What Is The Holiness Code and
To Whom Did It Apply?

Jesus kept all the rules of God's law in our place. Because Jesus kept all the rules of God's law, in our place, we are not required to keep those rules to be right with God. Jesus did the rule keeping for us, Acts 21:20-25.

Leviticus 17 to 26 contains specific rules of conduct aimed at the nation of Israel, while they were living in the land of Palestine, under the Law of Moses.

Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 are favorite verses of those who demean gays in general and gay Christians in particular. Christians who have a peculiar obsession with these verses insist that gay Christians must live under the Law of Moses but that they themselves do not have to obey the Law of Moses as it is given in Leviticus.

Nongay Christians attempt to convince gay people that the only way to be pleasing to God is to live under the rules given in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.

In Gay Christian 101 - Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians, I list 18 possible ways to interpret the Levitical Holiness Code, where it is alleged to deal with homosexuality. It is well worth your time to get and read this important book.

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22.

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” Lev 20:13

Even the most vocal anti-gay evangelical scholars like Dr. Robert Gagnon of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, admit that the Holiness Code in Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 does not address the issue of committed, faithful, non-cultic sexual relationships between men.

There is no logical analogy between ancient cult prostitutes who worshiped the fertility goddess and modern gay men and lesbians. Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 are God's prohibition of shrine prostitution, not homosexuality.

That is why God placed the Holiness Code prohibition in v. 22, right after v. 21, which forbids worship of Molech. The Bible addresses shrine prostitution under the rubric of Molech worship.

1. To whom is the Book of Leviticus is addressed?

2. With what pagan religious practices did God and Moses link the Levitical prohibitions - Lev 18:22 and 20:13?

3. Who was Molech and how is he connected to the Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 prohibitions of male-male sexual practice?

4. What is the historical context in which the Levitical prohibitions were given?

5. Did the the Law of Moses apply to all people everywhere, from the Creation of Adam to Eternity or does God limit its application to specific people in a specific land, at a specific time in history?

6. What is an abomination in the Bible?

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The consistent Christian teaching for 2000 years is that we do NOT keep Torah Law.

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