Jesus loves gays

Do you feel ever confused about how Jesus wants you to treat people from groups different from yours? The answer should be simple: with warmth, open arms, and love. But when it comes to the LGBTQ community, sometimes Christians’ behavior is mixed — lukewarm at best, hateful at worst. Explore what Jesus said about gays, focusing on his teachings of love, compassion, and acceptance.

leviticus 18:22

Understand biblical perspectives and how to approach LGBTQ+ discussions with respect and empathy. May the following seven things begin to move us to thinking and action. The Lord seems to say in his word to all sinners (and that includes those in the LGBT community): 1. What would Jesus say? I love you because I created you and came to save you!

(Ps. ; Jo. ; Rom. ; I Jo. ). One of the most important points to begin with is that Jesus did not directly address the issue of homosexuality. Unlike some other topics such as divorce, adultery, or love for one’s enemies, the Gospels do not record any explicit teachings from Jesus about same-sex relationships. As we explore the Bible and what it says about gays and lesbians, we find that God’s heart is rooted in love, grace, and compassion for all His creation.

It is crucial for us to extend that love to everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation. It was sort of out of the blue since the discussion was on the return of Jesus, but clearly it was on the heart of at least one, if not many, of the teens there that night. Without a doubt, many young people are confused. Then, however, they hear from faith communities and not just Christian ones that homosexuality is sinful.

So, I am going to love others by being in favor of whatever makes them happy. Bobby loves to shoot heroin. Nothing in the world compares to the high he gets when the needle enters his vein and pushes the liquid into his body that gives him happiness. Would it be loving to affirm Bobby in his desire? Sandra loves year-old boys.

That would probably be fine if she was around the age of 12 herself, but she is Would it be loving to affirm Sandra in her desire? Further examples abound, but these suffice to clearly demonstrate that we have to be careful in affirming whatever makes a person happy because, in this fallen world, that which a person believes will make them happy is often hurtful to themselves and others.

Someone may quickly rebut that homosexuality harms nobody, but that is counterfactual. Medically, homosexuality is harmful, especially to men who practice homosexuality.

However, most harmful is the spiritual harm that homosexuality brings, as clearly noted in the Bible. Romans , for example, declares that the increasing presence of homosexuality in a society signals that God is bringing about judgment on that society due to idolatry. God, as a function of His wrath against sin, simply withdraws His restraining grace from those who rebelliously pursue sin, giving them over to degrading passions such as homosexuality and all sorts of other destructive behaviors.

Yet the spiritual harm in this life pales in comparison to the spiritual harm that homosexuality brings in the age to come for those who practice it in this present age. The Bible is emphatic that practicing homosexuality will bar a person from heaven. 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.

This list is by no means exhaustive; nevertheless, God is communicating to us that those who continue in sin, including homosexuality, will not inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, they will be barred from heaven and will experience hell forevermore. There is no worse consequence imaginable.

Don is a man in his early 20s who has experienced same-sex attraction for years and has finally given in to the temptation. He has been seeking out homosexual partners for several months, and it has been absolutely exhilarating to him. He hopes to settle down one day with the man of his dreams but is just having too much fun right now. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he is convinced that his happiness hinges on living a homosexual lifestyle.

Given the harm practicing homosexuality has been demonstrated to bring, is it loving to affirm Don in his desires? Absolutely not! In fact, the opposite is true. All of these not only harm the individuals with the desires, but others as well, and to affirm them would be unquestionably unloving. It seeks the well-being of its objects. Instead of unlovingly affirming them in an eternally harmful lifestyle, God lovingly calls them out through the Gospel of Jesus Christ just like He does all sinners.