Board index ‹ LGBT: Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual, Transgender, and Homosexuality

[Nic J]

homosexuality.. hard topic I know. It came up when I was away. Let's back up. I went away on a missions trip for a week and homosexuality came up. How can I tell someone not love someone ? It is a worse sin than getting drunk? Doesn't God see all sin the same?

Question "b" to this: if someone is living in sin, for example two women are married and are christians but they don't beileve it's wrong .. will they go to heaven? I really that makes sense?

I guess there is a third part to this: since I am Christ follower .. what if I have a friend who is gay and is getting married. Can I go to their wedding ?

I feel there are so many rules and it's not a black and white and this whole thing is hard.

[jimwalton]

"How can I tell someone not to love someone?” In the Bible, the reigning behavioral foundation is holiness. The supreme relational foundation is love. So what the Bible insists on is that all of our expressions of love don’t conform to the world’s standards or patterns, but according to the standards and patterns of holiness. In Leviticus 18 and 20, as well as Romans 1, we find out that homosexual love is a worldly love, not a holy one. It doesn’t conform to God’s character.

Our culture has made a mantra out of “Love wins.” It sounds so good and so right, doesn’t it, but that’s not a biblical value. In the Bible it’s love that is holy that is so high. Love by itself doesn’t count for as much. The Greeks had three different words for love, and one of them was eros: we get our word erotic from it. The Bible would never vouch for that kind of love as “winning."

“How can I tell someone not to love someone?” We do it all the time. Suppose a 45-year-old teacher falls in love with a 14-year-old student, and they have sex. Is this OK? Of course not. “But how can I tell someone not to love someone?” This is not appropriate, and we all admit it. Suppose a father “falls in love” with his 12-year-old-daughter, and the two start having a sexual relationship? We all go, “Ew. It’s not OK for them to love each other like that.” What about a brother and sister? No. A man and his mother? No. We all recognize some kinds of love as inappropriate, and we often tell people it’s not OK for them to love each other like that.

Question B: Suppose “two women are married and are Christians but they don’t believe it’s wrong. Will they go to heaven?” For that I’ll take you to Romans 1.18, 24-32 and 1 Timothy 1.10. You claimed these women are Christians, but they don’t believe it’s wrong. Romans 1.32 says, " Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” It’s a description of our world.

Now, I will grant that our salvation depends on our commitment to Christ, not our sexual practice. Will a Christian who is an adulterer go to heaven? Yes, I believe so, but he will discover when he gets there God’s great disappointment in his disobedience, and it will affect the man’s rewards (his experiences in heaven). How about the lesbian couple? I believe they can still go to heaven, but same thing. When you’ve spent your life intentionally indulging in sin, God will have words with you. Remember we spoke long ago about there being degrees of reward in heaven?

“Since I am a Christ-follower, what if I have a friend who is gay and is getting married. Can I go to their wedding?” This is very difficult, and I think it has to be a matter of faith and conscience for you. After all, we are supposed to love everyone. If they friend and his/her spouse are not Christians, you can, but if it bothers your conscience, then don’t. If they claim to be Christians? This is much harder, but I still think it’s a matter of conscience for you. Just because you attend doesn’t mean you endorse their behavior. It may just mean that they are really good friends, and you don’t want to alienate them. But you also don’t want to give the wrong impression about your sense of right and wrong. Only you can weigh all that out. But remember the foundation of your decision is holiness: "What is the most godly thing to do?” It can be an extremely difficult decision, and you can be sure that someone will find fault with you no matter which you decide to do, so you can’t let that be your guide. (I'm also confident that some Christians who read this will be very critical of me and this position also.)