Romans
1:26-27 is perhaps the most challenging biblical text for Christians who seek
to argue for a more affirming understanding of same-sex sexual relationships.
In the next few posts I will address this text.
First,
a reminder: Every reader of scripture reads with a perspective that includes
rules, conscious or unconscious, which determine how they interpret what they
read. I want to remind readers of my basic approach to interpreting scripture
found here: Some Thoughts on Interpreting Scripture, here: Back to the Bible,
and here: The King or a Fox: Configuring the Mosaic of Scripture. It is also instructive to see how Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, approached the Bible (here, here, and here).
Second,
before looking at the specific verses that mention the phenomena of same-sex
sexual behavior, it is important to look at the larger context. Most scholars
agree that Paul’s purpose in Romans 1-3 is to argue that the need of the salvation
offered by God through Jesus Christ is radical and universal (actually, he
plays this argument out all the way through chapter 7).
In
the first 17 verses of Romans 1, the Apostle celebrates the gospel which is “the
power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also
to the Greek.” (vs.16). This is important because the church in Rome was made
up of both Jews and Gentiles (Greeks). It appears there was some rivalry and
suspicion between these two groups. Perhaps Jewish believers claimed superiority because they were
of the chosen people who had anticipated the coming of the Messiah. Gentile believers could claim superiority based on what Jews themselves accepted as a mixed history
of reception and rejection of the
prophets – “We members of the New Covenant are a fresh start and won’t be like
them.” Paul intends to undercut any notions of superiority on the part of
either group.
As
part of that argument, Paul sets up a rhetorical trap which he springs in 2:1.
In vss. 18-32, he uses standard Jewish critique of Gentile idolatry.
The
common Jewish understanding was that once people – Gentiles – exchanged the
worship of God for the things God created, they lost the ability to see things
clearly and lost all control morally (see Wisdom 12:23-13:10 and 14:9-31). The sexual licentiousness Jews attributed
to Gentiles was one part of this and Paul points to same-sex sexual encounters as
he understood them as a particularly egregious example. But, Paul understands “every kind of wickedness” to result from
Gentile idolatry.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge
God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They
were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious towards
parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
(Romans 1:28-31)
(Romans 1:28-31)
Thus,
Gentiles have no cause to boast.
You
can imagine the Roman Jewish Christians giving a hearty “Amen” to this
description of Gentile foolishness and immorality. But then Paul springs his
trap in Romans 2:1-3
Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you
are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn
yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You [Jewish
Christians] say, ‘We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in
accordance with truth.’ Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge
those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment
of God?
Jewish
Christians who were smugly judging their Gentile Christian brothers and sisters are brought up short. They would recognize some of their own behavior in the culminating
list of kinds of wickedness. From there, Paul lays out the argument that Jews
are as much in need of the salvation Jesus brings as are Gentiles. None can
boast. None can judge.
This
is an important warning for all of us to take to heart in general. But, it is
no less true when it comes to debates regarding homosexuality in particular. As
New Testament scholar, Richard B. Hayes has written (in arguing for a more
traditional understanding of homosexuality),
Paul’s warning should transform the terms of
our contemporary debate about homosexuality: no one has a secure platform to
stand upon to pronounce condemnation upon others. Anyone who presumes to have
such a vantage point is living in a dangerous fantasy, oblivious to the gospel that
levels us all.
Still
that does not absolve us from trying to make faithful sense of what Paul is up to
in Romans 1:26-27. We’ll look at that more closely in the next post. Much
depends on what Paul (and his contemporaries) understood to be natural and
unnatural.
Looking at Romans 1:
So glad to see the church open.
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