What the Bible really says

Last Friday night, I posted a tweet about the Bible and homosexuality. As I anticipated, it got several responses, but most of them seemed to misinterpret the point I was trying to make.

I’ve had lots of conversations with people during my time at Concordia about gay issues, and several times I’ve heard people defend their opinions by saying some version of “I believe what the Bible teaches.” My tweet was directed at those individuals—and anyone else who feels the same way.

After all, if you’re going to base your views on homosexuality on what the Bible teaches, it’s important to know everything it says on that topic. In my experience, most Christians — regardless of their views on LGBTQ issues — are unfamiliar with that command in Leviticus to put gay men to death. That’s the main reason I tweeted it.

But there’s another reason, and that’s to raise this question:

Why do we believe some of the things the Bible teaches but not others?

I don’t think very many Christians believe that gay men should be put to death. I certainly don’t, and I don’t think anyone at Concordia does, either.

But it’s also an irrefutable fact that the Bible clearly says any men who have gay sex should be put to death. It’s right there, in black and white.

As several of people on Twitter pointed out, there are theological arguments against us having to follow the rules listed in Leviticus. Concepts like covenant theology and dispensationalism try to help explain why.

Take Jacob Amstutz’s reply to my tweet, for example. It’s most likely rooted in covenant theology, which argues that we are living under a different covenant than the Israelites were during the days of Moses, and therefore those rules in Leviticus (including the directive to kill gay men) do not apply to us today.

Covenant theology is based on several verses in Scripture that seem to suggest Christians in the New Testament (particularly non-Jews) are not expected to follow the laws of the Old Testament. As Nathan Grime pointed out, many believe that’s what’s playing out in Acts 15:

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

It’s clear from that passage Peter doesn’t think Gentiles need to be circumcised in order to enter the kingdom of heaven—or do anything that could be considered work, as all are saved “through the grace of our Lord Jesus”—but what’s less clear is whether we can totally ignore the law of Moses (in the original Greek, νόμον Μωϋσέως, which is generally used to refer to the first five books of the Old Testament) or if there are parts we should still try to follow.

Many Christians argue we’re not bound to any of the laws in the Old Testament, but if that’s the case, why do we still teach our children the Ten Commandments, which appear in the law of Moses twice (Exodus 20:1–17, Deuteronomy 5:4–21)?

To try to explain this, theologians have developed different categories they put the Old Testament laws into. Depending on which category a law falls into, we either still have to follow it or we can ignore it. That’s what Nathan Grime was referring to here:

But there’s one big problem: those categories—civil, ceremonial, moral — aren’t actually anywhere in the Bible. They’re distinctions created by men a thousand years after the time of Jesus, dating back to Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) at the earliest, according to the best information I could find.

That doesn’t automatically mean they’re wrong, of course, but they shouldn’t be treated as sacred, and certainly not given the same level of respect as Scripture. And to act like all Christians accept these categories as fact is wrong.

But let’s assume, just for the sake of argument, that we can exempt ourselves from all Old Testament laws. There are still several references to homosexuality in the New Testament, right?

Yes. There are three explicit references to same-sex behavior: Romans 1:26–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, and 1 Timothy 1:9–10. A fourth passage (Jude 1:7) refers to sexual immorality and perversion in Sodom and Gomorrah but is not explicitly about homosexual behavior.

Considerable words have been written about just how clear those passages really are in condemning the modern-day version of homosexuality. It’s fair to say it’s still a matter of much debate, even among Christian theologians. (Here’s an interesting example of an argument that the New Testament does not provide any direct guidance for understanding and making judgments about homosexuality in the modern world.)

But again, just for the sake of argument, let’s assume that those three passages I referenced above are clear indicators that being gay is wrong. That’s an unmistakable sign we should be speaking out against the behavior of gays and lesbians, right?

Not necessarily.

If you look close enough, you’ll find that there are plenty of other things the New Testament says is wrong that we ignore. For example, Paul was very clear in his first letter to Timothy about how women should look and behave during worship.

1 Timothy 2:9–12
I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

Look around the next time you’re in church. Do you see any women with elaborate hairstyles, wearing gold jewelry or expensive clothes? How many of them are quiet during worship, never singing or participating in the responsive readings or prayers?

What about all the public praying we do at Concordia before things like drama productions and sporting events? Jesus himself spoke plainly against that in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:5–6 
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

He also was pretty clear about not trying to get attention for doing good deeds:

Matthew 6:2–4
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And yet every year, when we provide gifts and holiday meals for less fortunate families through the Christmas Bureau, not only does the school post photos of that on their social media accounts, they send out press releases to notify the local media outlets so they’ll come and do stories on it.

Does that seem “biblical” to you?

Here’s my point: when it comes to what the Bible says, we pick and choose.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t well-considered theological arguments behind our choices, but at the end of the day, we’re still picking and choosing which parts of the Bible we follow and which parts we explain away with phrases like “you have to understand the context.”

And really, it’s not our fault. Unlike the impression your Sunday School teachers may have given you, the Bible isn’t a monolith that says the same thing over and over. It’s a rich, complex collection of books that contradict themselves in many places and on many things. Here’s just one example, on the biggest question there is: how are we saved?

Ephesians 2:8–9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.

James 2:24, 26
You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. […] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

That’s why it’s so dangerous to say you believe something because it’s what the Bible says. You can make the Bible say almost anything, including that money is the answer for everything.

No, really:

Ecclesiastes 10:19
A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.

So where does all that leave us? More importantly, where does that leave you?

With more questions than answers? Good. I believe that’s what God wants for us. Because people with questions are actively engaged in their faith.

People with questions open up their Bibles to try to learn more.

People with questions want to talk with others about religion and spirituality.

People with questions are working out their salvation with fear and trembling.

People with all the answers?

They sit back and critique.

They don’t have conversations — they correct.

They don’t make people feel welcome — they intimidate.

We have some people like that at Concordia. But we have far more people who are seeking, questioning, engaging. They love talking with others about these things — that’s the whole reason they’re here.

I hope you find them.