Interpreting the Bible (Pt.2)

As we explored earlier, interpreting the Bible is essential to engaging with it meaningfully. One helpful way to approach this is through a framework called the “Senses of Scripture.” It outlines four common ways people have read the Bible throughout history:

• Literal: Taking the words at face value, clear and concise.

• Figurative: Seeing the words as symbolic or pointing to deeper truths.

• Tropological (Moral): Drawing lessons about right and wrong behavior.

• Anagogical. (Spiritual): Interpreting the text as revealing something about spiritual realities.

These different "senses" give us a flexible and thoughtful way to approach tough or confusing passages.

Another aspect that helps in beginning to interpret Scripture is recognizing that the Bible isn’t one continuous story. It’s a library whit different genres and styles of writing. Knowing about the multiple genres different Biblical books are written in can help set our expectations for how to approach them. The Book of Esther is written like a comedy, while Psalms is a collection of poetry. 1 and 2 Kings read like historical records. Paul's letters are just that—letters; he didn't wasn’t intending his words to speak across time authoritatively. Paul was pastoring from the road. He taught these communities how to think like Christ to survive their unique cultural contexts. 

Let’s look at a difficult passage…

Let's examine a common misquoted verse in the Bible and see how the context helps us clarify what is going on. 

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, malakoi and arsenokoitai, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9)

You might notice two Greek words—malakoi and arsenokoitai—that don’t always get translated the same way. Some versions (like the ESV) render them as “men who practice homosexuality,” while older translations (like the King James Version) use words like “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind.”But what do these Greek words actually mean? Scholars agree: it’s complicated.

Let's use the Sense of Scripture as a guide to decoding this verse.   

Literal Analysis

To understand the verse more fully, we need to know what was happening when Paul wrote it.

Paul is writing to a group of new Christians in Corinth, a city full of cultural clashes. This church is one of the first to bring Jews, Greeks, and Romans together in a single spiritual community—so tensions are high. Paul is also not physically present as he travels the ancient world, planting more churches. He uses his letters to pastor them from the road. Because of his absence, Paul focuses heavily on the concept of “putting on the mind of Christ” as a measure for navigating this new blended multicultural life (1 Corinthians 1:14-16).

In this chapter, Paul is upset that believers are suing each other in public courts. To make his point, he includes what's called a “vice list”—a list of behaviors he sees as incompatible with life in God’s kingdom.

This is where malakoi and arsenokoitai appear.

But here's the problem: these words are rare. Arsenokoitai shows up only once more in the Bible (1 Timothy 1:10). Many scholars believe Paul may have even made it up—combining “arsen” (male) and “koitai” (bed)—to describe something specific happening in that culture. On the other hand, the word "malakoi" literally means "soft". It can be said to have been used in 1st century Greek to mean "soft ones."

A “vice list” is a list of behaviors he sees as incompatible with life in God’s kingdom.

Theologian Derrick Sherwin Bailey argued that both words describe exploitative sexual behavior, not consensual relationships. These two Greek words must follow the theme of the list which all describe harmful and selfish acts. Paul's use of this term in this letter is widely considered the first instance of the term in ancient literature.

Others, like Professor Robin Scroggs, suggest the terms refer to abuse or power-based practices like prostitution or pederasty, where older men sexually abused and dominated young boys in Roman society as perverse form of mentorship. These acts were common in Paul's world—but they were about control and power inequality, not love or mutual respect. Still, many assert that the only faithful way to interpret these words includes all same-sex romantic behavior.

Figurative and Moral Analysis

So, what is Paul really saying here? Paul is actually talking about something much broader: how believers treat one another. Remember Paul isn’t physically present to guide this community.

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is frustrated that this church—meant to model God’s justice—is handling conflicts just like everyone else. Members are suing each other over petty disputes. He reminds them that the kind of life God calls us to is different. It’s marked by humility, selflessness, and love—not greed, domination, or selfish desire. Already, Paul is talking about perspective. He is questioning how this community sees justice, their greater purpose, and, most importantly, each other. 

When Paul says these people “won’t inherit the kingdom of God,” he isn’t necessarily talking about heaven. In Luke 17:21, Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Paul seems to be saying: if you’re still living in selfishness, you’re blind to the reality of God’s kingdom that’s already among and within you. You can’t participate in it because you don’t recognize it—even in yourself.

And right after this challenging verse, Paul adds a powerful reminder:

“That’s what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
(1 Corinthians 6:11)

In other words: don’t forget how far you’ve come. We all have a past, and we’re all growing. That’s the point! God is transforming us, and that transformation should shape how we handle conflict, difference, and disagreement.

What’s a Helpful Interpretation then?

1 Corinthians 6 teaches us that it’s less about pinpointing who’s in or out, and more about asking: Are we living like people who belong to God’s kingdom? Are we settling disputes with humility? Are we treating others with grace? Are we looking at ourselves honestly?

That’s what these articles are about: How do we live in unity, even when we disagree? Scripture invites us to wrestle with these questions—not just for answers, but for transformation.

Bratnober, Carolyn V. “Legacies of Homosexuality in New Testament Studies: Arsenokoitai and Malakoi, Fornicators and Sodomites, in the History of Sexuality and Scripture .” Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, 2017, pp. 1–57.

“Paul’s Understanding of Sexuality Μαλακοὶ and Ἀρσενοκοῖται in 1 Cor 6:9.” Paul’s Understanding of Sexuality Μαλακοὶ and Ἀρσενοκοῖται in 1 Cor 6:9 - Gospel Reformation Network, gospelreformation.net/pauls-understanding-of-sexuality/?print=print. Accessed 9 June 2024.

Bailey, Derrick Sherwin. Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition. Archon Books, 1975.