Does Romans 1 Condemn Homosexuality?
by Robin Schumacher
http://carm.org/does-romans-1-condemn-homosexuality
There are many in today’s culture that do not recognize the Bible as any kind of moral authority, especially on the matter of homosexuality. It should come as no surprise that atheists and skeptics hold this position; for example, the late Christopher Hitchens once remarked, “What do I care what some Bronze Age text says about homosexuality?”1 As noted apologist William Lane Craig has observed, “One of the best ways to defend the legitimacy of the homosexual lifestyle is to become an atheist.”2
There are, however, a number of practicing homosexuals and activists who are not atheists and argue that the Bible legitimizes general homosexual behavior. Their core argument is that the Bible has been misunderstood and misinterpreted where homosexuality is concerned.
Let’s be honest: if they’re right, and God’s Word really does not condemn homosexual behavior, then a whole lot of angst and effort that’s occurring in churches and society could disappear in a flash. But the $64,000 question is, are they correct?
There are six primary passages of Scripture that reference homosexuality:
Genesis 19:4-9;
Leviticus 18:22, 20:13;
Romans 1:24-27;
1 Corinthians 6:9-10; and
1 Timothy 1:9-10. Of these, I’ve personally seen more debate over the Romans passage than any other, with only the Genesis account of Sodom and Gomorrah coming close in regard to heated discussion.
Does Paul’s passage in
Romans 1 (specifically
Romans 1:18-32) condemn homosexuality or not? Let’s take a close look at the key pro-homosexual arguments that say it does not, and then perform a brief exegesis of the passage to see if the positions are correct.
Primary arguments against
Romans 1 condemning homosexuality
Almost all espousing a positive homosexual theology admit that Paul is condemning some sort of homosexual behavior in
Romans 1. It’s clear that a plain reading of the passage displays some kind of censure in that regard.
That being the case, pro-homosexual advocates say Paul is only denouncing certain types of homosexual activity. The three most common assertions put forward are these:
Argument #1 – Paul is condemning homosexual acts that occur in conjunction with idol worship.
Those supporting homosexuality argue that vv. 23 & 25 of
Romans 1 set the context of the passage to be one purely of idolatry. They say the verses following 23 & 25 that concern homosexuality are to be understood as occurring during the lewd sexual rites that often accompanied idol worship (e.g. shrine prostitution).
Taking this position, Troy Perry writes: “The homosexual practices cited in
Romans 1:24-27 were believed to result from idolatry and are associated with some very serious offenses as noted in
Romans 1. Taken in this larger context, it should be obvious that such acts are significantly different than loving, responsible lesbian and gay relationships seen today.”3
Argument #2 – Paul is condemning homosexual acts with children.
A second argument says that Paul is addressing the topic of pederasty (homosexual sex between men and boys). Sadly, such a thing was not uncommon back in the first century, and so homosexual proponents argue that this is the behavior Paul is speaking to.
Argument #3 – Paul is condemning “unnatural” homosexuality.
Another interpretation of homosexual supporters is that Paul is condemning heterosexuals acting in an ‘unnatural’ way as homosexuals. For example, John Boswell says: “The persons Paul condemns are manifestly not homosexual: what he derogates are homosexual acts committed by apparently heterosexual persons. The whole point of
Romans 1, in fact, is to stigmatize persons who have rejected their calling, gotten off the true path they were once on.”4
While there are other arguments homosexual supporters employ to deny that Paul is condemning the general practice of homosexual behavior in
Romans 1, the above three arguments appear to be the most widely circulated.
Again though, the question is, are they correct?
A Brief Examination of Romans 1
Paul wrote his letter to the Romans most likely from Corinth (cf.
Rom. 16:1; Cenchrea was a port city in Corinth), a city widely known for its sinful sexual practices. In chapter 1, after making a number of introductory remarks in vv. 1-17, the Apostle turns his attention to the consequences that come from rejecting God and His truth from vs. 18 all the way through Chapter 3.
In vs. 19, Paul says each person innately/naturally knows there is a Creator, and then in vs. 20, he makes a subtle cosmological and teleological defense of God’s existence by saying that God’s divine fingerprints are all over creation so that no one can say they were unaware of the Creator; all are “without excuse” (vs. 20). Paul’s statements here echo
Psalm 19:1-2, which says: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”
Unfortunately, says Paul, humanity has rejected God’s truth, and in vv. 21-23, the Apostle describes how humankind has “exchanged” (vs. 23) the naturally given worship of the true God for the unnatural and false worship of idols. The connection between the lists of idols Paul gives in vs. 23 and the classes of creation described in
Genesis 1:20–25 is definitely not by accident. Neither is the obvious link between Paul’s use of the words “image” and “form” (or “likeness”) and the well-known statement in Genesis: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (
Gen. 1:26).
Because of this rejection, Paul says there are two broad judgments laid down by God. Three times in
Romans 1 (vv. 24, 26, 28) Paul says God “gave them over” to sin, and three times (vv. 23, 25, 26) he says the end results were that the people “exchanged” a good thing for something sinful, which served as their punishment.
Threaded Mode
