The Jude 3 Project | Study Guide
Does the Bible single out same-sex relationships as the one sin that bars a person from God's kingdom? That is one of the most charged questions a seeker or a believer can raise, and it deserves a careful, honest answer. This study presents Dr. Esau McCaulley's reading of the key passages for discussion. It is not a final verdict. It is meant to be weighed with Scripture and in community, with honesty about where the church has gotten this wrong and humility about the call that applies to all of us.
Key Takeaways
- The passages most often cited, like 1 Corinthians 6, list many sins together rather than singling out one as uniquely excluding.
- 'Inheriting the kingdom' describes the kind of people God is forming, a moral vision, not a checklist of single acts that permanently close the door.
- The church, by this reading, owes repentance for applying a standard of holiness to one area that it ignores in others.
- Scripture holds together a high call and real grace: no condemnation, and go and sin no more. Both are present in Jesus' response to the woman caught in adultery.
- The call to holiness is universal. If God's no applies only to one community, it is not holiness. It is preference.
Scripture to Sit With
1 Corinthians 6:9-11. The list moves through many sins and ends with 'such were some of you, but you were washed.' The accent falls on transformation and grace. Read the whole list, not just the line that concerns you most.
John 8:1-11. Jesus neither condemns the woman caught in adultery nor excuses the sin. He offers grace and a call in the same breath. This is the shape of how he handles failure.
Galatians 5:19-21. Paul names a long catalog of the works of the flesh together. The breadth of the list cautions against isolating one item as uniquely disqualifying.
Romans 3:23-24. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace. The level ground that runs through Romans.
Ruth 4:13-17. An outsider with no standing, who brings only her need, is welcomed and redeemed. The kingdom has always run toward people the culture would exclude.
Quotes Worth Discussing
"It does feel like the church has singled out same-sex relationships as being uniquely sinful. I'm a pastor, and I know more people who struggle with addiction to pornography or who don't keep their marital vows. The church has some repenting to do for how they've spoken about and to people who are same-sex attracted." (Dr. Esau McCaulley)
"The Bible doesn't single out same-sex attracted people as uniquely excluded. There's a variety of sins." (Dr. Esau McCaulley)
"When you fail to be the kind of person God calls us to be, his answer is not condemnation. It's grace." (Dr. Esau McCaulley)
"Is God allowed to tell me no, and am I allowed to see that no as something that's possibly good? The call to holiness is universal, not for only one community." (Dr. Esau McCaulley)
"If we're honest about the way people have misused it, it makes not only the Bible more trustworthy, but we become more trustworthy Christians." (Sherelle Ducksworth)
"The only thing Ruth brings to the table is her need. All we bring to Christ is our need of redemption." (Jerome Gay)
Discussion Questions
- What were you taught about this question growing up? How does reading the full list in 1 Corinthians 6 (not just the line about same-sex relations) affect what you assumed?
- Where have you seen the church apply a standard to one sin that it ignores or minimizes in others? What is the cost of that inconsistency?
- How does the woman caught in adultery (John 8) hold grace and a call together? What does that ask of us when we talk about other people's sin?
- McCaulley says the call to holiness is universal, and that God's no is addressed to everyone. Where is God saying a hard but possibly good no to you right now? Does it help or make it harder to know the same call applies to everyone else?
- Jerome Gay says Ruth brings only her need to the kinsman-redeemer. Where do you find it hard to believe that is enough? Where do you find it hard to extend that same welcome to others?
- How can a community discuss a question this charged with both honesty and love, even when people land in different places?
A Pastoral Note for Leaders
If you are leading this study, some participants may be working through this question personally, not only academically. The goal is not to arrive at a predetermined verdict together. It is to read carefully, to hold both truth and grace, and to make space for honest questions. If someone in the group is in distress, the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is available for mental health support and referrals.
A Practice This Week
Before you assess anyone else's sin this week, locate yourself in the list in 1 Corinthians 6. Not just the line that concerns you least, but the whole list. The greedy are there. The slanderers are there. Ask honestly where you show up, bring that to God before bringing anyone else's life to him, and practice the grace McCaulley describes: the call, and the grace for when you fall short of it.
Go Deeper
This study draws on the Jude 3 Project Problematic Passages event, where Dr. Esau McCaulley addressed the hardest questions in Scripture. For a related but distinct angle, see the companion study with Dr. Preston Sprinkle on whether the Bible really says same-sex relationships are a sin, and the study with David Bennett on whether LGBTQIA people can trust the Bible. This guide presents one scholar's reading for discussion; weigh it with Scripture, wise counsel, and your community.
A Closing Reflection
This week, practice holding truth and grace together the way Jesus does in John 8. Before reaching a verdict on anyone else, ask where God may be saying a hard but good no to you, and bring that honestly to him. Whatever you conclude about the questions this study raises, let the people in your life experience you as someone marked by both conviction and compassion. That combination is not easy. It is also not optional for anyone who follows Jesus.