What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

Few topics generate more heat and less light than the question of what the Bible says about homosexuality. The subject involves a small number of passages that have been interpreted in radically different ways by sincere, knowledgeable Christians.

This guide examines each key text in its original context, presents the major interpretive positions fairly, and explains why the disagreement persists. The goal is not to tell the reader what to think but to equip them to engage the texts honestly.

Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 prohibit a man lying with a man "as with a woman." These are part of the Holiness Code, which also prohibits eating shellfish, wearing mixed fabrics, and other practices that Christians generally do not observe. The question is whether these sexual prohibitions carry a different moral weight than the ceremonial ones.

The story of Sodom in Genesis 19 has historically been read as a condemnation of homosexuality, but many modern scholars argue the sin of Sodom was violent inhospitality and attempted gang rape, not consensual same-sex relationships. Ezekiel 16:49 identifies Sodom’s sin as pride, wealth, and neglect of the poor.

Romans 1:26–27 is the most detailed New Testament passage, describing men and women exchanging "natural" relations for "unnatural" ones. Paul presents this as evidence of humanity’s rebellion against God. Traditional interpreters read this as a universal condemnation; revisionist interpreters argue Paul is describing exploitative or idolatrous practices, not loving same-sex partnerships.

First Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 contain Greek words (arsenokoitai and malakoi) whose precise meaning is debated. Translations range from "homosexuals" to "abusers of themselves with mankind" to "men who practise sexual immorality." The uncertainty of these terms is a genuine scholarly issue, not a modern invention.

Traditional Christians argue that the consistent witness of Scripture across both testaments, reinforced by two thousand years of church teaching, clearly identifies same-sex sexual activity as contrary to God’s design for humanity as male and female.

Affirming Christians argue that the biblical authors had no concept of sexual orientation as understood today, that the condemned practices involved exploitation or idolatry, and that the Bible’s broader principles of love, justice, and the full humanity of all people point toward inclusion. Both sides appeal to Scripture; the disagreement is about how to read it.

Whatever position one holds, the Bible is clear that every person bears God’s image and deserves dignity. Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbour. The way Christians treat LGBTQ+ people is itself a moral and theological question.

The Bible does not permit using theology as a weapon against vulnerable people. It does not permit silencing honest questions. And it does not permit pretending that difficult texts are simple. Faithfulness requires both conviction and humility.