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Question from a WordTruth.Com friend:>>>I'm gay and I've been baptized in the name of Jesus and gave my life to him. I know who Jesus is. But do gay people go to heaven no matter how much they love Jesus and gave their life to him. I know it's wrong and I want to be right for him.>>> WordTruth.Com Response:Thank you for your courageous question. Your honesty about the issue makes it possible to move forward by faith. All too often people are unwilling to acknowledge the real issue they face or take responsibility for their actions. The Bible makes it clear that it is not by works (what we do) but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone (what He did) that anyone goes to Heaven. See the explanation in The Gospel of GRACE. Faith and repentance go hand in hand as we see in how Jesus began His earthly ministry saying, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15, NIV). What is repentance? The word in the original Greek indicates a change of heart that results in a changed life. The change of heart is how you relate to Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. One cannot trust in Jesus as Savior but not LORD. He IS the LORD of all. As LORD, He has the right -- and exercises that right -- to rule in every area of your life. This includes sexual relations. Because God is holy, He calls His people to lead holy lives (1 Peter 1:15-16). Homosexuality, lust, adultery, incest, pornography are all condemned as significant sins in the Bible. When you distort or confuse proper sexual relations, you distort and confuse your sexual identity causing you to be unable to relate to people of either sex in genuine Christian love (the kind of love Christ has for us). We also find this significant statement in the Bible. Note that the context clearly shows it to be addressing BELIEVERS in the church at Corinth: 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And 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. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NIV) See that some had previously been homosexuals ("that is what some of you were" v11). But having repented of their sins and trusting in the LORD Jesus Christ for salvation, they forsook the old life to follow Jesus. Committing their lives to Christ, they followed Him by turning away from homosexuality and turning instead to righteous relationships with others. Keep in mind - this does not mean the desire vanished overnight. No doubt the desire for and thoughts about immoral sex will be with you for quite some time. Continue to study God's word regarding right relationships with people of either sex. Over time, the more you walk by faith, turning away from the old desires and toward righteous relationships, the less power those desires will have over your flesh. Remember also that whenever we fail as a Christian, the Bible says:
Someone once compared our salvation in Jesus Christ to being aboard a ship. You can fall down when the winds and waves of adversity overtake you. But you can never fall off. If you fall, avail yourself of 1 John 1:9 - name the sin, agree with God that it was wrong, and forsake it. As a Christian, following this command will cleanse you from all unrighteousness and renew your fellowship with God. Jesus said to His disciples, "If you love Me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15, NIV). Sometimes this takes great courage and sacrifice -- as it did for Jesus when He went to the cross to pay the sin debt for the whole world ... mine, yours, and everyone who has ever lived or ever will live. But God never commands us to do anything that is not for our best. He also never commands us to do that which He is unwilling to help us carry out. And, believe me, we need His grace, wisdom, and strength to do anything He has commanded ("apart from Me you can do nothing" John 15:5; "My grace is sufficient" 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Being right with God means turning from sins and trusting in the LORD Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and eternal life. Living right with God means daily surrendering your imperfect will to His perfect will (Luke 9:23). I hope this helps you. Please let me know how your walk with Christ is going and if there is any further assistance this ministry can provide. I will be praying for your spiritual commitment and renewal. May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus! Rev. Randy Lariscy :-) |
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