Looking for Scripture Explicitly Forbidding Same-Sex Marriage

[RedDragon94]

It's no secret that according the Bible god made woman for man, and that they should be together.

Genesis 2:22-24 NIV
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.​

Or that while god doesn't like the idea of men and women having sexual relations, because he created them with sexual urges, it's best that they be married.

1 Corinthians 7:1-2 NIV
"1 . . .It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.​

However, there are many people who never marry and seem to be quite accepted within the Christian faith. So marriage doesn't appear to be an absolute necessity in Christian theology and in practice. It's not a deal breaker. People don't have to get married to be good Christians.

This seems to be the sum and substance of God's regard for marriage.

1) It's not mandatory.

2) But does serves to forestall "sexual immorality"​

And while the Bible says God doesn't like homosexual activities He doesn't seem to condemn people for being homosexuals. Like wise, while He doesn't like the idea of heterosexuals having sex, (1 Corinthians 7:1-2 ) He doesn't condemn them for being heterosexuals.

So God doesn't really like people having sexual relations be they homosexual or heterosexual; however, He is willing to allow heterosexuals to indulge themselves if they marry one another.

As for homosexuals and their sexual urges________________ nothing! Nothing is said one way or the other about their sexual predicament. My suspicion is that in the scheme of things homosexuals just aren't significant enough to bother mentioning. HOWEVER, it is said in 1 Corinthians 7:8-9

8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.
9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
​

which, in addressing unmarried heterosexuals, says that for the sake of one's self sexual control it is better to marry. Marriage, therefore, is treated as nothing more than a means of controlling sexual passion, which I think would reasonably apply to homosexuals as well. Marriage is but an accommodation.

In any case, unless I've missed something, . . .

There's nothing in the Bible specifically about homosexuals marrying
There's nothing in the Bible specifically about homosexuals not marrying.

The Bible is silent. So, just where do people get the idea that God is against same-sex marriage? Where is the scripture that explicitly forbids same-sex marriage?


.

Leviticus 18:22? Homosexuals cannot consummate a marriage, ergo they cannot marry.

I'm not a Christian but pretty sure 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says that sodomites will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The word is literally in Greek 'men who have sex with men' and is made of two Greek words anthropos (man) coitus (sex).

What I notice from these two verses Rival posted is that the Bible aims these commands specifically at males. I think it's possible for it to be against male homosexuality while leaving room for lesbians. This would mean women have greater liberty sexually.

 

[knh777]

Not everyone is His and He doesnt want the others He greives their loss, but He is willing to turn them away.
God doesn't need us. He loves us. We need Him. And He already did His part to make covenant with us.
In covenant or contract there is a death of parties in agreement to fulfill the agreement. So Jesus died to do His part and deposited His Spirit. To enter contract we have to "count the cost" right? Pick up our crosses, and deposit our lives to follow Him. Its a walk in covenant with God.
If you are unwilling to invest in the covenant what is required after "counting the cost," then you can't enter His covenant of grace.
God already outstretched His arm to pick us up. If you run away He will pursue you and He will reason with you.
But He will let you go if you insist and refuse His covenant you cannot be a beneficiary of the covenant.
Matt 19 starts with Jesus discussing the covenant of marriage. And goes progressively into the cost.
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Its a free gift is a misinterpretation by many.
Romans 5 and 6 are the complete picture of the free gift.
The gift was God made a way of covenant for fallen man, and He really doesnt benefit in payment for it.
So therefore it us a "free gift" and it forgives all debt and payment due " which is a get out of Hell free card" but the road out will cost you your temporal and will reward you with eternal.
27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
Romans 6
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
See all of Romans 5 and 6

 

[Rival]

Not everyone is His and He doesnt want the others He greives their loss, but He is willing to turn them away.
God doesn't need us. He loves us. We need Him. And He already did His part to make covenant with us.
In covenant or contract there is a death of parties in agreement to fulfill the agreement. So Jesus died to do His part and deposited His Spirit. To enter contract we have to "count the cost" right? Pick up our crosses, and deposit our lives to follow Him. Its a walk in covenant with God.
If you are unwilling to invest in the covenant what is required after "counting the cost," then you can't enter His covenant of grace.
God already outstretched His arm to pick us up. If you run away He will pursue you and He will reason with you.
But He will let you go if you insist and refuse His covenant you cannot be a beneficiary of the covenant.
Matt 19 starts with Jesus discussing the covenant of marriage. And goes progressively into the cost.
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Its a free gift is a misinterpretation by many.
Romans 5 and 6 are the complete picture of the free gift.
The gift was God made a way of covenant for fallen man, and He really doesnt benefit in payment for it.
So therefore it us a "free gift" and it forgives all debt and payment due " which is a get out of Hell free card" but the road out will cost you your temporal and will reward you with eternal.
27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
Romans 6
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
See all of Romans 5 and 6

Will you please stop your nonsense preaching. You are violating Rule 8.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

This is rubbish. Why would God give people commandments they couldn't possibly fulfil and then punish them for it?

Why would God possibly create people with a sin they can't rid themselves of and then condemn them to Hell for it?

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Leviticus 18:22? Homosexuals cannot consummate a marriage, ergo they cannot marry.

That verse doesn't specifically forbid SSM though. The forbidding is implied.

 

[Rival]

That verse doesn't specifically forbid SSM though. The forbidding is implied.

Uh, well done? Lol.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Uh, well done? Lol.

Thank you, thank you!

 

[loverofhumanity]

Marriage is defined in the Bahá’í Faith as a union between two consenting adults: a man and a woman. Abdu’l-Bahá has stated the following in this regard:

The true marriage of Bahá’ís is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Bahá’í marriage.

There is no other form of marriage permissible to Baha'is. A man and a woman is the definition of Bahá'í marriage.

 

[knh777]

Will you please stop your nonsense preaching. You are violating Rule 8.

The question is about the Bible. I am answering it.

 

[knh777]

You must be born again whether you are " born gay" or not.

I know friends who have been born again who thought they were born gay. The Holy Spirit is a must have to be a Christian. We all MUST be born again!

 

[columbus]

Marriage is defined in the Bahá’í Faith as a union between two consenting adults: a man and a woman. Abdu’l-Bahá has stated the following in this regard:

The true marriage of Bahá’ís is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Bahá’í marriage.

There is no other form of marriage permissible to Baha'is. A man and a woman is the definition of Bahá'í marriage.

And there is solid evidence that Bahá'í is a human invention having nothing to do with God.
Tom

 

[loverofhumanity]

And there is solid evidence that Bahá'í is a human invention having nothing to do with God.
Tom

That's off topic but if you're willing to start a thread on it we can discuss the matter.

Although the OP was quoting the Bible, we believe that Baha'u'llah is the fulfilment of biblical prophecies so we are not divorced from it but an integral part of it therefore we have every right to comment upon it.

So, Baha'u'llah, Who was prophesied in the Bible, has stated that marriage is only permissible between a man and a woman.

No Revelation from God accepts anything other than marriage between a man and a woman.

 

[columbus]

That's off topic but if you're willing to start a thread on it we can discuss the matter.

Why would I start a thread about a demonstrably false ideology?
You have given me enough to go on. If someone else wants to know more I might read it. But I didn't just learn about Bahá'í.
Tom

 

[loverofhumanity]

Why would I start a thread about a demonstrably false ideology?
You have given me enough to go on. If someone else wants to know more I might read it. But I didn't just learn about Bahá'í.
Tom

The topic here is same sex marriage.

 

[columbus]

The topic here is same sex marriage.

You changed it to the Bahá'í teachings about same sex marriage.
I quoted you.
Tom

 

[loverofhumanity]

You changed it to the Bahá'í teachings about same sex marriage.
I quoted you.
Tom

The OP was looking for scriptural references forbidding same sex marriage. I provided that and explained that the Baha'i Faith is a fulfilment of the Bible not separate from it so we have every right to comment on that. That's all. But anyway if you took offence nonewas meant. So apologies.

 

[columbus]

The OP was looking for scriptural references forbidding same sex marriage. I provided that and explained that the Baha'i Faith is a fulfilment of the Bible not separate from it so we have every right to comment on that. That's all. But anyway if you took offence nonewas meant. So apologies.

Sorry too.
I get annoyed when people claim to speak for God and say things about me that I know aren't true.
To you, same sex marriage might be some abstract concept that you will just take somebody's word on. To me it's a bit more important.
Tom

 

[dgirl1986]

As far as I know, the bible never states that two people of the same gender cannot get married. However, given that people eat shellfish I wouldn't think it would be much of an issue anyway...

 

[fallingblood]

It's no secret that according the Bible god made woman for man, and that they should be together.

​

There's nothing in the Bible specifically about homosexuals marrying
There's nothing in the Bible specifically about homosexuals not marrying.

The Bible is silent. So, just where do people get the idea that God is against same-sex marriage? Where is the scripture that explicitly forbids same-sex marriage?
.

Love the question. Interestingly, one could argue that in certain circumstances, such as being a pastor, it is required to be married. 1 Timothy 3:2 seems to argue such.

It should also be mentioned that the reason why Paul, in 1 Corinthians, asked people not to marry was because he believed that the end was near, and it was basically a waste of time then to go through the effort.

The Bible is certainly silent on the matter. At least specifically. I think primarily that reason is because the idea of homosexuality didn't exist. For the Jewish writers, and later Gentile writers, while people may have same sex sexual unions, it was seen as going against their natural state. So the reason same-sex marriage wasn't mentioned was likely because it was something that wasn't seen as needing to be addressed.

Incidentally, there is some evidence that same-sex unions were done within the Christian Church during early Christianity until about the 14th century.

Some of these NT verses are contextual.

'not to marry' is always contextual to discipleship, this is like talking to ''specific people''. not the general pop.
Disciples were literally ''Discipling'', it could mean traveling around, etc. There is practicality to all these verses, if you know the context

It wasn't contextual to discipleship. Paul was quite clear that no one should marry, unless they couldn't keep their passions in check. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul is speaking to the entire congregation, not just to disciples.

I'm not a Christian but pretty sure 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says that sodomites will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The word is literally in Greek 'men who have sex with men' and is made of two Greek words anthropos (man) coitus (sex).

The Greek is unclear. The term sodomites is even less clear, as it has been used to mean everything from male-male sexual acts, to masturbation, or even just dry humping (basically anything sexual act that isn't penile-vaginal intercourse for the express purpose of having a child among a married couple).

The Greek word in question is arsencoitus, which is a term that Paul seems to have coined. While the individual words that make it up do literally mean man and sex, and is a reflection of the Hebrew, we don't have much information on the term. In Greek, classical Greek, while a word may be made up of two other words, it doesn't necessary mean that it will reflect accurately the meaning of those two words.

The context of the entire verse though negates the idea that they can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. First, the verse contains just a standard vice list. It contains things nearly everyone is guilty of. More so though, the very following verse states that those who are listening were guilty of those vices, and that there is salvation that can be found. So yes, they can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

It's not that complicated. Marriage is God's arrangement. He brought the woman to the man and Jesus said that "what God has yoked together, no man could put apart". God performed the first marriage. It is a serious commitment.

In Israel, a woman betrothed to a man was "married", not in a ceremony at the synagogue, but by the simple act of the man taking his fiance to the home he had prepared for her. Walking from her house to his, the road was lined with well-wishers and taking his wife home was how they became "married".

God would not yoke a same sex couple. If they want to commit fornication in an unmarried state, that is up to them.
Sexual sin is sexual sin regardless of your gender. A married couple in a committed relationship is the best atmosphere in which to raise children. Same sex couples cannot naturally produce children.

Marriage for ancient Hebrews changed over time, mainly because the Bible gives very little specifics about it. The Talmud is what expands on the idea of marriage, and that is reserved specifically for Jews (marriage for Jews, and marriage for Gentiles was different. Gentiles don't have to follow Jewish law, so the ideas change).

However, it wasn't by the simple act of a man taking a woman to the home he prepared for her. There were three conditions, through money, a contract, or sexual intercourse, and the woman has to give her consent.

As for the best atmosphere to raise a child. Study after study shows that the best atmosphere is within a two parent household that is stable, and loving. It doesn't matter the sex of the parents. A married couple, in a committed relationship, who fight continually, or are drug addicts, is not the best atmosphere. The key is stable and loving.

And while same-sex couples can't "naturally produce children," many opposite-sex couples also can't naturally produce children. So the point really seems moot.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Sorry too.
I get annoyed when people claim to speak for God and say things about me that I know aren't true.
To you, same sex marriage might be some abstract concept that you will just take somebody's word on. To me it's a bit more important.
Tom

I could always use more wisdom. The main thing I think is not so much what we believe but how we treat each other. We are all entitled to be welcomed and accepted unconditionally without being judged.