The practice of homosexuality isn’t an unforgivable sin. In Matthew 12:31-32 Jesus describes the one unforgivable sin as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy in line with Merriam-Webster is “being irreverent or showing contempt toward God.” While the Bible does describe homosexual practice as an abomination, it’s well under the umbrella of forgiveness if the person repents. The blood of Jesus is powerful enough to cleanse us of all sin.
Can I Be a Christian and Struggle with Same-Sex Attraction?
Absolutely! The traditional teaching of the church will be summed up as: celibacy in singleness and fidelity in marriage between one man and one woman. Everyone has a struggle in some unspecified time in the future of their life with the expression of their sexuality. While the thought of somebody giving up their sexual lives is a large sacrifice, keep in mind that each Jesus himself and the Apostle Paul didn’t marry or have children.
There have been many others in Christian history who also did this. In 1 Corinthians 7:6-9, Paul expresses that he wishes more people could receive the gift of celibacy just as he had because it will allow for more focused work to grow God’s kingdom. That gives us a matter for our day: are we willing to sacrifice the whole lot, including our sex lives, for Jesus? If we imagine that God wants all of who we’re, then that features our sexuality.
Where Do We Go from Here?
The continuous message of the Bible is that homosexual practice is forbidden. However, this doesn’t remove from those of us within the church the requirement to like beyond the world’s expectations. Start by praying and asking God not only to be with someone that’s battling same-sex attraction, but ask God to allow you to be a source of comfort and security of their life.
The kingdom of God and its residents should at all times present the message of grace and forgiveness to all people. Don’t let this particular sin be one which is lifted up above others; sin is sin and it separates us from God. Your sin isn’t any worse or higher than anyone else’s and Jesus died to pay the worth for it. Let us rejoice the love of God in all that we do and bless those who struggle, even when their sin is different than yours.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Made Suta/EyeEm
