Come Let Us Reason Together: Invite Jesus Into Your Life

Come now and let us reason together says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet 
they will be as white as snow... ~ Isaiah 1:18

Some of you may know that I created a page on facebook called Sanctuary (hope for those struggling with unwanted same sex attraction) and well somebody had commented on the page and I kinda wish I was able to respond.  And since I couldn't respond on the page itself I had the idea to write a response here.  To be honest I really do dislike the fact that there are times dialogue just shuts down.  This is one of the reasons why I do like "bridging" initiatives.  However, the times I become frustrated with "bridging initiatives" is when the "bridging" allows no room for conflict and when Pastors are taught to disengage from discipleship and encouraged to support a person's sexual identity that is nowhere near biblical.  I have issues with that, mainly because discipleship has everything to do with maturing in Christ and developing our identity in who we are as a new creation in Christ.  We can live our lives through the filter of our sexuality as we experience it or through our faith.  We can exalt our feelings and emotions above the word of God or we can live our lives with the word of God as our foundation in life and in our relationships.  I really believe discipleship is what we're called to in our churches and if that's true then that does mean there must be a time to engage beyond dialogue and a need for the disciple to learn what the bible teaches with regards to how we live our lives.  Sometimes that means the difficult and tough words must be spoken and the disciple must go through a season of wrestling with the truth being spoken rather than being comforted in the dung filled pit they were found in.  I can't see that God would just continue to love on a person while they sit in a dung pile.  I really believe the Cross of Christ is so much more then being loved as we sit in the dung pile.  And while we are loved as we sit in the dung pile Jesus came so that we might be able to experience life beyond the dung pile.  Am I equating homosexuality with a dung pile?  Not really.  I'm equating life apart from God as that dung pile and something we all share in our humanity is that dung pile.  The only difference is that some may have gotten in a little deeper then others.  

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son 
that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world 
but to save the world through Him. ~ Jn 3:16, 17         

My heart grieves for the individuals who believe God to be more condemning then grace-filled in response to their struggle with same sex attraction, especially those who have made homosexuality their identity vs their identity as a blood bought child of God who has been created in God's Image and in Christ becoming restored.  Jesus didn't die on the cross just to comfort us in our sin but to provide a way out and to make room for us to be fully restored in Christ.  

"I can't believe in a god that denies and damns me for something that is beyond my control, how I feel, how I love.  If by being born a homosexual means I am denied access from enjoying eternal glory? I don't want it then." ~ Anonymous 

Wow there is so much packed into this statement and I know whole books have been written on this topic and so I write this in a blog format knowing that I won't be touching on everything that is said or pointed to within this one statement.  

I'm not sure if you caught the source of identity of the one making the comment.  Their identity was based solely on and central to their sexual feelings making their feelings and emotions one in the same as who they are as individuals not simply just an experience.  I'll break up the statement and respond the best way I can...  

I can't believe in a god that  denies or damns me for something that is beyond my control...  

I will answer in short... the bible is specifically clear when it comes to behavior vs identity.  The sad reality is that many people are going to hell not because of their homosexuality but because they don't know Jesus.  And some like this person who made the comment unfortunately makes the mistake that God condemns them for feelings and emotions beyond their control.  I personally don't view feelings and emotions as sinful in and of themselves.  I believe feelings and emotions are what makes us human.  Now, what we do with our feelings and emotions is another thing altogether.  When it comes to behavior, we always have a choice.  The first choice that we can make is to surrender our lives to Jesus as Lord and Savior.  The second choice we have is to read the bible and study the scriptures to see what the bible actually teaches regarding the act of homosexuality.  The third choice we have is to give Jesus access into our hearts and allow for the Father to speak to us and to bless us as His children.  The fourth choice that we have is a willingness for us to allow God to soften our hearts and for Him to reveal to us His ways and then to follow His ways.  

It is not God denying us but rather God is asking of us to deny ourselves.  In fact, we're called to take up our cross and follow Jesus.  We are called to be a living sacrifice as the Apostle Paul has written to die is gain and to live is Christ.  It is no small step for sure to make as it leads many through the cycle of grieving.  There is a tremendous amount of loss as we willingly choose to give up certain things that has become part of our identity and we may even grieve the loss of friends.  I can share with you the very dark place it was when I first made the step towards a deeper commitment to Christ.  There couldn't have been a place where I felt more alone but God doesn't ask us to deny ourselves without the intended purpose of blessing us.  He doesn't withhold but there are times when God asks us purposely to surrender and to give things up only because the releasing of these things results in life not death even though it might feel like death.  Death is kinda sorta needed in order to experience the fullness of His resurrection.  We first have to be willing to leave what is familiar in order for God to bring us into the land of His promises and His blessings.  

If by being born a homosexual means I am denied access from enjoying eternal glory... 

Well, there has yet to be any substantial proof to suggest that there is such thing as our sexuality being genetically fixed that is comparable to the color of our skin or the color of our eyes.  There are certain traits that are fixed genetically.  One of the key reasons why I have such a hard time believing people are born gay is because none of the research to date has been duplicated and none of which actually proof that homosexuality is genetically fixed.  Much of the research may show a genetic vulnerability towards the development of same sex attraction but even in this there is nothing that states a definitive answer with regards to homosexuality being an unchangeable characteristic of an individual.  Being born gay and the existence of genetic vulnerability are two different things.  As I've mentioned before, when it comes to alcoholism there is a genetic vulnerability.  There is also a genetic vulnerability towards the development of serial killers... at which point do we stop using genetic vulnerability as an excuse for our behavior being morally accepted in society?  "well I was born with this genetic vulnerability and so it's just the way that I am...." for some it's just an excuse but for others I can understand there is this growing acceptance and grace in the place of understanding more of the complex nature of the development of same sex attraction.  I believe the first step towards wholeness is to recognize some things are beyond our control but there are some things we do have control over.  I don't necessarily accept the whole genetic vulnerability thing either.  What I believe is we've all been born in a fallen creation, a fallen world and as a result man and woman have been born reflecting a distorted image of God and while being born reflecting a distorted image of God the result became one of distorting who God is.  Man has a natural tendency to make God into our Image when really discipleship is about being transformed into the likeness of Christ and all about restoring God's Image that God intended to be reflected in mankind.  

I heard it said that the opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality, the opposite to homosexuality is holiness.

I think a discussion on holiness and how that applies to disciples of Christ is for a whole other blog post and deserves a better response then what I can give right now.  I think this is a very complicated topic especially for the individual who's personally affected by homosexuality.  I may not give the best of responses but one thing I do know is that God doesn't turn away from the homosexual and there is nothing to lose by inviting Jesus into the circumstances we face regardless if we're fully accepting of homosexuality and living the lifestyle or not.  Just invite Jesus into your life, invite Him to speak into your heart and begin a journey and relationship with Him.  It really just begins and ends in a relationship with Jesus.