You’ve probably heard a dozen different answers to this question. It depends on who is holding the book. For some, it’s an open-and-shut case of "the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it." For others, it’s a complex web of ancient mistranslations and cultural contexts that have nothing to do with modern committed relationships. Honestly, figuring out does the bible say you cant be gay requires more than just flipping to a random page and pointing at a verse. You have to look at the Greek, the Hebrew, and the world these writers lived in.
Words change. Meanings shift.
If you read a modern English Bible, you’ll see the word "homosexual" in several places. But here is the thing: that word didn't even exist until the late 19th century. The translators of the 1946 Revised Standard Version were actually the first to include it. Before that, the words used were often much more specific—and much more confusing.
The "Clobber Passages" and what they actually say
People who study this stuff usually point to about six or seven specific verses. They call them "clobber passages" because they’ve been used to bash people for decades. You have the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. For a long time, people assumed the sin there was being gay. But if you look at Ezekiel 16:49, the Bible actually defines the sin of Sodom as pride, gluttony, and a failure to help the poor. The "abomination" was an attempted gang rape of visitors—a massive violation of ancient hospitality laws, not a commentary on consensual love.
Then there is Leviticus. Specifically Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. These are the ones that say it’s an "abomination" for a man to lie with a man as with a woman.
Context matters here.
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Leviticus is part of the Holiness Code. It was a set of rules designed to keep the ancient Israelites distinct from their neighbors, like the Egyptians and Canaanites. The same book says you can't wear clothes made of two different fabrics or eat shrimp. Most modern Christians don't follow those rules. Scholars like Dr. Robert Gnuse argue that these specific prohibitions were likely reacting to cultic prostitution or pederasty—practices common in other cultures at the time—rather than what we think of as a "gay relationship" today.
The New Testament tension
Paul the Apostle is usually the heavy hitter in this debate. He mentions "men who have sex with men" in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10. He uses two specific Greek words: malakoi and arsenokoitai.
Malakoi literally means "soft." In the ancient world, it was often used to describe men who were lazy, lacked self-control, or were "effeminate" in a way that meant they were pampered. It wasn't a specific label for sexual orientation.
Arsenokoitai is even weirder. Paul basically invented the word. It’s a compound of "man" and "bed." Because he coined it, we have to look at how it was used in other Greek literature. Many historians, including the late John Boswell of Yale University, argued that the term referred to economic exploitation or a specific kind of abusive male-on-male sex, often involving male prostitutes or slaves. It’s a massive leap to say Paul was talking about two guys in a loving, monogamous marriage.
Why the translation matters so much
When you ask does the bible say you cant be gay, you're asking a question that the biblical writers wouldn't even understand. They didn't have a concept of "sexual orientation." To them, sex was about power, procreation, and social standing.
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Think about Romans 1. Paul writes about people giving up "natural" relations for "unnatural" ones. For a long time, this was the "gotcha" verse. But some theologians, like Dr. James Brownson, point out that "nature" in the first century was often a cultural term. It was "natural" for a man to be dominant and a woman to be submissive. If a man took a "passive" role, it was seen as degrading his status. It was a social hierarchy issue as much as a moral one.
The Bible is a library. It was written over a thousand years by dozens of people.
It contains different voices. Some parts are incredibly rigid about law and purity. Other parts, like the story of David and Jonathan, describe a love that "surpassed the love of women." While many scholars hesitate to call them a gay couple in the modern sense, their intimacy and commitment are undeniably central to the narrative. Then there’s the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts. Eunuchs were gender-nonconforming people of their time, excluded from the temple by old laws. Yet, Philip baptizes him without asking him to change who he is.
The cultural shift in interpretation
It's kinda wild how much our perspective changes what we see in the text. For centuries, the church used the Bible to justify slavery. They used it to keep women from voting or teaching. In each of those cases, people eventually realized they were reading their own prejudices into the words.
Many modern denominations, like the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the United Church of Christ, have looked at the same verses and reached a different conclusion. They argue that the "spirit" of the Bible—which focuses on love, justice, and fruitfulness—outweighs a handful of verses that likely targeted ancient abuses.
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If a relationship produces "fruit" like kindness, faithfulness, and self-sacrifice, can it really be what the Bible calls "sin"?
That’s the question many are asking now. They see the Bible as a living document. It's a conversation. It's not a rulebook that was dropped from the sky in 1611.
Moving beyond the debate
If you’re struggling with this, know that you aren't the first. And you won't be the last. The tension between tradition and lived experience is a core part of the human story.
Basically, the Bible doesn't mention "homosexuality" as we know it today. It mentions specific acts in specific contexts that were often tied to idolatry, exploitation, or a violation of social norms. When you strip those away, the "clear" prohibitions become a lot less clear.
To get a better handle on this, you should look into the work of David Gushee or Matthew Vines. They go deep into the "Reformation Project" style of reading. It’s not about ignoring the Bible; it’s about taking it seriously enough to look past the surface-level English translations that have caused so much pain.
Actionable next steps for your own research
If you want to dig deeper into the question of does the bible say you cant be gay, don't just take one person's word for it. The scholarship is vast and accessible if you know where to look.
- Read the "Clobber Passages" in multiple translations. Compare the King James Version (KJV) to the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) or the Common English Bible (CEB). You'll notice that the CEB, for example, often uses more specific language like "male prostitutes" instead of the broad term "homosexuals."
- Study the concept of "Ancient Near East" culture. Understanding how the Greeks and Romans viewed sexuality—which was largely based on a "penetrator vs. penetrated" power dynamic rather than gender—changes everything about how you read Paul's letters.
- Look up the history of the 1946 RSV translation. There is a documentary called 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture that tracks exactly how the word "homosexual" ended up in the Bible and the correspondence between the translators who regretted it.
- Evaluate the "Fruit" of the Spirit. Instead of focusing on "thou shalt nots," look at Galatians 5. Ask whether a person’s orientation prevents them from exhibiting love, joy, peace, and patience. Many find that their faith and their identity actually strengthen each other when the shame is removed.
- Consult queer theology resources. Authors like Marcella Althaus-Reid or Patrick Cheng offer perspectives that don't just "defend" being gay but show how LGBTQ+ experiences can actually provide a deeper understanding of God’s nature.
The goal isn't necessarily to find a "perfect" answer because everyone is coming at this with their own baggage. But by looking at the Greek, the history, and the broader message of the Gospel, you can move past the fear-based interpretations and find a path that honors both your faith and your identity.