Really bad argument used here by gays seeking to dismiss the Bible
Objection Stated
Paul is “trapping” the Jews in Romans 1, and springs the trap in Romans 2, and hence what is in Romans 1 is really irrelevant to the modern situation.
Some revisionists argue that Paul’s entire effort in Romans 1 is in essence disingenuous: He is simply seeking to get his Jewish opponents to agree with him, to “jump on the bandwagon” so to speak, so he can then “spring the trap” on them in chapter two. The hoped for result seems to be that we can dismiss what Paul says in chapter 1 as merely rhetorical.
Biblical Response
This kind of argument can be very fairly identified as desperate. The consistency of what Paul says in Romans 1 and how he concludes Romans 3 (vv. 10–19), which comes long after the alleged “springing of the trap” in chapter 2, completely refutes this idea. Further, the argument assumes that Paul is speaking only of Gentiles in chapter 1, which is simply untrue. The connection with chapter 2 and the direct application to Jews is not that Jews do not likewise sin in the fashion of those in chapter 1, but that they refuse to acknowledge this due to hypocrisy. There is simply no basis for rejecting the teaching of Romans 1 on the basis of such an objection.
White, J. R., & Niell, J. D. (2002). The Same Sex Controversy: Defending and Clarifying the Bible’s Message about Homosexuality (pp. 135–136). Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
