Christians who battle homosexual temptation
Image via WikipediaHomosexuality in the church? The argument that the defenders of this position are making is, "...this is the way they were born, they can't change ... it is cruel to make them change."
My answer: why should homosexuality get singled out above all other sins? Is this sin uniquely exempt from repentance? The gospel tells us that we ALL cannot change and each of us is in a similar condition to the homosexual, prior to regeneration.
We are all born with a condition that we cannot change: Its called total depravity. By nature we are all morally impotent to obey God's commands let alone believe the gospel ... yet we all remain culpable for these transgressions (Rom 3:19, 20).
If homosexuality can be exempt because people claim that they are born that way, then I guess this makes us all exempt from repenting of our various sins that we cannot naturally escape from ... this basically renders Christianity void of all supernatural truth. If God cannot change any of us then the future is indeed bleak for us all because it means that Christianity is false. But in truth, homosexuality is just like any other sin.
If I am born a bigot and a man of pride and cannot change this by nature, does this exempt me from obedience to God in this area? Shall I give up trying to change my coveting because I was born with such a desire? Any so-called church, therefore, that encourages homosexual unions or any other sin (Matt 5:19) has therefore abandoned the faith and has embraced a cultural construct for which they will be held accountable.
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
There is a tendency to declare homosexuality as the worst of all sins. While it is undeniable, biblically speaking, that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural (Romans 1:26-27), in no sense does the Bible describe homosexuality as an unforgivable sin. Nor does the Bible teach that homosexuality is a sin Christians will never struggle against.
It is possible for a Christian to struggle with homosexual temptations.
Many homosexuals who become Christians have ongoing struggles with homosexual feelings and desires. Some strongly heterosexual men and women have experienced a “spark” of homosexual interest at some point in their lives. Whether or not these desires and temptations exist does not determine whether a person is a Christian.
The Bible is clear that no Christian is sinless (1 John 1:8,10). While the specific sin / temptation varies from one Christian to another, all Christians have struggles with sin, and all Christians sometimes fail in those struggles (1 Corinthians 10:13).
What differentiates a Christian’s life from a non-Christian’s life is the struggle against sin. The Christian life is a progressive journey of overcoming the “acts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21), and allowing God’s Spirit to produce the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Yes, Christians sin, sometimes horribly. Sadly, sometimes Christians are indistinguishable from non-Christians. However, a true Christian will always repent, will return to God in repentance, seeking Gods grace and mercy and will always resume the struggle against sin.
But the Bible gives no support for the idea that a person who perpetually and unrepentantly engages in sin can indeed be a Christian.
Notice 1 Corinthians 6:11, “And that is 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.”
First Corinthians 6:9-10 lists sins that, if indulged in continuously, identify a person as not being redeemed—not being a Christian.
Often, homosexuality is singled out from this list. If a person struggles with homosexual temptations, that person is presumed to be unsaved. If a person actually engages in homosexual acts, that person is definitely thought to be unsaved.
However, the same assumptions are not made, at least not with the same emphasis, regarding other sins in the list: fornication (pre-marital sex), idolatry, adultery, thievery, covetousness, alcoholism, slander, and deceit. It is inconsistent, for example, to declare those guilty of pre-marital sex as “disobedient Christians,” while declaring homosexuals as definitively non-Christians.
Is it possible to be a gay Christian? If the phrase “gay Christian” refers to a person who struggles against homosexual desires and temptations – yes, a “gay Christian” is possible.
However, the description “gay Christian” is not accurate for such a person, since he/she does not desire to be gay, and is struggling against the temptations. Such a person is not a “gay Christian,” but rather is simply a struggling Christian, just as there are Christians who struggle with fornication, lying, and stealing.
If the phrase “gay Christian” refers to a person who actively, perpetually, and unrepentantly lives a homosexual lifestyle – no, it is not possible for such a person to truly be a Christian and 1 Corinthians 5:11 clearly requires us to not associate or even eat with them. They may claim their sexuality is a gift from God, they were born that way, that the prohibitions against homosexuality went out with slavery, discrimination against black people, cotton shirts, eating seafood restricted in the Old testament.
But verses 9-10 imply the unsaved (homosexual or anyone) should be welcomed to hear the gospel so that they may be saved. Either way, there is no grounds for violence or abusive language. I believe that when the Bible is taught clearly, God is seen in all of His majesty and holiness - hearts are conquered, minds are renewed and communities are transformed. Apart from the grace of God on my life....there go I!
