Homosexuality in the New Testament - Part 2

Romans 1:26-27

            The second New Testament passage we will look at is found in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.^[1] (Emphasis added)

            Unlike the passage in 1 Corinthians, there is no ambiguity of terms that might require a significant amount of explanation.  It is important to note that the culture in Rome varied greatly from that of Corinth. 

In the Roman world, by the time Paul is writing this letter to the Church in Rome, pederasty was largely rejected as an acceptable practice.  This may be why Paul seems to not address a specific cultural expression of same-sex sexual acts, but in a broader sense addresses all homosexual sexual activity.  “Homosexuality among ‘males’, like that among ‘females’ is characterized as a departure from nature.  As in the previous verse ‘nature’ denotes the natural order, but as reflective of God’s purposes.”[2]

It is important to note that ‘natural’ expressions of sexuality, as presented in this verse, presupposes that God is the creator of all things and therefore God is the one who deems what sexual acts are appropriate for mankind.  The verse is not saying that homosexuality does not occur in nature, nor does it suggest that homosexuality cannot be inborn, but rather that it violates the parameters God set out in sexual relationships.

“Most references to homosexuality in the New Testament occur in the Pauline letters.  The clearest is Romans 1:26-27.  In the context Paul is portraying the moral disorder that accompanies the rejection of the knowledge of God in the pagan world.  Exchanging the creator for the idolatrous worship of creatures issues in God’s abandoning of women and men who they forsake ‘the natural use’ of their bodies for a use ‘against nature.’”[3]

            It is sometimes argued that because the appearance of prohibition of homosexual acts appears only in the writings of Paul, he is bigoted against homosexual people and his prejudice may have impacted his writing.

            In order to respond to this allegation we must first understand Paul’s worldview.  Paul was raised as a Pharisee, a Jewish, religious leader.  He was well educated in the Mosaic Law and the prophetic writings of what we now know as the Old Testament.  Paul was a Roman citizen, which afforded him certain civil rights that were not the privilege of all men.  Because of Paul’s education, religious and cultural beliefs, we can safely assume that he was opposed to homosexual sexual acts, as it was taught in the Law (as seen in the passage in Leviticus), as well as being looked down upon in Roman culture.

            To claim however, that Paul was somehow prejudiced against people who participate in homosexual acts does not follow logically.  In Roman culture homosexual acts were rejected as socially acceptable expressions of one’s sexuality, and in Mosaic Law (Jewish culture), homosexual acts deserved the penalty of stoning.  Had Paul been trying to push an agenda of hate, he would have easily been able to impose death or persecution as a response to same-sex sexual acts.  This is not what we see in Paul’s writing.  In both the above-mentioned passages, Paul writes not of persecution of homosexuals, but of restoration to relationship with God.

            1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is immediately followed by hope of restoration: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” ^[4]  It is important to note that in the verse Paul is speaking specifically to homosexual acts, not homosexual orientation, so he is not suggesting that someone necessarily changed their orientation, but rather, they stopped participating in same-sex sexual acts. 

            Again in the Romans passage, if we follow Paul’s argument to its conclusion, we see the promise of restoration.  Romans 1:1-3:20 present the case that all mankind, regardless of sexuality or the kind of sin in which they participate, are in need of God.  After spending nearly three chapters discussing the fallen state of man, and the separation of man from God, Paul inserts the promise of hope in one of the most powerful passages in all of his writing.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. ^[5]

Here Paul is talking about the righteousness of God being manifested apart from the Law.  That manifestation was in the person of Jesus.  The Law and the Prophets, that is, the entirety of the Old Testament, point to Jesus as the coming messiah and savior of the world.  Paul shows that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus, and that all men have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. 

            If Paul had intended to write hate letters against homosexuals, he certainly had an audience that would have been willing to listen to his agenda.  The letters, however, speak for themselves.  Paul is more interested in the restoration of all people to God than singling out any sub-culture for persecution.  Paul often referred to himself as the apostle to the Gentiles (those who were not Jewish), and was willing to give his life (which he eventually did around 64AD), in order to deliver the message of restoration to those who were apart from God, including those who participated in homosexual acts.  It is therefore quite a stretch to think that Paul’s motivation for writing had anything to do with a personal agenda, but rather, Paul genuinely believed that homosexual acts were a violation of God’s moral law.

“Paul’s purpose in [singling out homosexual activity for special attention] may not be because he regards it as a more serious sin than others but because he sees it as a particularly clear illustration of the violation of the created order.”[6]  Knowing that God’s intended plan for sexual expression was intended for a man and woman within the confines of marriage, helps us to understand why Paul would use homosexuality as one of the clearest examples of violation of this moral law.

            As much as it is important to understand Paul’s purpose in singling out homosexual activity, it is also important to note that his presentation of sexual violations includes not only homosexual, but also heterosexual sins.

“… in Romans 1:24-27, homo- and heterosexual sins are paired in a way that suggests that neither is any better or any worse than the other.  One can scarcely use these verses to claim that no one can simultaneously be a Christian and engage in homosexual actions unless one is prepared to say the same thing of one who commits adultery or exhibits greed!  But in each of these instances true Christians should acknowledge their behavior as sinful and try to change it.”[7]

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Ro 1:24–27). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

[2] Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1996), 116.

[3] Gerald F. Hawthorne and D. F. Wright, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Ralph P. Martin and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 413.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (1 Co 6:11). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

^[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Ro 3:21–26). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

[6] Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 67.

[7] Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians: The NIV Application Commentary: From Biblical Text--to Contemporary Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 121.