To read this study using the Authorized King James Version Go Here
- To begin with, please read Romans chapter 1. I'll be using the Noahide Nazarene Bible throughout. As editions do vary, you may wish to compare this version with the KJV. Both versions are posted Here.
Our CONTEXT begins at 1:15 and 16
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So, as much as is in me, I am eager to proclaim the Good News to you also who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
Through inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul begins this topic by stating that he is talking about the Good News proclaimed by Y'shua (Jesus) and how it must be practiced. He says those who love God will accept this message joyfully. We note for the purposes of this study that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) Christians do accept the Gospel both readily and joyfully.
Verse 18:
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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Paul is speaking about people who reject or abuse God's spiritual Truth. He is discussing abuses which are done in the name of religious truth. Devout Christians do not knowingly do this regardless of sexual orientation.
Verse 19:
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because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.
"Because that which may be known of God..." Again, religious truth is the topic, not sexual orientation or even sexual morality. 'That which may be known of God' is that which has been revealed in the Holy Scriptures and by the Holy Spirit. These things attest to God's righteousness and should be honored.
Verse 20:
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For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.
From what is visible we can know the invisible. God and His truths are revealed through our senses in the material world if we but have eyes to see and ears to hear. By beholding the handiwork of God all around us His existence and ways are confirmed. Therefore we have no justification for denying God's existence nor His ways. As this Wikipedia entry shows, by beholding nature we discover that homosexuality exists in all life forms on this planet. From this demonstrative fact we can understand that homosexuality is a natural part of God's creation and order. It is neither a sin nor an aberration.
Verse 21:
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Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.
These people being discussed knew God but chose to submit themselves to their vain imaginations' rather than to God. In other words, they invented new forms of religion, forms that satisfied their base urges and ungodly desires. We are still discussing religion here not sexuality.
Verses 22, 23:
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Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
These people Paul is discussing claimed to be wise in their spiritual beliefs, and yet they were foolish. They were rejecting the One True God and worshiping false idols. They "changed the glory of God into an image..." and worshiped that rather than the true God. Some followers of the Way were getting mixed up in these practices and Paul is warning them to cease and desist.
Paul is clearly talking about religious practices and abuses here, not sexuality or sexual orientation. The Roman Empire of his day, which included Jewish Judea, was filled with such worship. The Pagan temples offered everything desirable to the flesh, but to the sensibilities of the Jews and the followers of the Way, these common practices blasphemed the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Paul here condemns such worship. In a moment he will get more specific about what was being done in these Pagan temples that so offended them.
Verse 24:
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Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves,
"THEREFORE..." because these people rejected God and worshiped idols and followed the paths of their vain imaginations rather than worshiping the One True God... FOR THIS REASON God gave these people over to their lust driven idolatry.
When studying the Bible understanding the context of the verses and a bit of the historical realities of the period is critical. The context here is that certain of the Believers were engaging in the idolatrous sex-based practices of the day. In order to have sex with the temple prostitutes or to engage in sex magic, they were worshiping the Pagan gods and goddesses with their bodies and had convinced themselves that such practices were acceptable to God. This is what Paul is addressing. From the earliest portions of the Torah such rites were practiced but forbidden. As an example see my study on Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13
These passages have nothing to do with modern day consensual sexual relationships, whether they be heterosexual or homosexual.
As was common throughout the very religious Roman Empire, such idol worship INCLUDED sexual rites. In these rituals the worshiper engaged in 'sex magic' with temple priests and/or priestesses hoping to achieve some magical blessing, healing or other boon. Often the priest or priestess would appear in the guise of the Pagan deity incarnate in a state of religious ecstasy. The worshiper would engage in various forms of sex with the temple prostitute depending on the requirements of the specific rite. Some rites required heterosexual union and other required homosexual union.
We can therefore understand from the context these sexual practices had NOTHING to do with contemporary homosexuality among Christians (or anyone else).
Verse 25:
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who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
"WHO..." i.e. these people engaging in the ritual sex magic. They were worshiping the Pagan idols and "exchanging the truth of God for a lie." They were committing idolatry through their sex rites and thereby they served the idols through their carnal desires when they, as believers, should only serve the true God, who alone is blessed for ever.
Verses 26, 27:
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For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.
"FOR THIS REASON..." i.e. because these people exchanged the worship of the One True God for idols and sex rites, God "gave them up" to their own carnal desires.
The "natural use" or purpose of sexuality according to the Bible is procreation AND building/sustaining strong marital relationships (comp. I Cor 7:2). These people however were using sexuality "against nature" by employing it in the worship false gods.
Through such sexual activities the Pagans of the Romans Empire sought two basic goals: One was the physical pleasures of sexual congress; many people went to these temples for this reason alone. The other, perhaps more significant goal in this context, was the promised spiritual union with their gods. Many people sincerely believed that the priest or priestess was transformed into the deity (as Catholics believe the communion wafer is transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus) and that they were literally engaging in spiritual union through their bodies. By such rites they believed they acquired blessings and various benefits.
This is not the goal of sexuality intended by God.
By such acts these people were willfully rejecting the One True God in favor of their own desires and urges. So strong was their faith in sex magic that many of these people could not be turned from it. Paul tells us that God allowed such people to go their own ways into spiritual corruption. No longer would the Holy Spirit prick their conscience with guilt. They were without God in their lives. Free Will is a double edged sword! Such rites were very common at the time throughout the Roman empire and some converts to the Way who had otherwise embraced the teachings nonetheless continued visiting the Pagan temples.
This upset Paul. He understood that these deceived people were "working that which is unseemly." The use of the word "working" here shows that there was a specific end result in mind. The Pagans believed they were earning the blessings of their deities. And yet he understood that all they were receiving for their efforts was venereal diseases "...the due penalty of their error." The sex cults throughout the empire were hotbeds of sexual diseases and the worshipers often became infected.
THOSE WHO TWIST these scriptures by saying they refer to HIV in our contemporary culture -- and I know some of you are out there -- need to consider that this verse is the only one in the Bible which can be TWISTED to include lesbians. Lesbians remain among the lowest at risk for HIV and, and after years of education the gay male community is no longer the highest at-risk group. If this dreadful illness were God's wrath against homosexuals neither would be the case, nor would children be so at risk, nor the disabled, nor third world villagers, nor those in need of blood transfusions etc.
Verse 28:
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Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge...." The subject is still religious faith; it has not changed. These people did not want to acknowledge the true God's existence. They preferred to worship idols and to trust in the dangerous sex rites. FOR THIS REASON, because of their spiritual harlotry, God gave them over to a "reprobate mind" and allowed them to believe that their false worship was approved by God.
In sharp contrast with this, LGBT Christian ministries are growing like wild fire, individual independent churches, groups like the Alliance of Christian Churches, the Gay Pentecostal Alliance, The Evangelical Network, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, Catholic Dignity, and so on, are now home to thousands of sincere homosexual followers of Jesus who WANT God in their knowledge, their minds, their hearts and in their lives just as other Christians. In addition to these ministries, more and more mainline churches and denominations are becoming "reconciling and affirming" of LGBT people. This fact alone demonstrates that these verses are not referring to gay and lesbian Christians.
As with any other community, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people vary as to their acceptance and understandings of the Gospel message. Understandably but sadly a large percentage of those who are not pro-Jesus (or even anti-Jesus) have had their hearts hardened to the Gospel by abuses which in many cases well meaning Christians have subjected them to. The Church is failing miserably at evangelizing this community and will doubtless be held accountable by the one who said: "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
Verse 29-31:
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being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;
What resulted from their being "given over to a reprobate mind?"
As a result of their religious rebellion against God these people developed the various moral weaknesses described in these verses. LGBT Christians, as all other Believers, seek to avoid such traits in their lives.
Verse 32:
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who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.
"Who knowing..." i.e. the people being discussed in the previous verses, these idolatrous worshipers who were filled with all unrighteousness etc., "knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death..." as the King James has it. That idolatry merited the death penalty under the Mosaic Law is clear. As I explained elsewhere however, despite the two verses in Leviticus which are sometimes cited, homosexuality is not a capital offense nor even negatively commented upon in the Torah.
CONTEXT IS ESSENTIAL in understanding the Word.
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