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Romans 1:26-27:

[26] For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, [27] and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Jesus said nothing about homosexuality (from what we know) yet Paul teaches strongly against it (continuing in other verses). How do Christians who believe homosexuality is wrong justify the potential discrepancy here?

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    I think you're making too many assumptions here. Such as: Christ only taught what we have recorded in the gospels; Christ only shared with Paul what we have recorded in the gospels. Those are pretty large assumptions.
    – user23
    Commented Dec 1, 2011 at 17:11
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    I've worked with Sven to make some edits and hopefully correct the tone and doctrinal direction of this post.
    – wax eagle
    Commented Dec 1, 2011 at 20:59
  • @JustinY. Another assumption is that the Pauline verses cited here have anything to do with homosexuality. Many would dispute that. We'll start with the first three words: for what reason?
    – TRiG
    Commented May 30, 2012 at 18:35
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    The premise of your question is incorrect. Jesus affirmed the enitre law of Moses which condemned homosexuality, therefore to claim he "said nothing about homosexuality" is just plain wrong. cf. Matthew 5:17-18.
    – bruised reed
    Commented Sep 27, 2015 at 16:40

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You are correct in stating that there are no recorded teachings of Jesus on homosexuality. However, to suggest that this means there is disagreement between Paul and Jesus is unreasonable, since it is comparing something to nothing. It is certainly wrong to assume that Jesus disagreed with Paul on that just because He never explicitly indicates His agreement -- with Paul and the Law of Moses.

Indeed, if Jesus had disagreed with Moses on this, we should expect to hear about it in His teaching. If, however, He agreed with Moses, then why go to great pains to point that out?

It should be noted that Jesus was Jewish and lived among Jewish people in a Jewish culture. This whole culture was based on Mosaic teachings that held that homosexuality was wrong and had a very stiff penalty spelled out for it, much like adultery. People caught in adultery still suffered the possibility of death (see John 8:1-11). It is quite likely that this was simply not practiced in this culture.

Jesus never taught that eating pork was wrong either, because everyone in that culture agreed with that and no one ate pork. The idea of "preaching to the choir" about getting involved in the church comes to mind.

During Jesus' life, Israel was still under the Old Covenant, so the prohibition against eating pork was still in effect. Paul's writings occur in the New Testament, but reaffirm the prohibition of Moses against homosexuality.

So, there's absolutely no "discrepancy", and any intimation that Jesus supported homosexuality is not reasonable.

Jesus "did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it" [Matthew 5:17].

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    also note that Paul was writing to [dominantly] non-Jewish people in Romans - who would be unfamiliar with the laws given to Israel
    – warren
    Commented Dec 2, 2011 at 15:09
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    Your answer here is inconsistent. Without good cause, you can't ascribe different verdicts on "pork", "mixed crops", "shellfish" and "homosexuality". Either those laws stand or they don't. If he didn't come to abolish the law, do you still follow Mosaic / Jewish law?
    – Marc Gravell
    Commented Apr 28, 2012 at 12:25
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    @MarcGravell Acts 15 states that the Mosaic Law does not apply to Gentiles (or even Jewish Christians), but one thing they still prohibited was "sexual immorality".
    – Trebor Rude
    Commented Mar 23, 2014 at 10:07
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If Jesus did not in fact say that, it doesn't mean that Paul and Christ are in contradiction with one another. Not saying something does not mean acceptance or approval.

That said, Jesus has made a stand and voiced opposition against homosexuality. Just not while He was performing his ministry here on earth.

First, Jesus is God: John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Second, Jesus existed before the earth began: John 1:3 - All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Third, God said from the beginning that it stands against his law: Gen 19:4-11, Lev 18:22.

Fourth, Jesus entered the world not to abolish the law but to fulfill it: Matthew 5:17.

Fifth, Paul and the other apostles being filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth would not preach a different gospel than their Messiah.

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  • Its not very clear how your five points directly relate to this point: "That said, Jesus has made a stand and voiced opposition against homosexuality."
    – user23
    Commented Dec 2, 2011 at 0:22
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    I see it.. If Jesus is God, and God took a stand against homosexuality, then it may not be mentioned in the Gospels or His ministry here on earth, but again, if Jesus is God, then He said it in the verses cited @Brian, I edited to clarify the point I think you were making.
    – David Stratton
    Commented Dec 2, 2011 at 1:02
  • Welcome to Christianity.SE.
    – Caleb
    Commented Dec 2, 2011 at 8:15
  • David, that is exactly what I meant so thank you. In connecting the dots with the other verses, I was also trying to end other arguments that might arise that would either say: Jesus did not exist in the Old Testament, or Jesus' law of salvation invalidated the law of condemnation.
    – Brian
    Commented Dec 2, 2011 at 14:50
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Jesus said to keep the commandments, including the commandment against Adultery (Matthew 19:16–19)

The commandments against adultery form the basis for the Catholic teaching against homosexual acts and all sexual acts outside of marriage. These teachings all fall under an explanation of the sixth commadnment:

Chastity and homosexuality

Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

CCC 2357-2359

Adultery may mean many things to many people, but the Church is clearly free to expand on what she considers adultery to encompass and it's perfectly rational that any sex outside of marriage is adultery on account of

  1. that person you're having relations with may one day be someone else's bride or husband and

  2. you may one day be someone else's bride or husband.

By this definition, and since 'homosexual marriage' is a spiritual and physical impossibility, every homosexual act must be adultery, at least in a spiritual sense.

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  • +1 because back then, the thought of homosexual marriage wasn't considered. Although people had relationships with the same sex that today we would consider inappropriate, the thought of marriage (which is a union to create more children) with the same sex wasn't considered at all.
    – user1054
    Commented Dec 5, 2011 at 16:28
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    @Trig - I reverted your changes because you were incorrectly making a doctrinal point in removing the "physical" impossibility of marriage. The physicality of "one flesh" is impossible in Catholic (and many other) understanding, and hence it is not "an obvious absurdity"
    – Affable Geek
    Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 17:37
  • The problem in part here is that much of Christianity gets so much more excited about homosexuality than it does about plain old adultery...
    – Marc Gravell
    Commented Apr 28, 2012 at 12:23
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    @MarcGravell I'm inclined to agree with you, but for a different reason. 1) Your statement is true, and in this respect Christianity is wrong for the unbalance. 2) Much of it stems from the fact that a disproportionately greater number of people are claiming that homosexuality is not wrong than are claiming that plain old adultery is not wrong.
    – San Jacinto
    Commented Aug 2, 2012 at 23:00
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There's a passage that gets overlooked almost uniformly when addressing this question. In Matthew 15, while addressing the business of traditional handwashing, Jesus said:

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

"Sexual immorality" translates the Greek word porneia, which was a catch-all word to describe any kind of forbidden sexual contact: adultery, homosexuality, intercourse with animals, etc. (It's akin to the way "stealing" covers any kind of unlawful taking of property: robbery, burglary, fraud, embezzlement, etc.)

The point being, Jesus affirmed in this passage that all forms of forbidden sexual contact were evil, just like murder, theft, false testimony, and so on. Both He and His audience would have known that this included homosexuality, and He stated no exception for it.

TLDR: Jesus did affirm that homosexual activity is a sin.

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  • Was adultery not a "forbidden sexual contact" or immoral?
    – Andrew Leach
    Commented Jun 9, 2018 at 12:10
  • Yes, it was forbidden too -- Jesus included it specifically.
    – JDM-GBG
    Commented Jun 14, 2018 at 2:11
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Jesus talked about marriage, and reiterated that it is between a man and a woman. So if you go just on Jesus' words, you know homosexual marriage is a sin.

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    You're right, but it would be helpful to cite the reference. (For this reason a man shall leave his mother and be joined...)
    – Affable Geek
    Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 17:39
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No. Hebrews 11;3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1;14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Colossians 1; 12,13,14,16 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

John 1;17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Psalms 119;142 Thy righteousness is everlasting righteousness, and thy law is truth.

Genesis 19;4-5 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. Genesis 19;13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them waxen great before the face of the LORD: and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

Homosexuality was rampant well before Paul's time. God's judgement required the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Hebrews 4;12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than a twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing assunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart. 1 Peter 1;25 But the word of the LORD endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

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