Homosexual couples in the bible

Transcript:

Alright, I’d just like to initiate by saying thank you to everybody for coming tonight – I really appreciate it – and for being interested in learning more about this subject. I also want to praise College Hill United Methodist for graciously agreeing to host the event. My name is Matthew Vines, I’m 21 years vintage, and I’m currently a pupil in college, although I’ve been on leave for most of the last two years in order to study the material that I’ll be presenting tonight. I was born and raised here in Wichita, in a loving Christian home and in a church community that holds to the traditional interpretation of Scripture on this subject.

Just to offer a brief outline for this presentation: I’ll start by considering some of the broader issues and divisions that are behind this debate; and then I’ll move to a closer examination of the main biblical texts that are involved in it; and then I’ll give some concluding remarks. The issue of homosexuality, of the ordination of gay clergy and of the blessing of same-sex unions, has caused tremendous divisions in the church in rece

What does the Bible say about gay marriage?

Answer



The Bible says nothing about gay marriage directly, but it does set down the foundational principles of what constitutes marriagein God’s eyes. Every reference to marriage in the Bible indicates a union of male and female. The first description of marriage coincides with the creation of Eve in Genesis 2. According to that passage, marriage takes place when “a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis ).

In passages that contain instructions regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians –16 and Ephesians –33, the Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a man and a woman. Biblically speaking, marriage is the union of a male and a woman in a lifetime commitment. Primary purposes of marriage are to illustrate the relationship between Christ and the church (see Ephesians –33) and to build a family and provide a stable, secure environment for that family to develop. As families prosper, so does society at large, and balanced families contribute to stable soci

What the Bible says about same-sex relationships

How did I come to change my mind? How did I move from believing that the Bible said that all same-sex relationships are wrong to where I am now? This part of my story is not in chronological order, because it is a journey that did not take place in anything like a straight line. It took place over nearly 20 years, with many changes of direction and wrong turns along the way.

There are really only six passages in the Bible that can be used as primary evidence that all same-sex relationships are wrong. They are the story of Sodom in Genesis 19; a couple of verses in Leviticus, and ; Romans 1; 1 Corinthians –10; and 1 Timothy –

One approach to these questions is to ask what do these passages mean? This is an engaging question and one which many people, including me, have studied at length over the years. Unfortunately, while it is interesting, it isn’t a terribly practical interrogate. Instead, I want to think about how these passages relate to two typical same-sex couples.

  • Alan and Ben are two men in a committed, faithfu

    What does the Bible verb about same-sex practice?

    The Bible defines marriage in Genesis as a union between one man and one woman. Jesus Christ upholds this definition of marriage in Matthew , as does the Apostle Paul in Ephesians Any and all sexual activity which takes place outside of this context is treated as sinful, what Jesus calls ‘sexual immorality’ in Mark  

    Further to this, same-sex practice is specifically highlighted as sinful a number of times in Scripture. In God’s Law, for example, condemnations of same-sex practice are given in Leviticus and Further references are made in the New Testament. For example, in Romans , amid echoes to the Genesis creation account, both male and female same-sex perform are treated as sinful. Further references to the sinfulness of same-sex practice can be seen in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy  

    The Scriptures are, therefore, consistent in their prohibition of same-sex sexual activity, across unlike periods of salvation history and within different cultural settings. Although the Scriptures are clear on sexual ethics, they also