Is homosexuality/being gay prohibited by the Ten Commandments?
Most Christians understand that, although the Mosaic law was promulgated by God, they need to follow the law of Christ instead of the laws of the Old Testament. Yet, the laws of Christ and of the Old Testament often intertwine, especially in regards to the Ten Commandments. For example, the Ten Commandments are either cited by Jesus Christ or by Paul as relevant for Christians.
Notice that there is no commandment within the Ten Commandments specifically stating that homosexuality is a sin. Some people may point out that bestiality and pedophilia are also not specifically listed as sins in the Ten Commandments; however, they will argue that Christians know that they are morally wrong because a person or animal is being taken advantage of sexually and Christians should not partake in such acts. One must understand that both of those acts involve sexual acts between one party who initiates the act and another party who does not have the mental capacity or ability to consent to the act, which is rape. Although rape is also not specifically stated as a sin in the Ten Commandments, it is easily deduced from the New Testament that rape is a sin as it goes against Jesus' second greatest commandment "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39 ESV), and someone who rapes another person is sexually taking advantage of that person. Furthermore, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the story of Gibeah show that God looks very unfavorably upon anyone who commits rape or attempts to commit rape.
The Ten Commandments are often cited and followed by Christians as major sins to avoid. Even though the sin of homosexuality isn't listed in the Ten Commandments, the sin is considered a type of fornication, which is sexual intercourse between two unmarried people or between a married person and unmarried person (see Matt. 19:9"'And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery'" Matt. 19:9 ESV.)"And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery" Matt. 19, and fornication is expressly forbidden throughout the Bible as in 1 Cor. 6:9"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 . . ." 1 Cor. 6:9 ESV., Eph. 5:5"For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" Eph. 5:5 ESV., 1 Tim. 1: 9-10"(U)nderstanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine . . ." 1 Tim. 1: 9-10 ESV., Heb. 12:16". . . that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal . . ." Heb. 12:16 ESV., Heb. 13:14"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" Heb. 13:14 ESV., and Rev. 21:8"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" Rev. 21:8 ESV..
Notice that the Ten Commandments does not list all sins. They also exclude sins such as bestiality, rape, and pedophilia, and we know that these vices are definitely sins from a moral standpoint. In fact, society has enacted secular laws to punish people who commit these vices. Moreover, bestiality is expressly forbidden in Lev. 18:23"And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion" Lev. 18:23 ESV.. Thus, we also know that homosexuality is a sin from a moral standpoint because it is a form of fornication, which is also condemned in the Bible.
Some Christians interpret the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery" in Exod 20:14 ESV as instructing Christians and Jews to not commit fornication outside of marriage. They think that when the seventh commandment was promulgated, God must have meant it to apply to all sexual activity outside of marriage and not just adultery, and they reason that since homosexuals are not allowed to marry within churches, then they are committing fornication, which is against the seventh commandment.
This argument has just one major flaw: The seventh commandment, Exod. 20:14"You shall not commit adultery" Exod. 20:14 ESV., states that adultery is a sin, not fornication. Adultery and fornication are not the same vices and they are listed as separate vices throughout the Bible. In Mark 7:21"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders . . ." Mark 7:21 KJV. and Matt. 15:19"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies . . ." Matt. 15:19 KJV., the words "adulteries" and "fornications" are listed as separate vices right next to each other. Likewise, in 1 Cor. 6:9"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind . . ." 1 Cor. 6:9 KJV. and Gal. 5:19"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness . . ." Gal. 5:19 KJV., adultery and fornication are listed as separate vices. The Hebrew word used for adultery in Exod. 20:14 is nâ'aph and it is translated by Strong's Concordance as "to commit adultery; figuratively to apostatize: - adulterer (-ess), commit (-ing) adultery, woman that breaketh wedlock."1 Furthermore, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012) defines adultery as "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband."2 On the other hand, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012) defines fornication as "consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other - compare adultery" and it asks the reader to compare the definition of fornication to the definition of adultery, as in compare and contrast the two definitions.3
Based on the dictionary definitions of adultery, adultery or nâ'aph is never defined as simply "fornication." However, some Christians insist that adultery had a different meaning in ancient Hebrew times. Again, they are wrong. Whenever the Bible mentions the sin of nâ'aph, it is always strictly translated to mean adultery. The Bible actually defines nâ'aph for us in several passages, such as in Jer. 29:23 KJV, " . . . Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives . . . ;" Eze. 16:32 KJV, "But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband;" Hos. 4:13 KJV, " . . . your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery;" and Hos. 4:14 KJV, " I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery." In fact, Ezek. 16:30-34"How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different" Ezek. 16:30-34 ESV. compares female adulterers to prostitutes in that both types of women fornicate with strangers, but the verse also contrasts female adulterers from prostitues by pointing out that the prostitutes receive payment for their services whereas the adulterers, who are married, receive no payment for their fornication.
The above passages prove that adultery or nâ'aph was strictly defined as adultery (not fornication) in the Old Testament, which is intercourse committed by a spouse outside of marriage. Fornication may be considered a vice by the apostle Paul as in Gal. 5:19"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality . . ." Gal. 5:19 ESV., 1 Cor. 6:16"Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh'" 1 Cor. 6:16 ESV., 1 Tim. 1:9-10"(U)nderstanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for . . . the sexually immoral . . ." 1 Tim. 1:9-10 ESV., and 1 Cor. 6:9-10"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral . . . will inherit the kingdom of God" 1 Cor. 6:9-10 ESV.; however, fornication is never condemned within the Ten Commandments, unlike adultery which is condemned by the seventh commandment and by Jesus Christ in Matt. 19:18"He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness . . .'" Matt. 19:18 ESV., Mark 10:19"You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother'" Mark 10:19 ESV., 10:11-12"And he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery'" Mark 10:11-12 ESV., and Luke 18:20"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother'" Luke 18:20 ESV..
The seventh commandment in Exod. 20:14 ESV states, "You shall not commit adultery." This commandment not only condemns adultery, but it condemns fornication outside of marriage as well. In the Old Testament, a woman who had sexual relations with a man before marriage and lied about her virginity to her husband would be put to death, as stated in Deut. 22:20-21"But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst" Deut. 22:20-21 ESV.. Likewise, men and women who committed adultery would be put death, as stated in Deut. 22:22"If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel" Deut. 22:22 ESV.. Both sins were worthy of death, and a woman who fornicated outside of marriage was treated like an adulterer. Thus, the seventh commandment not only condemned adultery, but it also condemned fornication. Likewise, the apostle Paul condemns fornication in Gal. 5:19"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality . . ." Gal. 5:19 ESV., 1 Cor. 6:16"Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh'" 1 Cor. 6:16 ESV., 1 Tim. 1:9-10"(U)nderstanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for . . . the sexually immoral . . ." 1 Tim. 1:9-10 ESV., and 1 Cor. 6:9-10"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral . . . will inherit the kingdom of God" 1 Cor. 6:9-10 ESV..
Fornication is defined in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012) as "consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other - compare adultery."1 It actually asks the reader to compare adultery with fornication. As you can see from the above verses, the Bible equates fornication with adultery, which means that the sin of fornication is also condemned by Exod. 20:14"You shall not commit adultery" Exod. 20:14 ESV.. Homosexuality is committed between two people of the same sex outside of marriage, which means that both partners are fornicators. Thus, since the Bible equates fornication with adultery, fornication is condemned in the seventh commandment along with adultery, and homosexuality is fornication, the seventh commandment must also condemn homosexuality.
1"nâ'aph." Strong, 1995/1996, Hebrew section p. 148, entry 8263 Return
2"adultery." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012) Return
3"fornication." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012) Return
1"fornication." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2012) Return
The Ten Commandments in the New Testament: The first commandment listed in Exod. 20:3 ESV, "You shall have no other gods before me," is repeated by Jesus in Matt. 4:10"Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve"'" Matt. 4:10 ESV., 22:37-38"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment'" Matt. 22:37-38 ESV., and Luke 4:8"And Jesus answered him, 'It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve"'" Luke 4:8 ESV.. The second commandment listed in Exod. 20:4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" Exod. 20:4 ESV., which states that the Israelites shall not create and worship idols, is upheld by Jesus in Luke 16:13"No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Luke 16:13 ESV. and Matt. 6:24"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Matt. 6:24 ESV. and Paul in Acts 15:19-20"Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood" Acts 15:19-20 ESV., 17:29"Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man" Acts 17:29 ESV.; 1 Cor. 10:7"Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play'" 1 Cor. 10:7 ESV., 10:14"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry" 1 Cor. 10:14 ESV., 10:19-20"What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons" 1 Cor. 10:19-20 ESV., 12:2"You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led" 1 Cor. 12:2 ESV.; 2 Cor. 6:16"What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people'" 2 Cor. 6:16 ESV.; Eph. 5:5"For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" Eph. 5:5 ESV.; Col. 3:5"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" Col. 3:5 ESV.; and 1 Thess. 1:9"For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" 1 Thess. 1:9 ESV.. The third commandment listed in Exod. 20:7 ESV, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain," is cited by Jesus in Matt. 5:33-34"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God" Matt. 5:33-34 ESV. and Paul in 1 Tim. 6:1"Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled" 1 Tim. 6:1 ESV.. The fourth commandment listed in Exod. 20:8 ESV, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," is upheld by Jesus in Matt. 12:8"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" Matt. 12:8 ESV. and Mark 2:27-28"And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath'" Mark 2:27-28 ESV.. The fifth commandment listed in Exod. 20:12 ESV, "Honor your father and mother," is upheld by Jesus in Matt. 15:4"For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die'" Matt. 15:4 ESV., 19:19"Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" Matt. 19:19 ESV., Mark 7:10"For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die'" Mark 7:10 ESV., 10:19"You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother'" Mark 10:19 ESV., and Luke 18:20"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother'" Luke 18:20 ESV.. The sixth commandment listed in Exod. 20:13 ESV, "You shall not commit murder," is upheld by Jesus in Matt. 5:21-22"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" Matt. 5:21-22 ESV., 19:18"He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness . . .'" Matt. 19:18 ESV., Mark 10:19"You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother'" Mark 10:19 ESV., and Luke 18:20"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother'" Luke 18:20 ESV.. The seventh commandment listed in Exod. 20:14 ESV, "You shall not commit adultery," is upheld by Jesus in Matt. 19:18"He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness . . .'" Matt. 19:18 ESV., Mark 10:19"You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother'" Mark 10:19 ESV., 10:11-12"And he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery'" Mark 10:11-12 ESV., and Luke 18:20"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother'" Luke 18:20 ESV.. The eighth commandment listed in Exod. 20:15 ESV, "You shall not steal," is upheld by Jesus in Matt. 19:18"He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness . . .'" Matt. 19:18 ESV., Mark 10:19"You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother'" Mark 10:19 ESV., and Luke 18:20"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother'" Luke 18:20 ESV.. The ninth commandment listed in Exod. 20:16 ESV, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," is upheld by Jesus in Matt. 19:18"He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness . . .'" Matt. 19:18 ESV., Mark 10:19"You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother'" Mark 10:19 ESV., and Luke 18:20"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother'" Luke 18:20 ESV.. The tenth commandment listed in Exod. 20:17 ESV, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's," is upheld by Jesus in Mark 7:21-22"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness" Mark 7:21-22 ESV. and Luke 12:15"And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions'" Luke 12:15 ESV.. Even Jesus' second greatest commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39 ESV), can be found in the Torah, "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18 ESV).
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By: L. Jelle