Is homosexuality in the Bible actually referring to pedophilia?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Some say that the rare word arsenokoites used in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 refers to abusive sexual intercourse, such as between a man and a boy (pedophilia). The argument is that homosexuality isn’t a sin, but pedophilia or other abusive forms of intercourse are. However, the lexical evidence indicates that Paul wasn’t thinking of adults with children. Even if arsenokoites’ meaning is debated, the rest of Scripture clearly condemns same-sex relationships between adults.

Scripture’s foundation of acceptable sexual behavior is between one man and one women joined in marriage (Genesis 2:24). Leviticus also clarifies that men are not to have sex with men using a generic, non-age specific word for “male” (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). Arsenokoites appears to be a combination of arsen (male) and koite (bed), the two words which the Greek Septuagint uses to translate Leviticus’ prohibition on same-sex intercourse. Additionally, Romans 1:26–27 describes same-sex male and female relationships as depravity and the result of God’s judgment. As with the Leviticus passages, it uses generic language to refer to any sexual relationships between same-sex partners.

Combined, no clear lexical evidence exists that arsenokoites means pedophilia, with the rest of Scripture referring to same-sex relationships as sinful behavior regardless of a participant's age. Arguments like these are often made to find a “loophole” for a particular sin, in this case, homosexuality. However, any deviation from God’s original design for human flourishing is sin. We must repent of, and turn from, all such rebellion. True flourishing comes from following God's design and ways!

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Sexuality in Scripture is based on the foundation of how God created male and female relationships before sin entered the world. Referring to marriage followed by sexual intimacy, we read, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Therefore, God designed us to have sex only in marriage and only between members of the opposite sex.
• The prohibitions about other forms of sexual behavior, including fornication (sex outside of marriage), bestiality (sex with animals), and homosexuality (sex between two members of the same sex), are all based on God’s original design. Any such behavior is to rebel against His design, and it is why it is sinful.
• When sin entered the world, all forms of sin, including homosexuality, also began. When God called the Israelites, He called them to be holy (Leviticus 19:2), unlike the surrounding pagan nations (Leviticus 18:3). As part of establishing what it meant to be holy, He prohibited all forms of sexual misbehavior, including same-sex relationships.
• We find those laws in Leviticus. Right before condemning bestiality, we read, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). For God, two men having sex is considered an abomination, a perversion of His good design.
• The severe punishment God gave for some sins was for the purpose of keeping the Israelites pure. Regarding homosexuality, we learn that the punishment was death: “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them” (Leviticus 20:13).
• So God is strongly opposed to such relationships. Of importance to this article’s question is that the words “male” and “men” are generic. They do not specifically mean children. God’s prohibition was, in the Leviticus examples, against any male having sexual intercourse with any other male.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament often used the Greek Septuagint. It is a collection of Greek translations of many Old Testament passages and was compiled 100-200 years before Jesus came to earth. Regarding the two Leviticus passages that prohibit men sleeping with men, they use two words: arsen (male) and koite (bed). Much like we use the idiom of “going to bed with someone” as having sex with them, so also did the Greeks. The way the Septuagint translated Leviticus helps explain the New Testament word arsenokoites in debated passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10, which is likely a combination of arsen and koite. It may be that Paul coined the word, or that it slowly became a single word over time (not an uncommon occurrence when comparing Classical Greek with Koine Greek, the Greek of the New Testament).
• First Corinthians 6:9 reads, “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 ….” Contextually, Paul was speaking about all sorts of sexually deviant activity. Based on the Leviticus passages, as well as the contextual clues, he appeared to be talking about general sexual deviance, not referring to abusive forms such as pedophilia. First Timothy 1:10 is similarly part of a longer list of sins.
• Because arsenokoites is so rare, only being found in these two passages in the New Testament, some have argued for its meaning as pedophilia largely on the basis that pedophilia was a common practice in ancient Rome. However, regardless of Rome’s practice, Paul is not specifically referring to children in context, and the likely Leviticus background suggests he was thinking generically.
• However, those are not the only New Testament verses that speak against homosexuality. A clear one is found in Romans 1:18ff. In that verse, Paul appealed to God's design as described in Genesis. The result of deviating from His design was that “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24). That is, God punished humanity by allowing them to engage in disordered sexual practices, which both degraded them and increased their future condemnation.
• Paul then described the judgment: “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:26–27). Men having sex with men and women having sex with women are both contrary to “natural relations” and “shameless acts” (sin). Notice that, like the Leviticus passages, Paul uses generic words for “men” and “women,” referring to any same-sex sexual intercourse as “dishonorable passions.” So, while the lexical evidence for arsenokoites is limited, there’s enough evidence in Scripture to show that homosexuality, not just pedophilia, is sin.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

We are sinful (Romans 3:23), God’s enemies by nature (Romans 5:10), and under His judgment if we don’t repent (John 3:36). However, though everyone’s conscience tells them what God wants done (Romans 2:14–15) and that from nature we can see that God is angry with us for not doing it (Romans 1:18–20), we suppress that knowledge because we love sinning (Romans 1:18).

One way people suppress the truth is to argue that God didn’t really say what He said. That was true in the garden when we first rebelled (Genesis 3:1) and continues today. One example is insisting that God’s prohibition against same-sex sexual relationships was limited to pedophilia. However, Scripture clearly condemns any sexual activity outside of one man and one woman in marriage. Anything against God's design is rebellion and goes against human flourishing.

But know this: while homosexuality is a sin, it is not unforgivable. All of our sins, whether they be lying, cheating on taxes, or sleeping with someone of the same sex, can be forgiven. However, forgiveness requires repentance. We must honestly acknowledge that we are sinners, repent, and trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as our only hope of forgiveness.

Are you a believer who continues to struggle with same-sex attraction? All believers, if they are honest, struggle with sin. The battle is real. However, God doesn’t want you to sin and has, therefore, given you His Holy Spirit to purify your way of thinking. Continue bringing your sinful desires to God, confessing your need for His Spirit’s help. God is quick to forgive when we repent (1 John 1:9) and, in addition to His Spirit, He has given us His word and other believers to teach and help us. We are never alone in our fight against sin!

UNDERSTAND

• The Bible's teaching on sexuality is grounded in God’s creation of male and female and His design for marriage between them.
• References to same-sex behavior in Scripture address the behavior in general terms, not limiting it to abusive or exploitative forms like pedophilia.
• Attempts to define biblical terms such as arsenokoites as referring only to pedophilia do not align with Scripture's teaching as a whole.

REFLECT

• Where do you notice tension between what Scripture teaches about God’s design and what culture around you says is true about sexuality?
  
• How does Scripture help you understand God’s design for marriage and sexuality?
• How do you seek to be aware of how cultural beliefs influence the way you read Scripture?

ENGAGE

• What is the strongest lexical and contextual evidence for how arsenokoites should be understood in the New Testament?
• How does the connection between the Old Testament law and New Testament teaching strengthen the interpretation of God's design for sex and sexuality?
• How can we respond to those who argue that homosexuality is not a sin with truth and compassion?