What does the Bible say about same-sex marriage?
The Bible and this teaching consistently uphold marriage as a sacred covenantal union exclusively between one man and one woman, rooted in God's design for complementary duality and procreation. This heterosexual union fulfills the Three Blessings, establishes the Four Position Foundation, and is essential for manifesting God's lineage and ideal family. Homosexual acts are prohibited, as they deviate from this fundamental design and purpose.
The Bible consistently presents marriage as a sacred institution designed by God, fundamentally establishing it as a covenantal union between one man and one woman. This understanding originates in Genesis:
The Biblical Foundation: God's Design for Marriage
1. Genesis 1:27-28: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’" This passage reveals humanity's creation as male and female, both essential to God's image, and links their union to the procreative command to "be fruitful and multiply." 2. Genesis 2:24: "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh."- This verse defines the exclusive, profound, and physical union of marriage, signifying a complete bond solely between a man and a woman.
Jesus Himself affirmed this original design:
1. Matthew 19:4-6: "“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”" Jesus reiterates the original intent and divine institution of male-female marriage.
Beyond defining marriage, the Bible explicitly prohibits homosexual acts:
1. Leviticus 18:22: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable."- The Hebrew to'evah signifies an abomination to God, a moral defilement. 2. Romans 1:26-27: "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."- Paul describes homosexual acts as "unnatural" and contrary to God's created order. 3. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."- This includes "men who have sex with men" (Greek: malakoi and arsenokoitai) among behaviors precluding inheritance of God's kingdom.
These verses consistently portray homosexual practices as falling outside God's intended design for human sexuality and relationships. The biblical framework unequivocally establishes a heterosexual foundation for marriage and prohibits homosexual acts.
Divine Principle's Clarification: God's Ideal and the Three Blessings
The Divine Principle (DP) deepens this understanding by elucidating the teleological purpose behind God's creation of male and female and the institution of marriage. Humanity, created in God's image, was meant to reflect Him through the harmonious relationship of male and female. The root of sin was a sexual transgression that corrupted God's lineage and diverted humanity from this ideal.
The union of man and woman in marriage, centered on God's love, is essential for forming the Four Position Foundation (God, Husband, Wife, Children). This foundation is the primary means for humanity to fulfill the Three Blessings given in Genesis 1:28:
1. Be fruitful (individual perfection): Through a God-centered marriage, individuals mature into God-centered beings, embodying true love. 2. Multiply (family prosperity and procreation): The heterosexual union uniquely generates new life, establishing a true family where God's love and lineage continue. 3. Have dominion (stewardship over creation): A family, harmoniously centered on God's love, can collectively care for creation.
God is not only Father but also Mother; therefore, man and woman equally express God’s nature and value. Their harmonious give and take action creates unity and joy. Marriage between a man and a woman is the highest expression of this principle, creating the ideal condition for establishing God's Kingdom on Earth. This God-centered, heterosexual family unit allows children to inherit true love, true life, and true lineage, embodying the Image of God fully.
Understanding the Deeper Meaning: Complementary Duality
The Divine Principle reveals that the complementary relationship of masculinity and femininity—the interplay of subject and object, masculine and feminine—is inherent in all creation, reflecting God's own dual characteristics. In humans, this is most profoundly expressed as male and female, not as arbitrary distinctions, but as essential, complementary aspects for actualizing God's ideal of creation.
Sexual union within marriage, when God-centered, is the culminating act of give and take between these complementary aspects. This leads to new life and a lineage grounded in God's love, expanding God's family. This union is a sacred act meant to expand God's love. Homosexual relationships do not align with this fundamental principle of complementary duality for procreation and the establishment of God's lineage. The DP clarifies why the Bible prohibits certain sexual acts: they deviate from the inherent design principle for the actualization of God's ideal, rooted in complementary love for the purpose of generating and expanding God’s family, which was corrupted by the original sexual sin.
Living the Principle
1. Embrace God's design for marriage as between a man and a woman, striving to establish a God-centered family that fulfills the Three Blessings. 2. Practice sexual purity, honoring your body as a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), reserving sexual expression for a God-centered, marital context aligned with God's original creative intent. 3. For married individuals, build a Four Position Foundation by centering your family on God, practicing unconditional love, and raising children with spiritual values. 4. Love and respect all individuals as God's children (John 3:16), while maintaining fidelity to God's ideal for marriage and relationships as established in creation.
These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Read about the author, Sun Myung Moon.
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Sources and further reading
- The Holy Bible, King James Version — Scripture quoted and referenced throughout the answers.
- The Divine Principle (full text) — The complete text of the Divine Principle, the teaching of Reverend Sun Myung Moon that these answers explain.
- Unification texts library (tparents.org) — Large online library of Unification texts, sermons and collected speeches, including the Cheon Seong Gyeong.
- Short video lectures in English — Playlist of short English video lectures presenting these same principles.