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So, once more, the question is: Does the Bible forbid…

“So, once more, the question is: Does the Bible forbid homosexual behavior? Well, I’ve already said that it does. The Bible is so realistic! You might not expect it to mention a topic like homosexual behavior, but in fact there are six places in the Bible—three in the Old Testament and three in the…” quote by William Lane Craig
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““So, once more, the question is: Does the Bible forbid homosexual behavior? Well, I’ve already said that it does. The Bible is so realistic! You might not expect it to mention a topic like homosexual behavior, but in fact there are six places in the Bible—three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament—where this issue is directly addressed—not to mention all the passages dealing with marriage and sexuality which have implications for this issue. In all six of these passages homosexual acts are unequivocally condemned. In Leviticus 18.22 it says that it is an abomination for a man to lie with another man as with a woman. In Lev. 20.13 the death penalty is prescribed in Israel for such an act, along with adultery, incest, and bestiality. Now sometimes homosexual advocates make light of these prohibitions by comparing them to prohibitions in the Old Testament against having contact with unclean animals like pigs. Just as Christians today don’t obey all of the Old Testament ceremonial laws, so, they say, we don’t have to obey the prohibitions of homosexual actions. But the problem with this argument is that the New Testament reaffirms the validity of the Old Testament prohibitions of homosexual behavior, as we’ll see below. This shows they were not just part of the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, which were done away with, but were part of God’s everlasting moral law. Homosexual behavior is in God’s sight a serious sin. The third place where homosexual acts are mentioned in the Old Testament is the horrifying story in Genesis 19 of the attempted gang rape of Lot’s visitors by the men of Sodom, from which our word sodomy derives. God destroyed the city of Sodom because of their wickedness. Now if this weren’t enough, the New Testament also forbids homosexual behavior.””

William Lane Craig

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote argues that the Bible explicitly condemns homosexual behavior in both Test and New Testaments, presenting it as a moral law rather than ceremonial.

In simple terms: The Bible says homosexuality is a sin and part of eternal moral law.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the biblical stance on sexuality.

Themes

theoral law religion sexuality biblical interpretation

Mood

serious reflective

Type

theological ethical

When to use this quote

  • theocratic counseling
  • religious education
  • ethical debates
  • church policy
  • personal belief

Key Concepts

Old Testament law New Testament affirmation eternal morality

Questions to Reflect On

  • How should modern believers reconcile ancient texts with contemporary values?
  • Can moral laws be timeless?
A Different Perspective

Some argue cultural context changes moral relevance; this challenges static interpretations.

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