what does the bible really say about LGBTQ+ identity?

A Biblical Response to Common Arguments

In today’s culture, many claim that faithful Christians can affirm LGBTQ+ identities without compromising biblical truth. But is that really what God’s Word teaches? This article aims to examine common arguments for LGBTQ+ affirmation through a biblical lens—with truth, compassion, and clarity. My hope is to equip believers to respond with both conviction and grace.

Before we dive in to this controversial topic, I would ask that you come into this prayerfully, choosing to exalt God’s Word over your feelings and over society’s claims.

Below are several common arguments used to support LGBTQ+ affirmation—and a comprehensive, Bible-based response to each.

1. Claim: “The Bible doesn’t clearly condemn homosexuality.”

Some argue the Bible doesn’t clearly condemn homosexuality by claiming the original words are mistranslated or that the context refers only to exploitative relationships. They suggest Scripture is silent on loving, committed same-sex unions and that traditional interpretations are culturally outdated.

• Not only does the Bible specifically condemn homosexuality, but its condemnation is also consistent throughout scripture. And the language used around homosexuality in both the Old Testament and the New Testament is strong and clear.

  • Genesis 19:4-7 – When the angels sent by God to Sodom and Gomorrah are searching for righteous men, all the men of those towns surrounded the house and said “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Lot tells them, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.” We obviously know how the story ends for Sodom and Gomorrah and it’s a direct condemnation from God.

  • While Ezekiel 16 also highlights pride and injustice as part of Sodom’s guilt, Genesis 19 and Jude 1:7 emphasize their pursuit of unnatural sexual desire — confirming that sexual sin was central to God's judgment. Jude 1:7 says, “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”

  • Leviticus 18:22 – “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”

    • Not only does God prohibit this kind of same-sex sexual relationships, he calls it ‘detestable.’

    • Leviticus 20:13a – “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.”

      • This clarifies that this is not simply condemning a man who may be raping another man (or boy). God condemns both parties (which he wouldn’t do in the case of rape or incest).

    • What are the consequences for these sins in the Levitical law?

      • Leviticus 18:29 – “Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such a person must be cut off from their people.”

      • Leviticus 20:13 – “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”

  • Romans 1:26-27 – “ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

    • The terminology used here is very enlightening. First, he talks about natural vs. unnatural sexual relations. The Greek term for unnatural “para physin” means “against nature,” suggesting that these sexual acts deviated from God’s created intent for sexual relationships.

    • When he says they’re “inflamed with lust” this verbiage suggests intense desire not forced or coerced. Strongly passionate.

    • “One another” – this clearly indicates mutual involvement or mutual desire. There is no indication of coercion, prostitution, exploitation, or violence.

    • The language here strongly suggests two consenting parties who are strongly passionate about each other—and condemns it as being unnatural or against nature. The passage calls it “shameful.”

  • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – ^“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

    • Paul uses both terms “arsenokoitai” (male bedder) AND “malakos” (passive or soft men). This seems to refer to the active penetrator AND the passive or receptive partner in the homosexual act. The NIV and other Bible translations group these together to state “men who practice homosexuality” or “men who have sex with men,” but the original language is referring to two groups of men, on both sides of the homosexual relationship.

  • 1 Timothy 1:9-10 – “ We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.”

    • The phrase for “those practicing homosexuality” used here is “arsenokoitai”–a term Paul likely coined–its literal translation is “male” (arsenos) “bedder” (koiten). The coinage of this term seems to draw directly on the language of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 as rendered in the Greek. The Hebrew verbiage in the Levitical law literally translates “lie with a male.” People believe Paul came up with this term based on. Levitical law because it’s not used in other places in ancient writings prior to Paul’s usage.

      • Essentially what Paul is saying is “men who engage in the sin of Leviticus 20:13.” That is how ancient readers likely read this phrase. Leviticus 20:13 states, “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”

      • Notably, he does not use the Greek term “paiderastes” which would refer to a “boy-lover,” a common occurrence during Roman times.

      • There is no ancient evidence that this term was limited to prostitution or pederasty (sexual activity involving a man and a boy), though it was used to refer to those things as well. Over time, it became the standard term for any kind of anal sex (including with women) (John the Faster, c. 575 AD).

2. Claim: "but jesus never talked about homosexuality"

People who say “Jesus never talked about homosexuality” argue that because Jesus never explicitly mentioned it, it must not have been important to Him or morally wrong. They suggest that His silence implies acceptance or, at minimum, a lack of condemnation.

• In Matthew 5:32, Jesus says, “ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

  • We often think of this verse as saying “you can get a divorce if your spouse commits adultery”—but Jesus does not use the term for adultery (“moicheia”), he uses the term “porneia” which translates to “sexual immorality.” Not a huge difference for us as modern readers—but it would have been for Jewish listeners (and later Christian readers) of that time.

  • The term “porneia” became a sort of short-code for Greek-speaking Jews and Christians to refer to the Levitical sexual laws in Leviticus 18-20. They would have understood this to mean that Jesus was reinforcing Levitical sexual laws, which included rape, incest, homosexuality, bestiality, and more.

    • “Porneia” is also used in Matthew 15:19, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Acts 15:20, 29. Meaning that Jesus and the early church reinforced and affirmed the Levitical porneia codes, which included condemnation for homosexual acts.

  • Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality (“porneia”), theft, false testimony, slander.”

    • Porneia is used again by Jesus.

  • An important note: most Bible scholars (conservative and critical) agree that Matthew’s primary audience was Jewish believers in Jesus—so the use of “porneia” and the immediate connection his audience would have made is clear.

    • Matthew gives Jewish believers assurance that following Jesus was the true fulfillment of the Old Testament teachings on how to live out the Law now that Christ has come (think of the Sermon on the Mount, “you have heard it said…”). He is showing Jewish Christians that Jesus is not abolishing the Law but fulfilling it—and the porneia codes, referenced twice in the book of Matthew, were a part of that.

  • It’s not a great argument to say “if Jesus didn’t condemn it, we can condone it.” If you leave out the scriptures previously mentioned on the porneia codes, this means Jesus never addresses rape, incest, or bestiality. Does that mean those things aren’t wrong? Of course not! He also never explicitly teaches against spousal abuse, kidnapping, slavery, or racism. But we know clearly those things are wrong.

  • More importantly: Jesus and God are one (John 17:22). Whatever God clearly lays out as morally wrong in the Old Testament, Jesus also laid out as wrong—because the two are one, and thus they will never contradict each other. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus was there in Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus was there when the Levitical law was given. Jesus was there in the entire Old Testament because He is God in the flesh—the incarnate God-man. And, He didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). In fact, Jesus elevated the old covenant Law to even higher standards (Matthew 5:20)! If the triune God laid out something as sinful in the Law (such as homosexuality), the triune God will not change His mind on this (Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8).

• We don’t follow other Old Testament laws, so why would we follow this one?

  • There’s an important distinction between the types of laws given in the Old Testament. We can break them down to three categories: Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil/Judicial Law.

  • Civil Law would be governmental laws for ancient Israel’s society. These would be specific to Israel as a nation-state under God’s rule. These principles still inform our thought processes and sense of justice, but we are not bound to them today.

  • Ceremonial Law would be rituals, sacrifices, temple worship, cleanliness codes. These laws pointed forward to Christ and governed Israel’s worship and purity. They are fulfilled in Christ and we are not bound by them as Christians.

  • Moral law would be universal ethical commands—right versus wrong. They reflect God’s unchanging character and His standards for humanity. All of these moral laws still apply to us as Christians—because God’s heart on right vs wrong has not, and will not, change. The sexual codes laid out in Leviticus 18-20 are very clearly moral laws that reflect God’s character and heart. You cannot easily throw out homosexuality without throwing out rape, incest, polyamory, and bestiality.

3. Claim: “The Bible condoned slavery, so why not LGBTQ+ relationships?”

People who make this argument suggest that just as Christians today reject slavery—despite its presence in the Bible—they should also evolve in their views on homosexuality. The logic is: if biblical commands once accepted (like those around slavery) are now seen as outdated or wrong, perhaps the Bible’s teachings on homosexuality are also culturally bound and no longer relevant.

• But this is a false equivalence.While the Bible includes regulations regarding slavery, it does not morally affirm or endorse slavery as a good or God-designed institution—especially not in the brutal, race-based, and dehumanizing form seen in the U.S. slave trade.

  • In the Old Testament, servitude among Israelites was often temporary, economic-based indentured servitude, not permanent ownership. Individuals could sell themselves into service due to poverty and be released after six years (Leviticus 25:39–41; Exodus 21:2).

  • Kidnapping and enslaving others was explicitly condemned. Exodus 21:16 says: “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” This, to me, means that the type of slavery seen in the U.S. slave trade would never have been acceptable under the old covenant. Paul echoes this in 1 Timothy 1:10 by condemning “man-stealers” (Greek: andrapodistai).

  • In the New Testament, Paul calls Christians to treat one another as brothers (Philemon 16), and seeds the gospel ethic that ultimately undermines slavery by affirming the equal value of all people in Christ (Galatians 3:28).

  • There is an important distinction:The Bible regulates slavery in a broken world—it doesn’t affirm or prescribe it as good. The Scriptures were eventually used to abolish slavery. In contrast, when the Bible speaks of same-sex sexual behavior, it is

  • never regulated or tolerated, but consistently condemned as sin.

    
    

(For more on slavery and the Bible, I recommend Dr. Richard Rodriguez’s book, An Unsealed Indictment: How American Slavery Violated the Scriptures.)

4. Claim: “They were born that way.”

This claim often comes from a desire to show compassion—which Christians can and should do—but when we look at it through the lens of Scripture and logic, it doesn’t hold.

• There’s been quite a lot of research done on this topic but no “gay gene” has been found. In 2019, the largest genome study ever done (500,000 participants) attempted to find some genetic component for sexuality, but they did not. (Broad Institute Mega Study, 2019). This suggests that while some people may feel as though they were born with certain desires, desire alone doesn’t define identity or morality. It’s not quite as simple as someone was “born this way.” (Link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-study-finds-no-single-genetic-cause-of-same-sex-sexual-behavior/)

  • I believe the reason no one has been able to find a “gay gene” is because it makes no biological or evolutionary sense. How could a species evolve in a direction that doesn’t allow for procreation? Even if there was such a gene, it would die out and not be passed along.

• This doesn’t mean that someone doesn’t feel as though they were born this way. It’s important to realize that we are all born with tendencies to sin, and particular struggles that we have to fight against with the help of the Holy Spirit and the body of believers. For example, the average man from the time he is 16 years old (or maybe even younger!) onwards has a strong desire to sleep with many different women—yet he is called to suppress and confine those desires to one woman within a marital relationship.

  • The reality is that people feel this way because we’re fallen human beings with a bent toward sin. King David bemoans this very thing when he says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5). The rest of scripture seems to echo this sentiment that we are all sinful (Romans 5:12, Romans 3:23).

  • Despite this, having multiple sexual partnerships is not a “given” for men, though it is something men have to fight against throughout their lives. I love the verse in Genesis 4:7 where God is speaking with Cain about his relationship with Abel. He says, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” This is the fundamental human struggle: will we let sin rule over us? We all have a sinful nature to fight against, but God says it doesn’t have to conquer us. The gift of Jesus is that we can be a new creation—God doesn’t just forgive us, He changes us (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26).

    • Romans 6:12-14 – “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions... For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Through Christ, we have the strength to keep sin from controlling us.

    • Our natural bent toward sin does not have to define us. I believe strongly that this can be the same story for those who feel that they were born to be homosexual. God doesn’t remove the temptation or desire, but He does give us the strength to overcome it and thrive despite it, through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:12-13).

• If the reasoning “I was born this way” justifies moral approval, we have no firm basis to reject any other identity-based desires—such as those tied to pedophilia (sex with minors), polyamory (sex with multiple partners), incest (sex with blood-related family members), or bestiality (sex with animals)—all of which people have also claimed to be “born that way.”

(Note: I’d like to clarify that the argument here is not about equating behaviors morally, but about applying the same logic consistently across identity-based claims.)

• For example, the New Testament doesn’t directly mention bestiality—yet bestiality is universally understood from Old Testament moral law (Leviticus 18:23) to be perversion of God’s natural order. Romans 1 also condemns “unnatural relations” as sinful.

• Feelings of strong desire—whether for multiple partners, close relatives, or even animals—do not define what is right or wrong.

• Human feelings are corrupted by the Fall and therefore not a trustworthy guide for morality.

  • Just because we have a strong desire to do something, doesn’t mean that’s the right thing to do or that’s how God made you. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Just because we feel something strongly doesn’t make it good or true.

  • Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

5. Claim: “If God is love and love is love, why wouldn’t God affirm love?”

This argument claims that because God is love, He would affirm any sincere, loving relationship—including same-sex ones—since “love is love.” It assumes that the presence of love alone makes a relationship morally good and divinely approved. Some LGBTQ individuals who identify as Christians genuinely seek to follow the teachings of Scripture, live morally upright lives, and believe they are in right standing with God—apart from their convictions on homosexuality. They see their same-sex relationships as consistent with God's character of love and justice.

• When we argue from this perspective that love is love, we are saying that my feelings on this topic know better than God’s Word does.

• Let’s look at this from the lens of another story about “love is love.” Let’s say (for those of you who are married) that tomorrow your spouse comes home and declares that he (or she) no longer loves you but has fallen in love with another person. He plans to leave you and marry his new love interest. Let’s say for the sake of this story that he is abstinent until marriage with her. He continues to attend church, reads the Bible, faithfully co-parents your children, and overall lives a nice, moral life. He claims that everyone should support and affirm his decision because he was no longer in love with you but now he loves his new paramour. “Love is love,” he says.

• So, what’s wrong with this argument?

  • First of all, the Bible clearly denounces divorcing your spouse (except in the case of porneia), regardless of how you feel about them. Whether you “love” your spouse or not is irrelevant to following that scripture. In this story, what the husband does is sin. In the same way, the Bible clearly denounces homosexuality.

  • Secondly, just because intimate love is involved clearly does not excuse anyone’s actions—even if that person is otherwise living a moral life. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” If a same-sex attracted individual is living in a committed, loving, monogamous relationship with someone of the same gender, this is breaking God’s law—regardless of whether or not that person is following God’s Word in every other way.

    • Here’s the bottom line: can you be saved if you continue to live in blatant sin and rebellion of God? I believe the answer to this is no (Romans 6:1-2, 2 Peter 2:20-22, 1 John 3:4-10).

      • “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,  but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Hebrews 10:26-27

  • Lastly, love does not mean we affirm everything that another person does. When I love someone deeply, I care whether they sin or not—and I will fight to warn them about sin and the consequences of their sin. The call of Scripture to lovingly point out sin is clear and consistent (Galatians 6:1, Matthew 18:15, James 5:19-20, Ephesians 4:15).

    • “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Proverbs 27:5-6

• We can affirm LGBTQ individuals, but that does not mean it is the loving thing to do.

  
  

In short:

• If you throw out biblical sexual ethics on homosexuality, you lose your moral foundation for rejecting anything else.

• Consent and strong feelings alone cannot define righteousness.

• It is simply not the loving thing to do to allow people to live in sin.

• God’s design, creation order, and moral law must be our foundation for sexual ethics.

  
  

Otherwise, the exact same arguments could and are being made to justify:

• Polyamory

• Pedophilia (NAMBLA, the North American Man/Boy Love Association, has long argued “born this way” and “consenting minors”)

• Incestuous relationships

• Bestiality

• Other abnormal sexual desires

  
  

Thus:

• Either we allow God to define sex and marriage in His Word, or we become our own god and define right and wrong any way we choose.

• If people define it, there are no logical limits.

Why does this matter? Can’t we as good-hearted Christians just agree to disagree on this topic?

As John Wesley so aptly put, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.” We are in the midst of embracing something that God clearly condemns in scripture—all because of the call for “tolerance” that came before us. What we tolerate has already become the norm for our children—and it’s contrary to God’s Word.

For example, about 5% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBTQ yet primetime television characters accounted for more than double that percentage (11.9%) in 2021-22. In fiction, the amount of LGBTQ representation has surged over the last ten years, with books for children leading the way. In the last several years, depictions of LGBTQ youth in books for teens has doubled and for middle school children that number has quintupled. This trend is steadily rising with children’s picture books and board books as well.

This topic forces us as believers to decide whether we will be more sensitive to the current culture—or more sensitive to God’s Word. The fact that good-hearted, Scripture-seeking Christians are confused on this topic shows just how loud the world is on this subject. Let’s not allow the noise of the world drown out God’s Word.

For some of us, we have dear friends and loved one who are in the LGBTQ community and it’s a battle to know how to approach this topic in light of our relationships with them. At times, it can feel like the most loving thing is to just accept and affirm their beliefs and lifestyle. But this is contrary to God’s calling. I believe the most loving thing we can do is to hold firm to God’s Word while continuing to love them, respect them, and give of our time, attention, and prayers.

Jesus perfectly struck this balance in the story of the woman caught in adultery—he protected her from the harmful effects of the religious while also calling her to leave her life of sin.

• This is why it matters: people’s lives are at stake.

  • Affirming LGBTQ identity without calling people to repentance and God's saving grace doesn’t lead to the same outcome as pointing them to Christ.One path has the potential to lead to eternal death; the other to eternal life (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

  • If I truly believe someone's house is on fire and they're still inside, I’m not going to stand outside and tell them they're fine where they are.I'm going to run in, or call for help, because their life depends on it.

  • But if you believe their house isn't on fire at all—that there’s no danger—then you won't do anything.And that's the real tragedy.

  • Because if the fire is real—and Scripture says it is—then pretending it's not is deadly.One path leads to destruction.The other leads to rescue.

  • When we distort what the Bible says about sin—including sexual sin—we're not being loving.We're playing with fire.And we’re playing with people’s eternal lives.

  • The outcomes for LGBTQ individuals is not positive. LGBTQ individuals are more likely to be chronically ill and abuse drugs and alcohol. They experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at rates equal to or higher than their heterosexual counterparts. A staggering 61% of bisexual women report intimate partner violence and 54% of transgender individuals report IPV. (Some links for this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10598237/, https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304751,  https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-intimate-partner-violence-in-the-lgbtq-community)

  • So not only are their eternal lives at stake, but the wellbeing of their earthly lives are at stake as well.

How Christians can help LGBTQ+ friends find God:

• Pray specifically for their hearts, minds, and freedom in Christ.

• Build real friendships based on trust, not agenda.

• Be patient—transformation often takes time.

• Share truth with love, not compromise.

• Model holiness joyfully, showing that God's way is good.

• Be ready with Scripture, but also ready with your personal testimony.

• Welcome them into community—no isolation.

• Remember: We are all sinners in need of the same Savior.

  
  

Check out Rosaria Butterfield’s amazing testimony to give you inspiration and encouragement for how you can make an impact in someone’s life—even if they’re the most devout LGBTQ activist. (Link: https://youtu.be/cJc0McjBo3o?si=pwI6qfTs_8sJDalp )

My call to you today is this:

• If you struggle with minimizing God’s Word in order to affirm people that the Bible does not affirm, my call is to strengthen your convictions and re-establish the supremacy of God’s Word in your life.

• If you struggle with hateful judgment of people that God desires to be brought into his saving grace, my call is to look at God’s heart for all people to be saved.

  
  

To sum up, love does not affirm what leads to death; love points people to life. Those who affirm the LGBTQ lifestyle like to say, “love is love.” But Biblical love includes eternal truth because it’s God’s truth that will set people free.

As Jesus said in John 8:32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” This is why Augustine said: “The greatest kindness one can render to any man is leading him to truth.” Anything less is not love at all, but being a willing party to their death.

We are called to pray for those struggling, build bridges of real friendship, speak truth with gentleness, and live lives that show the beauty of God's design. We are no better than anyone else. We are fellow beggars showing other beggars where to find bread—none of us ever rise above the beggar status—we are just showing our friends where the bread is: in the trustworthy and unchanging Word of God (Matthew 4:4). Jesus changes hearts, and His grace is enough for every struggle.

I know this is hard for all of us. God loves us just the way we are, but he doesn’t want us to stay that way. He calls us all to a life of purity and holiness that leads to peace and joy. None of us can do this on our own, but don’t worry, Jesus can change our hearts and transform our lives because his grace is enough for every struggle. Praise God for his mercy and grace!

Tiffany Chacon

Tiffany became a disciple in 2001 at the Broward Church and went on to serve in campus ministry at the University of Florida. Married to her middle school sweetheart for 16 years, she now homeschools their two adventurous boys and spends her free time writing clean romance novels and blogging about faith, motherhood, and chronic illness at mommyofmayhem.com. Tiffany holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa and now calls Chattanooga, TN, home. You can reach her at tiffanynoellechacon@gmail.com.