The Bible consistently teaches that God designed sexual intimacy for the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and it describes homosexual practice as outside that design. At the same time, Scripture calls Christians to treat every person with love, dignity, and compassion, since all people are made in God's image and all sinners are invited to find grace in Christ.
Detailed answer
From the beginning, the Bible presents marriage as the union of a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24), affirmed by Jesus himself (Matthew 19:4-6). Within this framework, both Old and New Testaments describe homosexual acts as contrary to God's design (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).1
It is important to distinguish between temptation and action, and between a person's identity and their conduct. Experiencing same-sex attraction is not itself the same as acting on it, and the Bible's call to holiness in this area is the same call to sexual faithfulness it gives to everyone, including heterosexual people, who are equally called to chastity outside marriage and faithfulness within it.2
Crucially, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 lists many sins — including greed, slander, and drunkenness — and then says, 'And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified.' The gospel offers cleansing and a new identity in Christ to all who come to him, whatever their past.3
Biblical basis
- Genesis 2:24ESV
- Matthew 19:4-6ESV
- Romans 1:26-27ESV
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11ESV
Theological explanation
The biblical sexual ethic flows from the doctrine of creation: God made humanity male and female and gave marriage as a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32). Sexuality is therefore not a private preference but part of God's good created order.4
Because all have sinned (Romans 3:23), the church approaches this topic with humility, never with self-righteousness, holding together both truth and grace as Jesus did (John 1:14).5
Common errors
- 1.That the Bible singles out this sin as uniquely unforgivable — it does not; it is listed alongside many others, all of which Christ forgives.
- 2.That holding the biblical view requires hostility toward LGBTQ people — Scripture commands love of neighbor and kindness toward all.
- 3.That experiencing same-sex attraction is itself a sin to be ashamed of, rather than a temptation to bring honestly before God.
Pastoral application
- a.Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), welcoming people while remaining faithful to Scripture.
- b.Offer friendship, prayer, and the hope of the gospel rather than condemnation; remember that every Christian lives by grace.
Notes
- 1.Kevin DeYoung, What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), chs. 2–5, survey the principal Old and New Testament texts.
- 2.Sam Allberry, Is God Anti-Gay? And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction (Epsom, UK: The Good Book Company, 2013), distinguishes temptation from practice and calls for chastity for all unmarried persons.
- 3.1 Corinthians 6:9–11; cf. DeYoung, What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?, ch. 6, on the gospel's offer of washing and a new identity.
- 4.Genesis 1:27; 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:31–32. Marriage as creation ordinance and Christ–church typology is the theological frame for the biblical sexual ethic.
- 5.John 1:14; Ephesians 4:15. The church is bound to hold truth and love together rather than choose between them.
Bibliography
- Allberry, Sam. Is God Anti-Gay? And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction. Epsom, UK: The Good Book Company, 2013.
- DeYoung, Kevin. What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.
- Gagnon, Robert A. J.. The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics. Nashville: Abingdon, 2001.
- Yuan, Christopher. Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story. Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2018.