Romans and 1 Corinthians
This comment was on the previous post:
I've been struggling with reconciling myself to being both gay and christian, and it seems impossible! I want to experience what its like to be in a relationship but i can't get past the bible verses that say its sinful to practise homosexuality. What did you do with these passages? (Rom 1: 26-27, 1Cor 6: 9)
My book is at the printer right now and will be finished between August 22nd and September 6th, but I'll use an excerpt to respond here. If you're interested, the autobiography/self-help book will be available for pre-order in the next couple of weeks at jenaustin.com.
The passages in Romans says:
25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
At the time Paul wrote this passage in Romans, temple prostitution was prevalent and cults (who used both heterosexual and homosexual sex acts) were usually the primary participants ("Christianity and Homosexuality," Michael Piazza).
It doesn’t take any sort of stretch of the imagination to see that there is something cockeyed about selling one’s body for personal gain, whether homosexual or heterosexual sex acts are the means used. Paul had to address this situation. But Paul is not addressing same-sex love in this passage, where two committed adults live together, love one another, and mutually contribute to a household and a family. Paul is talking about that middle-of-the-night, back-alley sort of sex act of which lust is a part, and which would still get you arrested today. To try to hastily pin this passage on those who possess a natural homosexual orientation just proves how misunderstood we gay folk continue to be.
Homosexuality is not so whimsical that it requires a bunch of lawless hooligans to suddenly become “inflamed with lust for one another” and to resolutely pursue those lusts at the expense of anything and everything that happens to be in the way. We homosexuals are far more tame and boring than that. We do not become “inflamed” any more than a heterosexual person becomes “inflamed” with heterosexuality prior to pursuing a potential mate. Just like heterosexuals, we gravitate naturally toward the features that attract us.
The subject of what is “natural” to one person over another is an interesting one. For me, it is not natural to be in a sexual relationship with a man and, as I have mentioned, I have given it a whirl. There are no words to describe the awkwardness. My connection to men is similar to that between two heterosexual men I would imagine, in that I can talk and laugh and have fun with a man, but the sexual attraction is entirely absent. To kiss a man is contrary to everything that I know to be true about myself and, although the act may produce a raucous and triumphant round of applause at a Focus on the Family “ex-gay” rally, it would be the ultimate self-betrayal. I choose truth over superficial and conditional acceptance by would-be peers.
There are two other New Testament passages (NIV) that are commonly used to verbally assault homosexuals. Here they are:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10:
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Timothy 1:9-10:
9We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.
We are the “homosexual offenders” in the 1 Corinthians passage, and the “perverts” in the 1 Timothy passage. There is some debate over whether or not the original Greek words have been accurately translated, but assuming the translation is correct and Paul does indeed address homosexuality in these passages, once again, neither passage covers a natural, same-sex orientation. Both passages refer to people who use sexuality (among other things) for personal gain--using others to gain status, power, money, physical gratification, etc.--and the homosexual acts that were engaged in during that time fit that bill.
For example, some older Greek men would keep young boys, especially for sexual purposes, by paying them large sums of money. The boys received money and the men received sexual gratification. Using another person in a way that would bring about personal gain has never been okay with God, but these things do not automatically attach themselves to homosexuality as an orientation. A loving homosexual relationship is about mutual gratification and selfless love, which undoubtedly serves to enrich the lives of both partners. The things mentioned in these passages—sexual immorality, greed, swindling, lying, etc.—will destroy any relationship, regardless of its sexual persuasion. Paul is addressing specific homosexual acts in this passage, and not homosexuality as a natural sexual orientation.
The New Living Translation puts 1Timothy 1:10 this way:
“These laws are for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts the right teaching.”
It is hard for me to conceive that the kind folks Angela and I see every Sunday at church and who happen to be gay, can be lumped in with slave traders and oath breakers. These people tithe, they volunteer their time, they sing, they pray, they love their families…and for what? To be considered on the level of someone who trades a slave (another human life) for a bushel of corn? Homosexuals do not contradict “the right teaching,” simply by existing. It takes much more work than that. Naturally, a homosexual person is capable of contradicting God’s teaching, but there is no contradiction in simply being homosexual.
I should also mention that the word "homosexual" was first coined in the 1860's, so it's a bit of a mystery how that word has managed to pop up in modern Biblical translations. It seems to refelct the translators' bias more than it does the original truth.
Here's a bit more from the book regarding sin:
Sin is an obstacle that separates the sinner from God. It is easy to see why murder, for example, is a sin. The act undoubtedly comes between the murderer and God. God is love, but love is absent when the act of murder is committed. The effects are harmful. Families are robbed of someone whom they loved and the victim is robbed of his or her existence. Murder is a violation against God and humanity. None of these things apply to a healthy homosexual relationship. The effects are positive. Love thrives. Each partner is filled with happiness and contentment, potentially drawing nearer to God rather than further away.
The ultimate proof comes through faith, in knowing that God’s nature lives inside me and it exists peacefully with my homosexuality, and that the two are not in conflict in any way. God’s nature is in conflict with things like anger, jealousy, and greed and I wrestle daily with those. But the day I stopped giving power to the fundamentalist Christians who argue that my homosexuality is a wrong behavior, was the day that I stopped cringing over the idea that I was sinning each time I entertained a homosexual idea. God most definitely retains the power to convict me of sin, but has not done so where my homosexuality is concerned. The moment I stopped giving power to the people who were attempting to come between God and me, I became free.
The truth that exists between God and me is far more important than the propaganda that swirls outside of that relationship. To give that relationship the power, and to remove the power subconsciously assigned to the fundamentalists, is perhaps the most important lesson we gay Christians can learn.
I've been struggling with reconciling myself to being both gay and christian, and it seems impossible! I want to experience what its like to be in a relationship but i can't get past the bible verses that say its sinful to practise homosexuality. What did you do with these passages? (Rom 1: 26-27, 1Cor 6: 9)
My book is at the printer right now and will be finished between August 22nd and September 6th, but I'll use an excerpt to respond here. If you're interested, the autobiography/self-help book will be available for pre-order in the next couple of weeks at jenaustin.com.
The passages in Romans says:
25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
At the time Paul wrote this passage in Romans, temple prostitution was prevalent and cults (who used both heterosexual and homosexual sex acts) were usually the primary participants ("Christianity and Homosexuality," Michael Piazza).
It doesn’t take any sort of stretch of the imagination to see that there is something cockeyed about selling one’s body for personal gain, whether homosexual or heterosexual sex acts are the means used. Paul had to address this situation. But Paul is not addressing same-sex love in this passage, where two committed adults live together, love one another, and mutually contribute to a household and a family. Paul is talking about that middle-of-the-night, back-alley sort of sex act of which lust is a part, and which would still get you arrested today. To try to hastily pin this passage on those who possess a natural homosexual orientation just proves how misunderstood we gay folk continue to be.
Homosexuality is not so whimsical that it requires a bunch of lawless hooligans to suddenly become “inflamed with lust for one another” and to resolutely pursue those lusts at the expense of anything and everything that happens to be in the way. We homosexuals are far more tame and boring than that. We do not become “inflamed” any more than a heterosexual person becomes “inflamed” with heterosexuality prior to pursuing a potential mate. Just like heterosexuals, we gravitate naturally toward the features that attract us.
The subject of what is “natural” to one person over another is an interesting one. For me, it is not natural to be in a sexual relationship with a man and, as I have mentioned, I have given it a whirl. There are no words to describe the awkwardness. My connection to men is similar to that between two heterosexual men I would imagine, in that I can talk and laugh and have fun with a man, but the sexual attraction is entirely absent. To kiss a man is contrary to everything that I know to be true about myself and, although the act may produce a raucous and triumphant round of applause at a Focus on the Family “ex-gay” rally, it would be the ultimate self-betrayal. I choose truth over superficial and conditional acceptance by would-be peers.
There are two other New Testament passages (NIV) that are commonly used to verbally assault homosexuals. Here they are:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10:
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Timothy 1:9-10:
9We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.
We are the “homosexual offenders” in the 1 Corinthians passage, and the “perverts” in the 1 Timothy passage. There is some debate over whether or not the original Greek words have been accurately translated, but assuming the translation is correct and Paul does indeed address homosexuality in these passages, once again, neither passage covers a natural, same-sex orientation. Both passages refer to people who use sexuality (among other things) for personal gain--using others to gain status, power, money, physical gratification, etc.--and the homosexual acts that were engaged in during that time fit that bill.
For example, some older Greek men would keep young boys, especially for sexual purposes, by paying them large sums of money. The boys received money and the men received sexual gratification. Using another person in a way that would bring about personal gain has never been okay with God, but these things do not automatically attach themselves to homosexuality as an orientation. A loving homosexual relationship is about mutual gratification and selfless love, which undoubtedly serves to enrich the lives of both partners. The things mentioned in these passages—sexual immorality, greed, swindling, lying, etc.—will destroy any relationship, regardless of its sexual persuasion. Paul is addressing specific homosexual acts in this passage, and not homosexuality as a natural sexual orientation.
The New Living Translation puts 1Timothy 1:10 this way:
“These laws are for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts the right teaching.”
It is hard for me to conceive that the kind folks Angela and I see every Sunday at church and who happen to be gay, can be lumped in with slave traders and oath breakers. These people tithe, they volunteer their time, they sing, they pray, they love their families…and for what? To be considered on the level of someone who trades a slave (another human life) for a bushel of corn? Homosexuals do not contradict “the right teaching,” simply by existing. It takes much more work than that. Naturally, a homosexual person is capable of contradicting God’s teaching, but there is no contradiction in simply being homosexual.
I should also mention that the word "homosexual" was first coined in the 1860's, so it's a bit of a mystery how that word has managed to pop up in modern Biblical translations. It seems to refelct the translators' bias more than it does the original truth.
Here's a bit more from the book regarding sin:
Sin is an obstacle that separates the sinner from God. It is easy to see why murder, for example, is a sin. The act undoubtedly comes between the murderer and God. God is love, but love is absent when the act of murder is committed. The effects are harmful. Families are robbed of someone whom they loved and the victim is robbed of his or her existence. Murder is a violation against God and humanity. None of these things apply to a healthy homosexual relationship. The effects are positive. Love thrives. Each partner is filled with happiness and contentment, potentially drawing nearer to God rather than further away.
The ultimate proof comes through faith, in knowing that God’s nature lives inside me and it exists peacefully with my homosexuality, and that the two are not in conflict in any way. God’s nature is in conflict with things like anger, jealousy, and greed and I wrestle daily with those. But the day I stopped giving power to the fundamentalist Christians who argue that my homosexuality is a wrong behavior, was the day that I stopped cringing over the idea that I was sinning each time I entertained a homosexual idea. God most definitely retains the power to convict me of sin, but has not done so where my homosexuality is concerned. The moment I stopped giving power to the people who were attempting to come between God and me, I became free.
The truth that exists between God and me is far more important than the propaganda that swirls outside of that relationship. To give that relationship the power, and to remove the power subconsciously assigned to the fundamentalists, is perhaps the most important lesson we gay Christians can learn.
posted by Jen Austin at 7:36 AM
2 Comments:
thank you. i really like what you have to say. i agree!
Thanks Jen. You definately answered my question, and now i have a dozen more! I'll just have to read your book :) I liked what you said, and i want to agree with it, but my church doesn't teach that. If i did as you say, they would probably kick me out.
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