Being LGBT+ is not a sin: the sin is pushing people away from God
Have you ever had that feeling where a religious teaching has been jarring and left you uncomfortable? Perhaps a moment when the words of the Bible as used by a believer, faith-leader or church haven’t seemed right? You’re left thinking, well that idea doesn’t seem like something of Jesus as I understand him — it seems like it came from someone else.
As detailed in my previous posts, I was converted by God from atheism two months ago and the foundational message he gave to me was that anything which brings people closer to Jesus is good and anything which does the opposite is bad. It sounds simple but it was a profound message, essentially unarguable, and it was revealed to me as the foundation for the more complex teachings which have been emerging afterwards. Teachings which, by God’s grace, have led to this article.
My prayer is that God uses these words to undo the harm done to people by misuse of his Word and that he uses me as his servant to bring people closer to Jesus.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
The Rev. David Fearon Story
During my conversion process, I was directed to scripture passages about inclusivity in the Church (such as Galatians 3:28 and Acts 8:38 which I previously mentioned in one of my articles: Conversion Story: God Converts a Messenger | by Christopher David | Jan, 2024 | Medium). I was also directed to the Rev. David Fearon testimony (for a conference where the testimony is presented, watch An Evening With Rev. David: The Story Behind a Historic Letter About Biblical Translation (youtube.com) and for the full story see the groundbreaking documentary film: 1946 | The Mistranslation that Shifted a Culture (1946themovie.com)).
There are many testimonies of how members of the LGBT+ community have been repulsed from the church and had their faith assaulted.
Through sources such as these, real-world signs, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, conversations with believers and the words contained in the Bible, a truth was revealed to me: Christians should not just welcome but celebrate the LGBT+ community. Many in the Christian community globally need to study this issue in humility to find the truth. Some should apologise and ask forgiveness. Every individual Christian who has thought or acted unrighteously needs to urgently educate themselves on the truth.
God called me for a reason, as He is calling you.
Truth
Most Christians agree that it is important that Christians seek the truth and also distortion of the truth.
To your mind, what is the probability that being a member of the LGBT+ community is a sin? And what is the probability that pushing someone away from Jesus is?
If you’ve ever seen the harm done by conversion therapy, or rituals to “expel the gayness”, what is the probability that this is righteous? What is the probability that the harm being caused by this to the victim is really in keeping with Jesus?
As you watch the David Fearon story and the fearless work of the Christians behind 1946 | The Mistranslation that Shifted a Culture (1946themovie.com), who seems more aligned with the teachings of Jesus, the gay Christians or the fundamentalist who thinks the gays, including his own daughter, are living in sin? The backdrop is significant, as some anti-LGBT churches are dripping with sexual scandals, infiltrated by the very crimes that they have mistranslated to the wrong people.
This is arguably the most pressing spiritual issue of our time.
Opposition
If you mention satanic forces to an atheist they won’t understand this, but Christians do. In fact, it is important to speak explicitly and openly about satanic opposition, because otherwise it is minimised, made vague and people can doubt its existence. Many people have spoken about this opposition (The Structure of Satan’s Kingdom — Derek Prince The Enemies We Face 1 (youtube.com)).
Before I was converted by God directly evangelising me, I was an atheist so I did not believe in the dark forces. They did not have to bother about me because they had me because I was already living in darkness. Very early in my conversion I was sent to three different believers who warned me right away that the dark forces would “kick in” and try to stop my conversion process. This then happened just as they had said, but God protected me. In fact, God ultimately turned the attacks into making me more fervent in my faith in Jesus, because I saw these phenomenal ways that I was protected. It is important to not speak in vague terms, so to give one example, early in my conversion (when I was even more immature in faith than now), Satan tried to use the idea of “praying for your enemies” (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27) to get me to pray for him. I was protected from doing so by being led to understand Jude 1:9 (even the archangel Michael does not engage Satan directly, but defers him to God) immediately beforehand, and then also by God’s direct intervention. This culminated in the Holy Spirit taking control of my body, compelling me to my feet from sitting and exclaiming “yes” in answer to the corrupted question I was trying to answer: “would it be wrong to pray for Satan”? This was witnessed by my wife (sitting next to me), who remained a non-believer when this happened, and she could not explain at the time what this was that she had seen. Later, she confessed her faith in Jesus as well, several weeks after I had converted. Amongst other things, Satan also attempted to cut off my access to God’s Word, block my access to certain believers and end my Earthly life (these would be whole articles in-and-of-themselves).
Just as Satan wanted to derail my own personal conversion to Jesus, he wants to harm the Churches. He wants to distort truth so that Christians act unrighteously. He wants to tear families apart. He wants to move people away from Christ.
So when, in 1946, English translators inserted the word ‘homosexual’ into the Bible for the first time, this was a way to plant poison, sow discord, cause harm and repulse people from God.
The translators were probably devout Christians doing their best, but they were deceived. They enacted a huge error (years later it was changed to “sexual perverts" but by that time it had already been copied and amplified by other English translations) — this pushed many away from God. Acts which push people away from God must be bad. This seems to me unarguable. The English translators who inserted the word ‘homosexual’ into the translation of the Bible called the ‘Revised Standard Version’ probably did not do this through their own sin. Certainly, it seems unlikely that they themselves wanted to repulse people from God. They were deceived.
“Clobber passages”
There are a few so-called “clobber” passages of the Bible, used by some people to assault and harm the LGBT+ community.
It is incumbent on whoever reads this to seek the truth. I am just a recent convert to Jesus who has had some truth revealed. In the spirit of truth and bringing people closer to Jesus, it is worth considering some of the following words which have been used to push people away from God. The following is a concise glimpse of how the truth has been distorted and caused harm:
Arsenokoitai (ἀρσενοκοίτης)
This Greek word/neologism (1 Corinthians 6:9) means “pedico” in Latin or “pederast” in English (it is a fusion of the words “male” and “bed”). If it seems confusing why calling a Corinthian about 2000 years ago a “male-bed” is hard for us to understand, consider that in Victorian England a “mutton-monger” meant a pimp (not literally a seller of mutton), a “public ledger” meant a prostitute (not literally the ledger for the public) and a “Ralph Spooner” was an idiot (and yes, I don’t get that one either). Arsenokoitai implies abuse and a power differential, recognisable today as an old man who sexually abuses young boys (not least in recent church scandals). It has been mistranslated as “homosexual” since 1946 in English copies of the Bible with obviously harmful effects. The King James English translation of 1611 has it as “abusers of themselves with mankind”. The actual Greek word for homosexual men would have been androkoitēs.
The soft — malakoi (μαλακός)
To understand malakoi (1 Corinthians 6:9) there needs to be an open-hearted study of its meaning. Clearly, it would have been understood by the Corinthians (to whom St Paul was writing) in a different way to us trying to understand it now. The Bible needs to stand for all time, to be able to make sense to anyone at any moment. Malakoi appears in a list of the type of people who won’t be favoured by God, between adulterers and the pederasts described above. It literally means “soft” and is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe soft fabric. The opposite quality would be something like steadfastness or perseverance. It conveys meanings of lewdness, licentiousness and immorality. Some recent English Bible translations have fused malakoi and arsenokoitai and translated both together as “homosexuals”. Some even have a “footnote” that these mean receiver and giver during intercourse (e.g. the New International Version English translation). The idea that malakoi and arsenokoitai means the “bottoms and tops” is so ridiculous that it should make you question who is laughing at all this.
Why would this be so confusing? If English words like “licentious” and “pederast” might seem unfamiliar to some readers, maybe this explains why Paul used words that would resonate with all the people in Corinth at the time. They should still resonate with us, if we do not allow ourselves to be deceived.
“And-with a male not you-will-lie ‘lyings-of’ a woman”
The Old Testament has Hebrew verses which have also been mistranslated and misused. Lifting recent English translations of lines from the Old Testament without understanding the context (or the new covenant of the New Testament) is unlikely to lead to truth. Two verses in Leviticus (18:22 and 20:13) are commonly lifted out and used to move gay men away from Jesus.
These lines may explain that it is abominable to commit incest regardless of gender. The literal translation is apparently something like: “And-with a male not you-will-lie ‘lyings-of’ a woman”. The King James translation has Leviticus 18:22 as: “thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind”, and 20:13 as: “And if a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have commited an abomination”. The surrounding passages are about how you should not commit, for example, incest, child-sacrifice by burning babies alive to the horned “god” Molech, or bestiality. It is not especially easy to interpret, but one likely meaning is: don’t do these incestuous “lyings-of” (that are described with women) with males either. Or to put it another way: “thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind”. The words do not even need to be altered, since “as” in English also means “just as”.
These verses may also explain that pederasty is abominable. Elsewhere in these rules in the Old Testament it uses the word “man” (“ish” in Hebrew) and “woman” (not the word for “female”). By contrast, in both these Leviticus verses it speaks of man and male (“zachar”). A male (“zachar”) is therefore differentiated from a grown “man” (“ish”). It most likely means a male not of age yet to be called a man. So what this is talking about is not “ish on ish” relations but “ish on zachar” (i.e. a grown man with a young male). Suddenly it makes sense: it’s about the same pederasty system of old men bedding young males (men who Paul later condemns as “the male-beds” in the New Testament). It makes sense why it would say “And-with a male not you-will-lie ‘lyings-of’ a woman” — don’t lie with an under-age male in the way you would with a grown woman.
These are two interpretations that make a lot more sense than the interpretation that all male same-gender relations are an abomination. Ultimately you have to study and learn about this yourself. You have to align the Word and Spirit of God. The spirit of Jesus is of love. We have no problem saying that banning child-sacrifice to Molech (Leviticus 18:21 and 20:2–5) is a law invoking a certain time and place (context), so are we really going to lift the next verse (18:22), misinterpret it (moving it outside the context of temple prostitutionary blood-satanism of the time — which has nothing to do with loving same-gender relationships) and start killing gay men today based on that? There’s no death penalty for being a gay man advocated in Old Testament laws from that time. Unfortunately, as shown by the satanic actions of governments and people around the world (from Constantine in Rome in 324 CE to Uganda today), the misuse of God’s Word is causing immense harm.
If you can’t tell whether it’s satanic to kill gay people for their sexuality, then you should study to seek the truth (as you have essentially been instructed to do in 2 Timothy 2:15). Otherwise you risk being numbered with those who sacrificed innocent children to Molech.
Romans 1
If you want to exclude the LGBT+ community from Christ, a common approach is to lift two verses out of context from Romans Chapter 1. Those verses are:
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
However, the verses are in a whole section discussing religious people who have seen God and have then run wild, committing horrendous and harmful crimes. There’s no reference at all to normal people going about their lives. The passages are about heinous crimes of people to whom God has revealed himself, and yet they commit those crimes anyway.
The verses directly before say the following:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
In other words, he’s talking about those men who have known God and they actually hold that truth but do so in their own unrighteousness. They are “without excuse” because they have known God and yet still committed seriously harmful criminal acts.
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For our times, you need only look up the current United States Baptist Church scandal (A Southern Baptist leader hid decades of abuse. Will his fall doom SBC abuse reforms? (religionnews.com)), the Catholic Church pederasty scandal (Documentary on Roman Catholic Sex Abuse — ‘Mea Maxima Culpa : Silence in the House of God’ (2012) (youtube.com)), the Nigerian televangelist accused of raping followers, and so on.
In case there is any doubt, Paul continues:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Here he is talking about anyone who puts themselves forward as a wise religious leader (“professing themselves to be wise”) whilst committing crimes. The glory of God which was supposed to be represented (for example, by them or the church) is changed into an image of corruptible man instead. He also brings in the idea of replacing the glory of God with images of animals and insects, which invokes demon-worship and idolatry.
The Bible is sometimes described as a “living book”. The message had to stand for all people in all places across time (whether that’s a Roman two millennia ago, Christians trying to make sense of what is happening in their church right now, or people watching their relatives getting into new-age witchcraft and idolatry, such as the 12 million followers of the fast-growing cult of Santa Muerte, amongst many others).
So in this context, when you read the rest of Romans 1, it makes sense. It is about the same level of criminality as 1 Corinthians and speaks of abuse, licentiousness and murder. The nature imagery does not mean that it is “against nature” to be gay — it means that the same-gender orgies, rampant abuse, murder and all the other behaviours listed here are against nature. It actually also speaks to the same crimes if done heterosexually (TB Joshua, the male televangelist accused of raping females — did he not also “change the natural use for that which is against nature”?) Romans 1 speaks of blatant amorality and people rejecting God (even though he revealed himself to them) and running wild doing horrendous things. It explicitly states it is about people who hate God. It has nothing to say about love, same-gender relationships, the LGBT+ community or ordinary people going about their day-to-day lives:
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, [porneia*], wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Lifting small segments and corrupting their meaning is an easy trick. You could take “disobedient to parents” and “worthy of death” to argue that anyone who disobeys their parents is worthy of death. That would be as ridiculous as applying Romans 1 to same-gender relationships. Just because Paul references rampant same-gender sexual abuse in a longer passage that references many other sinful acts, does not mean he applies a blanket condemnation to same-gender couples — that interpretation would be bizarre — just as bizarre as saying that unnatural opposite-gender abuse means that God hates opposite-gender couples.
If you go to the passage just beyond (Romans 2:1) you’ll find the following:
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
If you’ve ever read Romans 1 and felt excluded from Jesus’ love, my prayer is that this explanation will help bring you closer to God.
Genesis 19
I don’t know if this one is even worth mentioning. Some people who claim to be Christians have said that when, in desperation, Lot “offered” his daughters (instead of the male angelic visitors in his home) to the satanic mob outside his house, this means that heterosexual rape is preferable to homosexual. The interpretation revolves around the mob asking for the male visitors to be handed over so that they might “know them”, which is a euphemism for raping them. If this is your interpretation of Genesis 19, then you are under a deception and need to seek the truth.
Judges 19
The Old Testament is full of horrific imagery. If Judges 19 is put forward as somehow contributing teaching about homosexuality, then this is about as far from the spirit of Jesus as you can be. Horrific stories like those of the Old Testament can be seen daily in news articles today and in the history books. The Bible doesn’t shy away from shocking stories as it reflects how the world is. These horrors confirm why we need Jesus to save us. More knowledgeable scholars (see Pike, 2019) have explained Judges 19 (e.g. how it foreshadows the sacrifice and abuse of Christ, the twelve disciples and the divided and dispersed body of Christ). What is clear, is that it makes no comment on exclusion of the LGBT+ community. It ends with the words: “consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds” (Judges 19:30).
Closing Ideas
“Thou shalt not steal” is clear, but there is no “thou shalt not be gay”. If you can’t tell if homosexuality is a sin, then the words of Galatians 5:19-21 (“sins of the flesh are obvious”) may be important:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, porneia*, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
If you think it’s OK to tolerate a gay couple in your church but deep down you think they’re living in sin, read testimonies like this: Does Your Church Welcome LGBTQ People? — Believe Out Loud. If you can’t tell if the Bible itself depicts any same-gender couples, you should consider Jonathan and David.
If you think it is wrong to baptise and celebrate a transgender or gender non-conforming person (to use the language of today), then consider why Jesus would have said (Matthew 19:12): "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it”. It would be difficult to argue against Philip baptising the Ethiopian eunuch being a celebrated event, for example in this Rembrandt painting:
It is not enough to welcome people but think they are living in sin.
It is not enough to offer to bless them not marry them.
This anti-LGBT deception is a toxic tumour in the Church that needs to be removed. In publishing this I risk being excluded myself, but I put my trust in Jesus. If this article leads to one person being saved it would be worth it.
There is nothing new in the Church being revived. In the 16th Century, William Tynedale translated the Bible into English for the lay people in defiance of the religious orthodoxy of his day (a “heresy” for which he was brutally killed). Today, many people have never heard of William Tynedale and it is completely normal to have access to God’s Word in our own languages. Tynedale’s words arc across time and remain relevant today:
I had perceived by experience, how that it was impossible to stablish the lay people in any truth, except the scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother tongue, that they might see the process, order, and meaning of the text.
It is important to understand that the spirit of Jesus is one of inclusion and celebration and not exclusion and condemnation. This is the essence of Galatians 3:28:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
It is the same essence of celebration in which we sing, billions of us across the world, worshipping Jesus in gratitude for What He’s Done.
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Let’s do the work of repairing this damage of exclusion, everyone together, in faith, moving closer to Jesus.
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Welsh Christian Revival
4th February 2024
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*πορνεία (porneia) is best defined as spiritual adultery against God (it does not mean “fornication”). Square brackets indicate notable manuscriptal omission. (Edited 1st Jun 2025).
