What does the bible actually say about gay marriage
Same-sex marriage: What does the Bible really have to say?
As Australia faces a postal survey on queer marriage, we are seeing a steady stream of articles arguing the Yes or No case.
Many on the No side are prone to citing the Bible or appealing to "biblical values". But what does the Bible actually say about human sexuality and homosexuality in particular?
What follows represents a summary of critical biblical scholarship on the issue.
Critical biblical scholarship draws on a range academic disciplines including literary criticism, archaeology, history, philology, and social science to provide the most plausible, historically grounded interpretation of the Bible. It is not simply a matter of personal belief or citing official church doctrine.
Australian scholars are among leaders in the field when it comes to sexuality and the Bible. William Loader has written several books on the matter and this Anglican collection of essays is also excellent.
When it comes to homosexuality there are, at most, six passages of the Bible that are relevant. So what do these passages say?
Genesis 19 and Leviticus
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 is well established.
What does the Bible tell about gay marriage?
Answer
The Bible says nothing about queer marriage directly, but it does set down the foundational principles of what constitutes marriagein God’s eyes. Every reference to marriage in the Bible indicates a union of male and female. The first description of marriage coincides with the creation of Eve in Genesis 2. According to that alley, marriage takes place when “a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they turn into one flesh” (Genesis ).
In passages that contain commands regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians –16 and Ephesians –33, the Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a guy and a woman. Biblically speaking, marriage is the union of a male and a woman in a lifetime commitment. Central purposes of marriage are to illustrate the bond between Christ and the church (see Ephesians –33) and to build a family and provide a stable, secure environment for that family to mature. As families prosper, so does society at big, and stable families contribute to stable societies.
Again, the Bible does not explicitly mention gay marriage or same-sex marriage. But the patt
The Bible and Same Sex Marriage
The Bible repeatedly uses the metaphor of marriage to illustrate the bond between Christ and His church. How does that metaphor speak to the subject of same sex marriage? Does the exploit of that metaphor render same sex marriage doomed to harmonize with the Bible? Can transgender people fulfill the model of marriage laid out in Ephesians 5? Join Scott for this discussion with Rachel Gilson, author of Born Again This Way.
Rachel Gilson serves on the leadership team for theological development and culture at Cru. She has an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is productive on her PhD at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is the storyteller of Born Again This Way: Coming Out, Coming to Faith, and What Comes Next. Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and Desiring God.
Episode Transcript
Scott Rae: The Bible repeatedly used the metaphor of marriage to illustrate the relationship between Christ and His church. But how does that metaphor actually speak to the subject of same-sex marriage? Does the use of that metaphor render homosexual marriage impossible to harmonize with the Bible?
Leviticus
“You shall not recline with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”[1] It is not a surprise that this verse seems to say that homosexual male sex is forbidden in the eyes of God. The dominant view of western Christianity forbids same-sex relations. This verse is one of the clobber passages that people cite from the Bible to condemn homosexuality. This essay first looks at the various ways the verse is translated into the English Bible and then explores some of the strategies used to create an affirming meaning of what this route means for the LGBTQ community. More specifically, it presents the interpretation of K. Renato Lings in which Lev. refers to male-on-male incest.
While Lev. is used to condemn homosexuality, we must realize that the term “homosexuality” was only recently coined in the English language. So did this term be in ancient Israel? Charles D. Myers, Jr. confirms that none of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible mention homosexuality.[2] He also contends that in ancient Israel same-sex relations were viewed as an ancient Near East challenge. The ancient Near East tradition included pederasty and relations between an older man and a lad, which was
What does the Bible teach about same-sex practice?
The Bible defines marriage in Genesis as a union between one man and one female. Jesus Christ upholds this definition of marriage in Matthew , as does the Apostle Paul in Ephesians Any and all sexual activity which takes place outside of this context is treated as sinful, what Jesus calls ‘sexual immorality’ in Notice
Further to this, homosexual practice is specifically highlighted as sinful a number of times in Scripture. In God’s Law, for example, condemnations of queer practice are given in Leviticus and Further references are made in the New Testament. For example, in Romans , amid echoes to the Genesis creation account, both male and female same-sex train are treated as sinful. Further references to the sinfulness of same-sex rehearse can be seen in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy
The Scriptures are, therefore, consistent in their prohibition of same-sex sexual activity, across different periods of salvation history and within different cultural settings. Although the Scriptures are clear on sexual values, they also tell us that the prospect of forgiveness and eternal experience is held out for anyone who turns from sin