Responding to Revisionist Theology: Don't Overlook Verse 11

More than ever before, we must know what the Bible teaches! If we don't, we'll be taken in by propaganda and false teachings. 

Despite our culture's claims to the contrary, remaining silent about the sin of homosexuality is hateful. If we care about those involved in this sin, we'll unashamedly share God's loving warnings.*

Gay revisionists claim that the Bible supports monogamous homosexual relationships, and they come to this conclusion from various and sometimes contradictory angles. 

Let's look at their explanation for the passage below:

“Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakos], nor homosexuals [arsenokoitasis], nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 6:9-10 

Arsenokoitai is a word first used by Paul, combining the Greek words “male” and “bed” similar to the Hebrew wording in Leviticus 18:22 which condemns men laying with men.

Bible scholars accurately define Arsenokoitai as “a male engaging in same-gender sexual activity.” 

However, gay revisionists insist that the Greek refers to “economic exploitation, likely through sexual means” (source). Their arguments for this and ever other claim they make is based on the belief that Bible scholars for thousands of years have either been stupid or prejudice. In fact, from my study of gay revisionist theology, I would summarize it as a theology based on the belief that the Bible doesn't really mean what it says.

You might say their explanations strain out the gnat and swallow the camel, picking apart insignificant details while ignoring the obvious message. And, as I said before, they have a collection of different explanations for the same passages, some of which contradict each other.

for example, they also claim that this passage only condemns homosexual behavior when one of the gay partners tries to act effeminate (malakos) requiring malakos and Arsenokoitai be translated together. 

And in another of their explanations, they claim the two words must be combined to mean homosexual rape or abuse. In this explanation, they claim malakos refers to abused persons/abused boys.

Neither argument is legitimate:

1. The Greek lists each sinful lifestyle separately. A fornicator is sinful even if he's not an idolator, and a homosexual sins even if he doesn't have sex with a cross-dresser.

2. Most importantly, if malakos were victims, God would never condemn them in this list!

And here's the beauty of God's love:

Look at the grace and forgiveness in the conclusion of this passage found in verse 11: "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Satan loves revisionist "theologies" because they keep people from inheriting the kingdom of God.

God's purpose is to save us from harmful lifestyles. Homosexuals can find complete forgiveness when they do what every sinner must do: repent and turn to Christ. 

God wants to set homosexuals free! 

* Note that in Romans 1:16-32, Paul begins his warnings about homosexuality, by proclaiming,  “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”

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More resources explaining that the Greek word Arsenokoitai means homosexual sex:

Crossway

Got Questions

If we care about the souls of homosexual men and women, we will learn what Scripture teaches (Biblical Teaching on Homosexuality). And we will also learn how to respond to gay revisionist arguments.

Arsenokoitasis is the same Greek word used in 1 Timothy 1:10 when it says "those practicing homosexuality" are among the ungodly.
  
See the actual Greek words as they appear in the original texts here. The word for effeminate stands alone as does the word for homosexuality. In the Greek, the conjunction oute is found between every item on this list of sinners. Oute means "and not, neither, nor." That means that in the Greek, it reads "...nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous..." 

What adds to this confusion is that several Bibles translate malakos and arsenokoitasis as "men who have sex with men" instead of translating the words separately. 

Note: One reason I don't recommend The Message paraphrase of Scripture is because it offers a vague rendering of 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (source). See Errors: The Message & The Passion Translation.