God did not – could not have – directed the Bible to our generation or any specific generation except the one to whom it was originally delivered. So, when we say that we believe the Bible was inspired in every word (plenary verbal inspiration) in its original form, we mean that the Holy Spirit prompted the writers to use words that could be understood by their contemporary readers and applied to their situation. Beyond that, we must draw inferences that will apply God’s inspired Word to our modern situation. This is what we call Bible interpretation. To interpret a passage properly, we must consider the context: historical, literary, linguistic, and thematic (the theme of all Scripture).
Some of the thorniest interpretive difficulties arise when
we are attempting to make moral applications from the ancient biblical text.
The principle of reading in context still applies, but we must be careful how
we move from the original situation to our own. A perfect example of this is
raging through the modern church like a California wildfire. What does the
Bible say about homosexuality? The Old Testament law delivered through Moses is
unambiguous. The Hebrew text in Leviticus
18:22 literally says, “You [men] must not lie with a man as bedding a
woman.” Going to bed with someone meant the same thing then as it does now; it
implies sexual relations. Men were forbidden to have sex with men.
There are two important factors to consider when
interpreting Old Testament law in our modern context. First, we ask if it is
something that was unique to the Mosaic Covenant that no longer applies, or is
it a universal principle that became encoded in the written law? Regarding
homosexuality, there is a cultural issue that was present in ancient Israel.
The cultures they were going to displace did practice all manner of perverted
sex; it may be that God wanted this prohibition stated explicitly to keep His
people from following the ways of their neighbors. This makes sense, but I
believe there is a more general basis for God’s prohibition in this case as I
will explain momentarily.
The second factor that must be considered when interpreting
the Old Testament is whether the subject is treated in the New Testament. In
the case of homosexuality, there are three passages in Paul’s epistles that
clearly state God’s opinion of the behavior. (Romans
1, 1
Corinthians 6, 1
Timothy 1) The interpretive difficulty we are facing today arises from the
efforts of the LGBTQ+ community to redefine the biblical proscription of same
sex relations. The main thrust of their argument asserts that Paul wrote to a
culture radically different from our own. They believe that Paul was referring
to the cultish pagan practices of his day when he declared that God’s wrath was
upon those who practiced perverted sexual behaviors. They maintain that not all
modern homosexuals fall under God’s judgment.
While it is true that first century culture was very
different from ours, I believe the reason both Old and New Testament passages
express God’s disgust with homosexual behavior is not simply cultural; I
believe that all sexual perversion tears at the fabric of God’s intention for
sexual intimacy. This understanding encompasses the larger biblical context of
God’s relationship with us. God created male and female humans in His image and
commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. That alone eliminates the possibility
that same sex relations would fulfill God’s intention. Beyond that, God
established the bond of marriage between man and woman as a “one flesh”
union. Jesus
carried that concept into the New Testament in His discourse on divorce
saying that what God has joined together, man should not attempt to separate.
Paul
singled out inappropriate sexual intercourse as different from all other sin because it
has a spiritual component. He says that when a believer (a vessel of the Holy
Spirit) joins himself to a prostitute, he is entwining Jesus Christ in the
process. While Paul does not mention homosexual unions in this passage, it does
raise questions about the nature of any sexual encounter outside of the
biblical institution of marriage. Sexual intercourse creates a oneness that is
spiritually similar to the oneness of God in His trinitarian nature. Any time
we pervert the husband/wife (male/female) intimacy God designed, I believe we
diminish the image of God. That is my interpretation of what the Bible says
about homosexuality.
Anyone who spends much time in discussion of God’s Word will
eventually hear “That’s just your interpretation” at some point. In his seminal
work, Systemic Theology, Charles Hodge explains why this is true. “It is
admitted that theologians are not infallible in the interpretation of
Scripture. It may, therefore, happen in the future, as it has in the past, that
interpretations of the Bible, long confidently received, must be modified or
abandoned, to bring revelation into harmony with what God teaches in his works.
This change of view as to the true meaning of the Bible may be a painful trial
to the Church, but it does not in the least impair the authority of the
Scriptures. They remain infallible; we are merely convicted of having mistaken
their meaning.” (p.59)
I believe the LGBTQ+ community has mistaken the meaning of
God’s words concerning homosexual behavior. As Hodge predicted, we are going
through a painful trial in the church over this. There are other important
positions based on differing interpretations that are troubling the church: the
meaning of inspiration; doubts about biblical inerrancy; how Jesus will return;
the nature of heavenly existence; the reality of hell. Unfortunately, it is
never enough to say, “I believe the Bible.” What you believe the Bible says is
a result of your interpretation. Pray that God will give you the wisdom and
spiritual guidance to discover the original intent of God’s Word.
Related Posts: The
Uncomfortable Subject; Here
Comes the Judge; Truth
Dysphoria; Clobber
the Argument; You
Have Heard That it was Said; How
do you Read Paul
good one!
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