Jesus and LGBT – What Did He Say?

A rainbow flag fluttering beneath a church steeple and the sight ignites a firestorm of questions, none more potent than this, would Jesus approve? Let’s delve into the heart of this divisive issue, exploring the clash of beliefs and ask what did Jesus teach about sexuality, gender identity and marriage?

To withhold truth is to withhold love; Christian compassion demands biblical honesty

Jesus’ love offers forgiveness, but His truth defines what needs forgiving. Honesty is the bedrock of love and to speak truth is to build a foundation for genuine healing. True love isn’t always gentle; sometimes, it demands courage. The greatest act of love can be speaking the truth, even when it’s difficult. It’s about calling for correction and repentance, not to condemn, but to restore.

In His love, Jesus actively calls us to repent and find true freedom

Genuine love seeks the best for another, and that often requires confronting harmful unbiblical behaviours or beliefs. By offering a path to repentance, we offer a chance for healing and reconciliation, ultimately demonstrating a transformative love. Out of His immeasurable love, Jesus calls us to turn from sin.

Love’s integrity demands truth; silence in the face of falsehood is not godly, Christian or kind

To follow Jesus means accepting His judgment on sin, not redefining it. Jesus’ teachings on sex and marriage reflect a continuation of conservative Jewish theology rooted in the Torah, emphasising the sanctity of the male-female union as a Divine institution. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reaffirms Genesis 2:24, stating:

Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’

– Matthew 19:4-6

Whenever Jesus found people deviating from the Bible’s teaching on sex and marriage, Jesus commanded the person to repent. Jesus loves us too much to leave us in our sin; He calls us to repentance and restoration.

Jesus declared, “Go now and leave your life of sin”

– John 8:11

The authority of Jesus affirms that what He identifies as sin is a reality. Whilst Jesus confronted the hypocrisy of those trying to stone a woman who had committed adultery, Jesus never disputed, opposed or refuted the existing biblical teachings about sex, gender and marriage.

Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable

– Leviticus 18:22

Biblical faith acknowledges that Jesus’ words on sin are not suggestions but divine truths. Jesus upheld the traditional Jewish and biblical view of marriage as a monogamous, heterosexual covenant, rejecting sexual relationships outside this framework, such as adultery, LGBTQ and fornication, which He condemns as sinful. Jesus never challenged Old Testament teaching on sex, gender and identity, instead, He reconfirmed it several times, as did His Apostles. Jesus never demanded a new definition of gender, sex or marriage. Similarly, all of Jesus’ disciples continued to teach this throughout the New Testament.

Jesus said, “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female” 

– Mark 10:6

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 5, expressed profound shock and dismay that the Corinthian church was boasting about the congregation’s tolerance and pride in their ‘openness,’ a stark contrast to the repentance and discipline he expected from a community of believers.

To be proud in one’s rejection of Jesus’ teaching on sexuality is a denial of Christ

Therefore, displaying a pride or progressive flag in, or on a church building, and regarding it as an affirmation of diverse sexual orientations and identities, is a rejection of Christ’s teaching. It suggests an embrace of relationships, like same-sex unions, that diverge from the exclusive male-female model Jesus endorsed, thus challenging the conservative sexual ethic Jesus inherited and reinforced from Jewish tradition, given by God the Father. Redemption is found in repentance, not surrender to sin. Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

Today, pride flags in churches are flown or displayed by those who reject Jesus’ teaching on these issues

Why do these theologians reject Jesus’ teaching? ‘Progressive contextual theologians,’ also known as woke theologians, reinterpret, ignore or deny biblical texts to address social issues, emphasising a post-biblical theme of justice, inclusion and compassion, taking the lead from the worldview of atheists. They claim they are following the love of Jesus. However, the love of Jesus, while boundless and forgiving, doesn’t condone a life steeped in a rejection of the Bible’s teaching about sex, gender, identity and marriage. It’s a transformative love that calls for repentance, a turning away from harmful patterns and a turning towards a life aligned with His teachings.

You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free

– John 8:32

Jesus’ sacrifice offers forgiveness and a fresh start, but this gift is meant to inspire change, not perpetuate destructive unbiblical behaviours. His love demands that we acknowledge our shortcomings and embrace a path of spiritual growth, choosing to walk in His light rather than remaining in darkness. This isn’t a harsh demand but a loving invitation to experience the fullness of life He offers, free from the burdens of sin.

Progressive contextual theologians interpret Scripture through lenses such as feminist ideology, postcolonial frameworks and critical social theories, leading to interpretations that diverge from God’s revealed will in the Bible. They are aligned with Jezebel and Antichrist spirits. Those who claim to follow Jesus, must align their understanding of sin with His

For woke theologians, parts of the Bible are regarded as products of the oppressive patriarchal mindset that need to be ignored, whilst others can be manipulated to align with post-Christian concepts of justice that speaks to their definition of marginalised groups today. However, the clarity of Jesus’ teachings leaves no room for ambiguity about what constitutes sin. ‘All unrighteousness is sin…’ (1 John 5:17).

Woke theology is essentially atheistic Communist ideology rewritten and lauded by selected verses. It is submitting oneself to the world, rather than God

These post-truth Social Justice-Oriented Theologians’ focus on aligning Christianity with progressive causes, such as dismantling systemic inequalities, while celebrating the divergence away from the teaching of Scripture. Woke theologians advocate for policies like unrestricted immigration, ignoring theft, shoplifting and lawlessness on the streets, calling it wealth redistribution, arguing these post-Christian ideologies can reflect Jesus’ teachings on loving the stranger (e.g., Matthew 25:35) or caring for the poor. But to diminish what Jesus calls sin is to question the power of His redemption from all sin.

To put it simply, woke theologians ignore the Bible and submit to godless culture. They are slaves of the moment and disown Christ for a short-lived popularity

For woke theologians, Jesus’ teaching on sex, marriage and gender has to be ignored to discover a higher-plane of justice, that aligns with their ideology. Therefore, the pride flag has to be flown on cathedrals, even though the ideology behind it represents the total rejection of Jesus’ teaching on sexual ethics and identity. But to argue against Jesus’ definition of sin is to argue against His authority.

Jesus never called into question, disputed or contested the Bible’s teaching that LGBT behaviour is sinful and all His disciples continued to teach this

The Old Testament, particularly Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, explicitly labels same-sex relations as an abomination under the Mosaic Law, a stance upheld by Second Temple Judaism. While modern concepts such as identities rooted in a feeling or sexuality didn’t exist in the ancient world, Jesus’ broader teachings on sexual ethics – like affirming the Genesis model of male-female marriage (Matthew 19:4-6) and condemning porneia (sexual immorality, Mark 7:21-23) – align with this framework.

The Gospels address LGBT when they use the word ‘Porneia’

Porneia, in Jewish usage, encompassed all sexual acts outside of the male-female marriage covenant. Porneia wasn’t limited to one act but included any sexual behaviour outside the lawful marriage of a man and woman, as defined by the Torah (e.g. Leviticus 18). This would encompass homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22), incest, bestiality, and premarital sex, alongside adultery (which is sometimes listed separately, as in Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21-22). This means porneia covers all additional sexual sins. As a matter of interest, the root of the English word ‘porn’ traces back to the Greek word ‘porneia.’

Within Jesus’ teaching, ‘porneia’ referred to any sexual activity that occurred outside the established marital bond between a man and a woman defining it as sinful

The writers of the New Testament use the word Porneia in these verses: Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21, John 8:41, Acts 15:20, Acts 15:29, Acts 21:25, 1 Corinthians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 6:13, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 7:2, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 5:3, Colossians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Revelation 2:14, Revelation 2:20, Revelation 2:21, Revelation 9:21, Revelation 14:8, Revelation 17:2, Revelation 17:4, Revelation 18:3, Revelation 19:2.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality (porneia) among you… and you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?

– 1 Corinthians 5:1-2

In the Gospel of Mark, the Greek word ‘porneiai’ (plural of ‘porneia’) appears in this list, indicating that Jesus included various forms of sexual immorality among the defiling things that come from within. Essentially, ‘porneia’ refers to all sexual activity that is outside of God’s intended design for sexual expression, which is within the context of a heterosexual marriage.

Jesus said, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality (porneiai), theft, murder”

– Mark 7:21

Jesus’ refusal to challenge these prohibitions, combined with His promise to fulfil rather than abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17), shows He accepted the biblical view that such behaviours, including those associated with modern LGBT identities, are sinful, reinforcing rather than redefining the biblical standard.

The greatest act of love is to tell another the truth and call him or her to repentance, restoration and salvation

Trauma often serves as a hidden root beneath the surface of sinful behaviour. Deep wounds, sexual trauma in childhood and unresolved pain can distort our perceptions and drive us towards harmful coping mechanisms, leading to actions that deviate from our intended path. Recognising this connection between trauma and sin is crucial. By acknowledging the presence of past trauma and actively seeking healing, we can begin to dismantle the patterns that perpetuate harmful behaviour. This process of healing, guided by compassion and understanding, paves the way for genuine repentance and ultimately, restoration, allowing us to break free from the cycle of pain and find true spiritual freedom. True healing begins when we dare to be honest about what was and the past loses its power when we face it with unwavering honesty before God. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The past cannot hold us captive if we confront it with truth in Christ

Truth is the key that releases us from the chains of our past. Childhood sexual abuse shatters a child’s sense of safety and trust, profoundly distorting their perception of reality, as they grow into adulthood. The violation of boundaries and the manipulation inherent in abuse can lead to a fractured understanding of relationships, sexuality, and self-worth. This trauma can create a lasting sense of unreality, where the victim struggles to reconcile the horrific experience with a healthy view of the world.

Jesus’ love motivates His call to repentance, that we may be freed from sin, shame and past trauma

Facing the past with truth is the first step to healing. Recognising the profound pain caused by sin, both to the individual and those around them, is crucial in understanding Christ’s call to repentance. Sin fractures relationships, burdens the soul and creates a chasm between humanity and God. Yet, amidst this brokenness, Christ extends an unconditional offer of acceptance. He doesn’t wait for us to become perfect; He meets us in our imperfection, offering forgiveness and healing.

Jesus’ definition of sin is not up for debate; it’s a call to accountability

However, this acceptance is not a passive endorsement of sin. Instead, it’s a transformative invitation to turn away from destructive patterns and embrace a life of restoration. Christ’s love empowers us to acknowledge our sinfulness, repent and walk in a new direction, finding freedom from the chains of sin and experiencing the fullness of His grace.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”

– John 3:16-17

By Paul Backholer. Find out about Paul’s books here.