Leviticus addresses many issues which do not feel immediately
relevant to our lives in the 21st century. But then, we come across
two verses which address one of the most hotly debated topics of our day:
You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is
detestable. (Leviticus 18:22 CSB)
If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, they have
both committed a detestable thing. They must be put to death; their blood is on
their own hands. (Leviticus 20:13 CSB)
Mentioning these verses raises some
questions.
Why Focus on this issue?
Sometimes people ask why we discuss
homosexuality instead of other sins or topics.
Well, first of all, I do discuss other sins
and topics. For example, I wrote a
detailed blog post on why premarital sex is wrong.
Still, there are good reasons to give some
special emphasis to this issue. Many churches, Christian denominations,
organizations, and individual Christians have been arguing that not all homosexual
acts are sinful. This is constantly in the news. Just yesterday I read an
article about the CBF taking a step in this direction. These Christians and
organizations are not promoting the acceptance of adultery, or incest, or drunkenness,
or other sins. They are promoting the acceptance of homosexuality. That’s what
makes this an issue worthy of special focus and attention.
Many of
the laws in Leviticus no longer apply, so why should this one?
It’s true that many laws in Leviticus no longer apply. Of course,
some of the laws still do apply. Many of the other laws covering various forms
of sexual immorality right in the same chapter still apply: it’s still wrong to
have sex with your mother, sister, aunt, animals, or your neighbor’s wife. But
since not all the laws in Leviticus are still applicable, how can we be sure
that the law prohibiting two men from having sex is still applicable?
The thing that makes it clear that the prohibition against
homosexual acts in Leviticus is still applicable is that homosexuality is also
condemned in the New Testament. In fact, the words of the two verses in
Leviticus are echoed in Paul’s inspired writing. Although the Old Testament was
originally written in Hebrew, a translation of the Old Testament into Greek
called the Septuagint (LXX) was in wide use by the time of Paul. Paul uses a
Greek word to refer to men who have sex with other men. This Greek word is a
compound of two words used in each of the verses from Leviticus.
Because we do not have any examples of the word arsenokoitai being used before Paul used
it, some people think Paul himself may have coined this word based on his
knowledge of Leviticus. But even if someone else first used this word, Paul’s
inspired use of it in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 leave no reasonable
doubt that the strong prohibitions against homosexual sex in Leviticus still
apply today.
Is God
only outlawing certain types of homosexual behavior?
Some Christians believe that God was only outlawing certain types
of homosexual behavior, such as older men taking advantage of young boys or
homosexual rape. They argue that God
never intended to outlaw lifelong homosexual relationships based on love and
mutual commitment between consenting adults.
At first, this argument sounds reasonable. But notice in Leviticus
20:13 that BOTH men who engage in homosexual sex were to be put to death. Would
this make sense if God had the abuse of young boys or homosexual rape in mind?
In both those cases wouldn’t one of the people involved (the boy or the rape
victim) be innocent?
Consider the command, “Do not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Certainly, if
a gang of highway robbers severely beats a man and steals all he has this is
much worse than if a thief sneaks into an empty house and steals some clothing
and food. But all stealing is wrong. The command not to steal is a general,
broad command. In the same way, we would all agree that older men taking
advantage of young boys is a more terrible sin than two consenting adult men
having sex. Nevertheless, the command for men not to have sex with other men is
a general, broad command. There is nothing in the Bible which hints at any
allowable exceptions.
Does this
only apply to male homosexuality?
The two verses in Leviticus, as well as the passages in 1
Corinthians and 1 Timothy, all specifically condemn men having sex with other
men. However, Paul’s very clear inspired statement in Romans identifies both
male and female homosexuality as sinful:
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable
passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are
contrary to nature; 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. (Rom.
1:26-27 ESV)
Based on this passage, we can see that all homosexual desires are
sinful desires and all homosexual actions are sinful actions.
It doesn’t
seem fair?
Sometimes Christians point out that people who are attracted to
the same sex did not choose to be this way. And even if they want to change,
they often find that same-sex desires do not go away. Is it fair to ask these
people to remain celibate their whole lives?
We should acknowledge that those who feel sexual desires for the
same sex often have not chosen to feel this way. We should also realize that
this creates a very painful, long term (possibly lifelong), intense struggle
for some. The question is, does this mean that it is not a sin for some men to
have sex with other men or for some women to have sex with other women?
I think this question is best answered by realizing that many
people have intense, ongoing, sinful desires which we are called to resist. For
example, many married men struggle with sinful desires to have sex with women
other than their wives. And sometimes they are not able to have sex with their
wives (if the wife is sick, for example) for long period of times. We would
never say that it is ok for them to go ahead and commit adultery. Single people
still desire sex, but are expected to not to fulfill those desires. Likewise,
many poor people desperately want a more comfortable life and the types of
things a little more money could buy. We do not tell them to go ahead and steal.
Some people do not want to feel a lot of anger, but they do. We don’t say that
it is ok for these people to yell at others and hit them. Drug addicts and
alcoholics often face long term, very intense battles with sinful desires for
drugs and alcohol. In no other situation would we say that the presence of
wrong desires justifies sinful actions. So why should this be the case with
same sex desires?
I encourage you to think about how the following verses apply to
those who struggle with same sex desires. But even more importantly, I
encourage you to slow down and really meditate on how these verses apply to
whatever types of sinful desires you yourself have.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to
satisfy the fleshly desires. (Rom. 13:14 CSB)
I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out
the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and
the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other,
so that you don't do what you want. (Gal. 5:16-17 CSB)
How can I
study this topic in more depth?
There are many issues related to homosexual sin and those who
struggle with it. We should be full of grace and patience with those who are
facing such an intense struggle. We will best be able to help them, and to
guard others, if we first understand that homosexual acts are sinful. Those who
doubt this are not likely to find the path of repentance, grace, and
transformation in Christ where they will experience God’s forgiveness, love,
peace, and joy even in the midst of long term, difficult struggles.
If you want to study this a little bit further, I believe the book
What
Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Keven DeYoung is a
valuable resource.
