Day 1 Station 2: Biblical View of Homosexuality

Visual Aid:

• See attachments on left side

Goals:

• To make a convincing argument that Homosexuality is sin according to the word of God
• To answer common arguments against the Old and New Testament verses pertaining to homosexuality
  • Old Testament: Many people accuse Christians of "picking and choosing" especially from Leviticus
  • New Testament: Many say the Greek word used for homosexuality is a "bad translation" and should really be "pedagogy" or "paedophilia"
  • To address "supporting the sin" according to Romans 1

What is Sin?

• A very easy and straightforward question, right?
  • What is sin? Explain it to me
• What is sin
  • Sin is doing something against the law of God
  • Sin is separation from God
  • Sin is death
    • If God is life, and sin is separation from God, then sin is death
    • This is why when God warned Adam and Eve about eating the fruit, He said "You shall surely die" and indeed they did
      
  • Sin is falling short of the glory of God
• Why does God classify some things as sin and others as not?
  • All of God's commandments and laws come from His love for us
  • Because God loves us, He doesn't want us to get hurt or to hurt others - so He gives us commandments for the things that would hurt us
    
  • Things that are incompatible with God and God is love - so anything that is incompatible with the love of God, with loving the Lord our God, or with loving our neighbor - is sin.
  • Which is ironic because Homosexuality is advertised as being born out of "love"
    
• How do we know if something is a sin?
  • God reveals it to us through the Scripture or the Church Tradition
• Today we will examine the Biblical Evidence against Homosexuality
  • Then we will see what TikTok has to say about it
  • And then we will answer the claims being made on TikTok
• We will see what GOD says about the sin of homosexuality

Homosexuality in the Old Testament 

Biblical Evidence 1: Leviticus

• "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination" (Leviticus 18:22)
• "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. " (Leviticus 20:13)

Argument 1: Hebrew Word Lost in Translation

• https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsaywhtmrsh/video/6919317480296975622
  • Let's look at the Hebrew: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/leviticus/18-22.htm 
• It's a weak argument because the Interlinear is very clear - it doesn't mention paedophilia or even homosexuality. It just says "don't lie with a male as with a woman"
  
• This is an uncommon argument that I only found in this one video - I think this TikToker confused Argument 4 (we'll see in a few minutes) with this verse

Biblical Evidence 2: Sodom and Gomorrah

• ⁵ And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” ⁶ So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, ⁷ and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! ⁸ See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” ... ²⁴ Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. (Genesis 19:5-7, 24)
• ⁷ as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7)

Argument 2: Sodom and Gomorrah Didn't Practice Homosexuality

• https://www.tiktok.com/@revbrandanrobertson/video/6886934123395534086
• This is a very common argument - Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their inhospitality. And Ezekiel 16:49 is always quoted
  • ⁴⁹ Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
  • Seems legit... until you read THE VERY NEXT VERSE
  • ⁵⁰ And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
  • AND they committed an abomination... what is the abomination? Well, we read it in Leviticus 18.

Argument 3: Picking and Choosing Verses

• https://www.tiktok.com/@finnkobler/video/6900741130174893317?_t=8TK99Z7p1f4&_r=1
  • Edited this video to blur out the "pulling out" part
• This is a common attack to Christians - "you're picking and choosing verses" - "You run over to Leviticus and you pick this verse, but you eat shellfish, you cut your beard, you eat honey and pork" etc.
• How do we answer this?
  1. You also pick and choose verses - but the difference is, I KNOW why I'm picking and choosing. And I KNOW what I'm picking and choosing
     
     
  2. There are three types of Laws in the Old Testament
     • Moral Law - meant to teach right and wrong. In the New Testament, this was ELEVATED by the Lord Jesus Christ.
       • "You have heard it said you shall not murder, but I say to you don't even get angry"
         
       • "You have heard it said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you don't even look at a woman with lust"
         
         
     • Ceremonial Law - meant to be symbolic of what is to come.
       • Circumcision pointed to Baptism.
       • Sacrifices pointed to the Cross and the Eucharist. Etc.
         
         
     • Civil Law - civil laws were meant to practically aid the Israelites but also gave a spiritual purpose
       • These laws were to prevent the Israelites from becoming like the nations around them
       • Many of these laws are incorporated into our nations' civil laws
       • Who decides what to follow? The Church and the Holy Tradition. 

Homosexuality in the New Testament

Biblical Evidence 3: St. Paul

• ^"27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." (Romans 1:27)
• "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners 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 and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor 6:9-11)

Argument 4: Greek Translation Error

• https://www.tiktok.com/@princessserveen/video/6658434612181601542
• https://www.tiktok.com/@scottywartooth/video/6975179984969174277
• This one is easily seen in looking at Interlinear Bible
  • https://biblehub.com/interlinear/romans/1-27.htm 
    
• Indeed, the word arsenokotai was coined by St Paul... but he used it to directly refer to Leviticus 18. He combined the  two words for "man" (arseno) and the word for "lying with" (koitai) to tell his readers - "Remember what it said not to do in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13?? Don't do that"
  • https://www.studylight.org/interlinear-study-bible/greek/leviticus/18-22.html

Conclusion: Biblical Interpretation

• All of these false doctrines and beliefs stem from a personal interpretation of the Scripture. But as Orthodox Christians, we reject the notion of a personal interpretation. Scripture is interpreted for us by the Church Fathers before us and the Holy Tradition
• The rejection of Homosexuality is not a new thing - no matter how many claims that "it wasn't in English translations until 1940s" - it was in other languages and it's prevalent in the writings of the Church Fathers