The Holiness Code, found in Leviticus 17-26, was given to Jews, not to Christians.

The term Holiness Code was first applied to Leviticus chapters 17 - 26, by August Klosterman in 1877, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia. Holiness is very important to God and should be important to us. But that does not mean that Christians must keep the rules of the Jewish law.

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 vociferous 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 connect 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. Does scripture tell us when believers would cease to be under the Law?

7. How did our ancient spiritual ancestors understand Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13?

8. How should modern Christians understand Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13?

9. Possible interpretations of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.

10. What is an abomination in the Bible?

The answers to questions 6 - 10 are found in the book, Gay Christian 101 - Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians, by Rick Brentlinger.

Don’t let anyone convince you that arsenokoites means homosexual.

The word arsenokoites is only used 76 times in Greek literature from AD 58 when Paul first used it, to about AD 1450. Never in any of those usages does arsenokoites refer to males of equal status in a committed, faithful, noncultic partnership.

Don’t let anyone tell you that the Greek word malakoi always means homosexual. Malakoi was rarely, if ever, used in antiquity to describe homosexuals.

There are four popular analogies which are used to validate Gay Relationships as blessed by God. Click here to examine these four popular analogies.

Here is a real-life example of a prominent gay partnership in scripture - the amazing true love story of Jonathan and David is the greatest human love story in the Bible.

Jesus identified the sin of Sodom and it was not homosexuality.

The Holiness Code was aimed at Israel, in a specific place, the land of Israel, in a specific time period, while Israel was in the land, living under the Law.

And what some Christians wrongly interpret as a universal prohibition of all gay relationships is, in reality, a prohibition of shrine prostitution in worship of the Canaanite fertility goddess.

What was a sodomite in the Bible? Was it a homosexual, as many conservative preachers insist or was a sodomite in the Bible always a shrine prostitute who worshiped the Canaanite fertility goddess?

Those who believe that the Centurion’s pais was only a servant and not the same sex partner of the gay Centurion, cite Greek lexicons to prove their case.

Since most Biblical Greek lexicons do not mention beloved or same sex lover as possible meanings of pais. most nongay Christians insist same sex lover could not possibly be the meaning of pais.

In Gay Christian 101: Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians, I list 18 possible ways to interpret the Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, which are alleged to deal with homosexuality.

Family Values in the Bible are so different from Traditional family values as taught by Focus On The Family that modern Christians would totally reject the "family values" practiced by Abraham and Sarah, Ruth and Boaz and many of the heroes of faith in the Old Testament.

Did you know that Christians are not required to keep the Old Testament Law to get saved, stay saved or to be in right relationship with God?

You’ve studied the Holiness Code. Click Here To Return To Gay Christian 101.com Home Page.

Its a matter of common sense. To define arsenokoites, we must study how the word was actually used by our Greek speaking ancestors.