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“Created By Him, For Him”

October 11th, 2013

A study of what the Bible really says or doesn’t say about homosexuality

Rev. Teresa Hrab

by Rev. Teresa Hrab*

Ed. Note: Teresa recently gave this Bible study to a group at the New Day Community Church in Greer, South Carolina, where she serves on the pastoral staff. We are grateful that she has shared the outline (for privacy reasons, no video recording was made of this study hour) for this affirming evangelical perspective on the question of homosexual orientation with us and our readers.

I. Introduction

This is not just a way to combat those who throw scripture at the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans*+) community, but is also a confirmation of who we are, who we were created to be and who we were created for. This study is designed to help the LGBT community recognize their status as God’s sons and daughters and the commitment we have to spread the Good News to others – not just in the LGBT community, but to the world.

Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them.” The word created means to make something out of nothing.

Psalm 139:13-16 – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

John 3:16-18 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Ephesians 1:3-8 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

I Peter 2:9-10 – “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy”

  1. Sources
    1. The Holy Bible
    2. “Homosexuality and the Bible” Study Guide
    3. Hate Thy Neighbor by Linda J. Patterson
    4. Those 7 References by John F. Dwyer
    5. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak, Ph.D.
    6. The Bible, Christianity & Homosexuality by Justin R. Cannon
  2. God’s Word
    1. Inspired – God moved and inspired human authors (II Timothy 3:16-17)
    2. Inerrant – God used His divine wisdom, knowledge and truth while still respecting the human author’s humanity, creativity and cultural boundaries – their words became God’s Word
    3. Interpretation –
      1. Literal interpretation: the text is interpreted simply as it is written
        • Pluses = no elaborate guidelines, easier to interpret, keeps the issues simple
        • Minuses = difficult to settle differences of opinion, selective uses of scripture (overlooking one and/or emphasizing another), difficult to address new or current issues (space travel, nuclear energy, technology).
      2. Historical-critical interpretation: the text is interpreted based on an understanding of who it was written by, who it was written to and the culture at the time of its writing.
        • Pluses = determine meaning objectively with clear guidelines (history, accounts, biographies), keeps text of Bible current proving that God works through history, lessons are not locked into its first century form
        • Minuses = requires long, difficult study; involves technical science, archaeology, history, ancient languages and anthropology; some history or language is missing leaving unexplained texts
      3. Proof-texting or exegesis: selected texts are used in and of itself to prove or illustrate a specific point
  3. Terminology
    1. Homosexual
      1. Sexual orientation – a sexual attraction to the same sex
      2. The word first appeared in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary as an adjective in 1892; then as a noun in 1902
      3. There is no Greek or Hebrew word for homosexual
      4. Jesus never mentions homosexuality or any other issue related to sexual orientation
      5. The 1946 Revised Standard Version (RSV) was the first translation to use the word homosexual
    2. Homogenital acts
      1. The engagement in same-sex acts
      2. These acts were often common in the ancient world as a part of pagan rituals

II. Personal references

  1. What teachings have you encountered on the subject of homosexuality and what were the sources?
  2. How has this affected your views on homosexuality, God, the Bible and Christianity?
  3. How are you or have you been treated by the Christian community?

III. Scripture: Genesis 19:1-29

  1. Culture
    1. Women were the property of their fathers or husbands and were held in low status
    2. The value of a woman was determined by the number of sons she could provide her husband
    3. Hospitality was a tradition that was offered not only to friends and family, but also to strangers
    4. Travelers often stayed with family or friends of family
  2. Lot’s behavior and actions
    1. Lot took the angels into his household (v.1-3)
    2. Lot stood up to the men of the city – called them “friends” (v.4-7)
    3. Lot offered his daughters in place of the angels (v.8)
  3. The sin of Sodom in Biblical times
    1. Verse 5 – “have relations”, “know”, “have our sport with” or “have sex with them”
    2. “Forcing sex on men was a way of humiliating them. During war, for example, besides raping women and slaughtering the children, the victors would often also “sodomize” the defeated soldiers. The ideas was to insult men by treating them like women. (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak, Ph.D.; pg. 46)
    3. The sin of Sodom was not about the sexual abuse or rape. The sin of Sodom was inhospitality towards the travelers – insulting, abusing, violating, humiliating or any other inappropriate behavior toward another human being.
    4. Other references to the sin of Sodom:
      1. Ezekiel 16:48-50
      2. Matthew 10:1-15
      3. Luke 10:8-12
      4. II Peter 2:4-7
      5. Jude 1:5-8
  4. The sin of Sodom today
    1. “Homosexual people have been disowned by families, fired from jobs, denied housing, insulted by Christian leaders and other public figures, beaten and even killed – for no other reason than being attracted to members of the same sex. This is the sort of oppression, lack of hospitality and violence that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah seems to denounce. Those who condemn and persecute homosexual people may well be the real ‘sodomites’.” (Hate Thy Neighbor by Linda J. Patterson)
    2. Appropriate behavior:
      1. Exodus 22:21
      2. Exodus 23:9
      3. Leviticus 19:33-34
      4. Deuteronomy 10:18-19
      5. Deuteronomy 16:14
      6. Deuteronomy 26:12
      7. “These passages are not about mutual sexual relations, but are about the inappropriate activity on the part of humans in the wrongful taking, rape, of another and focus on power and the abuse of power.” (Those 7 References by John F. Dwyer)

IV. Scripture: Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13

  1. Book of Leviticus
    1. The third book in the “Books of Moses” or “Law of Moses”
    2. Main topic of Leviticus is holiness – in relationships with each other, actions, rituals and in relationship to God
      1. Chapters 1-7: Sacrifice
      2. Chapters 8-10: Appropriate worship rituals
      3. Chapters 11-15: Purification and purity codes
      4. Chapter 16: Atonement festival
      5. Chapters 17-26: Holiness code for the general public
      6. Chapter 27: Vows and dedications
    3. The Levitical Law was given to set apart God’s people from the other nations of Canaan and from their gods.
    4. Chapters 18 and 20 fall into the holiness code (18:1-4), which also includes the following codes:
      1. Treating women as property
      2. Proper eating of animal sacrifices
      3. Wearing garments made from mixed fabrics
      4. Eating shellfish
  2. Leviticus 18:22
    1. “Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.” (KJV)
    2. “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; it is detestable.” (NIV)
    3. “Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin.” (Living Bible)
    4. Literal translation from Hebrew: “And with a male you shall not lay lyings of a woman.”
    5. “The whole structure of sexuality in the Torah assumes a dominant male and a subordinate female.” (Rabbi Arthur Waskow) Women were considered property of men and were to be obedient to their husbands which included the female being dominated and controlled during sex. The woman did what the man wanted, when the man wanted it and how the man wanted it.
    6. For a man to treat a man in this way, one of them would dominate the other and reduce the other to mere “property” status. Within the context of this passage, the understood message is; “you shall not sexually use a man like property. You shall not sexually subjugate a man as one does a woman.” (The Bible, Christianity and Homosexuality, pg. 36)
    7. Paul alluded to this law in I Corinthians 6:9. Paul’s translation of this law referred to male temple prostitutes who would have been used by the men who hired them.
  3. Leviticus 20:13
    1. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” (KJV)
    2. “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” (NIV)
    3. “If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense” (NLT)
    4. Other offenses described as punishable by death:
      1. Child cursing their parents
      2. Anyone who blasphemes God
      3. A man having sex with his father’s wife
      4. A woman having sex during her menstral cycle
    5. If a man had sexual relations with another man with one of them allowing themselves to be dominated by the other they both violated the codes that were set up to make them “holy”.
    6. The majority of the book of Leviticus is to tell the people of Israel how to be “holy” in the sight of God. In order for an Israelite to be “holy” they must accept and practice the codes of behavior set forth in Leviticus. These codes included the areas of human behavior and conduct, religious practices and rituals, civil law, ethical behaviors, sexual behaviors and agricultural practices. (“Those 7 References” pg. 36)
    7. Those who use the verses in the Levitcal Code to take a stand against homosexuality do not adhere to the other more than 600 codes. This code was for a particular nation (Israel) at a particular time in their history.

V. Scripture: Romans 1:18-32

  1. Terms
    1. Natural (physin) – as expected; standard; ordinary; regular
      1. Galatians 2:15
      2. Romans 2:14
      3. Romans 2:27
      4. I Corinthians 11:14
      5. A Jew who was aware of and practiced the Jewish law was considered to have “natural” characteristics.” (“Homosexuality and the Bible” Study Guide)
    2. Unnatural (para physin) – contrary to nature; besides nature; besides what is expected; out of the ordinary
      1. Romans 11:24
      2. “Paul is actually teaching that same-sex acts are ethically neutral. Like heterosexual acts, homosexual acts are neither right nor wrong in themselves. They can be used for good or evil, but in themselves they are neither.” (“What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality” pg. 77)
      3. Unnatural sexual activities for both male and female were acts performed as part of pagan rituals. These acts were against the nature of God and considered by God as adultery and idolatry.
      4. Romans 1:24 God “gave them up” or “gave them over” due to the unnatural acts of impurity through violating themselves and each other.
  2. Verses 18 – 20
    1. “Ungodliness, godlessness, wickedness, wrongdoing” Translates from the Greek as “impiety, works of ungodliness, a desire to do ungodly deeds, bold irreverence – refusing to give honor where honor is due”
    2. Denying or supressing the truth of God – a refusal to acknowledge Him (John 14:6)
    3. Bold irreverence – refusal to give honor to God
    4. Ungodliness includes offenses against God and against our neighbors. (Matthew 22:37-40)
    5. What did God “make plain” to us? (Psalm 19:1-6; Acts 14:8-18)
    6. What can prevent us from seeing what God has made plain? (v. 20)
    7. To what does the phrase “no excuse” in verse 20 refer? (Romans 2:1)
  3. Verses 21-23
    1. They (the ungodly and the wicked) knew God – knew of the one, true God
    2. They chose not to acknowledge the one true God
    3. They were ungrateful for the knowledge He had revealed to them
    4. Results:
      1. “Futile thinking” – they set up themselves as gods; self-reliance
      2. Foolishness – knowledge without wisdom
      3. Hearts are darkened (Matthew 15:10-20)
      4. False wisdom – wise in their own eyes (Jeremiah 8:4-9; Psalm 14:1)
      5. Traded the incorruptible and eternal image of God for their own idols and images – gave God’s glory and honor due to their own idols (Isaiah 40:18-26)
  4. Verse 24
    1. “Wherefore,” “therefore,” – Because of or in light of what Paul had just explained in verses 18-23
      1. Turning their backs on God’s truth
      2. Continuing in their own wisdom
      3. Failure to acknowledge the deity and sovereignty of God
    2. “Gave them over,” “abandoned” (vs 24, 26 and 28) – (see Psalm 81:8-16)
      1. God would no longer try to restrain them from their own ways
      2. God would allow them to do what they wanted to do and would leave them to their own devices
      3. God did not give up on them, but rather allowed them to continue in their own foolishness
  5. Verse 25
    1. What is the truth of God? Not the truth of the Gospel but the truth who IS God.
    2. They took God out of His rightful place of honor, glory and worship and substituted their own idols in His place; made their own gods equivalent to the true God
    3. Who or what is the creature? Who is the Creator?
  6. Verse 26
    1. God again gave them up to their own willfulness
    2. “Vile affections, shameful lusts, shameful desires” – impurities, prostitution, rape, lust
    3. Women prostituted themselves or gratifying their own lusts
  7. Verse 27
    1. Men also willingly participated in the “sins of Sodom”
    2. There was no shame in satifying their desires
    3. They not only practiced these degrading sexual acts, but also gloried in doing them
    4. Brought on themselves the consequences of their indulgences
      1. Diseases
      2. Barenness
      3. Premature old age
      4. Early death
  8. Verse 28
    1. The did not think that it was worthwhile to acknowledge the truth of who God is; regarded God’s knowledge as foolishness – this was the true source of their crimes (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)
    2. God gave them over – “A thought is repeated here that has already been hinted, and is often taught in the Scriptures. The man who turns from the truth will be allowed to have his way, will fall deeper and deeper into error, and will reap all the evil consequences of loving darkness rather than light. Those who hate the truth are given over to a reprobate mind.” (People’s New Testament)
    3. A depraved, corrupt, perverse or reprobate mind
      1. Void of all knowledge and judgment
      2. Incapable of approving good or disapproving evil
      3. God could not approve of their mindset
  9. Verse 29-31
    1. Paul details out the sins of those who have turned their backs on the true God
    2. Verse 29 says they were “full of” or “filled with every kind of wickedness” – they were so concentrated on doing what was evil that all good was pushed aside
    3. Paul was speaking to the leaders, professors and instructors – those who used their power to control others and used their knowledge to lead others astray
  10. Verse 32
    1. They knew God’s laws and His judgements
    2. They knew the penalty for disobedience
    3. They continued in their wickedness – totally disregarding God
    4. They took pleasure in their wickedness
    5. They took pleasure in others who joined them in their wickedness

      Pagan temples of ancient Rome

  11. Romans 1:18-32 (The Message)

But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.

So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!

Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn’t know how to be human either—women didn’t know how to be women, men didn’t know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.

Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!

VI. Scripture: I Corinthians 6:1-20 (The Message)

And how dare you take each other to court! When you think you have been wronged, does it make any sense to go before a court that knows nothing of God’s ways instead of a family of Christians? The day is coming when the world is going to stand before a jury made up of followers of Jesus. If someday you are going to rule on the world’s fate, wouldn’t it be a good idea to practice on some of these smaller cases? Why, we’re even going to judge angels! So why not these everyday affairs? As these disagreements and wrongs surface, why would you ever entrust them to the judgment of people you don’t trust in any other way?

I say this as bluntly as I can to wake you up to the stupidity of what you’re doing. Is it possible that there isn’t one levelheaded person among you who can make fair decisions when disagreements and disputes come up? I don’t believe it. And here you are taking each other to court before people who don’t even believe in God! How can they render justice if they don’t believe in the God of justice?

These court cases are an ugly blot on your community. Wouldn’t it be far better to just take it, to let yourselves be wronged and forget it? All you’re doing is providing fuel for more wrong, more injustice, bringing more hurt to the people of your own spiritual family.

Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.

You know the old saying, “First you eat to live, and then you live to eat”? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that’s no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

God honored the Master’s body by raising it from the grave. He’ll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master’s body. You wouldn’t take the Master’s body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.

There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.”

  1. Terms
    1. Malakoi – “effeminate” in some translations
      1. Actually refers to the male prostitutes who submitted themselves to heterosexual men for self-indulgent sex (man laying with man as he would lay with a woman – Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13)
      2. “An effeminate call boy. These would be free (not slave) youths who chose to offer themselves for male-male sex in exchange for money – for the thrill of it. Mark Antony, famous for his later romance with Cleopatra, had indulged in such prostitution as a youth. As these men grew older and tried to preserve their youthful looks, they might style and perfume their hair, rouge their face and remove facial and body hair. ‘Effiminate’ was , indeed, an insult thrown their way.” (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak, Ph.D.)
    2. Arsenokoites – “homosexuals; practicing homosexuals; abusers of themselves with mankind” in some translations.
      1. Arseno – refers to men, male humans; Koitai – means bed, bedroom or lying with. Joining the two words together (only in I Corinthians and I Timothy), arsenokoites literally means “man-lier” or “man-sleeper” or “man-penetrator”
      2. “Once the two parts of the word are put together, it is not clear what the word means. Is ‘man’ to emphasize the gender of the sexual agent: male? Or is ‘man” to indicate the object of the sexual act? This is, does arsenokoitai mean a man who has sex with others, or does it mean a man who is the active partner in intercourse with anyone, male or female? From the word itself, there is no way of telling which of these two meanings – or what other meaning – might have been intended. Language is not always logical. In English, the word ‘lady killer’ means neither a lady who kills nor a person who kills ladies but a man who know how to charm women.” (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak, Ph.D.)
  2. In this period of time, these sexual acts were legal and were the norm for the city of Corinth. Corinth was know for its sexual depravity and exploitation.
  3. Male prostitutes were available for both men and women
  4. The list of sins in I Corinthians 6:9 is a list of vices in Paul’s current day. Paul may have given these lists as a means of overwhelming his readers and listeners. It would be like someone today giving a teenager “the talk” by giving them a huge list of vices such as drugs, sex, guns, abuse, violence, etc.
  5. Verses 1-8: In these verses, Paul talks to the church at Corinth about settling disputes by suing one another.
  6. Verse 9
    1. “Unrighteous,” “unjust” or “wrong doers” will not inherit the kingdom of God
      1. These are the people he has mentioned in the above 8 verses
      2. Without God’s justice (Matthew 5:43-48; I Peter 3:18-22)
      3. In violation of God’s just standards (II Peter 2:1-9)
      4. Dealing fraudulently (unjustly) with others (Luke 16:1-12)
    2. “Fornicators,” “sexually immoral” or “those who indulge in sexual sin”
      1. Refers to male prostitutes – or the one who prostitutes themselves
      2. From the Greek root pemao meaning “to sell off” (Hebrews 12:14-17)
      3. A male who sold himself to indulge in and satisfy his desires; also pertains to the one who indulges with this person (lust, not love)
    3. “Idolaters” – this includes Christians
      1. Worshipper of a false god
      2. Server of a false god
      3. Those who attend the sacrificial feasts
    4. “Adulterers”
      1. A masculine noun – a man who is guilty with a married woman
      2. Faithlessness towards God (James 4:1-6)
    5. “Effeminate,” “men who have sex with men,” “male prostitutes”
      1. “A male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness” (Strongs NT 3120)
      2. A boy or youth who is kept for the specific purpose of a sexual relationship
      3. Used to describe “moral looseness or undisciplined (lewd, lustful and lascivious) behavior” (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak, Ph.D.)
    6. “Practice homosexuality” or “abusers of themselves with mankind”
      1. Paul actually used this word to describe those who had male prostitutes or male slaves who they dominated, raped or abused for sex
      2. Also, in this period of time these sexual acts were legal and were the norm for the city of Corinth.
      3. “There is no concept of mutuality, or love, or monogamy to what Paul is describing.” (Those 7 References by John F. Dwyer)
      4. Abuse and exploitation are forbidden, not homogenitality (the engagement in same-sex acts) in itself.

VII. Scripture: I Timothy 1

  1. Terms
    1. Pornos – “fornicator” or “whoremonger”; a man who prostitutes himself
    2. Arsenokoitais – “homosexuals,” “those practicing homosexuality” or “them that defile themselves with mankind” in some translations
      1. Word is only found in I Corinthians 6:9 and I Timothy 1:10
      2. Arseno – male humans, man; koitai –bed or lying with
      3. Short definition from Strong’s Concordance, “a male engaging in same-gender sexual activity”
  2. The book of I Timothy was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy who was acting on Paul’s behalf at the church in Ephesus. The city of Ephesus was popular for its Temple of Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana. Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon and birthing. The goddess was also worshipped as one who could speak to animals and control their behaviors.
  3. Ephesus was one of the seven churches refered to in Revelation (2:1-7).
    1. A strong church
    2. Had been patient in adversity and stood up to evil
    3. Left their first love (I Timothy 1:3-4)
  4. I Timothy lays out instructions regarding the state of the church, pastoral care and how to be a spiritual leader. The book also instructs all Christians – leaders and laity – in the ministry of faithfulness, diligence and zeal.
  5. I Timothy 1:5-7
    1. What is the purpose of instruction?
    2. What causes us to depart from our faith?
  6. I Timothy 1:8-11
    1. Who follows the law?
    2. Who are the offenders of the law?
    3. Who has been entrusted with the Gospel?
  7. I Timothy 1:12-17
    1. What gives us the ability to be used by God?
    2. Who receives the glory? Why?
  8. I Timothy 1:18-20
    1. What “words” do we depend on for instruction?
    2. How can we hold onto our faith?

“I, Paul, am an apostle on special assignment for Christ, our living hope. Under God our Savior’s command, I’m writing this to you, Timothy, my son in the faith. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!

On my way to the province of Macedonia, I advised you to stay in Ephesus. Well, I haven’t changed my mind. Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience.

The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven’t the remotest idea of what they’re holding forth with such imposing eloquence.

It’s true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It’s obvious, isn’t it, that the law code isn’t primarily for people who live responsibly, but for the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever! They are contemptuous of this great Message I’ve been put in charge of by this great God.

I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.

Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

Deep honor and bright glory to the King of All Time—
One God, Immortal, Invisible, ever and always. Oh, yes!

I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.”

There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.” (I Timothy 1 The Message)

VIII. Summary

  1. Homosexual – sexual attraction to the same sex; homogenital acts – engaging in same sex acts
  2. Genesis 19 (Sodom and Gomorrah)
    1. Culture
    2. The sin of Sodom then
    3. The sin of Sodom today
  3. Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13
    1. Holiness code
    2. Treatment of women
    3. Treating a man as one would a woman
  4. Romans 1:18-32
    1. Natural – as expected, the standard; unnatural – contrary to nature, out of the ordinary
    2. The accepted or the “natural” way of that culture
    3. “Gave them over” or “gave them up”
  5. I Corinthians 6:9
    1. Malakoi – male prostitutes who submitted themselves to heterosexual men
    2. Arsenokoites – the word which was created to translate as “homosexual”; areseno – referring to the man or male; koitai – meaning bed or lying with
    3. Legal and accepted to own male prostitutes
  6. I Timothy 1:10
    1. Written to Timothy
    2. Purpose – to instruct and train

IX. Created by Him, for Him

  1. Treatment of “strangers” – Who is a “stranger”?
  2. Cultural differences – How can we be more sensitive?
  3. Judging others – What is the criteria that would qualify us to judge?
  4. Honoring God – How do we give Him the honor He is due?
  5. Idols – What or who do we worship?
  6. Acknowledgment of God’s truth – How does our wisdom differ from His wisdom?
  7. Self-gratification – How do we distinguish between our own pleasures and what God desires to give us?
  8. Knowing and doing – What is our responsibility now that we know what we know?

Matthew 5:13-16; 43-48 (The Message) Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine!

Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.

This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.



*The opinions expressed in this post are the author’s alone. BJUnity embraces all of our constituents — of any faith or no faith — with equal love and compassion. We affirm everyone’s dignity and autonomy, we respect all viewpoints and we celebrate and support the lives of all those of the LGBT+ and straight affirming community who have been affected by Christian fundamentalism. You are not alone. You are loved.

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