Everything Jesus Said About Homosexuality, All in One Place
They built entire doctrines. But what did he actually say?
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Truth doesn’t fear scrutiny. It invites it.
If you were raised evangelical, you probably heard it said a thousand different ways:
"Jesus condemned homosexuality." "Marriage is between a man and a woman." "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."
It’s been repeated so often, it feels obvious—like it must be somewhere in the red letters.
But what if it isn’t?
What if the man at the center of Christianity never actually talked about it at all?
Silence Speaks Volumes
The Gospels—written decades after Jesus’ death—are the earliest narrative accounts we have of his life and teachings, based on oral traditions passed down within early Christian communities. They're quoted relentlessly in red-letter Bibles, printed on T-shirts, and blasted from pulpits every Sunday. And they are completely silent on the topic of homosexuality.
It’s not that Jesus weighed in and was misunderstood.
He simply never addressed it.
So how did the church become so loud about something their messiah never mentioned?
So Where Did This Belief Come From?
Enter 1 Corinthians 6:9.
This passage, written by the apostle Paul (not Jesus), contains two Greek words: arsenokoitai and malakoi. These words have been debated by scholars for decades, but here’s the crucial part: they do not translate cleanly to "homosexual."
In 1946, the Revised Standard Version (RSV) became the first English Bible to use the word "homosexual" in this passage. It replaced older, vaguer translations like "effeminate" or "abusers of themselves with mankind."
And here's the kicker: members of the RSV translation team later admitted that the word choice was a mistake.
But by then, the damage had been done. Evangelical churches seized on this new word and ran with it. Overnight, homosexuality wasn’t just a sin—it became the sin.
A mistranslation became a theology.
What About the Other Verses?
Some will point to Leviticus. Others to Romans. A few to Genesis. Let's walk through them—without the dogma, and with historical and cultural context.
Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 – These verses, from the Old Testament purity laws, prohibit a man lying with another man "as with a woman." But these laws also ban shellfish, mixed fabrics, and shaving certain parts of the beard. Christians routinely dismiss the rest of the purity code as "fulfilled"—yet somehow keep this one verse as binding. That’s not theology. That’s cherry-picking.
Genesis 19 (Sodom and Gomorrah) – This story is often cited as God's judgment on homosexuality. But a close reading shows the sin of Sodom was not consensual same-sex love—it was violent abuse and inhospitality. In fact, later biblical texts (like Ezekiel 16:49) define Sodom’s sin as pride, excess, and neglect of the poor—not sexuality.
Romans 1:26–27 – Paul’s letter to the Romans speaks of people exchanging “natural relations.” But this is more complex than it appears. Paul was addressing cultural practices tied to idolatry, temple prostitution, and exploitation—not loving, consensual LGBTQ+ relationships. Many scholars also believe Paul was using a rhetorical setup—only to flip it later in Romans 2, telling readers not to judge others.
1 Timothy 1:10 – This verse echoes 1 Corinthians 6:9, again using the term arsenokoitai, which no one fully agrees how to translate. It appears only in these two passages and likely refers to exploitative sexual practices—not orientation.
None of these passages come from Jesus. And none of them directly address what we now understand as sexual orientation or consensual same-sex love.
Silence Twisted Into Violence
In the decades since, untold harm has been done under the illusion that Jesus condemned gay people.
LGBTQIA+ teens have been kicked out of homes and churches.
"Conversion therapy" has been inflicted under the guise of spiritual healing.
Queer people have been told they are broken, unnatural, and unworthy of love.
Suicide rates have skyrocketed among queer youth raised in religious homes.
One of the most damning statistics? 82% of LGBTQIA+ youth from religious backgrounds have experienced suicidal thoughts.
That’s not holiness. That’s trauma wrapped in scripture.
Why the Church Needed Jesus to Say It
The church didn’t know what to do with silence. It made things ambiguous. And ambiguity is dangerous to systems built on rigid authority.
So silence became filled with fear. With projection. With made-up rules.
They didn’t quote Jesus. They quoted their culture—and hoped no one would check.
The evangelical machine needed Jesus to say it, so they taught it as if he did. But theological certainty built on a lie is still a lie.
So What Did Jesus Actually Say?
Jesus rebuked hypocrisy. He condemned greed. He confronted religious elites who burdened others with shame. He welcomed outcasts. He defended the marginalized. He broke purity codes. He loved first.
The people he called out the most? They looked a lot like the ones calling themselves moral authorities today.
Reclaiming the Conversation
If you're LGBTQIA+ and were taught that your identity made you unlovable or sinful, know this: it wasn’t some divine truth—it was a cultural system using religion to enforce conformity and control. You deserved better than that. You still do.
If you’re a Christian who assumed Jesus condemned same-sex love, I invite you to check the red letters.
There’s nothing there.
No verses.
No rebukes.
No parables.
No teachings.
Just silence.
And sometimes, silence says everything.
This space is for all of us who were handed fear and called it faith. Who were taught to sacrifice ourselves for the comfort of others. Who are finally learning to take it all back.
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