Volume 2: Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, et al. page 147.

“But though such is our character (Oh! why should I speak of things unfit to be uttered?), the things said of us are an example of the proverb, ‘The harlot reproves the chaste.’ For those who have set up a market for fornication and established infamous resorts for the young for every kind of vile pleasure – who do not abstain even from males, males with males committing shocking abominations, outraging all the noblest and comeliest bodies in all sorts of ways, so dishonouring the fair workmanship of God.”

Others include Tertullian (160-225), Eusebius (260-341), Basil the Great (First Canonical Epistle 330-379). Jerome (340-420), Chrysostom (347-407), Augustine (354-430) etc etc.

1. Nonetheless, the Bible is reticent on the subject of lesbianism, in fact; this is the only verse that specifically mentions it. It is certainly not mentioned explicitly anywhere in the Old Testament or in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).

Rabbinic writings in the mid 1st millennium AD (Sifra, Talmud (Yevamot 76a), forbid lesbianism and say it is included in the prohibitions against following the customs of Egypt and Canaan in Leviticus 18. But the Bible itself doesn’t say this.

You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.