Romans 1:18-32
Why do we have to preach about this topic, homosexuality? There is
a spiritual battle going on right in the church, and the church is being divided, because
of homosexuality. People are fighting against God's principles and are trying to throw His
"yoke" from them.
We read here that God gave them over to these shameful sins (and
many other sins, like envy, strife, covetousness, etc.), because, although they knew God,
yet they did not glorify Him as God nor were thankful for His goodness. They glorified and
worshipped the creation in stead of the Creator.
Homosexuality is rebellion against God. Man (or woman) willfully
chooses their own way, against God's way. However, even in this rebellious state, God
still has a way of escape whereby they might be saved, for we read in 1Cor 6:9-11,
"... neither fornicators, ..., homosexuals, ... will inherit the kingdom of God. And
such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
Notes of Rev Peet Botha
Homosexuality & Scripture
* I would like to take you to a battlefield
A big war is raging
- the war is against God
- the war is against the authority of His Word
- the war is against His principles and commands
Homosexuality is at war against God’s principle of heterosexual conduct!!
You may ask:
- what is wrong with homosexual conduct?
- what is wrong with homosexual marriages?
- why can’t there be blessing for loving, caring, homosexual relationships between
two people of the same gender, that is free of immoral conduct?
- don’t homosexuals claim to be Christians!
You might say/answer:
- It is against God’s Word? Where?
- It is sin – Why?
- It is wrong – Why?
What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
Homosexual Conduct
Prof Louw – Univ. Stellenbosch said:
Because core-homosexuality is mostly an unchosen condition in a person’s sexual
orientation, we have to conclude that homosexuality as such cannot be regarded as sin.
Torquil Paterson (Anglican Theologian) said:
At this point it is necessary to state a fact concerning the being of the homosexual,
namely he is in no way responsible for his being, and that therefore there can be no guilt
attached to it.
Dr Ralph Barnard said:
If we have to ask what the New Testament teaches us about homosexual orientation, we
have to answer in all honesty: Nothing!!
Desmond Tutu (Anglican) said:
Rejecting practicing gays is nearly the ultimate blaspheme.
Prof Botha (Unisa) said:
The church must get away from the idea that he is the great patriarch which lays down
the rules and sets the regulations for something like sex.
Over and against these (above):
The Jewish Ecclesiastical Court stated:
There is not a single source in all Jewish disciplines of holy literature that
tolerates homosexual practices or homosexual orientation. Jews who approve of
homosexuality, do so without any reference to the Jewish holy literature. It is totally
without support from any holy Jewish literature written during the last 3 000 years.
The International Church Council stated:
The Bible considers homosexuality, in thought and practice as sin, that the Bible
teaches practicing homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and that God called
only heterosexual men and women as leaders in the Church of Christ.
Dutch Reformed Synod (1986) decided:
The Bible teaches homosexual practice to be sin.
The battle is fierce and is splitting the Church of Jesus Christ.
Satan and his demons are using sexuality which is God-given to make huge inroads
into Gods church and much hurt is caused in God’s church.
Read Romans 1:18-32
This portion of Scripture seems to be so clear. However, it is not – if you listen
to the scribes of our time:
Prof Scroggs wrote:
This portion refers to pederasty, love for boys. Homosexual conduct between men and
boys.
Prof Boswel wrote:
This portion refers to heterosexuals conducting homosexual acts.
Prof Fredrickson wrote:
No – not sexual activity between males as a violation of male-female norm but only
against excess passion.
Prof Countryman wrote:
Paul says that same-sex intercourse is dirty but not sinful.
Yet there are others like Schmidt and Gagnon who confirms the traditional
interpretation of the Bible that homosexual conduct is sin in all its manifestations.
Where does Paul find his proofs for homosexual conduct to be sin?
There are only 5 Biblical portions in the Bible speaking directly on homosexuality:
- Liviticus 18:22 and 20:13
- Romans 1:26-27
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
- 1 Timothy 6:9-10
Paul’s argument is as follows:
- Romans 1:19
"God created them male and female"
This means the following aspects are to be recognized. There is:
gender differentiation
sexual differentiation
it is obvious to the naked eye
male and female complimentarity
male and female bodily compliments one another
Therefore, God’s intention for mankind (humanity) is a male-female intention
- Leviticus
God prohibits that a man lies with another man like with a woman.
Literally:
"Do not lie with a man as one lies the bed of a woman". Leviticus 18:22 and
20:13
Two words are used in the Greek (Septuagint) translation of the Old Testament:
arsen & koite
man & bed
This is evil, abomination!! States the Scripture portion
Paul includes the woman in Romans 1:26 as if to say:
"Do not lie with a woman the bed/lying of a woman" Rom 1:26
Yes! Paul has it against homosexual conduct for men and women. This is the only place
in whole Scripture! where female homosexuality (lesbianism) is addressed.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Two words:
Arsenokoites & malakos (arsenokoivths and malakov~)
man-bedders & soft ones
Various Bible versions translate the Greek words as:
(?) sexually immoral
homosexual offenders NIV
perverts
(?) adulterers
effeminate KJV
defile themselves with mankind
(?) homosexuals
sodomites NKJ
sodomites
(?) sodomites
voluptuous persons
pederasts
Arsenokoites is mentioned in only two places in NT: 1 Cor & 1 Tim
This is the first ever usage in ancient literature.
It is Paul's own word!
In Leviticus the Hebrew words.are translated in Greek as follows:
Arsenos koiten yunaikos
Man the bed of a woman
Paul took arsenos & koiten
Man & bed
Combined the two words to form arsenokoiten and made a word "manbedders"
– that is a man taking another man to bed.
This is what we know today to be homosexuals.
Malakos is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10 only.
Malakos means the soft ones, effeminate ones, that is the womanly man.
but here it has sexual connotations – a male who is voluptuous and womanly and in
combination with arsenokoites it means homosexual, that is the one who allows
himself to be used sexually as if he is a woman.
It is very clear from Scripture that Paul had in mind to say that homosexual conduct
is sin!!
Why? Because it is
pavra fusivn (para
phusin) – against nature.
In Romans 1: 26 – 27 Paul speaks of a perfect nature.
There is a perfect nature – God given:
- rebellion – against the perfect nature gives a false nature, in this case
homosexual conduct.
- God gave them over – when people choose the false nature rather than the God-given
nature, God gives them over to this nature and all its sinful manifestations.
Look at the following verses and notice the structure:
V23 exchanged 24 God gave them over
V25 exchanged 26 God gave them over
Likewise:
V26 exchanged 28 God gave them over
Nature is to be understood that:
- God made an intended nature
- Nature is man and woman, male and female
- Relationship is to be between man (male) and woman (female), that is heterosexual and
not homosexual
Is there hope for the homosexual?
Read 1 Corinthians 6:11
And Paul said to the Corinthian brethren that is what some of you were. But you were:
washed
- sanctified in the name of Jesus Christ
- justified by Spirit of God
The hope for the homosexual lies in Jesus Christ. As with any other sin homosexual
conduct has to be repented from and a new lifestyle has to be lived. A lifestyle free of
homosexual conduct and to live pure in Jesus Christ the Lord
