Homosexuality Biblical Analysis
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 68 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The Bible is not a handbook on homosexuality, but rather the greatest story of love and redemption ever. But among this forest, there are trees that do reveal truths about homosexuality.
We will look at some of the trees (6 passages)
What they say about homosexuality
What it means in the original language
What are some of the common misconceptions
In The Beginning
In The Beginning
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
God’s clear design for sex is a 1 flesh union between male and female.
Complementary design that is the KEY to marriage (Fruitfulness and multiplication)
The way woman was created indicates divinely designed compliment to the man, male and female he created allowing fruitfulness and multiplication. Another man is not “complimentary”.
1 flesh union: Presupposes 2 people of the opposite sex.
Jesus On Marriage
Jesus On Marriage
4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
When asked about lawfulness of divorce
Jesus clarifies the definition of marriage: A union defined by God that is meant to be inseparable.
Argument: “Jesus never talks about homosexuality”
This is a non argument because Jesus also doesn’t mention pederasty, bestiality and other like acts.
Jesus preached to the Jews who were well aware of what the Torah had to say (Leviticus 18 and 20)
Paul however had to spell it out in detail because he preached to Gentiles who didn’t have the Torah to begin with.
Paul On Marriage
Paul On Marriage
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Paul clarifies the definition of marriage.
A union between man and his wife, becoming one flesh.
He takes this to a divine level of Christ and the church.
Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah
Recall the story of Sodom and Gomorrah
Lot invites 2 Men to stay with him (happen to be angels).
Men of Sodom (both young and old), demand to have sex with these 2 men.
Argument: “Sodom’s abomination was attempted rape and not about homosexuality”
Not true. Yes there was attempted rape of the 2 men but the abomination spoken of with reference to Sodom and Gomorrah’s sins is different from rape.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.”
Lexham Theological Wordbook תּוֹעֵבָה
תּוֹעֵבָה (tôʿēbâ). n. fem. abomination. Something offensive and foreign to God
Hebrew word for abomination in Ezekiel is the same Hebrew word used in Leviticus 18 and 20 where it talks about a male lying with a male being an abomination.
Leviticus 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination”
Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
In the context of Genesis 18-19, the only implied act abominable to God was that of homosexuality.
Genesis 18:20-33 Abraham pleading with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah because of Abraham’s nephew Lot begs the question, what was the abominable sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Genesis 19:4-24 reveals that the men of the city wanted to “know” (have sex with) the men that visited lot. “Know” implies intimacy. We know this because of Lot’s offer of his daughters. And it’s used like this multiple times, Genesis 4:1,17,25 , Genesis 38:26.
Used either as word for intimacy or logical knowledge. In this scene, intimacy is implied since it’s relational.
Argument: “Leviticus prohibited shellfish and mixed clothing and all sorts of other stuff along with what Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 says.”
Not true. Homosexuality was a moral law. The food and clothing were dietary and ceremonial laws, laws to keep Israel set apart from the nations.
Moral laws required blood sacrifice. Ceremonial laws did not.
With the coming of Christ, system requiring ritual cleanness to conduct sacrifice for breakage of moral laws is no longer required. Cleanness of heart, our willingness to follow Christ and be set apart by Christ is what matters now and Christ has already atoned for the believers’ moral misconduct.
Sodom and Gomorrah had other issues, but the key issue that brought them to destruction was homosexual activity as indicated multiple times. Sodom isn’t referenced without it.
Jude 7 “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. “
Homosexual Graffiti was discovered in Pompeii with words “Sodom and Gomorrah”. They were Buzz words for homosexuality back in Pauls day.
Paul On Homosexuality
Paul On Homosexuality
Romans 1:18-27 (3 exchanges that suppress the truth)
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mortal things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
They exchanged the truth about God for their own lies.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
They exchanged natural relations (defined contextually as male-female in this passage) for unnatural relations.
The result of suppressing truth is homosexual behavior as written above.
Gender is the point here. Not orientation, not exploitation, not domination.
Argument: “The issue here is pederasty here.”
Not true as there is no record of women doing this in the ancient world.
Argument: “This is a master and slave exploitive situation.”
Not true. “[They] were consumed with passion for one another” indicating conceptual interaction.
“Contrary to nature” - para physin
Paul uses greek term used for deviant sexual activity. Context implies homosexuality.
Allusions to Genesis: Romans 1:20, 25, 27,
Argument grounded in the creation account again. Sexuality, God’s design for sexuality, bond for life, one flesh.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul uses 2 greek words in this verse: malakoi + arsenokoitai
“Practice Homosexuality” - malakoi + arsenokoitai
English translation of practice homosexuality is translated from Paul’s use of two different words that are used together. The passive male and the active male.
Greek Lexicon:
Malakoi - One who is passive in a same-sex relationship
Arsenokoitai - A male who engages as dominant entity in same-sex activity
8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
“men who practice homosexuality” - Arsenokoites (plural)
Arsenokoites / Arsenokoitai
Coined by Paul to mean homosexual behavior.
Coined from the Greek translation of the OT (Septuagint) where it uses 2 separate words in Leviticus to describe homosexuality.
Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13- “lie with a male as with a women” Arsenos + Koiten are used.
Arsen - Man, Koite - Bed
Men who are “bedders of men”
Argument: “We don’t believe that those passages mean what you say they mean”
Bible is uniformly negative toward any sexual activity outside the context of a single man + woman. There is no single positive argument to be found for homosexuality in the Bible. Thus the argument that these words mean "homosexuality” as we know it today is strong.
Argument: “Paul didn’t know about consensual adult homosexual love as we know it”
Not true. In addition to Paul indicating “passion” for one-another. Plato talks about adult homosexual love in his symposium. Plutarch talks about it in his life in Pelopidas; about an army with pairs of men who were secret lovers. Xenophon talks about it in his symposium. etc. Paul was very much aware. Acts 17, Titus 1 indicates Paul was very clear on greek philosophy, literature, and culture. His ministry was to the Gentiles.
Ignoring Biblical Text
Ignoring Biblical Text
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Those revisionists and contemporary christians who try to twist every verse to fit their ideology are in extremely dangerous spiritual territory...
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
If you’re born again, and continue in unrepentant sin, it is not good. In such case, you would be doomed to wrath because you were actually living a lie and never belonged to Christ (were never born again) per biblical definition.
Satan Sowing Seeds of Doubt
Satan Sowing Seeds of Doubt
In the garden of eden Satan made Eve doubt
“Did God really say I shouldn’t eat from the tree?” “Did got really say....”
Today, Satan makes people doubt
“Did God really say this about homosexual activity?” “Does the text really say...”
People end up twisting scripture to fit their ideology. Satan is thrilled.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
We have to trust God and not lean on our own understanding because God knows what’s best for us. He created sex to be expressed between covenant of marriage between 1 man and 1 woman for a reason. It may seem unfair to us but we must, we MUST trust God, because only what is of God will be blessed, and will result in ultimate fruitfulness and multiplication.
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
A final warning to all who try to justify their “passions”.
What Now?
What Now?
Every person on earth is a sinner. No one is guiltless.
As with anyone, bring the Gospel to the forefront of your relationships and discussions.
The Gospel is what changes hearts. The Gospel is what transforms lives.
It’s not important what sin you are staring at. What’s important is the One who can forgive any and all sin.
As sinners we were all doomed to wrath, but remember the One who changed your heart and thus, changed your disposition toward the things of this world making you new and giving you understanding.