Michael Brown Responds to Matthew Vines

In the last post I said that there were changes coming to the podcast. Instead of working with one topic, we split the show into four segments. This is the first episode with those changes. The Michael Brown post is in the fourth segment.

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7 Ways Jesus Condemned Gay “Marriage”

Matthew 19:4-6 " He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.""

One of the arguments for those in support of gay "marriage," especially among those who claim to be gay and Christian, is the silence of Jesus on gay "marriage" and homosexuality.

However, just because Jesus never mentioned gay "marriage" doesn't mean that what He said about Biblical marriage doesn't condemn gay it.

In Matthew 19 Jesus is being tested by the Pharisees about divorce, asking Him if it was "lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?" The answer He gives not only condemns divorce, but also condemns any view of marriage outside of God’s original design.

Here are seven ways His answer to the Pharisees condemned gay "marriage."

1. Jesus condemned gay "marriage" by pointing to the Scriptures about God’s only design for marriage- "Have you not read"

It is the Scriptures that define what marriage is. Jesus pointed to the Scriptures to answer the Pharisees, making it clear that Scripture itself was His final authority.

You will not find anything positive ever being said about homosexuality anywhere in the Scriptures.

2. Jesus condemned gay "marriage" by pointing to God’s original and only plan for marriage- "from the beginning"

God never designed marriage to be between two persons of the same sex. His plan "from the beginning" was, and is, only between a man and a woman.

3. Jesus condemned gay "marriage" by pointing to God’s original and only design- "male and female,"

The very fact that Jesus mentions "male and female," and only "male and female," shows that God never intended for marriage to be otherwise.

4. Jesus condemned gay "marriage" by defining the structure of family and marriage- "father and mother," "hold fast to his wife"

The Biblical definition of a family unit is father and mother, husband and wife. Outside of this definition, the family unit does not exist. Even if much of society accepts gay couples with adopted children as "family," the Biblical definition does not. It is God who defines what a family is, not society.

5. Jesus condemned gay "marriage by pointing to the sacred Union of marriage- "and the two shall become one flesh," "they are no longer two"

Marriage is holy. And it is holy because God Himself is the One who established it. Nowhere in Scripture does it ever imply a redefinition of this sacred union. The "two that become "one" can only be man and woman since they compliment each other.

This union would also imply sexual union, since God designed the male and female body to fit together. Two people of the same sex cannot have this union since the parts don’t fit.

6. Jesus condemned gay "marriage" by warning against the desecration of marriage- "What therefore God has joined together," let not man separate"

Although this is specifically speaking of divorce, there is an implication here. God Himself is the One who established the covenant of marriage. Therefore, "man" has no right to redifine what marriage is. Those who do this are in direct opposition with the God who designed the marriage covenant.

7. Jesus condemned gay "marriage" by never referring to it.

The argument goes like this: "Since Jesus never even mentioned homosexuality you have no right to use Him in your arguments against it."

The problem for the homosexual is that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality. Weren't there homosexuals in His day that wanted what homosexuals want in our day, just to be accepted? Since people are supposedly born gay shouldn't Jesus have addressed the issue? Shouldn't He have stood up for the rights of gay people who were obviously treated worse than they are today? And yet He said nothing. Since "sexual orientation is from birth" homosexuals are born the way they are right? And yet nowhere does Jesus even mention it.

 

 

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The Usage of the Word 'Homosexual' in Paul's Writings (1a) The Word 'Arsenkoites'Steven Long August 26 2012

The hot topic issue in both the political arena and the religious circles today seems to be the issue of homosexuality–or at least gay marriage. Both sides have expressed the issue as clearly and concisely as possible and there have certainly been name-bashing from both ends. Now, this blog is mainly dedicated to issues involving the straying of orthodox theology of mainstream evangelicalism, so you might be wondering why I would write on the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage.

Simply stated, it is because many professing Christians seem to have given in to the idea that Jesus was all love, non-judgmental, and never condemned anyone. This idea has spilled over into the pulpits and consequently, into the pews.

Speaking with a friend lately, I was challenged by a statement he made. This friend stated,

"Paul uses a never before seen word that in its next known appearance seems to mean prostitute. The other NT usage carries different meanings depending on the perspective of the reader; some scholars think it applied to those who left heterosexual relationships for homosexual ones".

My curiosity was peeked. I had heard the argument that the word was never seen or known before. But the next statement was new to me. And since I have a wealth of resources at my disposal, particularly regarding the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) I decided to delve into this subject and explore it a little further. This post will be longer than usual; I normally like to keep things short and concise, but this is a topic that is important and must be examined carefully. So please bear with me as I do my best to tackle this subject.

I am going to approach the main arguments for gay marriage and homosexuality under four different blog posts with the first being divided into two parts: (1a) The word arsenkoites and its meaning, and (1b)the etymology of arsenkoites and its logical inferences. (2) Only the Old Testament speaks clearly against homosexuality. The actual word only refers to pedophilia and has nothing to do with consenting or loving relationships . (3) The authority of Scripture on the subject of homosexuality.

The Word 'Homosexual'

The actual word 'homosexual' and its forms only appears twice in the entire New Testament (ESV version). Both occurrences appear in Paul's letters and so it will not be hard to trace the word and determine how Paul uses it. The two times it is seen is in 1Corinthians 6:9 and 1Timothy 1:10. I have presented them in both English and the Greek for comparison.

1Corinthians 6:9 (ESV)–  Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality

1Corinthians 6:9 (NA27) – Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι θεοῦ βασιλείαν οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται

1Timothy 1:10 (ESV) – the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

1Timothy 1:10 (NA27) – πόρνοις ἀρσενοκοίταις ἀνδραποδισταῖς ψεύσταις ἐπιόρκοις, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ ἀντίκειται

The Greek words in bold are the English words rendered as 'homosexual.' You will note that 1Corinthians 6:9 has two bold words. Both of these words refer to acts of sexual intercourse between two males. The first word indicates the male passive partner whereas the second references the male initiator or dominant role. Several dictionaries and lexicons affirm this:

ἀρσενοκοίτης (arsenokoitēs), ου (ou), ὁ (ho): n.masc.; ≡ Str 733—LN 88.280 male homosexual, one who takes the active male role in homosexual intercourse (1Co 6:9), specifically interpreted as male homosexual paedophilia (NAB footnote); possibly a more generic term in first Timothy; sodomites (RSV, NRSV, NKJV), perverts (NIV, NEB, REB), practicing homosexuals (NAB), homosexual (NJB), (1Ti 1:10+), note: translations possibly use certain specific terms to infer or allow certain theologies ^{(Emphasis mine)1}

ἀρσενοκοίτης, ου m: a male partner in homosexual intercourse—‘homosexual.’ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι … οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται … βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν ‘don’t you know that … no adulterers or homosexuals … will receive the kingdom of God’ 1 Cor 6:9–10. It is possible that ἀρσενοκοίτης in certain contexts refers to the active male partner in homosexual intercourse in contrast with μαλακόςb, the passive male partner (Emphasis mine) ²

ἀρσενο-κοίτης, (κοίτη) lying with men, N.T.
ΑΡΣΗΝ, ὁ, ἡ, ἄρσεν, τό, gen. ἄρσενος; older form of ἄρρην: Ion. ἔρσην:—male, Lat. mas, Il., etc.; ἄρρην, ὁ, or ἄρρεν, τό, the male, Aesch.; οἱ ἄρσενες the male sex, Thuc.
2. masculine, strong, Eur.: metaph. mighty, κτύπος ἄρσην πόντου Soph.
3. of the gender of nouns, masculine, ὀνόματα³

Likewise, the word μαλακός is affirmed by these lexicons as 'effiminate, soft,' indicating a more passive role in sexual intercourse.

Paul condemns both of these actions in 1Corinthians 6:9. This is clearly seen in the fact that both words are used as the subject of the negation of the word κληρονομήσουσιν, which is the future indicative 'they shall not inherit.' In fact, he precludes the statement by telling his Corinthian audience, "Do not be deceived; neither...will inherit the Kingdom of God. Note, that Paul uses that phrase twice, once at the beginning of the phrase, and then at the end to solidify that what he has said is sure and true.

In the next post we will tackle the etymology of the word and conclude some logical inferences from how it is used in the New Testament.

Standing for Truth,
Steven.

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<sub>1. Dictionary of Biblical Languages Swanson, James (Electronic Edition, Logos Bible Software)
2. Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains, Louw, Johannes, Nida, Eugene v.1, p. 771
3. An Intermediate Greek-English Lexion Liddell, Henry, p. 120</sub>