CAN A PERSON BE LGBTQ+ AND A CHRISTIAN?

Yes.

And no.

Let me address the “yes” first:

If someone becomes a Christian, that means that they have acknowledged that they are a sinner and have trusted in Jesus Christ for forgiveness by believing he died, was buried and on the third day rose again (1 Corinthians 15).

The easy part of having a relationship with God is believing in Jesus’ death as payment for our sins.

Or is it?

It’s hard to believe because this isn’t just a static belief. “Static” means showing little or no change. With belief in Christ, change must happen.

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

You can believe that George Washington was the first President, but he won’t save you and can’t change you. Many people say they believe in Jesus Christ, but if there isn’t a life change accompanying that belief, you might as well believe on George Washington. To believe means there must also be action on our part.

With belief comes repentance! Repentance is not just saying “I’m sorry.” To repent means to change your mind and attitude about sin, so that you turn from your sin and turn toward God.

Here’s a simple illustration: There is a town in a remote portion of Canada called Wabush which was completely isolated for a long time. But a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it and the same road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only one way they could leave—by turning around.

Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out—a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about-face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there’s no way out of town.

Sin means simply “missing the mark.”

It’s a picture of an archer aiming for the perfect bulls-eye and missing by just-this-much. We all miss the mark and fall short of God’s perfection. The Bible says “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23).

The bad news is, because of Adam’s sin, all unbelievers will perish, all are headed for Hell. The bad news is, because of your sin, you will be punished for all eternity in Hell.

If an LGBTQ person, (or anyone) believes in Christ and repents of their sin, they will be forgiven.

Yes, one can be LGBTQ+ and a Christian IF they have repented of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle.

Here is what the bible says about some sins: “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, New Living Translation).

Yes, homosexuality is a sin, but it isn’t THE sin.

When I used to go to Pride events to share the Gospel with the LGBTQ+ community, I was always asked this question: “Will I go to Hell because I am gay?”

My answer: “No one ever went to Hell because they were gay. People go to Hell because of their sin, like lying, stealing, blasphemy, etc. Homosexuality is just one of those sins but it’s not THE sin. People go to Hell because they do not trust Jesus for forgiveness and back up their belief by repentance.”

I would usually get a grateful handshake or a hug.

People can reject the fact that homosexuality is a sin, make excuses for it, quote “bible scholars” who will explain it away and even defend the lifestyle, but, it’s pretty clear in Scripture.

“[Because of their idolatry], God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.

“In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:26-28).

LGBTQ+ persons can be Christians only if they have believed in Jesus and repented of the lifestyle.

This doesn’t mean that an LGBTQ+ person won’t struggle with that sin for the rest of their lives. They may fall horribly back into that sin.

The questions are these: Do they repent and earnestly try to follow Jesus? Or, is that person actively pursuing the homosexual lifestyle instead of Jesus? (When I became a Christian, I repented of my sexual immorality, adultery and drug addiction, to name a few. It was tough, but a relationship with Jesus now and a promise of eternity in Heaven is well worth it.)

Jesus said that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). When you become a Christian, the Bible says that you are a “new creation, the old is gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You literally become a brand-new person with new desires!

Can a person be LGBTQ+ and a Christian? Here’s the “NO” part of the answer.

One cannot be actively engaged in the homosexual lifestyle and be a Christian. It does not matter what the law of the land says. It does not matter what your friends say. It does not matter what gay apologists or “woke” theologians say. The question is: What does God say in His Word, the Bible?

One writer puts it this way: “When man forsakes the Author of nature, he inevitably forsakes the order of nature.”

Theologian Charles Hodge wrote, “Paul first refers to the degradation of females among the heathen, because they are always last to be affected in the decay of morals, and their corruption is therefore proof that all virtue is lost.”

This is proof of the wrath of God in action.

“Homosexuality is a judgment from God,” according to Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson.*

“Homosexuality is not a typical sin that cultures face like theft, lying or murder, but it is apparently a very symbolic sin through which God reveals his anger.

“The apostle Paul described homosexuality as what happens when God gives up on a nation’s normal idolatries. Widespread homosexuality is a sign that the society in question is not living under normal chastisements; it is the sign of God’s abandonment of us….”

I love people too much to compromise the truth of the Gospel. I don’t hate you because you believe differently. You are free to believe whatever you want. I’ll still be your friend and buy you lunch if you want to meet to talk. I will try to be the nicest Christian you ever met.

But, understand this: For your sake, I will speak the truth in love.

* “Owning the Curse: Rethinking Same-Sex Marriage” by Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson:)