The Cycle We Keep Repeating
History shows a painful rhythm. We argue, we label, and we exclude. Eventually, after years of harm, we admit that our interpretation was wrong. We did this with slavery. We did it with racism. We did it with the treatment of women. Sadly, we are doing it again with LGBTQ people.
Once again, we ignore Scripture’s consistent call to defend the oppressed. Once again, we silence grace and forgiveness. Each time we repeat this pattern, the Church loses credibility and the Gospel loses its witness. Therefore, it is time to break the cycle and return to love.
Hate by Any Other Name
Today, many Christians use gentler words but keep the same harsh judgment. Phrases like “hate the sin, love the sinner” sound compassionate, yet they divide people from their own identity. In truth, a person’s identity and humanity cannot be separated. Saying “love the sinner” while rejecting their essence is not love at all.
Consider an example. Saying “hate the toppings, love the pizza” makes no sense. Without toppings, it is no longer the same pizza. In the same way, we cannot claim to love someone while condemning the very person God created them to be.
Furthermore, this “softened” language still does great harm. It pushes LGBTQ people into silence and shame. For some, that isolation leads to despair and even suicide. The Church must accept responsibility for that pain and repent of the damage done. Real love heals; false love wounds.
The Bible Is Not a Sex Manual
When people quote Scripture as a list of sexual rules, they reduce it to a rulebook instead of a revelation of grace. The Bible tells the story of God’s relationship with humanity, not a list of bedroom regulations. Yet, over and over, we use it to decide who belongs and who does not.
Think about what the text actually includes: arranged marriages, concubines, polygamy, and laws about levirate marriage. We no longer treat those practices as binding commands. Therefore, we already understand that cultural context matters. In the same way, we must read so-called “clobber verses” with the same awareness.
Moreover, Jesus Himself shifted moral focus from rule-keeping to love. When people brought him moral dilemmas, He answered with mercy. Consequently, Christians should interpret every passage through the lens of Christ’s compassion, not through fear or tradition alone.
Choices and What Is Not a Choice
Many of the actions condemned in Scripture were choices. Polygamy, concubinage, and levirate marriage were social customs, not innate traits. Over time, the Church learned to read those passages historically and moved beyond them. That same wisdom should apply here as well.
Sexual orientation, however, is not a choice. Both science and personal experience affirm that truth. Therefore, condemning LGBTQ people for who they are makes no moral or biblical sense. Choosing to judge others is the real act of will. Choosing love is the act of faith.
Since many Christians still struggle with the “clobber verses,” let us look at them carefully. When we study the text in its original context, we often discover that it addresses something entirely different from what modern readers assume.
Learning from the Clobber Verses
First, it helps to clear away verses that do not mention homosexuality at all. For instance, Genesis 2:21–25, Deuteronomy 23:17, and Jude 1:6–7 are sometimes listed, but they have nothing to do with same-sex orientation. Eliminating false references helps us focus on the few that do matter.
Genesis 19: What Was Sodom’s Sin?
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah has long been used to condemn LGBTQ people. However, the text in Genesis 19 shows something different. Two messengers visit Lot, and the men of the city demand to violate them. This is a story about domination and violence, not about loving relationships.
Elsewhere in Scripture, the prophets explain Sodom’s sin in plain language. Isaiah 1 names injustice. Ezekiel 16 names pride and neglect of the poor. Zephaniah 2 names arrogance and cruelty. None of them mention homosexuality.
Therefore, the sin of Sodom was the abuse of power and the refusal to show hospitality. Ironically, those who use this text to attack LGBTQ people now repeat Sodom’s true sin: pride and inhospitality.
Leviticus 18 and 20: Purity in Its Time
Leviticus belongs to the ancient purity code that shaped Israel’s identity. It helped distinguish them from neighboring nations and reflected their understanding of the world. At that time, people explained everything—disease, fertility, and even weather—through ritual and purity laws.
Today, we no longer live by most of those laws. For example, we eat shrimp and pork, trim our beards, and refuse to stone disobedient children. We recognized that culture and time shaped those commands. The same logic applies here.
Furthermore, scholars suggest that male-male acts were forbidden for reasons unrelated to orientation: superstition about wasting seed, confusion over gender roles, or fear of “mixing kinds.” As knowledge grew, those assumptions lost their meaning. Therefore, reading Leviticus literally while ignoring its context is inconsistent with how we handle every other Old Testament law.
Romans 1: “Natural,” Idolatry, and Acting Against Nature
Romans 1 is often quoted as proof that same-sex relationships are sinful. Yet, a close reading reveals that Paul’s main concern is idolatry, not orientation. He describes people exchanging the truth of God for false worship. In that context, sexual acts represented spiritual rebellion, not innate identity.
Paul uses the Greek word physikos, which means “arising from nature.” It refers to how things exist by design, not to what culture calls normal. When he warns against acting “against nature,” he means acting against one’s created self. Therefore, forcing a gay person to live as straight—or vice versa—would violate the very principle Paul defends.
Later, Paul expands the argument. He lists greed, envy, arrogance, and gossip right alongside lust. Then he writes, “You have no excuse when you judge others; you condemn yourself.” (Romans 2:1) The message is clear: we all fall short, and judgment belongs to God alone.
1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1: Two Difficult Greek Words
These passages include the words arsenokoitēs and malakos. Scholars debate their exact meaning because both are rare and context-sensitive. Some connect them to male prostitution or sexual exploitation, not to committed relationships between equals.
In other words, these verses condemn abuse and coercion, not loving same-sex partnerships. Translating them as “homosexual” imposes a modern idea on an ancient language. Therefore, using them to condemn LGBTQ people ignores both history and honesty.
What This Really Means
Anyone can call homosexuality a sin if they wish, but the Bible does not. Claiming otherwise misuses God’s name and misrepresents His character. The deeper sin is judgment itself—the refusal to love as Jesus loved.
Scripture teaches that every law hangs on love. Paul warns that judging others while committing our own faults is hypocrisy. Therefore, the faithful response is compassion, not condemnation. When we choose love, we honor both truth and grace.
As followers of Christ, we must stop using the Bible as a weapon. Instead, let it become what it was always meant to be: a witness to divine mercy. When we live that mercy, the world will see Jesus in us again.
