Does the New Testament Anywhere Clearly Talk About Homosexuals?

[Sunstone]

Does the New Testament anywhere clearly talk about homosexuals or homosexuality in general? If so, where? And what is said?

 

[Pegg]

Does the New Testament anywhere clearly talk about homosexuals or homosexuality in general? If so, where? And what is said?

Romans 1:24 Therefore, God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts, gave them up to uncleanness, so that their bodies might be dishonored among them. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. 26 That is why God gave them over to uncontrolled sexual passion, for their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature; 27 likewise also the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full penalty, which was due for their error.


Jude 7 In the same manner, Sod′om and Go·mor′rah and the cities around them also gave themselves over to gross sexual immorality and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.


1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 Or do you not know that unrighteous people will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts (literally 'men who lie with men'), men who practice homosexuality, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom.

1Timothy 1:8 Now we know that the Law is fine if one applies it properly, 9 recognizing that law is made, not for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, ungodly and sinners, disloyal and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, 10 sexually immoral people, men who practice homosexuality, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and everything else that is in opposition to the wholesome teaching


all scriptures from the New World Translation.

 

[Skwim]

Romans 1:24 Therefore, God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts, gave them up to uncleanness, so that their bodies might be dishonored among them. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. 26 That is why God gave them over to uncontrolled sexual passion, for their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature; 27 likewise also the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full penalty, which was due for their error.


Jude 7 In the same manner, Sod′om and Go·mor′rah and the cities around them also gave themselves over to gross sexual immorality and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.


1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 Or do you not know that unrighteous people will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts (literally 'men who lie with men'), men who practice homosexuality, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom.

1Timothy 1:8 Now we know that the Law is fine if one applies it properly, 9 recognizing that law is made, not for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, ungodly and sinners, disloyal and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, 10 sexually immoral people, men who practice homosexuality, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and everything else that is in opposition to the wholesome teaching


all scriptures from the New World Translation.

Good post

What is now of interest is how Christians justify their acceptance of homosexuality.

Any Christian out there up to explaining?

 

[sojourner]

The post says nothing about homosexuals. It mentions some things that the writer (in ignorance of the existence of a homosexual orientation) deems "unnatural acts." The scriptural call to honor and respect all (There is no more Jew or Greek, for all are one in Christ Jesus) is much louder and more prevalent than the 2 or three isolated passages that mention homosexual acts. Weighing one injunction against the other, it's more important to refrain from dehumanizing those whom we now understand to be people behaving normally, than it is to hold them to an outdated moral perspective of their orientation.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Does the New Testament anywhere clearly talk about homosexuals or homosexuality in general? If so, where? And what is said?

I think that the passage in Romans 1 is fairly solid. There's not another way to interpret it in my opinion. That is - it references homosexual acts, not homosexuality proper (although it could).

The thing is, Paul is taking sides in a discussion that ancient thinkers were addressing since Plato: is sex between males // sex between females natural or unnatural. Plato expressed the position that there were originally three primordial beings - the male/male, the female/female, and the male/female and at some point in time these unities were separated -- in such a setup, it is perfectly natural for the opposites to find their soulmate.

Paul advocates the position that males and female need each other, and the only natural unification comes from male/female setup -- like Christ and the church. Paul's cosmology is centered on unity between male and female = Christ and the church, and in Romans 1 he sees homosexual activity as an expression of humanity that signifies cosmological discord.

 

[columbus]

Does the New Testament anywhere clearly talk about homosexuals or homosexuality in general? If so, where? And what is said?

Yes, it's the same NT that tells women to shut up and slaves to obey their masters.

I see the NT as clear evidence that Christianity is fiction. Nobody believes what It actually says any more. Modern Christianity is all about sophisticated cherry picking. George Bush dropped bombs on "the least". Heather Ann tells Sunstone what to believe.
You'd think modern Christians had all lost their Bibles.

Tom

 

[Pegg]

The post says nothing about homosexuals. It mentions some things that the writer (in ignorance of the existence of a homosexual orientation) deems "unnatural acts." The scriptural call to honor and respect all (There is no more Jew or Greek, for all are one in Christ Jesus) is much louder and more prevalent than the 2 or three isolated passages that mention homosexual acts. Weighing one injunction against the other, it's more important to refrain from dehumanizing those whom we now understand to be people behaving normally, than it is to hold them to an outdated moral perspective of their orientation.

it is the sin of sexual immoral behavior that is being discussed in these verses.

God does not condemn someone for having an unnatural desire...he condemns them if they submit to that desire and act on it.

 

[sojourner]

it is the sin of sexual immoral behavior that is being discussed in these verses.

God does not condemn someone for having an unnatural desire...he condemns them if they submit to that desire and act on it.

homosexual desire isn't unnatural, though.

 

[Pegg]

homosexual desire isn't unnatural, though.

would we say the same thing about inherited conditions like diabetes?

What we inherit by birth could all be considered 'natural'... but that does't mean that they are good for us or they are what God intended. And just because we are born with a particular trait doesnt mean we should act on it.

So our views of our current physical and mental conditions are irrelevant... if God did not intend for us to be this way, then it is unnatural. And according to his word, he intended for men to form bonds with women and vise versa.

 

[sojourner]

would we say the same thing about inherited conditions like diabetes?

What we inherit by birth could all be considered 'natural'... but that does't mean that they are good for us or they are what God intended. And just because we are born with a particular trait doesnt mean we should act on it.

So our views of our current physical and mental conditions are irrelevant... if God did not intend for us to be this way, then it is unnatural. And according to his word, he intended for men to form bonds with women and vise versa.

Please! Homosexuality isn't a disease. It's a perfectly natural and healthy sexual orientation. God does not "intend" for us to "be" any certain way. Not trusting the medical community with regard to homosexuality is like not trusting astrophysics with regard to the shape of the earth.

 

[Pegg]

Please! Homosexuality isn't a disease. It's a perfectly natural and healthy sexual orientation. God does not "intend" for us to "be" any certain way. Not trusting the medical community with regard to homosexuality is like not trusting astrophysics with regard to the shape of the earth.

I didnt say it was a disease. It is a desire. And in Gods view it is a wrong desire because it is out of harmony with his will and purpose for mankind.

 

[Skwim]

it is the sin of sexual immoral behavior that is being discussed in these verses.

Is there a verse that actually says sexual immoral behavior is a sin?

 

[dgirl1986]

I didnt say it was a disease. It is a desire. And in Gods view it is a wrong desire because it is out of harmony with his will and purpose for mankind.

How is it a desire exactly?

 

[Pegg]

Is there a verse that actually says sexual immoral behavior is a sin?

I think there are plenty of verses showing that sexual immorality is a sin or error against Gods laws:

Ephesians 5:5 For you know this, recognizing it for yourselves, that no sexually immoral person or unclean person or greedy person, which means being an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and of God


1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, that you should be holy and abstain from sexual immorality.


There is also the account about young Joseph in Egypt who knew it would be a sin against God to have sexual relations with his masters wife:

Genesis 39:7-9 Now after these things, the wife of his master began to cast her eyes on Joseph and say: “Lie down with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife: “Here my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has entrusted everything he has into my care. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I am, and he has not withheld from me anything at all except you, because you are his wife. So how could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?”

 

[Pegg]

How is it a desire exactly?

its a desire in exactly the same way a hetrosexual person has a desire for the opposite gender.

 

[dgirl1986]

its a desire in exactly the same way a hetrosexual person has a desire for the opposite gender.

Are you talking sexual or romantic?

 

[Ingledsva]

Does the New Testament anywhere clearly talk about homosexuals or homosexuality in general? If so, where? And what is said?

Nope.

But lots of Sacred Sex references.


*

 

[roger1440]

Is there a verse that actually says sexual immoral behavior is a sin?

Immorality and sin is synonymous. The rest I’m not going to comment on.

 

[Ingledsva]

Romans 1:24 Therefore, God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts, gave them up to uncleanness, so that their bodies might be dishonored among them. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. 26 That is why God gave them over to uncontrolled sexual passion, for their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature; 27 likewise also the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full penalty, which was due for their error.


ING - This is ABSOLUTLY Sacred Sex. Homosexual having sex are not rendering SACRED SERVICE to anything.

*

Jude 7 In the same manner, Sod′om and Go·mor′rah and the cities around them also gave themselves over to gross sexual immorality and pursued unnatural fleshly desires; they are placed before us as a warning example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.



ING - This is what it actually says -

Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Nothing about homosexuality there. We know from other verses that going after "strange flesh" means foreign women, and Sacred Sex.


*

1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 Or do you not know that unrighteous people will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Do not be misled. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts (literally 'men who lie with men'), men who practice homosexuality, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit God’s Kingdom.


1Timothy 1:8 Now we know that the Law is fine if one applies it properly, 9 recognizing that law is made, not for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, ungodly and sinners, disloyal and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, 10 sexually immoral people, men who practice homosexuality, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and everything else that is in opposition to the wholesome teaching


ING - As we have pointed out OVER and OVER - it does not say "men who practice homosexuality"!

The word in both is - arsenokoitēs - which has no known uses as homosexual, but is found as rape of man and women in ancient writings. It seems to apply to sexual crimes.


all scriptures from the New World Translation.

Which obviously doesn't make their translations correct.



*

 

[s2a]

Does the New Testament anywhere clearly talk about homosexuals or homosexuality in general? If so, where? And what is said?

Yep.

Do you really need anyone to point that out?

Perhaps the more important and relevant question is... who cares?