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A message to Believers…and the Counterfeit…
From the beginning of time, humanity has grappled with questions of identity, morality, and nature. One of the most misunderstood and weaponized subjects in the modern Church is the treatment of innate, biological, (born) same-sex attraction and its relationship to sin. To understand what Scripture truly teaches, we must distinguish between what is innate and what is chosen, what is biologically rooted and what is morally accountable. This deep dive seeks to do exactly that—anchored in original Greek definitions, theological clarity, and the character of Christ Himself.
Innate Biology vs. Chosen Behavior: Drawing the Line
The Bible never condemns what God Himself has implanted. Scripture differentiates between who we are and what we do—between the inborn and the volitional. Greek provides us with precise language for this distinction:
ἔμφυτος (emphytos): means “implanted,” or “innate”—that which is naturally present within a person. Used in James 1:21 to describe the implanted word of God.
φύσις (physis): “nature” or “biological constitution”—used throughout the New Testament to describe what is by birth, by makeup.
γεννητός (gennētos): meaning “born,” generated by birth or origin.
These words are radically different from those that describe behavior:
πράσσω / ποιέω: (poy-EH-oh) to do, to practice.
ἁμαρτάνω: (hah-mar-TAH-noh) to sin, to miss the mark.
ἐπιθυμέω: (ep-pee-thoo-meh-oh) to lust, to desire wrongfully.
πλανάω: (plah-NAH-oh) to be deceived, led astray.
The conclusion is plain: Being gay—biologically and innately attracted to the same sex—is not an action. It is not a sin. Just as no one chooses to be straight, no one chooses to be gay. It is a God-woven aspect of identity, which exists whether it is ever acted upon or not.
To conflate orientation with behavior is not only inaccurate; it is a theological and linguistic violation. The Bible holds people accountable for what they do, not for what they are. Save the carnal “state” of original sin the human body is in.
Sin: Action and Condition
Yet we must go deeper still. While sin is behavior, it is also a state of being. Every human being—gay or straight—is born into a fallen world with a corrupted nature. The Psalms declare, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Romans 5 confirms that through Adam, sin entered all.
So yes, while being gay is not a sin, all humans are born in sin. All carry a spiritual death certificate from the womb. What demands blood is not one’s orientation—it is one’s mortality. And that is why we all need Christ. He did not die to erase personality; He died to redeem nature. The Cross is not a cage—it is the key. Trying to not be innately and biologically gay is the same as trying not to be born of Sin. it is impossible. Remember, to the Believer our sins have been paid for, but sin has NOT been removed from our human bodies.
Malakoi: Unpacking the First Word
In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul uses the Greek word μαλακοί (malakoi). (Homosexual wasn’t introduced into thew Bible until 1946. It was invented in 1868) This word has been mistranslated for centuries as “effeminate” or equated with passive homosexuality. But its meaning, both in Koine Greek and in Jesus’ own usage, says otherwise.
Literal meaning: soft, delicate, pliable.
Metaphorical usage: undisciplined, morally weak, luxury-loving, lacking self-control.
Jesus’ usage: In Matthew 11:8, Jesus asks, “What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft (malakoi) clothing?” Here, the word clearly means luxurious, comfortable, and soft-living—nothing to do with sexuality.
The fact that Jesus Himself used malakoi in a non-sexual, non-condemning context is direct evidence that this word was never intended to describe or condemn innate biological (born) same-sex attraction. If it were, Jesus would not have used it that way. This is not just theological reasoning—it is linguistic proof. He literally is the author of that word. God didn’t come down to Earth and use our languages, we are using His languages.
Arsenokoitai: The Second Word
The second controversial word Paul uses is ἀρσενοκοῖται (arsenokoitai). It is a compound word:
ἄρσην (arsēn) = male
κοίτη (koitē) = bed (used sexually)
So it literally means male-bedder—but context is everything.
This term is exceedingly rare and likely “coined” by Paul himself. It appears only in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10. The term mirrors Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 in the Greek Septuagint, where it forbids men lying with men in the context of ritual defilement and abusive, exploitative acts. Arsenokoitai likely refers to:
Male-on-male prostitution
Exploitative sexual transactions
Power-based sexual abuse (e.g., slave rape or pederasty)
It is not a general word for gay men or innate, biological, loving same-sex relationships. It is never used to describe orientation, companionship, or mutual affection.
How the Church Has Misused These Words
Over time, the Church—driven by cultural bias, political control, and theological laziness—began to treat malakoi and arsenokoitai as synonyms for “homosexuals.” This is false. These are separate terms, referring to separate cultural and moral concerns.
The modern interpretation of these words as a blanket condemnation of gay identity is not rooted in Scripture, but in tradition, fear, and control. This misrepresentation has done irreparable harm to generations of believers who were taught to hate themselves for being who they are.
We must call this what it is: counterfeit Christianity. Real followers of Christ do not use Scripture to weaponize shame or conceal bigotry. To do so is to become like the Pharisees—lovers of law, but strangers to love. These are the same types who profess Christ but do not possess Him, and certainly do not represent Him.
The Agenda Must Be Confronted
Human beings are biased by nature. We form narratives to protect our power, to secure our comfort, or to mask our fears. But Scripture was never meant to conform to an agenda. It was meant to expose us all. The Bible is a mirror—not a magnifying glass for your neighbor.
The Church has a moral obligation to stop using poor translation as a license for prejudice. Every time malakoi is interpreted as “gay” or arsenokoitai as “homosexuals,” we are bearing false witness—not just against our neighbors, but against the Word of God.
The Inescapable Truth
Being gay is not an act. It is not a decision. It is not a lifestyle. It is a biological orientation—an innate, God-woven aspect of a person’s identity that exists whether it is ever acted upon or not. Just as one is not “practicing” heterosexuality simply by being straight, one is not “committing sin” by being gay.
We are all born with a death certificate. We are all born needing redemption. But what demands the blood of Christ is not our sexual orientation—it is our fallen human condition. And Christ’s blood does not erase our humanity. It redeems it.
So let the line be drawn in the clearest of Greek, the boldest of truths, and the deepest of compassion:
God does not condemn what He Himself implanted.
Sin is not who you are—it’s what you were born into.
And salvation is not straightness—it is surrender.
Conclusion:
Perhaps it’s time we stop confusing tradition with truth.
Because if the Church has taught you that being born with something beyond your control makes you condemned, then what it has taught you is not gospel — it’s grief disguised as doctrine.
We don’t get to rewrite Greek to match our discomfort. We don’t get to assign guilt where God has not. And we certainly don’t get to place crosses on the backs of others that we wouldn’t carry ourselves.
Some of us have grown used to our privilege—our theology has been shaped not by empathy but by insulation. So when we see others walking a path we don’t understand, we label them rather than listen. We quote verses rather than question translation. We hold up tradition rather than carry each other’s burdens.
But Christ never called us to be editors of the truth. He called us to be image-bearers of love. If your gospel requires erasing someone’s God-given identity to make yourself feel holier, it’s not the gospel of Christ — it’s the gospel of control.
Truth doesn’t tremble in the presence of nuance. It shines through it. So let it shine here. Let it confront what we were taught. Let it rescue what we lost. Let it be strong enough to carry the weight of those who’ve been told their existence was an error in translation.
