How does Leviticus 20:13 connect with New Testament teachings on sexual morality? Leviticus 20:13 in its Old-Covenant Setting • “If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” • The verse appears in a larger “holiness code” (Leviticus 18–20) that sets Israel apart from surrounding nations. • Its death-penalty clause functioned within Israel’s theocratic civil law; it expressed God’s judgment on behavior violating His created sexual order. Continuity of the Moral Principle • Though Christ fulfills the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Mosaic Law (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 10:1-10), the underlying moral standards remain constant (Romans 3:31). • Leviticus 20:13’s prohibition reflects God’s design for sexuality established at creation—one man, one woman in covenant marriage (Genesis 2:24). Jesus’ Teaching on Sexual Foundations • Jesus cites Genesis to affirm the male-female pattern: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ … ‘the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4-5). • By rooting sexual ethics in creation, Jesus upholds the same moral boundary that Leviticus protects. New Testament Echoes • Romans 1:26-27 recognizes same-sex relations as contrary to nature and the Creator’s intent. • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 lists “men who have sex with men” among practices that exclude from God’s kingdom, immediately followed by the hope of transformation: “That is what some of you were. But you were washed…” (v. 11). • 1 Timothy 1:9-11 places same-sex acts within behaviors “contrary to sound doctrine.” From Old-Covenant Penalties to New-Covenant Grace • The church no longer enforces civil death penalties; Christ bore the Law’s curse (Galatians 3:13). • Moral absolutes stand, yet the response is gospel invitation: repentance, faith, and Spirit-empowered holiness (Acts 3:19; Titus 2:11-14). Holiness for Today • Believers are called to “flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) and to “possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). • 1 Peter 1:15-16: “Be holy in all you do.” God’s grace enables obedience without condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1-4). Walking in Truth and Love • Uphold Scripture’s moral clarity while extending Christ’s mercy to all (Ephesians 4:15). • Encourage mutual accountability within the church family, aiming for restoration and wholeness (Galatians 6:1-2). |
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