• From The Harper Collins Bible Commentary
Regarding I Cor. 6:9-10, "The list of vices is broadly the
same as the one in Galatians 5:11, but underlines the sins of
sexual immorality by adding "adulterers" and by specifying
both the effeminate male prostitute and his partner
who hires him to satisfy sexual needs. The two terms used here
for homosexuality, which are absent from the list in Galatians,
specify a special form of pederasty (sex between two same
sex people where one is a minor) that was generally disapproved
of in Greco-Roman and Jewish literature."
--Revised Edition Harper Collins Bible Commentary --James L. Mays
©1988/2000
• From a Baptist Pastor
I spoke with a pastor at a church here in Nashville about these
verses. He explained that in the culture of the area, if men fornicate
with a woman it would defile them. However, if they have sex with
boys, they can avoid being defiled. I asked if this was even more
unacceptable in some middle eastern societies than sex with a
consenting woman and was surprised to learn that it is not, even
to this day! Similar to the other two explainations on this page,
this is the intention of this passage, where a man overpowers
and sexually takes advantage of a boy against his will.
• The following is excerpted from a conversation the writer and I had via email.
Anytime you interpret Scripture verses you have to do so through
the prism, the glasses of Jesus Christ. The Bible itself says
that Jesus is the "Word of God made flesh," the living,
breathing Jesus Christ, the one who laughed and cried, taught
and corrected, listened and pondered, slept and ate, invited all
and never turned anyone away, got angry and frustrated, healed
and comforted, forgave and restored, died and rose again. If your
interpretation of Jesus matches, well done; that is the correct
interpretation of the verse. If not, more than likely you will
need to not only rethink your understanding of these verses but
your understanding of Jesus too.
At the time the Apostle Paul travelled and wrote, in the Greco-Roman
world, gays and gay couples were accepted. In Greek culture, a
youth was mentored with an adult male to know how to grow into
manhood (something that either did or did not always include sexual
acts between them, but was mostly one of teaching a trade, and
teaching cultural expectations). When a youth began to "grow
the beard," he was expected to take his place in society--become
a voting member if a citizen, take a spouse, and begin his place
in the culture and locality. This spouse could be either a woman
or a man. Either way, he was expected to grow up and be a man,
and be a member of the society.
In the Greek Language, there were words that meant "gay"
and which also meant "gay couple," similar to our modern
English terms "gay" and "gay partnership."
Also, in the Greek Language was what was known as "street
or slang" Greek. It was the common speech of the streets--slang
words like we use in English, like "cool," meaning great
or wonderful.
Regarding I Corinthians Chapter 6, it must first be said these
are persons who are engaging in activities and behaviours that
are not loving, do not edify, in which the person boasts, sees
no fault with, and continues in despite being told otherwise.
In some translations from the original Greek, Paul refers to male
prostitutes and homosexual offenders. Actually, in the original
Greek, they are the same, one, not two. BUT, no where does Paul
use the Greek words for homosexual or homosexual partnerships.
Instead, he does something rather odd: he takes two Greek words,
and puts them together. He uses Greek slang and puts together
the Greek word for "soft" and the second Greek word
for "bed."
Because many modern stereotypes of homosexuals include the idea
that gays are less than masculine, the only other thing to be
if not masculine is feminine, or "soft." Because many
modern stereotypes of homosexuals include the idea that gays are
only interested in sex all the time--sex starved bunnies needing
sex every minute of every day--then the use of the word "bed"
makes sense to them, reinforcing the idea homosexuals are in bed
all the time having forbidden sex. In other words, this verse
has repeatedly been interpreted over the centuries according to
the interpretation and level of acceptance of homosexuality at
the time of the translation and release of that particular Bible.
But, this is not what Paul did. If he was talking about homosexuals,
he could have used that Greek word. So, what was he up to? He
put these two words together. For a long time we just did not
know what he meant. It was obviously a Greek street slang, but
the real meaning was up to interpretation. Then, several decades
back, a Greek writing was found that used the same term. Now,
for the first time, we began to see it through the eyes of Paul,
relating to the TIME in which he lived. You have to--if you are
going to be a good Biblical Scholar--remember to look at and interpret
things through the HISTORY of the time. That includes the culture
too.
When Paul was travelling through the cities of Greece and Rome,
in the centre squares he would come across men who would refuse
to grow the beard. Instead, they shaved, and dressed as if they
were still youths. They wanted to stay in a mentored relationship
with older men, a WARPING of the original cultural purpose and
model. They then SOLD themselves to older men in the centre square--they
were "soft beds." This whole view was a dysfunction,
and was an affront to anyone who lived at the time...something
a Greek or Roman was not supposed to do. If the man was gay, he
needed to grow the beard and find a husband, not sell himself.
And older men should know better than to use such persons or sexually
abuse younger men.
Another interesting revelation of Paul's writings when you look
at them in the original Greek is in his discussion about getting
married. At the time he wrote, he, like most did, believed Jesus
was coming back really soon. So, instead of getting married and
distracted by all that, if he had his way, everyone would remain
single and devote time to preaching the Gospel. BUT, he recognized
that not everyone is called to be single and that also there are
some whose sexual desires are so strong it would be better for
them to get married than to burn in lust etc. HOWEVER, he did
not use the Greek word "married." Instead he used the
Greek NEUTRAL word that we would translate into English as "partnered,"
"bonded," "spoused," or "hitched."
Since there was a Greek word for straight marriage and a Greek
word for gay partnership, Paul could have used either. Instead,
he deliberately remained neutral, so it could apply to both.
As far as source material, actually, it is what almost all translations
of the Bible said until more recent times. Then, it switched from
the original interpretation to meaning "homosexuals"
and then got reinforced and locked into that belief by people
who were anti-gay. I am a former Presbyterian minister, so a lot
of this information is a combination of my background, training,
doing research, and reading various books, including those I recommend
(see below). But, as I often say and teach, you do not need to
be an original Greek or Hebrew scholar to know, understand, and
properly interpret Scriptures. If that were true, then only such
scholars would be saved. No, all you need is Jesus, and through
Him you can understand every Scripture verse--understand and connect
with God the Father, too.
A Christian, whether gay or straight, has a responsibility to walk in his sexuality in agreement with Jesus' Law of Love. This means in ways which edify, bring growth and helps themself and the other person; this does not demean self, does not use the other person as a thing but sees the other person as someone of inherent dignity, value, and worth, and the expression is positive, healthy, and responsible both for self and for the other person. Most things in life are neither good or bad, positive or negative, back or white, but neutral. It is when you act on them, how you choose to use or be them, that determine their rightness, or wrongness.
Thus the truest definition of sin is going outside of the boundaries of Jesus' Law of Love. In all things, use Jesus' love as a yardstick to measure up against whatever is before you, and this Love will discern and reveal to you whether it be right for you to do or be, or instead to leave it alone, resist, overcome, or even destroy. What I find sad is when someone does compare something to Jesus' Love, knows the answer, but chooses to either ignore it or tries to somehow justify his need not to change and keep going on his present path or choice of action.
When God's Love reveals something to you, it is for your own good, because God wants you to win, to grow, and become the full person you can and should be. God and His Love have your best interests at heart. When God's Love shows you a choice is acceptable to be or do, you can have confidence that God will support you in it too. The Apostle Paul summed it all up when he said that Christians are no longer bound to the Law. There are no Ten Commandments or hundreds of rules. Instead, everything is now lawful for the Christian.
But, a Christian does not just go out and do his own thing but rather chooses to do those things that agree with Love. So, ALL things being now lawful, means just that, ALL things. And all things includes being gay. Thus we have the choice to walk in our gay sexual orientation in expressions that agree with Love, meaning they edify, are positive, healthy, responsible, do not make us compromise ourselves, etc.
Or, we can choose to walk in it in ways that are stupid. There is no such thing as a "gay lifestyle," but rather each of us being our own true selves, walking in our individual gifts, talents, and callings, and somewhere in all of it, being gay, too. The way you know you have completely come out is when you see your sexuality as a non-issue, and not one from which you draw your total identity.
I hope this helps. For further reading, get the following books.
If not available at a bookstore, or by order through a bookstore,
get it from your local library, and if the library does not own
it they can get it from another library through the loan system.
Scroggs, Robin
The New Testament and Homosexuality. Philadelphia, PA:Fortress
Press, ©1983.
(Analysis of Original Greek Scriptures, Study of Ancient Sexual
Practices and Ethics, and Greek Pederasty).
Helminiak, Daniel
What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. San Fran.,
CA:Alamo Square Pr., 2000, ©1994.
Brawley, Robert. L., ed.
Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality: Listening to Scripture.
Westminster John Knox Press, ©1996.
Kader, Samuel
Openly Gay, Openly Christian: How the Bible Really Is Gay Friendly.
Leyland Publications, ©1999.
Piazza, Michael
The Truth About Being Holy Gay or Lesbian Homosexuals and Christian.
Dallas, TX:Morris Press, ©1994.
--Ben Buckles, former Presbyterian minister, 13 April 2010