The OP focused on the translation of "toevah" as "abomination." When the scholars authorized by King James first translated it this way, the word abomination did not have quite as strong a connotation as it does now. Many more modern translations continue to use "abomination, even though it is no longer the best way to translate it. Some do it because the word has become familiar. Others because they have a (perhaps unconscious) bias. A far better translation would be "taboo." This word, borrowed from Polynesian, was not yet well known enough to be available to the Authorized translators. In general, "toevah" referred to a serious breech in ritual or social mores. Moral turpitude, on the other hand, was labbled "zimmah," "wicked."
The thing is, if you do a search on every place the word "abomination" occurs, you find one basic message: we are told to refrain from whatever it is.
For me, when you couple this with so many warnings in the New Testament against sexual immorality (of which there are several types), the term itself leads us to sincerely question such behaviors in our own lives.
I don't want to focus only on homosexuality. But, a Christian will deal with sexuality regardless, and the New Testament deals a lot with the type we are to avoid if we are to be followers of Christ.
__________________ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
God has identified that homosexual sex is just as fornicative as heterosexual sex outside of marriage.
Word studies ain't gonna make homosexual sex not be a sin.
None of us can help our lust or any sin any more than homosexuals can. That's why Jesus Christ's atonement on the cross is the only solution to the sin problem. The only problem is, those who deny that homosexuality is a sin are leading homosexuals away from forgiveness and straight on the path to hell as Satan loves to do. One cannot be forgiven for something he doesn't admit is wrong.
Wycliffe New Testament (1380) - "they that do lechery with men"
KJV (1611) - "abusers of themselves with mankind"
Young's Literal (1862) - "sodomites"
Darby (1890) - "who abuse themselves with men"
American Standard Version (1901) - "abusers of themselves with men"
Amplified Bible (1965) - "Those who participate in homosexuality"
Worldwide English (1969) - "those who commit adultery of any kind"
NASB (1971) - "homosexuals"
NIV (1978) - "homosexual offenders"
NewKJV (1982) - "sodomites"
NCV (1991) - "men who have sexual relations with other men"
CEV (1995) - "one who...behaves like a homosexual"
New Living (1996) - "Those who...practice homosexuality"
21st Century KJV (Third Millennium Bible) (1998) - "abusers of themselves with mankind"
New International Readers Version (1998) - "men...who commit homosexual acts"
NIV - UK (c.1998?) - "homosexual offenders"
ESV (2001) - "men who practice homosexuality"
The Message (2002) - "those who...use and abuse sex"
Holman Christian Standard (2004) - "homosexuals"
Today's NIV (2005) - "practicing homosexuals"
Sodomites definition | Dictionary.com
Sodomite
1. an inhabitant of Sodom. 2. (lowercase) a person who engages in sodomy.
Translation of the word itself from several sources.
Wycliffe New Testament (1380) - "they that do lechery with men"
KJV (1611) - "abusers of themselves with mankind"
Young's Literal (1862) - "sodomites"
Darby (1890) - "who abuse themselves with men"
American Standard Version (1901) - "abusers of themselves with men"
Amplified Bible (1965) - "Those who participate in homosexuality"
Worldwide English (1969) - "those who commit adultery of any kind"
NASB (1971) - "homosexuals"
NIV (1978) - "homosexual offenders"
NewKJV (1982) - "sodomites"
NCV (1991) - "men who have sexual relations with other men"
CEV (1995) - "one who...behaves like a homosexual"
New Living (1996) - "Those who...practice homosexuality"
21st Century KJV (Third Millennium Bible) (1998) - "abusers of themselves with mankind"
New International Readers Version (1998) - "men...who commit homosexual acts"
NIV - UK (c.1998?) - "homosexual offenders"
ESV (2001) - "men who practice homosexuality"
The Message (2002) - "those who...use and abuse sex"
Holman Christian Standard (2004) - "homosexuals"
Today's NIV (2005) - "practicing homosexuals"
Sodomites definition | Dictionary.com
Sodomite
1. an inhabitant of Sodom. 2. (lowercase) a person who engages in sodomy.
Translation of the word itself from several sources.
There you have it. I still don't understand why folks choose one word and word study it to death in order to change what God's word says. Unless you are reading ALL of God's word in Greek and Hebrew, you will always mess up the context.
If you speak in English, deal with an English translation.
The purpose of word studies is NOT to disprove what God's word says. But to give a deeper understanding of what He says.
Motives do matter when folks are attempting to teach something other than what God's word says. If your purpose is to disprove the English, you will generally fail with the word study approach.
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
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True or False... Verses 18-23 are addressing pagan worship.
True or False... Verse 24 declares that these pagan's lust caused them to commit taboo, and to misuse their bodies in trying to satisfy this idol induced lust outside of God's instituted loving committed union.
True or False... Verse 25 declares that it is homosexual men and women who change the truth of God into a lie and worship and serve the creature more than the Creator.
True or False... Verses 26 & 27 declares that the 'vile affection' that the men and women were 'given up over to' by God, was the heterosexual-to-homosexual transformation.
True or False... Verses 28-32 identifies the moral character of homosexual men and women.
Thanks for quoting the whole passage, Stinker. You have broken it into several sections, so part of what you say is true and part false. It's my opinion, and that of many others, that the second half of the first chapter of Romans is to be taken as a unit, describing the dissoluteness of character that eventuates when one gives over the (rudimentary) understanding of God that may be gained from nature, without Christian revelation, and instead turns to worship of created things and self-gratification. OllieFranz has in the past pointed out how Paul, who knew the work of the pagan philoopher Plato well, draws on his terminology and concepts to underscore that the knowledge of God is not restricted to the Jews and 'God-fearers' (Gentiles who believed in the Jewish God) but available to any human (such as Plato himself) through God's creation.
I am firmly convinced myself that the description has a particular point. Remember that this letter is giving the fullness of Paul's theology to one particular church prior to his visit there, and that was the church in Rome. The description of immoral behavior in vv. 18-32 is almost precisely what Petronius Arbiter, a pagan Roman, describes as the behavior of the Roman elite at almost exactly the time Paul wrote Romans. In fact, if you were to summarize the moral indictment Petronius draws against the dissolute Roman elite, you would come out with something very similar to vv. 22-31.
But Paul does not stop there -- it was the Middle Ages before Romans was broken into chapters and verses. His very next words indict the Christians of Rome as equally sinful [iby nature[/i] in God's eyes, without excuse, building to the famous "all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" verse. He then proceeds to explain God's grace, Christ's atonement, and the work of the Spirit in converting and remolding the minds and spirits of the Christian.
To take verses 26-27 in isolation and use them to point to homosexuals is to ,miss the whole point of Paul's theology -- we're all sinners without excuse, save for God's grace and Christ's mediation.
The other key point is that fornication, adultery, etc., are sins not because they're specific condemned acts, but because they violate God's purpose for sex as the unifying physical act in a committed marital relationship. I am specifically not saying "marriage" there because of the multiple meanings the word has. Contemplate for a minute a double-"Blue Lagoon" scenario -- two boys and two girls shipwrecked. If one boy and one girl form a committed bond to each other, with sex and excluding the other two, who form their own bond, you have two marriages by God's standards -- committed exclusive unions announced to the 'community' (the other couple, in this example). A marriage is not defined by what the state licenses or the church blesses -- it's defined by what the couple pledges each other and holds out as public knowledge.
Promiscuous sex, casual sex, sex for personal gratification without thought of the partner -- these are sins. Is it possible for a gay couple to commit to such marital relationship and have God bless such a union? Opinions will differ. (Understatement of the week!) But let's be clear that what Scripture condemns is abusive, self-gratifying, idolatrous, casual, promiscuous sex. If single person A sees single person B and thinks, "I'd love to spend the rest of my life with him/her, as much as possible in bed," that is not fornication, adultery, sodomy, or anything else in the sexual-sins handbook.
__________________
"It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of thieves." -Jesus
To take verses 26-27 in isolation and use them to point to homosexuals is to ,miss the whole point of Paul's theology -- we're all sinners without excuse, save for God's grace and Christ's mediation.
I don't think we would simply be pointing at homosexuals had there not first been someone to try and take it from the equation.
Yes, we are "all" sinners, including homosexuals.
Let's agree on that shall we?
__________________ I'd be a atheist if it weren't for God.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
"Here lies an atheist; all dressed up and no place to go." Epitaph in Maryland cemetery
I tried atheism for a while, but my faith just wasn’t strong enough.
Those who go to Heaven ride on a pass and enter into blessings that they never earned, but all who go to hell pay their own way.
--John R. Rice
There you have it. I still don't understand why folks choose one word and word study it to death in order to change what God's word says. Unless you are reading ALL of God's word in Greek and Hebrew, you will always mess up the context.
If you speak in English, deal with an English translation.
The purpose of word studies is NOT to disprove what God's word says. But to give a deeper understanding of what He says.
Motives do matter when folks are attempting to teach something other than what God's word says. If your purpose is to disprove the English, you will generally fail with the word study approach.
__________________ He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.Rev. 3:5
My avatar? Heh, my Granddaughter made it for me. How could I not use it? To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I don't think we would simply be pointing at homosexuals had there not first been someone to try and take it from the equation.
Yes, we are "all" sinners, including homosexuals.
Let's agree on that shall we?
__________________ He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.Rev. 3:5
My avatar? Heh, my Granddaughter made it for me. How could I not use it? To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
None of us can help our lust or any sin any more than homosexuals can. That's why Jesus Christ's atonement on the cross is the only solution to the sin problem. 
The only problem is, those who deny that homosexuality is a sin are leading homosexuals away from forgiveness and straight on the path to hell as Satan loves to do. One cannot be forgiven for something he doesn't admit is wrong. 
) a person who engages in sodomy.
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