IS THE BIBLE AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY?
A scholarly response on what the Hebrew and Aramaic Bible says concerning LGBTI people.
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Is Homosexuality a Sin?
21. IS HOMOSEXUALITY A SIN?: People ask me how I can teach people that they can go ahead and live in their sinful lifestyles. My answer is that I don’t believe homosexuality is a sin. The problem is Christians misunderstanding of what sin is. The Hebrew word khet means: "an offense, sin, wrong and fault." And the related Hebrew verb kha-tah means to offend here: “It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended kha-te-u their lord, the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.” (Genesis 40:1-2 NKJV). Genesis 31:39 literally says this: "I didn't bring you any torn animal by a beast, I sinned against it (I was at fault). You [also] required from my hand the animal stolen by day and the animal stolen by night." "Sinners" are "offenders" or "those at fault" (1 Kings 1:21). I think it would be okay to say that "sin is the transgression of the Law" (1 Jn. 3:4 KJV). However, that verse isn't translated correctly from the Aramaic. Nevertheless, it's because sin means "an offense (fault)," that it is a transgression of the Law; not the other way around. There were (are) other Governmental legal offenses or sins that the Law didn't (doesn't) contain. Yet, we do see that when the Hebrew word khet is translated into English as sin, it often does refer to breaking a requirement of the Law. Since God’s law says you shall not steal, then to break that law would be sin. We as Christians are to obey God’s Ten Commandments. Three of the commandments have to deal with loving God, namely, You shall have no other gods before Me, You shall not make for yourself a carved image, You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain (or You shall not take a false oath in the name of the LORD your God – Lamsa). The remaining seven commandments have to deal with loving our neighbor as ourself. Our neighbor is anyone we come in contact with and associate with. Sin is really an offense, something we wouldn’t want done to us. Jesus said this: “Whatever you wish men to do for you, do likewise also for them; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 Lamsa). Three of the commandments are: You shall not murder - we wouldn’t want someone murdering us; You shall not steal - we wouldn’t want someone stealing things from us that we worked hard for; and You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor - we wouldn’t want someone lying about facts in a court environment, where we as the innocent party are condemned. If sin is an offense, something we wouldn’t want done to us, then I don’t believe it is a sin for two people of the same sex to be together when the relationship is mutual. Lesbians and gay men were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14), and are not to be judged for what they allow.
Note: The Greek translation of (1 John 3:4) literally reads: "... sin is lawlessness." The Aramaic text reads: "... sin (offense) is evil (iniquity, injustice, injury, wrong)." Sin is something evil which in turn is lawlessness or the "transgression of the Law." (Hosea 12:8 / 12:9 [Rashi]) implies something similar. 22. HOMOSEXUALITY AND ANIMALS: A Presbyterian pastor brought to my attention that homosexuality cannot be natural because it doesn’t occur in animals. In the first place, this is totally false. Homosexual behavior has been observed among many animal species in the wild as well as in captivity. 23. CREATION: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV). & “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (body or person). (Genesis 2:21-24 NKJV). It is true that God created humankind male and female, and that the Bible says that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh here. However, God created every one different. God created white people, black people, lesbians, gay men, short and tall people, etc. If a person is born straight, then of course that person may choose to marry a wife and beget children, hence multiply. But what about the people that were born gay and lesbian? God’s plan for them is to remain single or marry someone of the same sex in a monogamous relationship. Is the Bible Against Homosexuality? by Preacher Mattai © 2016. All rights reserved.
Note: The Greek translation of (1 John 3:4) literally reads: "... sin is lawlessness." The Aramaic text reads: "... sin (offense) is evil (iniquity, injustice, injury, wrong)." Sin is something evil which in turn is lawlessness or the "transgression of the Law." (Hosea 12:8 / 12:9 [Rashi]) implies something similar. 22. HOMOSEXUALITY AND ANIMALS: A Presbyterian pastor brought to my attention that homosexuality cannot be natural because it doesn’t occur in animals. In the first place, this is totally false. Homosexual behavior has been observed among many animal species in the wild as well as in captivity. 23. CREATION: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV). & “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (body or person). (Genesis 2:21-24 NKJV). It is true that God created humankind male and female, and that the Bible says that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh here. However, God created every one different. God created white people, black people, lesbians, gay men, short and tall people, etc. If a person is born straight, then of course that person may choose to marry a wife and beget children, hence multiply. But what about the people that were born gay and lesbian? God’s plan for them is to remain single or marry someone of the same sex in a monogamous relationship. Is the Bible Against Homosexuality? by Preacher Mattai © 2016. All rights reserved.
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